1. |
- Fischerström, Karolina, et al.
(author)
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Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to Swedish pre-washed rocket salad, Sweden, September to November 2022
- 2024
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In: Eurosurveillance. - : European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. - 1025-496X .- 1560-7917. ; 29:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In September 2022, the Public Health Agency of Sweden observed an increase in domestic Salmonella Typhimurium cases through the Swedish electronic notification system, and an outbreak strain was identified with whole genome sequencing. Overall, 109 cases with symptom onset between 17 September and 24 November 2022 were reported from 20 of 21 Swedish regions. The median age of cases was 52 years (range 4-87 years) and 62% were female. A case-control study found cases to be associated with consumption of rocket salad (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 4.9; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.4-10, p value < 0.001) and bagged mixed salad (aOR = 4.0; 95% CI: 1.9-8.1, p value < 0.001). Trace-back, supported by Finnish authorities who identified the Swedish outbreak strain in a Finnish cluster during the same time period, identified rocket salad, cultivated, pre-washed and pre-packed in Sweden as the likely source of the outbreak. No microbiological analyses of rocket salad were performed. Our investigation indicates that bagged leafy greens such as rocket salad, regardless of pre-washing procedures in the production chain, may contain Salmonella and cause outbreaks, posing a health risk to consumers. We emphasise the need for primary producers of leafy greens to identify possible contamination points to prevent outbreaks.
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2. |
- Gustavsson, Nadja, et al.
(author)
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Correlative optical photothermal infrared and X-ray fluorescence for chemical imaging of trace elements and relevant molecular structures directly in neurons
- 2021
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In: Light, science & applications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2047-7538. ; 10, s. 1-10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, costing about 1% of the global economy. Failures ofclinical trials targeting amyloid-βprotein (Aβ), a key trigger of AD, have been explained by drug inefficiency regardlessof the mechanisms of amyloid neurotoxicity, which are very difficult to address by available technologies. Here, wecombine two imaging modalities that stand at opposite ends of the electromagnetic spectrum, and therefore, can beused as complementary tools to assess structural and chemical information directly in a single neuron. Combininglabel-free super-resolution microspectroscopy for sub-cellular imaging based on novel optical photothermal infrared(O-PTIR) and synchrotron-based X-rayfluorescence (S-XRF) nano-imaging techniques, we capture elementaldistribution andfibrillary forms of amyloid-βproteins in the same neurons at an unprecedented resolution. Our resultsreveal that in primary AD-like neurons, iron clusters co-localize with elevated amyloidβ-sheet structures and oxidizedlipids. Overall, our O-PTIR/S-XRF results motivate using high-resolution multimodal microspectroscopic approaches tounderstand the role of molecular structures and trace elements within a single neuronal cell.
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3. |
- Gustavsson, Nadja, et al.
(author)
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Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (CSC-46) from a patient with Parkinson's disease carrying a novel p.R301C mutation in the GBA gene
- 2019
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In: Stem Cell Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-5061. ; 34
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene have been associated with the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). An induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line was generated from a 60-year old patient diagnosed with PD and carrying a new mutation variant p.R301C in GBA. Using non-integrating Sendai virus-based technology, we utilized OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC and KLF4 transcription factors to reprogram skin fibroblasts into iPSCs. The generated iPSC line retained the mutation, displayed expression of common pluripotency markers, differentiated into the three germ layers, and exhibited normal karyotype. The iPSC line can be further used for studying PD pathogenesis.
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4. |
- Gustavsson, Nadja
(author)
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On the nature of mixed neurodegenerative amyloidopathies
- 2021
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the world. It has been possible to identify common denominators for AD and PD, including aggregation of the amyloid proteins amyloid-beta (Aβ) and alpha-synuclein (α-syn). Given the continued challenges in finding therapies that could stop or prevent proteinopathies such as AD or PD, it is apparent that our knowledge of the most common neurodegenerative diseases remains incomplete. Therefore, there is a pressing demand to better understand the molecular mechanisms, for which novel methods and disease models are needed. In this thesis, we generated novel models to study experimentally protein aggregation in PD and AD; (1) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) expressing a familial PD-linked mutation in the GBA gene, (2) idiopathic and familial PD patient derived midbrain spheroids, and (3) a mouse model of mixed amyloidosis of aggregated α syn and Aβ. Furthermore, we applied a novel approach to study protein aggregation, by combining spectroscopy methods such as Optical Photothermal Infrared (O-PTIR) and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence (S-XRF), to image neuronal cells and to characterize the aggregate structures and distribution. Our novel methodological approach allows for imaging of the same samples from different perspectives by studying cells with the light of different wavelengths. The cell models could be beneficial to develop patient-specific treatments, as well as study early, pre-symptomatic, molecular changes in patient brain cells. Likewise, our novel mouse model of in vivo aggregation could further provide insight into early molecular mechanisms triggering amyloid aggregation related to AD and PD.
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5. |
- Gustavsson, Nadja, et al.
(author)
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The intracellular milieu of Parkinson’s disease patient brain cells modulates alpha-synuclein protein aggregation
- 2021
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In: Acta Neuropathologica Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2051-5960. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent studies suggest that brain cell type specific intracellular environments may play important roles in the generation of structurally different protein aggregates that define neurodegenerative diseases. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) and biochemical and vibrational spectroscopy techniques, we studied whether Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient genomes could modulate alpha-synuclein (aSYN) protein aggregates formation. We found increased β-sheets and aggregated aSYN in PD patient hiPSC-derived midbrain cells, compared to controls. Importantly, we discovered that aSYN protein aggregation is modulated by patient brain cells’ intracellular milieus at the primary nucleation phase. Additionally, we found changes in the formation of aSYN fibrils when employing cellular extracts from familial PD compared to idiopathic PD, in a Thioflavin T-based fluorescence assay. The data suggest that changes in cellular milieu induced by patient genomes trigger structural changes of aSYN potentially leading to the formation of strains having different structures, properties and seeding propensities.
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6. |
- Haghighi, Mona, et al.
(author)
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A Comparison of Rule-based Analysis with Regression Methods in Understanding the Risk Factors for Study Withdrawal in a Pediatric Study
- 2016
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Regression models are extensively used in many epidemiological studies to understand the linkage between specific outcomes of interest and their risk factors. However, regression models in general examine the average effects of the risk factors and ignore subgroups with different risk profiles. As a result, interventions are often geared towards the average member of the population, without consideration of the special health needs of different subgroups within the population. This paper demonstrates the value of using rule-based analysis methods that can identify subgroups with heterogeneous risk profiles in a population without imposing assumptions on the subgroups or method. The rules define the risk pattern of subsets of individuals by not only considering the interactions between the risk factors but also their ranges. We compared the rule-based analysis results with the results from a logistic regression model in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study. Both methods detected a similar suite of risk factors, but the rule-based analysis was superior at detecting multiple interactions between the risk factors that characterize the subgroups. A further investigation of the particular characteristics of each subgroup may detect the special health needs of the subgroup and lead to tailored interventions.
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