| 1. |
- Baroudi, Mazen, et al.
(author)
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Preteen children’s health related quality of life in Sweden: changes over time and disparities between different sociodemographic groups
- 2019
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In: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2458. ; 19
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Assessing disparities in health-related quality of Life (HRQoL) is important as a part of health-related disparities in the society. The aim of this study was to explore HRQoL among 12-year-olds in Sweden in terms of differences between years 2005 and 2009 and disparities related to sociodemographic background.Methods: During the school years 2005 and 2009, a total of 18,325 sixth grade students in Sweden were invited to a celiac disease screening study; 13,279 agreed to participate. Jointly with the celiac screening, the children answered a questionnaire that included EuroQol 5 Dimensions-youth (EQ-5D-Y) and their parents responded to separate questionnaires about their own and their child’s country of birth, family structure, their employment status, occupation, and education. In total 11,009 child-parent questionnaires were collected. Logistic regression was used to study differences in HRQoL between 2005 and 2009, and between various sociodemographic subgroups.Results: Compared with 2005, children in 2009 reported more pain (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.1–1.3) and more mood problems (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.2–1.5). In general, girls reported more pain and mood problems and had more disparities than boys. There were no significant differences based on parents’ occupation, however, children of parents with low or medium education levels reported less “mood problems” than those of parents with high education levels (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.46–0.92) and (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73–0.96), respectively. A slight variation was seen in HRQoL between children with different migration background. Girls living in small municipalities reported more pain (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.14–2.01), and problems performing usual activities (OR: 3.77, 95% CI: 2.08–6.84), compared to girls living in large municipalities. In addition, children living with two parents had less mood problems than children living in other family constellations.Conclusion: More children reported pain and mood problems in 2009 compared with 2005. To study future trends, health outcomes among children in Sweden should continue to be reported periodically. More efforts should be invested to increase the awareness of health-related disparities as highlighted in this study especially for girls living in small municipalities and children of parents with high education level.
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| 2. |
- Carlsson, Emma
(author)
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The importance of psychological and physical stressors on diabetes-related immunity in a young population – an interdisciplinary approach
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: The prevalence of immunological disorders such as type 1 diabetes (T1D) is increasingly common amongst children, adolescents and young adults. There is also an increase in psychosomatic symptoms (depression, insomnia, anxiety, headaches and fatigue etc.) as well as a decrease in physical activity amongst young people, affecting the well-being and overall health of our younger population. It is therefore important to study the effects of psychological and physical stressors on the immune system, to evaluate their impact on juvenile health.Aim: This thesis explores the impact of psychological and physical stressors on the cellular immune system with special focus on diabetes-related immunity in a young population, using an interdisciplinary approach.Method: When exploring the impact of psychological and physical stressors such as psychological stress due to exposure to psychological stressful experiences or degree of physical activity/training on the cellular immune system in children, adolescents and young women, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated with antigens (tetanus toxoid (TT) and β-lactoglobulin (βLG)) as well as diabetes-related autoantigens (insulin, heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), tyrosine phosphatase-2 (IA-2) and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65)) and secreted cytokines and chemokines were measured by multiplex fluorochrome technique (Luminex). Populations of Thelper (Th) cells (CD4+), T-cytotoxic (Tc) cells (CD8+), B cells (CD19+), Natural Killer (NK) cells (CD56+CD16+) as well as regulatory T (Treg) cells (CD4+CD25+FoxP3+CD127-), and their expression of CD39 and CD45RA were studied by flow cytometry. Diabetes-related parameters (glucose, C-peptide,proinsulin, pancreatic polypeptide and peptide YY) were measured to studyβ-cell activity and appetite regulation and cortisol was used as a biological marker for psychological and physical stress.Results: Children in families exposed to psychological stress showed an imbalanced cellular immune response as well as an increased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens. Also, previous exposure to psychological stress as well as current exposure to psychological stress in young women showed an increased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens. Further, previous exposure to psychological stress in young women showed increased numbers of circulating CD56+CD16+ NK cells as wellas decreased numbers of circulating CD4+CD25+FoxP3+CD127- Treg cells. High physical activity in children showed decreased spontaneous immune response as well as a decreased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens, while low physical activity in children showed an increased immune response towards diabetes-related autoantigens. Further, endurance training in adolescents, especially in adolescent males and young adolescents, showed an increased immune response towards the diabetes-related autoantigen IA-2.Conclusion: It is evident that psychological and physical stressors such as exposure to psychological stress and degree of physical activity/training impact the cellular immune system. Experiences associated with psychological stress seem to have a negative effect on the cellular immune system in a young population, causing an imbalance in the immune system that could possibly induce diabetes-related immunity. High physical activity in children seems to have a protective effect against diabetes-related immunity. In contrast, low physical activity in children and endurance training in adolescents seems to induce diabetes-related immunity. It is very likely that psychological stressful experiences, low physical activity and intense training such as endurance training all play important roles in the immunological process leading to the development of type 1 diabetes.
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| 3. |
- Carlsson, Ninni, 1962, et al.
(author)
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”Visa i handling vad arbetet mot mäns våld är värt”
- 2019
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In: Svenska Dagbladet. ; 2019:4 april
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Mitt i debatten om Josefin Nilsson och det våld mot henne som närstående berättar om i SVT-dokumentären ”Älska mig för den jag är”, tillkännager regeringen, C och L att de föreslår 45 miljoner i vårbudget för att bekämpa mäns våld mot kvinnor. Flera medier kallar det en storsatsning men är det verkligen det, frågar våldsforskare, #metoo-upprop och organisationer. Med hjälp av aktuell forskning argumenterar de för att detta är långt ifrån tillräckligt, kräver större vårbudget mot mäns våld mot kvinnor och bjuder in riksdag och regering till dialog.
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| 4. |
- Kamb, Anneli, et al.
(author)
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Att äta hållbart? : En kartläggning av vad hållbar matkonsumtion kan innebära
- 2019
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Denna rapport har tagits fram inom forskningsprogrammet Mistra Sustainable Consumption – från nisch till mainstream som engagerar forskare från olika vetenskapliga discipliner och samhällspartners från offentlig sektor, näringsliv och civilsamhälle. Syftet med programmet är att stimulera en övergång till mer hållbar konsumtion. Forskningen är finansierad av Mistra, Stiftelsen för miljöstrategisk forskning, samt med medfinansiering från samtliga deltagande universitet och samhällspartners.
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| 5. |
- Kennedy, Amanda, et al.
(author)
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Structural Characterization of Agonist Binding to Protease-Activated Receptor 2 through Mutagenesis and Computational Modeling
- 2018
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In: ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2575-9108. ; 1:2, s. 119-133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) is a G protein-coupled receptor that is activated by proteolytic cleavage of its N-terminus. The unmasked N-terminal peptide then binds to the transmembrane bundle, leading to activation of intracellular signaling pathways associated with inflammation and cancer. Recently determined crystal structures have revealed binding sites of PAR2 antagonists, but the binding mode of the peptide agonist remains unknown. In order to generate a model of PAR2 in complex with peptide SLIGKV, corresponding to the trypsin-exposed tethered ligand, the orthosteric binding site was probed by iterative combinations of receptor mutagenesis, agonist ligand modifications and data-driven structural modeling. Flexible-receptor docking identified a conserved binding mode for agonists related to the endogenous ligand that was consistent with the experimental data and allowed synthesis of a novel peptide (1-benzyl-1H[1,2,3]triazole-4-yl-LIGKV) with higher functional potency than SLIGKV. The final model may be used to understand the structural basis of PAR2 activation and in virtual screens to identify novel PAR2 agonist and competitive antagonists. The combined experimental and computational approach to characterize agonist binding to PAR2 can be extended to study the many other G protein-coupled receptors that recognize peptides or proteins.
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| 6. |
- Norström, Fredrik, et al.
(author)
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Impact of Thyroid Autoimmunity on Thyroid Function in 12-year-old Children with Celiac Disease
- 2018
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In: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 0277-2116 .- 1536-4801. ; 67:1, s. 64-68
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: Celiac disease (CD) is associated with thyroid autoimmunity and other autoimmune diseases. Data are, however, lacking regarding the relationship between thyroid autoimmunity and thyroid function, especially in regard to CD. Our aim was to investigate the impact of thyroid autoimmunity on thyroid function in 12-year-old children with CD compared to their healthy peers. Methods: A case-referent study was conducted as part of a CD screening of 12-year-olds. Our study included 335 children with CD and 1695 randomly selected referents. Thyroid autoimmunity was assessed with antibodies against thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb). Thyroid function was assessed with thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxine. Results: TPOAb positivity significantly increased the risk of developing hypothyroidism in all children. The odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) were 5.3 (2.7-11) in healthy 12-year-olds, 10 (3.2-32) in screening-detected CD cases, 19 (2.6-135) in previously diagnosed CD cases, and 12 (4.4-32) in all CD cases together. Among children with TPOAb positivity, hypothyroidism was significantly more common (odds ratio 3.1; 95% CI 1.03-9.6) in children with CD (10/19) than in children without CD (12/46). Conclusions: The risk of thyroid dysfunction due to thyroid autoimmunity is larger for those with CD than their healthy peers. Our study indicates that a gluten-free diet does not reduce the risk of thyroid dysfunction. Further studies are required for improved understanding of the role of the gluten-free diet for the risk of autoimmune diseases in children with CD.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Webb, Charlotta, et al.
(author)
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Celiac disease can be predicted by high levels of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies in population-based screening
- 2015
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In: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - JPGN. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0277-2116 .- 1536-4801. ; 60:6, s. 787-791
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To evaluate any potential correlation between anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies of type immunoglobulin A (tTG-IgA) and the degree of gluten induced enteropathy in children participating in a screening study for celiac disease (CD) and to assess to what extent the revised ESPGHAN (European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition) guidelines cover this group of patients.METHODS: This is a sub-study of a cross-sectional CD screening study, ETICS (Exploring the Iceberg of Celiacs in Sweden), a two-phased study performed during 2005-2006 and 2009-2010. The 13,279 participating children had a blood test obtained and those with positive tTG-IgA were recommended a small intestinal biopsy. The tTG-IgA levels at the time of biopsy were compared with the assessment of the biopsy.RESULTS: There were 267 children included, of whom 230 were diagnosed with CD. Out of all children, 67 children had low tTG-IgA levels (<5 U/mL), whereof 55% had Marsh 3 lesions. All children with tTG-IgA levels exceeding 10 times the upper limit of normal values of 5 U/mL, i.e. 50 U/mL, were diagnosed with CD. Lowering the cut-off to 3 U/mL, all but one child with 30 U/mL got CD diagnosis.CONCLUSION: By adapting the revised ESPGHAN criteria, biopsies could have been omitted in a fourth of all cases. Our results indicate, that the criteria might be useful even on screened children. Further studies are needed to confirm whether the 2012 ESPGHAN guidelines should be revised to also apply to the populations being screened.
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| 9. |
- Webb, Charlotta, et al.
(author)
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High adherence to a gluten-free diet in adolescents with screening-detected celiac disease
- 2015
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In: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - JPGN. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0277-2116 .- 1536-4801. ; 60:1, s. 54-59
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the gluten-free diet (GFD) adherenceafter one year of follow-up in children with screening-detected celiac disease (CD) in a general population. METHODS: A total of 18,325 12 year olds were invited to participate in apopulation-based CD screening (ETICS- Exploring the Iceberg of Celiacs in Sweden), of whom 13,279 participated. In 240 children, CD was detected through elevated anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies 2 (TG2-IgA) and verified by a small-intestinal biopsy. This sub-study included the 210 children with TG2-IgAevaluated both at the initialbiopsy occasion and at the one-year follow-up. GFD adherence was evaluated by a combination of TG2-IgA measurements and self-reported adherence (n = 193). RESULTS: After one year, 83% (179/210) had normalizedTG2-IgA levels (<5U/mL). Among those who had >50 U/mL at diagnosis,25% (16/63) still had elevated TG2-IgA but for the majority their initial values were more than halved. Most reported a high level ofGFD adherence ('always' 75%(158/193) and 'often' 14%(30/193)), and 75% (145/193) reported always adhereingcombined with normalized TG2-IgA. Although reporting that they were always adherent, 13 (6.7%) had not yet normalized their TG2-IgA levels completely, however, a majority of these initially had the highestTG2-IgA levels. CONCLUSIONS: GFD adherence is high in adolescents with CD detected by screening of the general population of Swedish 12yearolds. Almost all had normalized serology and reported GFD adherenceat the one-year follow-up. However, a few adolescents whoreported GFD adherence still had elevated TG2-IgA levelssuggesting more severe disease and/or non-adherence.
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