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| 2. |
- Nijs, Jo, et al.
(author)
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Central sensitisation in chronic pain conditions : latest discoveries and their potential for precision medicine
- 2021
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In: The Lancet Rheumatology. - : Elsevier. - 2665-9913. ; 3:5, s. E383-E392
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability globally and associated with enormous health-care costs. The discrepancy between the extent of tissue damage and the magnitude of pain, disability, and associated symptoms represents a diagnostic challenge for rheumatology specialists. Central sensitisation, defined as an amplification of neural signalling within the CNS that elicits pain hypersensitivity, has been investigated as a reason for this discrepancy. Features of central sensitisation have been documented in various pain conditions common in rheumatology practice, including fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, upper extremity tendinopathies, headache, and spinal pain. Within individual pain conditions, there is substantial variation among patients in terms of presence and magnitude of central sensitisation, stressing the importance of individual assessment. Central sensitisation predicts poor treatment outcomes in multiple patient populations. The available evidence supports various pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to reduce central sensitisation and to improve patient outcomes in several conditions commonly seen in rheumatology practice. These data open up new treatment perspectives, with the possibility for precision pain medicine treatment according to pain phenotyping as a logical next step. With this view, studies suggest the possibility of matching non-pharmacological approaches, or medications, or both to the central sensitisation pain
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| 3. |
- Nijs, Jo, et al.
(author)
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Nociceptive, neuropathic, or nociplastic low back pain? : The low back pain phenotyping (BACPAP) consortium's international and multidisciplinary consensus recommendations
- 2024
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In: The Lancet Rheumatology. - : Elsevier. - 2665-9913. ; 6:3, s. e178-e188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The potential to classify low back pain as being characterised by dominant nociceptive, neuropathic, or nociplastic mechanisms is a clinically relevant issue. Preliminary evidence suggests that these low back pain phenotypes might respond differently to treatments; however, more research must be done before making specific recommendations. Accordingly, the low back pain phenotyping (BACPAP) consortium was established as a group of 36 clinicians and researchers from 13 countries (five continents) and 29 institutions, to apply a modified Nominal Group Technique methodology to develop international and multidisciplinary consensus recommendations to provide guidance for identifying the dominant pain phenotype in patients with low back pain, and potentially adapt pain management strategies. The BACPAP consortium's recommendations are also intended to provide direction for future clinical research by building on the established clinical criteria for neuropathic and nociplastic pain. The BACPAP consortium's consensus recommendations are a necessary early step in the process to determine if personalised pain medicine based on pain phenotypes is feasible for low back pain management. Therefore, these recommendations are not ready to be implemented in clinical practice until additional evidence is generated that is specific to these low back pain phenotypes.
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- Andrean, Stefio Y., et al.
(author)
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Measurement of the production cross section of pairs of isolated photons in pp collisions at 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
- 2021
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In: Journal of High Energy Physics (JHEP). - : SPRINGER. - 1126-6708 .- 1029-8479. ; :11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A measurement of prompt photon-pair production in proton-proton collisions at s√s = 13 TeV is presented. The data were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. Events with two photons in the well-instrumented region of the detector are selected. The photons are required to be isolated and have a transverse momentum of pT,γ1(2)pT,γ1(2) > 40 (30) GeV for the leading (sub-leading) photon. The differential cross sections as functions of several observables for the diphoton system are measured and compared with theoretical predictions from state-of-the-art Monte Carlo and fixed-order calculations. The QCD predictions from next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations and multi-leg merged calculations are able to describe the measured integrated and differential cross sections within uncertainties, whereas lower-order calculations show significant deviations, demonstrating that higher-order perturbative QCD corrections are crucial for this process. The resummed predictions with parton showers additionally provide an excellent description of the low transverse-momentum regime of the diphoton system.
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| 5. |
- Brandejsky, Vaclav, et al.
(author)
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Phosphorus-31: A table-top method for 3D B1-field amplitude and phase measurements
- 2024
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In: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes. - : ELSEVIER. - 0005-2736 .- 1879-2642. ; 1866:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel method of high -spatial -resolution, 3D B1 -field distribution measurements is presented. The method is independent of the MR -scanner, and it allows for automated acquisitions of complete maps of all magnetic field vector components for both proton and heteronuclear MR coils of arbitrary geometrical shapes. The advantage of the method proposed here, compared with methods based on measurements with an MR -scanner, is that a complete image of both receive and transmit B1 -fields, including the phase of the B1 -field, can be acquired. The B1 field maps obtained in this manner can be used for absolute quantification of metabolites in MRS experiments, as well as for intensity compensations in imaging experiments, both of which are important concepts in biological and medical MR applications. Another use might be in coil development and testing. A comparison with B1 field magnitude maps obtained with an MR -scanner was included to validate the accuracy of the proposed method.
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| 6. |
- Edin, Carl, et al.
(author)
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Ectopic fat is associated with cardiac remodeling - A comprehensive assessment of regional fat depots in type 2 diabetes using multi-parametric MRI.
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2297-055X. ; 9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Different regional depots of fat have distinct metabolic properties and may relate differently to adverse cardiac remodeling. We sought to quantify regional depots of body fat and to investigate their relationship to cardiac structure and function in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and controls.Methods: From the SCAPIS cohort in Linköping, Sweden, we recruited 92 subjects (35% female, mean age 59.5 ± 4.6 years): 46 with T2D and 46 matched controls. In addition to the core SCAPIS data collection, participants underwent a comprehensive magnetic resonance imaging examination at 1.5 T for assessment of left ventricular (LV) structure and function (end-diastolic volume, mass, concentricity, ejection fraction), as well as regional body composition (liver proton density fat fraction, visceral adipose tissue, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue, thigh muscle fat infiltration, fat tissue-free thigh muscle volume and epicardial adipose tissue).Results: Compared to the control group, the T2D group had increased: visceral adipose tissue volume index (P < 0.001), liver fat percentage (P < 0.001), thigh muscle fat infiltration percentage (P = 0.02), LV concentricity (P < 0.001) and LV E/e'-ratio (P < 0.001). In a multiple linear regression analysis, a negative association between liver fat percentage and LV mass (St Beta -0.23, P < 0.05) as well as LV end-diastolic volume (St Beta -0.27, P < 0.05) was found. Epicardial adipose tissue volume and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue volume index were the only parameters of fat associated with LV diastolic dysfunction (E/e'-ratio) (St Beta 0.24, P < 0.05; St Beta 0.34, P < 0.01, respectively). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, only visceral adipose tissue volume index was significantly associated with T2D, with an odds ratio for T2D of 3.01 (95% CI 1.28-7.05, P < 0.05) per L/m2 increase in visceral adipose tissue volume.Conclusions: Ectopic fat is predominantly associated with cardiac remodeling, independently of type 2 diabetes. Intriguingly, liver fat appears to be related to LV structure independently of VAT, while epicardial fat is linked to impaired LV diastolic function. Visceral fat is associated with T2D independently of liver fat and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue.
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| 7. |
- Edin, Carl, et al.
(author)
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Liver fibrosis is associated with left ventricular remodeling : insight into the liver-heart axis
- 2024
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In: European Radiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0938-7994 .- 1432-1084.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: In non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fibrosis is the strongest predictor of adverse outcomes. We sought to investigate the relationship between liver fibrosis and cardiac remodeling in participants from the general population using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as explore potential mechanistic pathways by analyzing circulating cardiovascular biomarkers.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we prospectively included participants with type 2 diabetes and individually matched controls from the SCAPIS (Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study) cohort in Linköping, Sweden. Between November 2017 and July 2018, participants underwent MRI at 1.5 Tesla for quantification of liver proton density fat fraction (spectroscopy), liver fibrosis (stiffness from elastography), left ventricular (LV) structure and function, as well as myocardial native T1 mapping. We analyzed 278 circulating cardiovascular biomarkers using a Bayesian statistica lapproach.Results: In total, 92 participants were enrolled (mean age 59.5 ± 4.6 years, 32 women). The mean liver stiffness was 2.1 ± 0.4 kPa. 53 participants displayed hepatic steatosis. LV concentricity increased across quartiles of liver stiffness. Neither liver fat nor liver stiffness displayed any relationships to myocardial tissue characteristics (native T1). In a regression analysis, liver stiffness was related to increased LV concentricity. This association was independent of diabetes and liver fat (Beta = 0.26, p = 0.0053), but was attenuated (Beta = 0.17, p = 0.077) when also adjusting for circulating levels of interleukin-1 receptor type 2.Conclusion: MRI reveals that liver fibrosis is associated to structural LV remodeling, in terms of increased concentricity, in participants from the general population. This relationship could involve the interleukin-1 signaling.
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| 8. |
- Ekbäck, Erik, 1988-
(author)
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Depression in teenagers and young adults : foundational studies of the new treatment paradigm TARA: Training for Awareness, Resilience, and Action
- 2024
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Introduction: Depression in adolescents and young adults is an increasing global health concern and available treatments are not convincingly effective. It is therefore important to develop and test novel treatments to improve treatment outcomes. This dissertation lays the foundation for the evaluation of a Swedish version of the treatment program Training for Awareness, Resilience, and Action (TARA), and tests the psychometric properties of the primary outcome measure for that evaluation.Objectives: This dissertation aims to 1. Translate and pilot test TARA in Swedish medical students, 2. Evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale second edition (RADS-2) in a clinical sample, 3. Perform a single arm multicenter clinical pilot study of the feasibility and safety of TARA and 4. Design a randomized controlled trial to test the clinical effectiveness of TARA.Methods: The TARA manual was translated into Swedish and 23 self-selected medical students, with or without mental disorders, received TARA. Self-rating as well as qualitative evaluation was performed. Patients (N = 536 individuals) with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses completed RADS-2 and other questionnaires for psychometric evaluation of RADS- 2. Thirty-five adolescents and young adults with depression received TARA either face-to-face or online, with data collection before, during, and after the treatment. The study design and statistical analysis plan for the randomized controlled trial was conceived and developed.Results: It was feasible and acceptable to give TARA to Swedish medical students and they described the program as an uncommon meeting ground for personal empowerment. Support was found for the four-factor structure of RADS-2, and the scale demonstrated good validity and acceptable to good reliability. The clinical pilot study further supported the feasibility and clinical safety of TARA, and preliminary signs of effectiveness were seen. A detailed description of the pragmatic, multicenter, randomized controlled superiority trial that will evaluate the clinical effectiveness of TARA compared to standard treatment for depression was outlined, peer reviewed, and published in a study protocol with a statistical analysis plan.Conclusions: The present results indicate that TARA is feasible and safe in Swedish clinical and non-clinical contexts. RADS-2 is a suitable outcome measure to use in routine clinical practice as well as in the present and future trials of depression. The initiated randomized controlled trial will be an important next step logically following the studies and results presented in this dissertation.
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| 9. |
- Finnveden, Göran, et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of integration of sustainable development in higher education in Sweden
- 2020
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In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1467-6370 .- 1758-6739. ; 21:4, s. 685-698
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose Since 2006, higher education institutions (HEIs) in Sweden, should according to the Higher Education Act, promote sustainable development (SD). In 2016, the Swedish Government asked the Swedish higher education authority to evaluate how this study is proceeding. The authority chose to focus on education. This paper aims to produce a report on this evaluation. Design/methodology/approach All 47 HEIs in Sweden were asked to write a self-evaluation report based on certain evaluation criteria. A panel was appointed consisting of academics and representatives for students and working life. The panel wrote an evaluation of each HEI, a report on general findings and recommendations, and gave an overall judgement of each HEI in two classes as follows: the HEI has well-developed processes for integration of SD in education or the HEI needs to develop their processes. Findings Overall, a mixed picture developed. Most HEIs could give examples of programmes or courses where SD was integrated. However, less than half of the HEIs had overarching goals for integration of SD in education or had a systematic follow-up of these goals. Even fewer worked specifically with pedagogy and didactics, teaching and learning methods and environments, sustainability competences or other characters of education for SD. Overall, only 12 out of 47 got a higher judgement. Originality/value This is a unique study in which all HEIs in a country are evaluated. This provides unique possibilities for identifying success factors and barriers. The importance of the leadership of the HEIs became clear.
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| 10. |
- Gaborit, Mathieu, et al.
(author)
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Controlled anisotropy materials and 3D printing: experimentations and analyses
- 2022
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In: Proceedings of ISMA 2022 - International Conference on Noise and Vibration Engineering and USD 2022 - International Conference on Uncertainty in Structural Dynamics. - : KU Leuven, Departement Werktuigkunde. ; , s. 477-481
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Novel computational tools and optimisation strategies offer an unprecedented framework to explore large design spaces within a short time frame. In the scope of material design, these new possibilities have completely revolutionized the research horizon, leading amongst other things to controlled anisotropy media with a finer granularity than ever seen before. However, a question arises regarding the manufacturability of such media which most of the time relies on 3D printing and the agreement between modelled and printed geometry. In the recent years, the authors published several articles on the properties of Kelvin Cell packings and the possibility to control their anisotropy. In the last few months, an effort towards printing the designed media has been made in search for experimental validation of the numerical results. This contribution describes the printing process for kelvin cell packing samples with controlled anisotropy and analyses their agreement with the model both from a geometric and from a physical response standpoint. Depending on the advances of current research, information on the dynamic behaviour of such systems will be discussed.
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