| 1. |
- Beral, V, et al.
(author)
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Alcohol, tobacco and breast cancer - collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 58515 women with breast cancer and 95067 women without the disease
- 2002
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In: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1532-1827 .- 0007-0920. ; 87, s. 1234-45
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alcohol and tobacco consumption are closely correlated and published results on their association with breast cancer have not always allowed adequately for confounding between these exposures. Over 80% of the relevant information worldwide on alcohol and tobacco consumption and breast cancer were collated, checked and analysed centrally. Analyses included 58515 women with invasive breast cancer and 95067 controls from 53 studies. Relative risks of breast cancer were estimated, after stratifying by study, age, parity and, where appropriate, women's age when their first child was born and consumption of alcohol and tobacco. The average consumption of alcohol reported by controls from developed countries was 6.0 g per day, i.e. about half a unit/drink of alcohol per day, and was greater in ever-smokers than never-smokers, (8.4 g per day and 5.0 g per day, respectively). Compared with women who reported drinking no alcohol, the relative risk of breast cancer was 1.32 (1.19 - 1.45, P < 0.00001) for an intake of 35 - 44 g per day alcohol, and 1.46 (1.33 - 1.61, P < 0.00001) for greater than or equal to 45 g per day alcohol. The relative risk of breast cancer increased by 7.1% (95% CI 5.5-8.7%; P<0.00001) for each additional 10 g per day intake of alcohol, i.e. for each extra unit or drink of alcohol consumed on a daily basis. This increase was the same in ever-smokers and never-smokers (7.1 % per 10 g per day, P < 0.00001, in each group). By contrast, the relationship between smoking and breast cancer was substantially confounded by the effect of alcohol. When analyses were restricted to 22 255 women with breast cancer and 40 832 controls who reported drinking no alcohol, smoking was not associated with breast cancer (compared to never-smokers, relative risk for ever-smokers= 1.03, 95% CI 0.98 - 1.07, and for current smokers=0.99, 0.92 - 1.05). The results for alcohol and for tobacco did not vary substantially across studies, study designs, or according to 15 personal characteristics of the women; nor were the findings materially confounded by any of these factors. If the observed relationship for alcohol is causal, these results suggest that about 4% of the breast cancers in developed countries are attributable to alcohol. In developing countries, where alcohol consumption among controls averaged only 0.4 g per day, alcohol would have a negligible effect on the incidence of breast cancer. In conclusion, smoking has little or no independent effect on the risk of developing breast cancer; the effect of alcohol on breast cancer needs to be interpreted in the context of its beneficial effects, in moderation, on cardiovascular disease and its harmful effects on cirrhosis and cancers of the mouth, larynx, oesophagus and liver. (C) 2002 Cancer Research UK.
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| 2. |
- Svendsen, JI, et al.
(author)
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Late quaternary ice sheet history of northern Eurasia
- 2004
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791. ; 23:11-13, s. 1229-1271
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The maximum limits of the Eurasian ice sheets during four glaciations have been reconstructed: (1) the Late Saalian (> 140 ka), (2) the Early Weichselian (100-80 ka), (3) the Middle Weichselian (60-50 ka) and (4) the Late Weichselian (25-15 ka). The reconstructed ice limits are based on satellite data and aerial photographs combined with geological field investigations in Russia and Siberia, and with marine seismic- and sediment core data. The Barents-Kara Ice Sheet got progressively smaller during each glaciation, whereas the dimensions of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet increased. During the last Ice Age the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet attained its maximum size as early as 90-80,000 years ago when the ice front reached far onto the continent. A regrowth of the ice sheets occurred during the early Middle Weichselian, culminating about 60-50,000 years ago. During the Late Weichselian the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet did not reach the mainland east of the Kanin Peninsula, with the exception of the NW fringe of Taimyr. A numerical ice-sheet model, forced by global sea level and solar changes, was run through the full Weichselian glacial cycle. The modeling results are roughly compatible with the geological record of ice growth, but the model underpredicts the glaciations in the Eurasian Arctic during the Early and Middle Weichselian. One reason for this is that the climate in the Eurasian Arctic was not as dry then as during the Late Weichselian glacial maximum.
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| 3. |
- Amnell, T, et al.
(author)
-
Now, Next, and Future
- 2001
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In: Modelling and Verification of Parallel Processes (MOVEP'2k), Nantes, France June 19 to 23, 2000. LNCS Tutorial 2067.. ; , s. 100-125
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)
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| 4. |
- Bruder, CEG, et al.
(author)
-
High resolution deletion analysis of constitutional DNA from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) patients using microarray-CGH
- 2001
-
In: Human Molecular Genetics. - Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press. - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 1, s. 271-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant disorder whose hallmark is bilateral vestibular schwannoma. It displays a pronounced clinical heterogeneity with mild to severe forms. The NF2 tumor suppressor (merlin/schwannomin) has been cloned and extensively analyzed for mutations in patients with different clinical variants of the disease. Correlation between the type of the NF2 gene mutation and the patient phenotype has been suggested to exist. However, several independent studies have shown that a fraction of NF2 patients with various phenotypes have constitutional deletions that partly or entirely remove one copy of the NF2 gene. The purpose of this study was to examine a 7 Mb interval in the vicinity of the NF2 gene in a large series of NF2 patients in order to determine the frequency and extent of deletions. A total of 116 NF2 patients were analyzed using high-resolution array-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) on an array covering at least 90% of this region of 22q around the NF2 locus. Deletions, which remove one copy of the entire gene or are predicted to truncate the schwannomin protein, were detected in 8 severe, 10 moderate and 6 mild patients. This result does not support the correlation between the type of mutation affecting the NF2 gene and the disease phenotype. This work also demonstrates the general usefulness of the array-CON methodology for rapid and comprehensive detection of small (down to 40 kb) heterozygous and/or homozygous deletions occurring in constitutional or tumor-derived DNA.
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| 5. |
- Hampel, H, et al.
(author)
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Core biological marker candidates of Alzheimer's disease - perspectives for diagnosis, prediction of outcome and reflection of biological activity.
- 2004
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In: Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0300-9564 .- 1435-1463. ; 111:3, s. 247-72
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative dementing illness. Over the past few years, however, remarkable advances have taken place in understanding both the genetic and molecular biology with the intracellular processing of amyloid and tau and the changes leading to the pathologic formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and the intraneuronal aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau into neurofibrillary tangles. This progress in our understanding of the molecular pathology has set the stage for clinically meaningful advances in the development of biomarkers. Emerging diagnostic methods that are based on biochemical and imaging biomarkers of disease specific pathology hold the potential to provide effective measures of natural history (marker of disease that is predictive of outcome), biological activity (such as magnitude and frequency of response correlating with drug potency) and markers of surrogate endpoints (single or composite marker that accounts for clinical benefit of the therapy). Markers of biological activity should be also evaluated regarding their value to reflect disease progression, heterogeneity of the clinical population, for early decision making and characterization of new treatments. We focussed on the current status of core analytes which provide reasonable evidence for association with key mechanisms of pathogenesis or neurodegeneration in AD. In addition, feasibility was important, such as availability of a validated assay for the biological measure in question, with properties that included high precision and reliability of measurement, reagents and standards well described. On this basis we reviewed the body of literature that has examined CSF total tau (t-tau) and beta-amyloid 1-42 (Abeta(1-42)), phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and beta-amyloid-antibodies as diagnostic tests for AD versus clinically representative comparison groups. Measurement of t-tau and Abeta(1-42) in the CSF seems useful to discriminate early and incipient AD from age-associated memory-impairment, depression, and some secondary dementias. First studies showed that measurement of p-tau proteins significantly improves early and differential diagnosis, as well as disease prediction in subjects at risk for AD and comes closest to fulfilling proposed criteria of a biological marker for AD. However, the nature of the majority of reported findings are still preliminary and retrospective. General issues for biomarkers have to be adequately addressed, such as sensitivity of the method, frequency of assessments, stability of the method, standardization of methods and dynamic range. There is still a partial lack of comparison patient populations that must be addressed in future studies. International dementia networks have been recently established to advance the establishment of core biomarker candidates of AD as potential surrogate endpoints for clinical trials and their clinical use for predictive and diagnostic purposes.
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| 6. |
- Hubberten, HW, et al.
(author)
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The periglacial climate and environment in northern Eurasia during the Last Glaciation
- 2004
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791. ; 23:11-13, s. 1333-1357
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper summarizes the results of studies of the Late Weichselian periglacial environments carried out in key areas of northern Eurasia by several QUEEN teams (European Science Foundation (ESF) programme: "Quaternary Environment of the Eurasian North"). The palaeoglaciological boundary conditions are defined by geological data on timing and extent of the last glaciation obtained in the course of the EU funded project "Eurasian Ice Sheets". These data prove beyond any doubt, that with the exception of the northwestern fringe of the Taymyr Peninsula, the rest of the Eurasian mainland and Severnaya Zemlya were not affected by the Barents-Kara Sea fee Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Inversed modelling based on these results shows that a progressive cooling which started around 30 ka BP, caused ice growth in Scandinavia and the northwestern areas of the Barents-Kara Sea shelf, due to a maritime climate with relatively high precipitation along the western flank of the developing ice sheets. In the rest of the Eurasian Arctic extremely low precipitation rates (less than 50 mm yr(-1)), did not allow ice sheet growth in spite of the very cold temperatures. Palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions for the time prior to, during, and after the LGM have been reconstructed for the non-glaciated areas around the LGM ice sheet with the use of faunal and vegetation records, permafrost, eolian sediments, alluvial deposits and other evidences. The changing environment, from interstadial conditions around 30 ka BP to a much colder and drier environment at the culmination of the LGM at 20-15 ka BP, and the beginning of warming around 15 ka BP have been elaborated from the field data, which fits well with the modelling results. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- Vallon-Christersson, J, et al.
(author)
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Functional analysis of BRCA1 C-terminal missense mutations identified in breast and ovarian cancer families
- 2001
-
In: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 10:4, s. 60-353
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Germline mutations in the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 are responsible for the majority of cases involving hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Whereas all truncating mutations are considered as functionally deleterious, most of the missense variants identified to date cannot be readily distinguished as either disease-associated mutations or benign polymorphisms. The C-terminal domain of BRCA1 displays an intrinsic transactivation activity, and mutations linked to disease predisposition have been shown to confer loss of such activity in yeast and mammalian cells. In an attempt to clarify the functional importance of the BRCA1 C-terminus as a transcription activator in cancer predisposition, we have characterized the effect of C-terminal germline variants identified in Scandinavian breast and ovarian cancer families. Missense variants A1669S, C1697R, R1699W, R1699Q, A1708E, S1715R and G1738E and a truncating mutation, W1837X, were characterized using yeast- and mammalian-based transcription assays. In addition, four additional missense variants (V1665M, D1692N, S1715N and D1733G) and one in-frame deletion (V1688del) were included in the study. Our findings demonstrate that transactivation activity may reflect a tumor-suppressing function of BRCA1 and further support the role of BRCA1 missense mutations in disease predisposition. We also report a discrepancy between results from yeast- and mammalian-based assays, indicating that it may not be possible to unambiguously characterize variants with the yeast assay alone. We show that transcription-based assays can aid in the characterization of deleterious mutations in the C-terminal part of BRCA1 and may form the basis of a functional assay.
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| 8. |
- Anderson, H, et al.
(author)
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Familial breast and ovarian cancer : a Swedish population-based register study
- 2000
-
In: American Journal of Epidemiology. - 0002-9262. ; 152:12, s. 63-1154
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A cohort of offspring of mothers with breast or ovarian cancer diagnosed in 1958-1993 was established using Swedish population-based registers. The children (n = 158,041) were born between 1941 and 1993, and their cancer incidence was followed between 1961 and 1993. A total of 3,257 tumors in 3,102 children were found. Observed numbers of cases were compared with expected numbers based on national calendar year-, age-, and sex-specific incidences. For daughters of women with breast cancer, the standardized morbidity ratios for being diagnosed with breast cancer and ovarian cancer before age 50 years were 1.99 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.86, 2.14) and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.54), respectively. The corresponding figures for daughters of women with ovarian cancer were 1.79 (95% CI: 1.55, 2.07) and 2.38 (95% CI: 1.77, 3.12). The risks were raised if the mother's cancer was diagnosed at a young age, the mother had multiple breast/ovarian diagnoses, or there was a sister with breast/ovarian cancer. Among all offspring, increased risks were found for thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, and malignant melanoma, while lung cancer risk was decreased if the mother had had breast cancer. The authors developed a variance estimator for the standardized morbidity ratio to cope with overdispersion due to dependency within families.
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| 9. |
- Andræ, A. S. G., et al.
(author)
-
Uncertainty estimation by Monte Carlo simulation applied to life cycle inventory of cordless phones and microscale metallization processes
- 2004
-
In: Proc.Int.Conf.Asian Green Electron.. - 078038203X ; , s. 206-217
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper addressed the question whether there is an environmental advantage of using DECT phones instead of GSM phones in offices. The paper also addresses the environmental compatibility of Electrochemical Pattern Replication (ECPR) compared to classical photolithography based microscale metallization (CL) for pattern transfer. Both environmental assessments consider electricity consumption and CO2 emissions. The projects undertaken were two comparative studies of DECT phone/GSM phone and ECPR/CL respectively. The research method used was probabilistic uncertainty modelling with a limited number of inventory parameters used in the MATLAB tool. Within the chosen system boundaries and with the uncertainties added to input data, the ECPR is to 100 % probability better than CL and the DECT phone is to 90% better than the GSM phone.
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| 10. |
- Astuto, Lisa M., et al.
(author)
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Genetic heterogeneity of Usher syndrome : analysis of 151 families with Usher type 1
- 2000
-
In: American Journal of Human Genetics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 67:6, s. 1569-1574
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Usher syndrome type I is an autosomal recessive disorder marked by hearing loss, vestibular areflexia, and retinitis pigmentosa. Six Usher I genetic subtypes at loci USH1A-USH1F have been reported. The MYO7A gene is responsible for USH1B, the most common subtype. In our analysis, 151 families with Usher I were screened by linkage and mutation analysis. MYO7A mutations were identified in 64 families with Usher I. Of the remaining 87 families, who were negative for MYO7A mutations, 54 were informative for linkage analysis and were screened with the remaining USH1 loci markers. Results of linkage and heterogeneity analyses showed no evidence of Usher types Ia or Ie. However, one maximum LOD score was observed lying within the USH1D region. Two lesser peak LOD scores were observed outside and between the putative regions for USH1D and USH1F, on chromosome 10. A HOMOG chi(2)((1)) plot shows evidence of heterogeneity across the USH1D, USH1F, and intervening regions. These results provide conclusive evidence that the second-most-common subtype of Usher I is due to genes on chromosome 10, and they confirm the existence of one Usher I gene in the previously defined USH1D region, as well as providing evidence for a second, and possibly a third, gene in the 10p/q region.
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| 11. |
- Bashkanov, M., et al.
(author)
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Two-pion production in proton-proton collisions
- 2004
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In: Hadron Spectroscopy, Tenth International Conference on Hadron Spectrscopy, Aschaffenburg, Germany 31 August - 6 September 2003. - 0735401977 ; , s. 241-244
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)
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| 12. |
- Capocaccia, R, et al.
(author)
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Measuring cancer prevalence in Europe: the EUROPREVAL project
- 2002
-
In: Annals of Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1569-8041 .- 0923-7534. ; 13:6, s. 831-839
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancer prevalence is the proportion of individuals in a population who at some stage during their lifetime have been diagnosed with cancer, irrespective of the date of diagnosis. Cancer prevalence statistics have generally been provided by a limited number of well established cancer registries that have been in existence for several decades. The advent of systematic follow-up of life status of incident cases and the availability of new statistical methodologies, now makes it possible for registries established during the 1970s or 1980s to provide prevalence data. The main problems encountered in the estimation of prevalence are the inclusion of: (i) cases lost to follow-up; (ii) cases known only from their death certificate; (iii) cases diagnosed before the start of registration; and (iv) the treatment of multiple tumours and migrations. The main aim of this paper was to review these problems and discuss, through the experience gained with EUROPREVAL, how they can be overcome. A method is presented for the calculation of prevalence of all cancers combined in the populations covered by the 45 cancer registries participating in EUROPREVAL. Prevalence of cancer is estimated to be 2% on average, with the highest values (3%) in Sweden and the lowest in Eastern Europe, with a minimum of approximately 1% in Poland.
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| 13. |
- Ekblad, S., et al.
(author)
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Disturbances in postural balance are common in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms
- 2000
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In: Climacteric. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1369-7137 .- 1473-0804. ; 3:3, s. 192-198
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To establish the prevalence of unsteadiness and rotatory vertigo in peri- and postmenopausal women, and whether balance disturbances are more common in women with vasomotor symptoms and without hormone replacement therapy (HRT). METHOD: A validated questionnaire was sent to all 1523 women aged 54 or 55 years in Linköping, Sweden. RESULTS: Daily or weekly unsteadiness was reported by 5%, and daily or weekly rotatory vertigo by 4% of all women. The frequency of vasomotor symptoms correlated with reported unsteadiness (rs = 0.23, p < 0.001). Fourteen per cent of women with daily vasomotor symptoms reported weekly or daily unsteadiness, compared with 3% of those without vasomotor symptoms (odds ratio (OR) 7.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.72-15.45). The frequency of vasomotor symptoms correlated with rotatory vertigo (rs = 0.19, p < 0.001). Ten per cent of women with daily vasomotor symptoms reported weekly or daily rotatory vertigo, compared with 2% of women without vasomotor symptoms (OR 5.21, 95% CI 1.07-25.52). No correlation was seen between vasomotor symptoms and falls. Users of HRT had the same prevalence of balance disturbances as non-users. CONCLUSIONS: Women with frequent vasomotor symptoms seem to run a greater risk of unsteadiness and rotatory vertigo than do women without symptoms. This association may not be explained by means of a cross-sectional study, but there might exist a causal connection between vasomotor symptoms and balance disturbances.
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| 14. |
- Hallqvist, Johan, 1950-, et al.
(author)
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Does heavy physical exertion trigger myocardial infarction? A case-crossover analysis nested in a population-based case-referent study.
- 2000
-
In: American Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0002-9262 .- 1476-6256. ; 151:5, s. 459-67
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To study possible triggering of first events of acute myocardial infarction by heavy physical exertion, the authors conducted a case-crossover analysis (1993-1994) within a population-based case-referent study in Stockholm County, Sweden (the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program). Interviews were carried out with 699 myocardial infarction patients after onset of the disease. These cases represented 47 percent of all cases in the study base, and 70 percent of all nonfatal cases. The relative risk from vigorous exertion was 6.1 (95% confidence interval: 4.2, 9.0). The rate difference was 1.5 per million person-hours, and the attributable proportion was 5.7 percent. The risk was modified by physical fitness, with an increased risk being seen among sedentary subjects as in earlier studies, but the data also suggested a U-shaped association. In addition, the trigger effect was modified by socioeconomic status. Premonitory symptoms were common, and this implies risks of reverse causation bias and misclassification of case exposure information that require methodological consideration. Different techniques (the use of the usual-frequency type of control information, a pair-matched analysis, and a standard case-referent analysis) were applied to overcome the threat of misclassification of control exposure information. A case-crossover analysis in a random sample of healthy subjects resulted in a relative risk close to unity, as expected.
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| 15. |
- Häggström, S, et al.
(author)
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Effects of finasteride on vascular endothelial growth factor.
- 2002
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5599 .- 1651-2065. ; 36:3, s. 182-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Finasteride has been shown to reduce prostate bleeding in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The mechanisms behind this are not known, but it has been suggested that finasteride reduces bleeding by inhibiting angiogenesis in the prostate. Studies in animals have shown that castration rapidly induces involution of the prostate vasculature, and androgen-stimulated prostate growth may be angiogenesis dependent. The objective of this study was to explore the response to finasteride on the vasculature and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent regulatory factor of angiogenesis in human prostate tissue.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with BPH were randomly assigned to 3 months of treatment either with finasteride (5 mg/day) or placebo before undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Prostate tissue VEGF expression was quantified by Western blot and the vascular density determined in Factor VIII immunostained tissue sections. Serum concentrations of VEGF were measured with ELISA technique.RESULTS: Patients treated with finasteride (n = 15) showed a decrease in prostate tissue VEGF(165) expression compared with placebo (n = 13) treated patients (p < 0.05), but the vascular density and the serum VEGF levels were unaffected.CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that finasteride treatment decreases VEGF expression in the human prostate.
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| 16. |
- Mangerud, J, et al.
(author)
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Ice-dammed lakes and rerouting of the drainage of northern Eurasia during the Last Glaciation
- 2004
-
In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791. ; 23:11-13, s. 1313-1332
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During the Quaternary period, ice sheets centred over the Barents and Kara seas expanded several times onto mainland Russia and blocked northflowing rivers, such as the Yenissei, Ob, Pechora and Mezen. Large ice-dammed lakes with reversed outlets, e.g. toward the Caspian Sea, formed south of these ice sheets. Some lakes are reconstructed from shorelines and lacustrine sediments, others mainly from ice-sheet configuration. Ice-dammed lakes, considerably larger than any lake on Earth today, are reconstructed for the periods 90-80 and 60-50 ka. The ages are based on numerous optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates. During the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, about 20 ka) the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet was too small to block these eastern rivers, although in contrast to the 90-80 and 60-50 ka maxima, the Scandinavian Ice Sheet grew large enough to divert rivers and meltwater across the drainage divide from the Baltic Basin to the River Volga, and that way to the Caspian Sea. Climate modelling shows that the lakes caused lower summer temperatures on the continent and on the lower parts of the ice sheet. The final drainage of the best mapped lake is modelled, and it is concluded that it probably emptied within few months. We predict that this catastrophic outburst had considerable impact on sea-ice formation in the Arctic Ocean and on the climate of a much larger area. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 17. |
- Micheli, A, et al.
(author)
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Cancer prevalence in European registry areas
- 2002
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In: Annals of Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1569-8041 .- 0923-7534. ; 13:6, s. 840-865
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Information on cancer prevalence is of major importance for health planning and resource allocation. However, systematic information on cancer prevalence is largely unavailable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight population-based cancer registries from 17 European countries, participating in EUROPREVAL, provided data on almost 3 million cancer patients diagnosed from 1970 to 1992. Standardised data collection and validation procedures were used and the whole data set was analysed using proven methodology. The prevalence of stomach, colon, rectum, lung, breast, cervix uteri, corpus uteri and prostate cancer, as well as of melanoma of skin, Hodgkin's disease, leukaemia and all malignant neoplasms combined, were estimated for the end of 1992. RESULTS: There were large differences between countries in the prevalence of all cancers combined; estimates ranged from 1170 per 100000 in the Polish cancer registration areas to 3050 per 100000 in southern Sweden. For most cancers, the Swedish, Swiss, German and Italian areas had high prevalence, and the Polish, Estonian, Slovakian and Slovenian areas had low prevalence. Of the total prevalent cases, 61% were women and 57% were 65 years of age or older. Cases diagnosed within 2 years of the reference date formed 22% of all prevalent cases. Breast cancer accounted for 34% of all prevalent cancers in females and colorectal cancer for 15% in males. Prevalence tended to be high where cancer incidence was high, but the prevalence was highest in countries where survival was also high. Prevalence was low where general mortality was high (correlation between general mortality and the prevalence of all cancers = -0.64) and high where gross domestic product was high (correlation = +0.79). Thus, the richer areas of Europe had higher prevalence, suggesting that prevalence will increase with economic development. CONCLUSIONS: EUROPREVAL is the largest project on prevalence conducted to date. It has provided complete and accurate estimates of cancer prevalence in Europe, constituting essential information for cancer management. The expected increases in prevalence with economic development will require more resources; allocation to primary prevention should therefore be prioritised.
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| 18. |
- Möller, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Precipitation of heavy metals from landfill leachates by microbially-produced sulphide
- 2004
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In: Environmental Technology. - 1479-487X. ; 25:1, s. 69-77
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Four leachates from two landfills in Sweden were treated for the removal of heavy metals with the aid of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Both continuous and batch experiments were performed. A packed-bed process was used for sulphide production. The metals studied were As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The continuous experiments showed that Cd and Cu were most efficiently removed and that Cr was the most difficult to precipitate. In a continuous experiment with one of the leachates, the removal of Cd, Cu and Zn depended upon the retention time in the system. In the batch experiments, precipitation of the metals was a relatively fast process. No significant differences in metal concentrations were found between experiments terminated after a day and those terminated after a week. In a batch experiment involving one of the leachates, the precipitation of Cd and Cu was shown to be dependent upon the metal:sulphide ratio. Removal of the metals increased with an increase in the sulphide:metal ratio up to 45:1. The process with SRB showed an interesting potential for removal of heavy metals from leachates. One of the two leachates for which the highest metal removals were obtained came from a landfill for hazardous waste.
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| 19. |
- Möller, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Pollen immunotherapy reduces the development of asthma in children with seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis (the PAT-study)
- 2002
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In: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825. ; 109:2, s. 251-256
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Children with allergic rhinitis are likely to develop asthma.Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether specific immunotherapy can prevent the development of asthma and reduce bronchial hyperresponsiveness in children with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.Methods: From 6 pediatric allergy centers, 205 children aged 6 to 14 years (mean age, 10.7 years) with grass and/or birch pollen allergy but without any other clinically important allergy were randomized either to receive specific immunotherapy for 3 years or to an open control group. All subjects had moderate to severe hay fever symptoms, but at inclusion none reported asthma with need of daily treatment. Symptomatic treatment was limited to loratadine, levocabastine, sodium cromoglycate, and nasal budesonide. Asthma was evaluated clinically and by peak flow. Methacholine bronchial provocation tests were carried out during the season(s) and during the winter.Results: Before the start of immunotherapy, 20% of the children had mild asthma symptoms during the pollen season(s). Among those without asthma, the actively treated children had significantly fewer asthma symptoms after 3 years as evaluated by clinical diagnosis (odds ratio, 2.52; P < .05). Methacholine bronchial provocation test results improved significant in the active group (P < .05).Conclusion: Immunotherapy can reduce the development of asthma in children with seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Möller, J, et al.
(author)
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Sexual activity as a trigger of myocardial infarction. A case-crossover analysis in the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Programme (SHEEP).
- 2001
-
In: Heart. - : BMJ. - 1355-6037 .- 1468-201X .- 0007-0769. ; 86:4, s. 387-90
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate sexual activity as a trigger of myocardial infarction and the potential effect modification of physical fitness. DESIGN: A case-crossover study nested in the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Programme (SHEEP). SETTING: Stockholm County from April 1993 to December 1994. PATIENTS: All patients with a first episode of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction admitted to coronary care units were eligible, and 699 patients participated in an interview. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative risks with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Only 1.3% of the patients without premonitory symptoms had sexual activity during two hours before the onset of myocardial infarction. The relative risk of myocardial infarction was 2.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7 to 6.5) during one hour after sexual activity, and the risk among patients with a sedentary life was 4.4 (95% CI 1.5 to 12.9). CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk of myocardial infarction after sexual activity and the further increase in risk among the less physically fit support the hypothesis of causal triggering by sexual activity. However, the absolute risk per hour is very low, and exposure is relatively infrequent. Thus having sex once a week only increases the annual risk of myocardial infarction slightly. Counselling should focus on encouraging patients to live a physically active life and not on abstaining from sexual activity.
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| 22. |
- Möller, P, et al.
(author)
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Plasma thrombopoietin concentrations in response to platelet transfusion therapy.
- 2000
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In: Acta haematologica. - 0001-5792. ; 102:3, s. 131-4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studies performed in rabbit and mouse models and in a limited number of human subjects, show that transfused platelets bind thrombopoietin (TPO) and decrease its concentration in the circulation. The aim of the present study was to further examine this relationship. The material comprised 12 patients receiving a total of 21 transfusions, as part of the routine clinical treatment. Blood samples were collected from the patients immediately before and 30 min after completion of the platelet transfusion, and the corrected platelet count increment (CCI) was calculated. A commercially available ELISA kit was used to determine plasma TPO concentrations. Statistically significant reductions in median TPO concentration were observed in response to the platelet transfusions. Patients who were refractory to platelet transfusions showed the slightest decrease in TPO concentration. As for the linear regression between change in TPO level and CCI, only borderline significance was observed. Thus, our findings support the concept that platelets can remove TPO from the circulation.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Olsson, H, et al.
(author)
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A population-based cohort study of HRT use and breast cancer in southern Sweden
- 2001
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In: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827. ; 85:5, s. 674-677
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The overall tumour incidence and breast cancer incidence related to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were followed in a population-based cohort of 29 508 women, aged 25-65 when interviewed in 1990-92. By the end of the follow up in December 1999, there were 226 611 person-years of observation. A total of 1145 malignant tumours were recorded (expected 1166.6; SIR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.93-1.04). There was a small excess of breast cancer with 434 observed and 387.69 expected (SIR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.23). Among about 3 663 ever users of HRT, there was no increase in overall tumour incidence (SIR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.86-1.12) but a significant excess of breast cancer (SIR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.09-1.64) compared with never users (SIR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.96-1.19). Breast cancer increased with increasing duration of use and for 48-120 months use the SIR was 1.92 (95% CI 1.32-2.70). There was no significant interaction with family history of breast cancer although an independent additive effect was suggested between HRT use and family history. In a Cox regression model time to breast cancer in relation to duration of HRT use was analysed adjusting for age at menarche, age at menopause, age at first full term pregnancy, parity and age at diagnosis. A significantly higher risk was seen for longer duration of HRT use compared with never users. No increased risk is seen in women beyond 5 years after stopping HRT. There was no interaction between previous use of oral contraceptives and later HRT use.
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