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- Hansson, Pär, et al.
(author)
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Exports as an indicator on or promoter of successful Swedish manufacturing firms in the 1990s
- 2004
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In: Review of World Economics. - 1610-2878 .- 1610-2886. ; 140:3, s. 415-445
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the link between exports and productivity at the firm level. Like in previous studies we get support for the hypothesis that more productive firms self-select into the export market. In addition, and contrary to many of the former studies, we also obtain evidence that exporting further increases firm productivity. Exporting firms appear to have significantly higher productivity than nonexporting. Moreover, exporters—mainly firms that increase their export intensities—have higher output growth than nonexporters. Reallocation of resources between firms may then have contributed to overall manufacturing productivity growth. Hence, we try to quantify the importance of reallocation.
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- Lukanova, Annekatrin, et al.
(author)
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Body mass index, circulating levels of sex-steroid hormones, IGF-I and IGF-binding protein-3 : a cross-sectional study in healthy women.
- 2004
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In: European Journal of Endocrinology. - 0804-4643 .- 1479-683X. ; 150:2, s. 161-171
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Excess weight has been associated with increased risk of cancer at several organ sites. In part, this effect may be modulated through alterations in the metabolism of sex steroids and IGF-I related peptides. The objectives of the study were to examine the association of body mass index (BMI) with circulating androgens (testosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS)), estrogens (estrone and estradiol), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), IGF-I and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3, and the relationship between sex steroids, IGF-I and IGFBP-3. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using hormonal and questionnaire data of 620 healthy women (177 pre- and 443 post-menopausal). The laboratory measurements of the hormones of interest were available from two previous case-control studies on endogenous hormones and cancer risk. RESULTS: In the pre-menopausal group, BMI was not related to androgens and IGF-I. In the post-menopausal group, estrogens, testosterone and androstenedione increased with increasing BMI. The association with IGF-I was non-linear, with the highest mean concentrations observed in women with BMI between 24 and 25. In both pre- and post-menopausal subjects, IGFBP-3 did not vary across BMI categories and SHBG decreased with increasing BMI. As for the correlations between peptide and steroid hormones, in the post-menopausal group, IGF-I was positively related to androgens, inversely correlated with SHBG, and not correlated with estrogens. In the pre-menopausal group, similar but weaker correlations between IGF-I and androgens were observed. CONCLUSIONS: These observations offer evidence that obesity may influence the levels of endogenous sex-steroid and IGF-related hormones in the circulation, especially after menopause. Circulating IGF-I, androgens and SHBG appear to be related to each other in post-menopausal women.
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5. |
- Lukanova, Annekatrin, et al.
(author)
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Circulating levels of sex steroid hormones and risk of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women.
- 2004
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In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 108:3, s. 425-432
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Experimental and epidemiological data support a role for sex steroid hormones in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer. The associations of pre-diagnostic blood concentrations of estradiol, estrone, testosterone, androstenedione, DHEAS and SHBG with endometrial cancer risk were investigated. A case-control study was nested within 3 cohorts in New York (USA), Umeå (Sweden) and Milan (Italy). Cases were 124 postmenopausal women with invasive endometrial cancer. For each case, 2 controls were selected, matching the case on cohort, age and date of recruitment. Only postmenopausal women who did not use exogenous hormones at the time of blood donation were included. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by conditional logistic regression. ORs (95% CI) for endometrial cancer for quartiles with the highest hormone levels, relative to the lowest were as follows: 4.13 (1.76-9.72), p(trend) = 0.0008 for estradiol, 3.67 (1.71-7.88), p(trend) = 0.0007 for estrone, 2.15 (1.05-4.40), p(trend) = 0.04 for androstenedione, 1.74 (0.88-3.46), p(trend) = 0.06 for testosterone, 2.90 (1.42-5.90), p(trend) = 0.002 for DHEAS and 0.46 (0.20-1.05), p(trend) = 0.01 for SHBG after adjustment for body mass index, use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. The results of our multicenter prospective study showed a strong direct association of circulating estrogens, androgens and an inverse association of SHBG levels with endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women. The effect of elevated androstenedione and testosterone levels on disease risk seems to be mediated mainly through their conversion to estrogens, although an independent effect of androgens on tumor growth cannot be ruled out, in particular in the years close to diagnosis.
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- Lukanova, Annekatrin, 1966-
(author)
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Endogenous hormones in the etiology of ovarian and endometrial cancers
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The main purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship of pre-diagnostic circulating levels of sex-steroids (androgens and estrogens), sex hormone binding globuline (SHBG), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), IGF binding proteins (BP) and C-peptide (as a marker of pancreatic insulin secretion) with risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer. Additionally, the interrelationships of body mass index (BMI), sex-steroids, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were examined. Two case-control studies were nested within 3 prospective cohort studies centered in New York (USA), Umeå (Sweden) and Milan (Italy). The ovarian study included 132 cancer cases. The endometrial study included 166 cancer cases in the IGF-I and C-peptide component and 124 postmenopausal cases in the sex-steroids component. For each case, two controls matching the case for cohort, age, menopausal status and date at recruitment were selected. In total 286 and 315 controls were included in the ovarian and endometrial cancer studies, respectively. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancer risk associated with increasing hormone concentrations were estimated by conditional logistic regression. The cross-sectional analysis was based on anthropometric and hormonal data from 620 controls selected for the two nested case-control studies. There was no association of prediagnostic androstenedione, testosterone, DHEAS, SHBG or estrone with ovarian cancer risk in the whole study population or in women who were pre- or postmenopausal at blood donation. In the premenopausal group, risk appeared to increase with increasing androstenedione (OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile: 2.35 (0.81-6.82), p=0.12). There was no association of IGF-I, IGFBP-1, 2, 3 or C-peptide concentrations with risk of ovarian cancer risk in the study group as a whole. In analyses restricted to subjects who had developed ovarian cancer at an early age (<55), circulating IGF-I was directly and strongly associated with risk (OR (95% CI): 4.74 (1.20-18.7), p<0.05 for the highest IGF-I tertile). In the endometrial study, previous observations were confimed that elevated circulating estrogens and androgens and decreased SHBG increase risk of developing endometrial malignancy after menopause. Multivariate ORs (95% CI) for endometrial cancer for quartiles with the highest hormone levels were: 4.13 (1.76-9.72), p<0.001 for estradiol; 3.67 (1.71-7.88), p=0.001 for estrone; 2.15 (1.05-4.40), p<0.04 for androstenedione; 1.74 (0.88-3.46), p=0.06 for testosterone; 2.90 (1.42-5.90), p<0.01 for DHEAS and 0.46 (0.20-1.05), p<0.01 for SHBG. Prediagnostic IGF-I, IGFBP-1, -2 and –3 were not related to risk of endometrial cancer in the whole study population. In postmenopausal women, levels of IGFBP-1 were inversely related to risk with an OR for the highest quartile of 0.36 (0.13-0.95), p<0.05. Endometrial cancer risk increased with increasing levels of C-peptide (p<0.01), up to an OR of 4.40 (1.65-11.7) for the highest quintile after adjustment for BMI and other confounders. The cross-sectional analyses showed that in both pre- and postmenopausal women SHBG decreased with increasing BMI. In the postmenopausal group, estrogens, testosterone and androstenedione increased with BMI, while the association with IGF-I was non-linear, the highest mean IGF-I concentration being observed in women with BMI between 24 and 25. In postmenopausal women, IGF-I was positively related to androgens, inversely correlated with SHBG, and was not correlated with estrogens. In conclusion, elevated pre-diagnostic sex-steroids, IGF-I or C-peptide increase risk of developing ovarian and endometrial cancer. BMI influences the circulating levels of these hormones, especially after menopause.
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- Lukanova, Annekatrin, et al.
(author)
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Nonlinear relationship of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-I/IGF-binding protein-3 ratio with indices of adiposity and plasma insulin concentrations (Sweden).
- 2002
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In: Cancer Causes and Control. - 0957-5243 .- 1573-7225. ; 13:6, s. 509-516
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: In this study we test the hypothesis of a nonlinear relationship of IGF-I with indices of body fat such as body mass index (BMI), insulin, and leptin.METHODS: The controls used in three case-control cancer studies nested in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort, were combined for this analysis. Measurements of plasma IGF-I, IGFBP-3, insulin, and leptin were available for 445 men and 391 women.RESULTS: In both men and women we found the highest mean IGF-I levels in subjects with BMI between 24 and 26. IGF-I concentrations decreased toward BMI < or = 20 and BMI > 30 in men; however, the results for women did not reach statistical significance. The molar ratio of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 showed a similar profile to that of IGF-I, although much less pronounced. The observed peak mean IGF-I levels in the second quintiles of insulin and leptin in men supported these findings. No significant variation of mean IGF-I levels across quintiles of insulin and leptin were observed in women.CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide evidence that IGF-I plasma concentrations vary substantially over a wide range of body weight and that the relationship is nonlinear.
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8. |
- Lukanova, Annekatrin, et al.
(author)
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Prediagnostic levels of C-peptide, IGF-I, IGFBP -1, -2 and -3 and risk of endometrial cancer.
- 2004
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In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 108:2, s. 262-268
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Conditions related to chronic hyperinsulinemia, such as obesity, noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus and polycystic ovary syndrome, are associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer. Elevated plasma IGF-I and decreased levels of IGF-binding proteins have been shown to be associated with increased risk of several cancer types that are frequent in affluent societies. We investigated for the first time in a prospective study the association of pre-diagnostic blood concentrations of C-peptide (a marker of pancreatic insulin production), IGF-I, IGFBP-1, -2 and -3 with endometrial cancer risk. A case-control study was nested within 3 cohorts in New York (USA), Umeå (Sweden) and Milan (Italy). It included 166 women with primary invasive endometrial cancer and 315 matched controls, of which 44 case and 78 control subjects were premenopausal at recruitment. Endometrial cancer risk increased with increasing levels of C-peptide (ptrend = 0.0002), up to an odds ratio (OR) of 4.76 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.91-11.8] for the highest quintile. This association remained after adjustment for BMI and other confounders [OR for the top quintile = 4.40 (1.65-11.7)]. IGFBP-1 levels were inversely related to endometrial cancer [ptrend = 0.002; OR in the upper quintile = 0.30 (0.15-0.62)], but the association was weakened and lost statistical significance after adjustment for confounders [ptrend = 0.06; OR in the upper quintile = 0.49 (0.22-1.07)]. Risk was unrelated to levels of IGF-I, IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3. Chronic hyperinsulinemia, as reflected by increased circulating C-peptide, is associated with increased endometrial cancer risk. Decrease in the prevalence of chronic hyperinsulinemia, through changes in lifestyle or medication, is expected to prevent endometrial cancer.
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9. |
- Lundin, Nannan, 1972-
(author)
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Impact of international competition on Swedish manufacturing : individual and firm-level evidence from the 1990s
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis consists of four papers examining the impact of international competition on Swedish manufacturing and labor market during the 1990s. By using detailed individual and firm-level information I aim to investigate how increased exposure to international trade, in terms of both export orientation and import penetration, affects technology development, profitability and wage structure. Paper [1] (co-authored with Pär Hansson) is a study on links between exporting behavior and productivity. We find support for the self-selection effect of firms, i.e. more productive firms are more likely to enter into the export market. In addition, we obtain evidence indicating that export enhances firm-level productivity. By recognizing the intra-industry heterogeneity in terms of exporting behavior and difference in productivity level among firms, we quantify both within-firm and reallocation effects that contribute to overall manufacturing productivity growth. The decomposition shows that the within-firm effect dominates, but intra-industry reallocation towards more productive firms has also taken place. A further breakdown of these two effects into domestic and export components shows that productivity growth appears to be more rapid for large exporting firms. Paper [2] analyzes the impact of import penetration on firm-level market power, measured by (average) price-cost margin. The total imports are divided into five country groups to investigate the differential strengths of the pro-competitive effects depending on the countries of origin. The EU-members and the EU-candidate countries (the recent EU members) are of special interest in the context of increased economic integration. The results indicate that imports from the EU-candidate countries have substantial disciplinary effects on firm-level market power, while imports from the EU-member countries only appear to have an impact in firms with large market shares in highly concentrated industries. Paper [3] examines how import competition from different origins and the presence of product differentiation affect market power of Swedish manufacturing firms during the 1990s. Applying Roeger’s method (1995), I perform the empirical analysis based on detailed firm-level data and estimate an average mark-up level of Swedish manufacturing firms. The general finding is that imports from both European countries and other high-income countries outside Europe impose disciplinary effects on price-cost margins of Swedish manufacturing firms. The strongest effect is from EU candidate countries (the recent EU members). However, the competitive pressure associated with import is relaxed in the presence of product differentiation. Paper [4] (co-authored with Lihong Yun) examines the inter-industry wage structure in Swedish manufacturing sectors using matched employer-employee data for the period 1996 to 2000. First, we use detailed individual and job characteristics to estimate industry-specific and time-varying wage premiums. Second, we examine the impact of international trade on the wage premiums, after controlling for effects of domestic competition and technical progress. Our results indicate that industries that face intensive import competition from low-income countries have lower wage premiums. Surprisingly, the wage premiums are not related to export intensities. Furthermore, technical progress, measured by investment in R&D activity, appears to enhance inter-industry wage premiums.
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