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- Sahlen, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Arterial vasodilatory and ventricular diastolic reserves determine the stroke volume response to exercise in elderly female hypertensive patients
- 2011
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In: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 0363-6135 .- 1522-1539. ; 301:6, s. H2433-H2441
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sahlen A, Abdula G, Norman M, Manouras A, Brodin LA, Lund LH, Shahgaldi K, Winter R. Arterial vasodilatory and ventricular diastolic reserves determine the stroke volume response to exercise in elderly female hypertensive patients. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 301: H2433-H2441, 2011. First published September 16, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00555.2011.-Elderly female hypertensives with arterial stiffening constitute a majority of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition characterized by inability to increase cardiac stroke volume (SV) with physical exercise. As SV is determined by the interaction between the left ventricle (LV) and its load, we wished to study the role of arterial hemodynamics for exertional SV reserve in patients at high risk of HFpEF. Twenty-one elderly (67 +/- 9 yr) female hypertensive patients were studied at rest and during supine bicycle stress using echocardiography including pulsed-wave Doppler to record flow in the LV outflow tract and arterial tonometry for central arterial pressure waveforms. Arterial compliance was estimated based on an exponential relationship between pressure and volume. The ratio of aortic pressure-to-flow in early systole was used to derive characteristic impedance, which was subsequently subtracted from total resistance (mean arterial pressure/cardiac output) to yield systemic vascular resistance (SVR). It was found that patients with depressed SV reserve (NoRes; reserve <15%; n = 10) showed decreased arterial compliance during exercise, while patients with SV reserve >= 15% (Res; n = 11) showed increased compliance. Exercise produced parallel increases in LV end-diastolic volume and arterial volume in Res patients while NoRes patients exhibited a lesser decrease in SVR and a drop in effective arterial volume. Poor SV reserve in elderly female hypertensives is due to simultaneous failure of LV preload and arterial vasodilatory reserves. Abnormal arterial function contributes to a high risk of HFpEF in these patients.
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- Balling, Gitte, et al.
(author)
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E-bogen. Skandinaviske perspektiver på forskning og uddannelse
- 2014
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In: Nordisk Tidsskrift for informations- og kulturformidling. - : Det Informationsvidenskablige Akademi, Köbenhavns Universitet. - 2245-2931 .- 2245-294X. ; 3:1, s. 5-19
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract: De skandinaviske lande har endnu ikke oplevet den samme udbredelse af e-bogen og påvirkning af bogmarkedet som det er tilfældet i de engelsksprogede lande. Alligevel er der en voksende interesse i e-bøger, ikke mindst i forsknings- og folkebibliotekerne. Denne artikel giver en oversigt over tre skandinaviske biblioteks- og informationsvidenskabelige skoler og deres forskning og undervisning i e-bøger. De respektive institutioner præsenterer deres aktuelle forskningsinteresser og -perspektiver på e-bøger og digital læsning, og hvorledes e-bøger er integreret i curriculum og uddannelser. Artiklen ender med at fremhæve fire områder, som artiklens forfattere mener, kalder på yderligere forskning inden for bibliotek- og informationsvidenskab:•Deep reading og læseoplevelser på digitale læseenheder • Den fysiske bogkulturs betydning for læsere • Aftalegrundlaget for udlån af e-bøger og ophavsret i biblioteker • E-bogens integration med andre teknologier
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- Björkman, Berit, et al.
(author)
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Adult limb and breast amputees' experience and descriptions of phantom phenomena : a qualitative study
- 2010
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Pain. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 1877-8860 .- 1877-8879. ; 1:1, s. 43-49
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Phantom phenomena – pain or other sensations appearing to come from amputated body parts – are frequent consequences of amputation and can cause considerable suffering. Also, stump pain, located in the residual limb, is in the literature often related to the phantom phenomena. The condition is not specific to amputated limbs and has, to a lesser extent, been reported to be present after radical surgery in other body parts such as breast, rectum and teeth. Multi-causal theories are used when trying to understand these phenomena, which are recognized as the result of complex interaction among various parts of the central nervous system confirmed in studies using functional brain imaging techniques. Functional brain imaging has yielded important results, but without certainty being related to phantom pain as a subjective clinical experience. There is a wide range of treatment methods for the condition but no documented treatment of choice. Aims In this study a qualitative, explorative and prospective design was selected, in the aim to understand the patients’ personal experience of phantom phenomena. The research questions focused at how patients affected by phantom pain and or phantom sensations describe, understand, and live with these phenomena in their daily life. This study expanded ‘phantom phenomena’ to also encompass phantom breast phenomenon. Since the latter phenomenon is not as well investigated as the phantom limb, there is clinical concern that this is an underestimated problem for women who have had breasts removed. Methods The present study forms the first part of a larger, longitudinal study. Only results associated with data from the first interviews with patients, one month after an amputation, are presented here. At this occasion, 28 patients who had undergone limb amputation (20) or mastectomy (8) were interviewed. The focused, semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using discourse-narrative analysis. Results The interviewees had no conceptual problems in talking about the phenomena or distinguishing between various types of discomfort and discomfort episodes. Their experience originated from a vivid, functioning body that had lost one of its parts. Further, the interviewees reported the importance of rehabilitation and advances in prosthetic technology. Loss of mobility struck older amputees as loss of social functioning, which distressed them more than it did younger amputees. Phantom sensations, kinetic and kinesthetic perceptions, constituted a greater problem than phantom pain experienced from the amputated body parts. The descriptions by patients who had had mastectomies differed from those by patients who had lost limbs in that the phantom breast could be difficult to describe and position spatially. The clinical implication of this study is that when phantom phenomena are described as everyday experience, they become a psychosocial reality that supplements the definition of phantom phenomena in scientific literature and clinical documentation. Conclusions There is a need for clinical dialogues with patients, which besides, providing necessary information about the phenomena to the patients creates possibilities for health professionals to carefully listen to the patients’ own descriptions of which functional losses or life changes patients fear the most. There is a need for more qualitative studies in order to capture the extreme complexity of the pain–control system will be highlighted.
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- Björkman, Berit, 1944-, et al.
(author)
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Phantom phenomena – Their perceived qualities and consequences from the patient’s perspective
- 2012
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Pain. - : Elsevier. - 1877-8860 .- 1877-8879. ; 3:3, s. 134-140
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and aim: The curious phenomenon phantom limbs early became the object of research, and its underlying mechanisms have been discussed over the years. The complex nature of phantom phenom- ena makes interpretation of the results ambiguous, regarding both prevalence and the accompanying suffering. There is a lack of knowledge about how amputees experience the meaning and consequences of phantom phenomena. The present aim, therefore, was to investigate how individuals, in an interview situation, described the qualities of possible perceived phantom phenomena, and how their experience affected their lives one month after the amputation/mastectomy.Methods: Twenty-eight women and men who had undergone a limb amputation or mastectomy were interviewed. The focused, narrative-oriented interviews were transcribed verbatim and the scripts were analysed with content analysis.Results: One month after the amputation the informants described and related their phantom pain and phantom sensations in sensory-discriminative, motivational-affective and cognitive-evaluative dimen- sions. The phantom sensations were experienced mainly as more agonizing than the phantom pain.Despite both the high intensity of and the high annoyance at the phantom pain and phantom sensations, a majority felt that the phantom phenomena were not a hindrance in their attempts to recapture ordinary life. But when the hindrance was evaluated as high, the annoyance was evaluated as the highest possible for both phenomena or for the phantom sensations alone, never for phantom pain alone. The interviewees’ reported attitudes of hindrance were also described and estimated in the light of their sociocultural circumstances. Thus, other preceding and/or co-existent pain conditions as well as factors such as pre- operative information, the respondents’ views on pain treatment, and their knowledge and understanding of phantom phenomena were mentioned and related to the pain-producing situation.Two-thirds of the interviewees had received post-surgical information and for some, the phenomena were well-known from earlier experience. A majority applied some version of the medical explanation model, irrespective of age or level of education. However neither information nor medical explanation, or both, sufficed for them to understand their own phantom phenomena. Thus, differences between the concepts explanation and understanding seemed significant for the annoyance related to the phantom phenomena.Regarding background data: (i) the majority of the interviewees had had pre-amputation pain prob- lems; (ii) the breast-cancer phantoms differed in several ways; (iii) there were some age and gender differences in the descriptions of hindrance.Conclusions and implications: These findings highlight the importance of observing the individual approach to the phenomena as a process of evaluation and selection. In addition, experience and under- standing of the phantoms also have sociocultural aspects. There follows the need for individualized communication and information from the clinician, and for incorporating a socioscientific and meaning- centred approach in future studies. The present insights could also be of value in other iatrogenic pain conditions.
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- Büchner, Frederike L, et al.
(author)
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Variety in vegetable and fruit consumption and risk of bladder cancer in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition
- 2011
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In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 128:12, s. 2971-2979
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent research does not show an association between fruit and vegetable consumption and bladder cancer risk. None of these studies investigated variety in fruit and vegetable consumption, which may capture different aspects of consumption. We investigated whether a varied consumption of vegetables and fruits is associated with bladder cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Detailed data on food consumption and complete follow-up for cancer incidence were available for 452,185 participants, who were recruited from ten European countries. After a mean follow-up of 8.7 years, 874 participants were diagnosed with bladder cancer. Diet diversity scores (DDSs) were used to quantify the variety in fruit and vegetable consumption. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the effect of the DDSs on bladder cancer risk. There was no evidence of a statistically significant association between bladder cancer risk and any of the DDSs when these scores were considered as continuous covariates. However, the hazard ratio (HR) for the highest tertile of the DDS for combined fruit and vegetable consumption was marginally significant compared to the lowest (HR = 1.30, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.69, p-trend = 0.05). In EPIC, there is no clear association between a varied fruit and vegetable consumption and bladder cancer risk. This finding provides further evidence for the absence of any strong association between fruit and vegetable consumption as measured by a food frequency questionnaire and bladder cancer risk.
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- Bućin, Dragan, et al.
(author)
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Desensitization and Heart Transplantation of a Patient With High Levels of Donor-Reactive Anti-Human Leukocyte Antigen Antibodies.
- 2010
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In: Transplantation. - 1534-6080. ; 90, s. 1220-1225
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND.: To prepare a highly immunized recipient for heart transplantation, reduction of high levels of cytotoxic antibodies against human leukocyte antigen (HLA) was deemed essential to prevent antibody-mediated graft failure. METHODS.: Antibodies were analyzed by lymphocytotoxic and solid-phase assays. The pretransplant desensitization treatment protocol included daily tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil, weekly protein-A immunoadsorption (IA), intravenous immunoglobulin, and daclizumab. Posttransplant treatment consisted of tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, prednisolone, IA, and daclizumab. RESULTS.: During pretransplant desensitization, each of the weekly immunoadsorption treatments reduced anti-HLA antibody levels by 50% to 70%, but they returned to the pretreatment level within 1 week as measured by flow cytometry. Cytotoxic antibodies remained reduced. After perioperative immunoadsorption, the donor-reactive antibodies (DRAs) were reduced to low levels. The patient underwent successful heart transplantation after 6 weeks on a waiting list. During the first week posttransplant, DRAs remained low. However, after the first week, anti-HLA DRAs reappeared and increased slightly over a 3-week period and then decreased slowly. Cytotoxic crossmatches were negative before and 3 week after transplantation. No clinical rejection was encountered. The patient was doing well 3 years after transplantation, and yearly clinical cardiac investigations were all normal. Three hyperimmunized patients have now undergone successful heart transplantation at our center using this desensitization protocol. CONCLUSIONS.: IA in combination with pretransplant immunosuppressive drug treatment temporarily reduces antibody levels. The therapeutic levels of drug treatment at the time of transplantation may be of crucial importance. The treatment protocol resulted in freedom from rejection and other clinical adverse events.
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- Canzian, Federico, et al.
(author)
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Comprehensive analysis of common genetic variation in 61 genes related to steroid hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I metabolism and breast cancer risk in the NCI breast and prostate cancer cohort consortium.
- 2010
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In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 19:19, s. 3873-84
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is extensive evidence that increases in blood and tissue concentrations of steroid hormones and of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) are associated with breast cancer risk. However, studies of common variation in genes involved in steroid hormone and IGF-I metabolism have yet to provide convincing evidence that such variants predict breast cancer risk. The Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3) is a collaboration of large US and European cohorts. We genotyped 1416 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 37 steroid hormone metabolism genes and 24 IGF-I pathway genes in 6292 cases of breast cancer and 8135 controls, mostly Caucasian, postmenopausal women from the BPC3. We also imputed 3921 additional SNPs in the regions of interest. None of the SNPs tested was significantly associated with breast cancer risk, after correction for multiple comparisons. The results remained null when cases and controls were stratified by age at diagnosis/recruitment, advanced or nonadvanced disease, body mass index, with or without in situ cases; or restricted to Caucasians. Among 770 estrogen receptor-negative cases, an SNP located 3' of growth hormone receptor (GHR) was marginally associated with increased risk after correction for multiple testing (P(trend) = 1.5 × 10(-4)). We found no significant overall associations between breast cancer and common germline variation in 61 genes involved in steroid hormone and IGF-I metabolism in this large, comprehensive study. Although previous studies have shown that variations in these genes can influence endogenous hormone levels, the magnitude of the effect of single SNPs does not appear to be sufficient to alter breast cancer risk.
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