| 1. |
- Barrefelt, Åsa, et al.
(author)
-
Biodistribution, kinetics, and biological fate of SPION microbubbles in the rat
- 2013
-
In: International Journal of Nanomedicine. - 1176-9114 .- 1178-2013. ; 8, s. 3241-3254
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: In the present investigation, we studied the kinetics and biodistribution of a contrast agent consisting of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microbubbles containing superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPION) trapped between the PVA layers (SPION microbubbles). Methods: The biological fate of SPION microbubbles was determined in Sprague-Dawley rats after intravenous administration. Biodistribution and elimination of the microbubbles were studied in rats using magnetic resonance imaging for a period of 6 weeks. The rats were sacrificed and perfusion-fixated at different time points. The magnetic resonance imaging results obtained were compared with histopathologic findings in different organs. Results: SPION microbubbles could be detected in the liver using magnetic resonance imaging as early as 10 minutes post injection. The maximum signal was detected between 24 hours and one week post injection. Histopathology showed the presence of clustered SPION microbubbles predominantly in the lungs from the first time point investigated (10 minutes). The frequency of microbubbles declined in the pulmonary vasculature and increased in pulmonary, hepatic, and splenic macrophages over time, resulting in a relative shift from the lungs to the spleen and liver. Meanwhile, macrophages showed increasing signs of cytoplasmic iron accumulation, initially in the lungs, then followed by other organs. Conclusion: The present investigation highlights the biological behavior of SPION microbubbles, including organ distribution over time and indications for biodegradation. The present results are essential for developing SPION microbubbles as a potential contrast agent and/or a drug delivery vehicle for specific organs. Such a vehicle will facilitate the use of multimodality imaging techniques, including ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and single positron emission computed tomography, and hence improve diagnostics, therapy, and the ability to monitor the efficacy of treatment.
|
|
| 2. |
- Kjellgren, Anette, 1959-, et al.
(author)
-
Fascination and social togetherness : Discussion about Spice smoking on a Swedish Internet forum
- 2013
-
In: Substance Abuse. - : Libertas Academica. - 1178-2218. ; 7, s. 191-198
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spice is a smoking mixture containing synthetic cannabinoids with psychoactive effects similar to herbal cannabis. It is sold on the Internet and has become popular among young people. The purpose of the present study was to investigate experiences of intoxication induced by Spice, as described on a Swedish internet-based discussion forum.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ahrén, Bo
(author)
-
Avoiding hypoglycemia: a key to success for glucose-lowering therapy in type 2 diabetes.
- 2013
-
In: Vascular Health and Risk Management. - 1178-2048. ; 9, s. 155-163
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Type 2 diabetes carries a risk for hypoglycemia, particularly in patients on an intensive glucose control plan as a glucose-lowering strategy, where hypoglycemia may be a limitation for the therapy and also a factor underlying clinical inertia. Glucose-lowering medications that increase circulating insulin in a glucose-independent manner, such as insulin and sulfonylurea therapy, are the most common cause of hypoglycemia. However, other factors such as a delayed or missed meal, physical exercise, or drug or alcohol consumption may also contribute. Specific risk factors for development of hypoglycemia are old age, long duration of diabetes, some concomitant medication, renal dysfunction, hypoglycemia unawareness, and cognitive dysfunction. Hypoglycemia is associated with acute short-term symptoms related to either counterregulation, such as tachycardia and sweating, or to neuroglycopenia, such as irritability, confusion, and in severe cases stupor, coma, and even death. However, there are also long-term consequences of hypoglycemia such as reduced working capacity, weight gain, loss of self-confidence with reduced quality of life, and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. For both the patients, the health care system, and the society at large, hypoglycemia carries a high cost. Strategies to mitigate the risk of hypoglycemia include awareness of the condition; education of patients, relatives, and health care providers; and selecting appropriate glucose-lowering medication that also judges the risk for hypoglycemia to prevent this complication. This article summarizes the current knowledge of hypoglycemia and its consequences with a special emphasis on its consequences for the choice of glucose-lowering therapy.
|
|
| 4. |
- Alm, Per A, 1963-, et al.
(author)
-
Neuropathic pain: transcranial electric motor cortex stimulation using high frequency random noise : Case report of a novel treatment
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Pain Research. - 1178-7090. ; 6, s. 479-486
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Electric motor cortex stimulation has been reported to be effective for many cases of neuropathic pain, in the form of epidural stimulation or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). A novel technique is transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), which increases the cortical excitability irrespective of the orientation of the current. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of tRNS on neuropathic pain in a small number of subjects, and in a case study explore the effects of different stimulation parameters and the long-term stability of treatment effects.METHODS: THE STUDY WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE PHASES: (1) a double-blind crossover study, with four subjects; (2) a double-blind extended case study with one responder; and (3) open continued treatment. The motor cortex stimulation consisted of alternating current random noise (100-600 Hz), varying from 0.5 to 10 minutes and from 50 to 1500 μA, at intervals ranging from daily to fortnightly.RESULTS: One out of four participants showed a strong positive effect (also compared with direct-current-sham, P = 0.006). Unexpectedly, this effect was shown to occur also for very weak (100 μA, P = 0.048) and brief (0.5 minutes, P = 0.028) stimulation. The effect was largest during the first month, but remained at a highly motivating level for the patient after 6 months.DISCUSSION: The study suggests that tRNS may be an effective treatment for some cases of neuropathic pain. An important result was the indication that even low levels of stimulation may have substantial effects.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Bengtsson, Lars, 1963
(author)
-
Interpolation of Microcontroller ADC by self-induced dithering
- 2013
-
In: International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems. - 1178-5608. ; 6:4, s. 1366-1382
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The resolution of ADCs (Analog- to -Digital Converters) can be improved by dithering, i.e. by intentionally injecting white noise into the analog signal. This work describes the theory behind dithering, how to optimize the magnitude of the noise and also a design that illustrates how dithering can be implemented to increase the resolution of a microcontroller’s ADC. In order to demonstrate the potential of the design, the resolution of the 10-bit ADC of a PIC18F458 microcontroller is increased to 12 bits by dithering. This is possible by oversampling and decimation. The great advantage of the proposed design is that the noise is generated by the microcontroller itself, obviating the need of an external noise source
|
|
| 8. |
- Boden, Robert, et al.
(author)
-
A comparison of cardiovascular risk factors for ten antipsychotic drugs in clinical practice
- 2013
-
In: Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. - 1176-6328 .- 1178-2021. ; 9, s. 371-377
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is well known that abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance are highly prevalent in patients receiving maintenance treatment with antipsychotics, but there is limited knowledge about the association between cardiovascular risk factors and treatment with antipsychotic drugs. In this naturalistic study we investigated a sample of 809 antipsychotic-treated patients from Swedish psychosis outpatient teams. Cardiovascular risk factors (eg, metabolic syndrome, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and low-density lipoprotein values) were measured, and their associations to current antipsychotic pharmacotherapy were studied. Ten antipsychotic drugs were compared in a stepwise logistic regression model. For the patients, the presence of the components of metabolic syndrome ranged from 35% for hyperglycemia to 64% for elevated waist circumference. Hypertriglyceridemia was associated with clozapine (odds ratio [OR] = 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-3.04), reduced high-density lipoprotein with both clozapine and olanzapine (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.01-2.97; and OR = 2.03, 95% CI 1.32-3.13), hypertension with perphenazine (OR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.21-3.59), and hyperglycemia inversely with ziprasidone (OR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.89) and positively with haloperidol (OR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.18-3.48). There were no significant relationships between any of the antipsychotic drugs and increased waist circumference, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, or low-density lipoprotein levels. In conclusion, treatment with antipsychotic drugs is differentially associated with cardiovascular risk factors, even after adjusting for waist circumference, sex, age, and smoking.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Brattberg, Erik, et al.
(author)
-
Actorness and effectiveness in international disaster relief : the European Union and United States in comparative perspective
- 2013
-
In: International Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0047-1178 .- 1741-2862. ; 27:3, s. 356-374
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines the role of the European Union (EU) and United States as actors in international disaster relief. We take the analysis of ‘actorness’ one step further than normal by assessing the extent to which different aspects of EU and US actorness led to effectiveness in actual outcomes. In doing so, we make two contributions. First, we provide a rare comparison between EU and US foreign policy actorness, shedding light on the actor capability of each bloc in the area of international disaster relief. Second, we specify the relationship between actorness and effectiveness, a relationship which is too often assumed rather than explored. Using previous research of EU and US actorness as a starting point, we link four aspects of actorness to effectiveness and assess the resulting hypotheses using the case of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. We find support for our proposed links between actorness and effectiveness, although further research is needed before robust conclusions can be drawn.
|
|
