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- Högstedt, Alexandra, 1993-
(author)
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Microvascular effects of insulin in the skin
- 2021
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The microcirculation in the skin is essential for skin homeostasis. In instances of altered microvascular function, that may be the result of insulin resistance, tissue morbidity may ensue. The underlying mechanisms are however complex and not fully understood. By studying the physiological effects of insulin in the skin, the understanding of the complex interplay between glucose metabolism and skin microcirculation can be improved. The general aim of this thesis was to develop an experimental in vivo model to study metabolic and microvascular responses to insulin in the skin in healthy subjects. Microdialysis is a suiting technique as it allows for both local delivery of drugs and simultaneous monitoring of the local metabolic and vascular effects in the very same tissue compartment. The effects of local and systemic insulin provocation on skin blood flow and metabolism were investigated using microdialysis urea clearance and laser speckle contrast imaging (paper I). An insulin dependent increase in skin blood flow was observed, presumably induced through the nitric oxide pathway (paper II). Investigating the protein expression during an oral glucose provocation using proteomic approaches however indicates interactions with other pathways, such as the renin-angiotensin system and the kallikrein-kinin system (paper IV). Paper III also investigated methodological concerns regarding the sampling of insulin using microdialysis. This in vivo model can, in the future, be applied to assess the microvascular effects of insulin in the skin in different patient groups, including those with micro-vascular dysfunction due to, for instance, insulin resistance.
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| 2. |
- Shahin, Hady, 1989-
(author)
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Keratinocytes and Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells : The heir and the spare to regenerative cellular therapies for difficult-to-heal skin wounds
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Cell-based therapy is considered as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product, (ATMP), which had increasingly stricter regulations in the last decade. The cells must be produced according to the ‘Guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) specific to Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products’, adopted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A fully compliant autologous keratinocyte-based ATMP certified for clinical use remains an unmet challenge in Europe. This necessitates the development of a comprehensive bio-production workflow to tackle key technical bottlenecks along this procedure. On the other hand, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) hold promise as an effective alternative to primary keratinocytes in treating difficult-to-heal wounds, particularly for patients with extensive skin wounds. The overall aim of this thesis is to provide a bio-production workflow addressing the challenges associated with developing an autologous keratinocyte-based ATMP. Additionally, the thesis aims to elucidate the molecular and functional mechanisms that modulate the wound healing capabilities of keratinocytes and AD-MSCs. In papers I-III the bio-production procedure for an autologous keratinocyte-based ATMP to treat difficult-to-heal wounds was divided into 3 main stages; keratinocytes extraction, expansion, and transportation. Paper I validated the use of an animal-origin-free enzymatic workflow for the extraction of keratinocytes from the epidermis, compared to the classical workflow containing animal-derived products. Both workflows proved comparable in efficiency in terms of the final cell yield from skin samples, in addition to the purity and functionality of the keratinocytes following cultivation. This report confirms the feasibility of an entirely xeno-free workflow for acquiring GMP-compliant epidermal cells suitable for clinical application without altering key features of keratinocytes. Paper II evaluates an expansion approach for keratinocytes on three culture substrates (1) glass (2) conventional polystyrene (plastic) and (3) animal-derived collagen I ECM matrix. Keratinocytes cultured on glass showed better colonization and survival during the first 3 days of culture. Further molecular characterization revealed evidence of accelerated epidermal differentiation in keratinocytes cultured on glass. Henceforth, functional characterization revealed that glass enhanced the temporal angiogenic and migratory capabilities of keratinocytes. Our findings provided evidence that glass can be a promising substrate capable of supporting keratinocyte cultures, with enhanced wound repair characteristics favourable for transplantation applications. In paper III, we evaluated four candidate solutions for transporting keratinocytes in suspension at 4°C for 24h, namely (1) normal saline; (2) saline with 2.5% human serum albumin; (3) chemically defined, xenofree keratinocyte media; and (4) keratinocyte media with bovine pituitary extract. The tested conditions showed that 2.5% HSA preserved keratinocyte viability, colonization as well as phenotype. This study helped the research team to implement the use of human serum albumin as transportation solution for the proposed keratinocyte-ATMP approach. In paper IV, a direct co-culture model for human keratinocytes and AD-MSCs was proposed to investigate the ability of keratinocytes to enhance AD-MSCs’ differentiation toward the epidermal lineage. Furthermore, miRNA and protein content of human keratinocytes and AD-MSCs were analysed and bioinformatically analysed to identify possible regulations between differentially expressed miRNAs and proteins. This study predicted two potential miRNA-mediated gene regulations with strong implications in AD-MSCs-to-epidermal differentiation; the first was centred on epidermal growth factor (EGF) through miR-485-5p, miR-6765-5p and miR-4459. The second was the regulation of interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1α) by four isomers of miR-30-5p and miR-181a-5p. Paper V evaluates the regenerative potential of autologous AD-MSCs in-vivo using an excisional full-thickness porcine wound model. The data generated from miRNA and protein screening of AD-MSCs was re-analysed with a focus on possible regulations of AD-MCSs in wound healing. Our computational analyses predicted that miR-155 mediates multiple gene regulations of fibroblast growth factor 2 and 7, C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. The predicted model was verified experimentally and revealed a positive regulation between miR-155 and the identified four factors. Each of these factors carries out key functions within the wound healing process including vascularization, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling. In summary, the core of the work presented in this thesis provides a complete, in-vitro validated, and EMA-compliant bio-production procedure for autologous keratinocyte as an ATMP. We also presented novel miRNA-mediated epigenetic regulations in human keratinocytes and AD-MSCs. These models can serve as a valuable tool to develop novel hypotheses aiming to elucidate the biology of stem cell differentiation and wound healing.
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| 3. |
- Zdolsek, Markus, 1989-
(author)
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Volume effects of albumin infusion in humans
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: The use of colloids when treating a patient for hypovolemia has been debated throughout the years. During the last decade, albumin solutions have become the colloids of choice in both operating theatres and intensive care settings when crystalloid fluids are insufficient. The volume effects of albumin infusion are explored in this thesis. Methods: Recruitment of fluid from the interstitial fluid compartment to the plasma was estimated in healthy volunteers who received 3 ml/kg of albumin 20% infusion over 30 min. The same infusion protocol was applied to burn patients to study whether significant inflammation changes the volume effect of an albumin infusion. The influence of the infusion rate of albumin 20% on plasma volume (PV) was evaluated in a crossover fashion in healthy volunteers. Additionally, two concentrations, 5% and 20%, with equivalent amounts of albumin, were given to healthy volunteers in a crossover fashion to determine if a difference in volume effect occurred. The volume effects in terms of PV expansion and capillary leakage of albumin were calculated by mass balance and volume kinetics based on repeated blood samples. Results: There was a 10–20 min delay after completion of the albumin 20% infusion until maximum PV expansion was reached. Extravascular fluid was recruited at a ratio of 3.4 times the infused albumin 20%. Both healthy volunteers and burn patients had a 15% increase in PV. Capillary leakage of albumin occurred at a similar rate in both groups. Rapid infusion resulted in a longer intravascular half-life for albumin and a larger initial PV expansion over time without long-term negative compensation. Albumin 20% increased the PV to twice the infused volume in contrast to albumin 5%, which only increased the PV by two-thirds of the infused volume. Conclusion: Albumin infusions provide long-lasting PV expansion in both burn patients and healthy volunteers. Albumin 20% induces the recruitment of extravascular fluid, amounting to three times the infused fluid volume. A rapid infusion rate is beneficial, as it results in a larger initial PV expansion over time and a longer intravascular persistence of albumin. Further, albumin 20% provides a three times more potent PV expansion than albumin 5%. The infused fluid volume of an albumin solution depends more on the amount of albumin infused than the infused volume; albumin 20% could be preferred over other fluids for its dehydrating effect in the prevention of oedema.
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| 4. |
- Parenmark, Fredric, 1974-
(author)
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Premature Discharge from Intensive Care with Special Reference to Night-Time Discharge and Capacity Transfers
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Objectives Intensive care is an expensive and limited resource, and when a demand supply mismatch between available beds and influx of patients occurs, one temporary measure is to discharge a patient to make room for the new admission. Sometimes the patient is discharged sooner from its original ICU than ideal; i.e., a so-called ‘premature discharge’. This could be either to a different ward within the same hospital if the patient is deemed well enough to cope with a lower level of care, or to another intensive care unit if critical care is still to be provided. Data from the Swedish intensive care register (SIR) showed that there was a high incidence and increased mortality of patients discharged at night. There were also differences in mortalities between patients that were transferred from one ICU to another. I have analysed the mortality associated with different types of ICU-to-ICU transfers and control groups and examined a national quality improvement project regarding discharges at night to see if mortality, incidence, or discharge culture could change. Methods All three studies are conducted with data from the Swedish intensive care register and vital status was ascertained by linking SIR to the Swedish population register. Study I consisted of two parts: mortality, and incidence of night-time discharge. The quality improvement project in Study I was analysed in a before and after approach with local improvement projects at different ICUs. In Studies II and III, transfers were grouped by the attending intensivist according to SIR guidelines into one of three defined categories: capacity transfer, clinical transfer, or repatriation. The groups were compared to each other in Study II, and capacity transfers were matched to a control group that remained in the ICU in Study III. Multilevel logistic regression was used, and all studies contained some statistics using individual ICUs as a random factor. Life sustaining treatment limitations were included in Studies II and III. Results In Study I, there was a decrease in night-time discharges during the study period. The incidence fell from 7.0% in 2006 to 4.9% in 2015. Alongside this, the mortality associated with night-time discharge was reduced, the odds ratio fell from 1.20 to 1.06 with a loss of significance. All this coincided in time with the national improvement project. Study II showed that 14.8% of all discharges from a Swedish ICU ended with transfer to another ICU, and that an increased mortality rate was associated with ICU-to-ICU transfers during periods of demand–supply mismatch. Capacity transfers were 15.8% of all transfers accounting for roughly 2.0% of ICU survivors. One in four capacity transferred patient died within 30 days of discharge, compared to one in seven for transfers due to clinical reasons. The third study showed that capacity transfer was associated with an average risk increase in 30-day mortality of 4.7%, and a 180-day mortality of 4.9% compared to non-transferred patients when analysed using a potential outcomes framework. Conclusion The studies concludes that patients experiencing a capacity transfer are exposed to increased mortality risk, both when compared to other types of inter hospital ICU-to-ICU transfers as well as when compared to patients that were not transferred. The increased risk appeared to be unrelated to patient characteristics and illness severity as well as many additional factors measured in the referring ICU. The studies also suggest that a suboptimal outcome after premature discharge at night can be changed and that a national project to adjust outcome and incidence can be undertaken with positive results.
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