| 1. |
- Parker, P, et al.
(author)
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Progress in integrated assessment and modelling
- 2002
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In: Environmental Modelling & Software. - 1364-8152. ; 17:3, s. 209-217
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Environmental processes have been modelled for decades. However. the need for integrated assessment and modeling (IAM) has,town as the extent and severity of environmental problems in the 21st Century worsens. The scale of IAM is not restricted to the global level as in climate change models, but includes local and regional models of environmental problems. This paper discusses various definitions of IAM and identifies five different types of integration that Lire needed for the effective solution of environmental problems. The future is then depicted in the form of two brief scenarios: one optimistic and one pessimistic. The current state of IAM is then briefly reviewed. The issues of complexity and validation in IAM are recognised as more complex than in traditional disciplinary approaches. Communication is identified as a central issue both internally among team members and externally with decision-makers. stakeholders and other scientists. Finally it is concluded that the process of integrated assessment and modelling is considered as important as the product for any particular project. By learning to work together and recognise the contribution of all team members and participants, it is believed that we will have a strong scientific and social basis to address the environmental problems of the 21st Century.
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| 2. |
- Bragdon, Charles R, 1959, et al.
(author)
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Comparison of two digital radiostereometric analysis methods in the determination of femoral head penetration in a total hip replacement phantom
- 2004
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In: J Orthop Res. - : Wiley. - 0736-0266. ; 22:3, s. 659-64
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) has been used extensively to evaluate the magnitude and direction of penetration of the femoral head into the acetabular component of a total hip replacement as a result of polyethylene wear and creep. The accuracy and precision of an RSA study depends on several factors, including the radiographic technique, the analytical software, and the positioning of the tantalum markers. This study had three sequential purposes. First, an in vitro phantom model was used to quantify the accuracy and precision of digital images versus conventional radiography in RSA measurements of penetration of the femoral head into the acetabular shell in a total hip replacement. The Umea RSA software package was used for analysis of both the conventional films, which were digitized at a resolution of 300 DPI, and digital radiographs, which were converted from a DICOM format at a resolution of 218 DPI. Digital radiography was found to be superior. Next, two methods of RSA analysis currently in use for determining femoral head penetration into polyethylene of total joint replacements were compared. Using the phantom model, we compared the Umea RSA system (Biomedical Innovations AB) to the RSA-CMS (RSA Clinical Measurement Solution) and in both cases used the digital radiographs. The Umea RSA system was found to be superior. Finally, two methods of marking the position of the acetabular component with tantalum beads were compared: one in which beads were inserted into previously described towers protruding from the back of the acetabular shell and another in which beads were placed into the peripheral flange of the polyethylene liner using the Umea RSA analysis system of the digital radiographs. The results using the two marker configurations were similar.
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| 3. |
- Hua, Jianyi, et al.
(author)
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Oxi4503, a novel vascular targeting agent: effects on blood flow and antitumor activity in comparison to combretastatin A-4 phosphate.
- 2003
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In: Anticancer research. - 1791-7530. ; 23:2B, s. 1433-1440
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oxi4503, which is the diphosphate prodrug of combretastatin A1, is a novel vascular targeting agent from the combretastatin family. Another member of this family, Combretastatin A-4 phosphate (CA4P), is a well-characterized vascular targeting agent already being evaluated in clinical trials. The potential for tumor vascular targeting by Oxi4503 was assessed in a mouse system. This approach aims to shut down the established tumor vasculature, leading to the development of extensive tumor cell necrosis. The vascular effects of Oxi4503 were assessed in the s.c. implanted MDA-MB-231 adenocarcinoma and the MHEC5-T hemangio-endothelioma in SCID mice and in a range of normal tissues. Blood flow was measured by i.v. injection of fluorescence beads, while quantitative fluorescence microscopy was used to measure the spatial heterogeneity of blood flow in tumor sections. Oxi4503 induced the shutdown of tumor blood vessels in a dose-dependent pattern with an ED50 at 3 mg/kg in contrast to 43 mg/kg of CA4P. Quantitative fluorescence microscopy showed that Oxi4503 increased the spatial heterogeneity in tumor blood flow. Oxi4503 affected peripheral tumor regions less than central regions, although this was not as pronounced as seen with CA4P, where only central regions were affected. The vascular shutdown induced by administration of Oxi4503 at a dose of 6 mg/kg resulted in extensive cell loss 24 hours following treatment, which translated into a significant effect on tumor growth. Tumor growth was completely repressed at doses above 12.5 mg/kg of Oxi4503, while doses above 25 mg/kg showed tumor regression and even complete regression in some animals. These results are promising for the use of Oxi4503 as a tumor vascular targeting agent. Moreover the potent antitumor effect when administered as a single agent suggests a different activity profile than CA4P.
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| 4. |
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| 6. |
- Bragdon, Charles R, 1959
(author)
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Evaluation of methods of measuring wear of polyethylene acetabular components intotal hip arthroplasty
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: The introduction of highly cross-linked, wear resistant polyethylene acetabularcomponents for clinical use in total hip replacements has intensified the interest in and need for highlyaccurate methods of measuring wear from clinical radiographs. There are several methods currentlyavailable for measuring the relative displacement of the femoral head into the acetabular componentresulting from the combination of plastic deformation and wear of the polyethylene bearing surface.However, there is no standard method available for evaluating the accuracy and precision of thesevarious methods and therefore no way of objectively comparing them. This thesis was designed todevelop an experimental standard practice for this purpose. The second purpose of the thesis was toperform two clinical studies designed to evaluate wear of polyethylene using different methods as wellas evaluate various parameters which may affect the quality of the calculated results.Specific aim: The goal of this research thesis was to explore a variety of variables and conditions whichmay affect a clinical radiographic study of femoral head penetration by first developing and using aphantom model of a total hip replacement and ultimately by evaluating two series of clinical radiographsfor two groups of patients who have received total hip replacements.Method: A physical hip model which used actual THR components was constructed which couldsimulate three dimensional migrations of the femoral head into the acetabular component due to creepand wear of the polyethylene component. A displacement protocol was developed consisting ofseventeen steps designed to simulate the three dimensional magnitude of femoral head displacementknown to occur in vivo. This phantom was used for the three research papers which evaluated, underideal circumstances, several variables known to affect RSA and non-RSA radiographic studies.The first clinical study compared the results of two methods of measuring femoral head penetrationusing the same group of THR patients. The second clinical study compared the results using radiographstaken with the patients standing vs. lying supine.Results: Using the phantom, change from conventional hard copy radiographs to digital DICOM imageswas validated. The results using the UmRSA software were superior to those using the RSA-CMSmethod. Different bead placement methods and configurations were validated. In further development ofthe Hip Analysis Suite program, the results using oblique projection of the hip were comparable to theuse of the standard A/P and lateral films under ideal experimental conditions. While the clinical resultsusing the Hip Analysis Suite software were similar to those obtained using the UmRSA software interms of the pattern of wear over time, the magnitude of the measured femoral head penetration was30% higher. In an RSA study of femoral head penetration, the evaluation of supine vs. standingradiographs showed comparable results.Conclusions: The results of this thesis enable comparisons of the effect of changing differentparameters which can be useful in developing an experimental design. The phantom model has to be auseful tool in evaluating and developing analysis software, validation of new research centers, and as atraining tool for new users. The clinical studies provide insight into the relative comparison of twoanalysis methods under practical conditions and have examined the need and practicality of requiringstanding radiographs for clinical wear studies.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Cline, Charles, et al.
(author)
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The management of heart failure in Sweden.
- 2002
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In: European Journal of Heart Failure. - 1879-0844. ; 4:3, s. 373-376
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heart failure is a major concern to health care providers in Sweden due to its increasing prevalence and the rising health care costs. Heart failure affects more than 160000 Swedes, approximately 2% of the population. The costs for the management of heart failure have been calculated to be approximately SEK 2.500 million (Euro 275 million) which is 2% of the total health care budget. Most heart failure patients are managed by primary care physicians but hospitalisation is common and heart failure is the most common cause for hospitalisation in patients over 65 years of age. National diagnostic and treatment guidelines are not completely adhered to. Echocardiography is performed in a little more than 30% of patients in primary care probably due to poor access. In hospitals echocardiography is more easily available and routinely used for diagnosis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta-blockers appear to be under prescribed. Nurse-led heart failure clinics are being widely established in an attempt to curtail costs and improve management.
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| 9. |
- Cordoba-Jabonero, Carmen, et al.
(author)
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Assessments for possible habitability in Martian polar environments : Fundaments based in ice screening of UV radiation
- 2004
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In: ESA SP. - 0379-6566 .- 1609-0438. ; 545, s. 187-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a study of the solar UV radiation in Martian high latitude environments covered by ice, where the UV propagation through the polar cover depends on the ice radiative properties (layers of H2O or CO 2 ice). But also we will investigate the changes in the subsurface UV levels induced by the seasonal variations of solar UV flux on the surface, as well as by the seasonal freezing-thawing and related CO2 sublimation processes. The biological dose relative to DNA-damage will be also estimated for biological implication assessments. All these studies will be compared with the biological dose received in the Antarctic snow-ice covered environment which is seasonally exposed to high UV radiation levels (formation of "ozone hole"), where the environmental conditions could be similar to those present on Mars
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Gelin, Johan, 1948, et al.
(author)
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Treatment efficacy of intermittent claudication by surgical intervention, supervised physical exercise training compared to no treatment in unselected randomised patients I: one year results of functional and physiological improvements.
- 2001
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In: European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery. - : Elsevier BV. - 1078-5884. ; 22:2, s. 107-13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: to compare the effect of surgery, exercise and simple observation on maximum exercise power in claudicants. Design: prospective, randomised study. METHODS: a total of 264 unselected claudicants were randomised to supervised exercise training, invasive treatment (open surgical or endovascular procedures) or observation. One year treatment outcomes were analysed on an intention to-treat basis. RESULTS: invasively treated patients showed a significant improvement in maximum walking power, stopping distance, post-ischaemic blood flow and big toe pressure at one year. Patients randomised to physical exercise training or to the control group did not improve in any outcome measure. CONCLUSION: invasive treatment increased walking capacity, leg blood pressure and flow. Supervised physical exercise training offered no therapeutic advantage compared to untreated controls.
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| 12. |
- Hubrig, Swetlana, et al.
(author)
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Looking for Twins of Przybylski's Star
- 2002
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In: Exotic Stars as Challenges to Evolution/ASP Conference Proceedings. Also IAU Colloquium 187.. - 1583811222 ; 279, s. 365-372
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Lewis, Cathryn M, et al.
(author)
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Genome scan meta-analysis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, part II : Schizophrenia
- 2003
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In: American Journal of Human Genetics. - 0002-9297 .- 1537-6605. ; 73:1, s. 34-48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Schizophrenia is a common disorder with high heritability and a 10-fold increase in risk to siblings of probands. Replication has been inconsistent for reports of significant genetic linkage. To assess evidence for linkage across studies, rank-based genome scan meta-analysis (GSMA) was applied to data from 20 schizophrenia genome scans. Each marker for each scan was assigned to 1 of 120 30-cM bins, with the bins ranked by linkage scores (1 = most significant) and the ranks averaged across studies (R(avg)) and then weighted for sample size (N(sqrt)[affected casess]). A permutation test was used to compute the probability of observing, by chance, each bin's average rank (P(AvgRnk)) or of observing it for a bin with the same place (first, second, etc.) in the order of average ranks in each permutation (P(ord)). The GSMA produced significant genomewide evidence for linkage on chromosome 2q (PAvgRnk<.000417). Two aggregate criteria for linkage were also met (clusters of nominally significant P values that did not occur in 1,000 replicates of the entire data set with no linkage present): 12 consecutive bins with both P(AvgRnk) and P(ord)<.05, including regions of chromosomes 5q, 3p, 11q, 6p, 1q, 22q, 8p, 20q, and 14p, and 19 consecutive bins with P(ord)<.05, additionally including regions of chromosomes 16q, 18q, 10p, 15q, 6q, and 17q. There is greater consistency of linkage results across studies than has been previously recognized. The results suggest that some or all of these regions contain loci that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia in diverse populations.
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| 15. |
- Pizzari, Tommaso, et al.
(author)
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Sophisticated sperm allocation in male fowl
- 2003
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In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 426:6962, s. 70-74
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- When a female is sexually promiscuous, the ejaculates of different males compete for the fertilization of her eggs; the more sperm a male inseminates into a female, the more likely he is to fertilize her eggs. Because sperm production is limited and costly, theory predicts that males will strategically allocate sperm (1) according to female promiscuity, (2) saving some for copulations with new females, and (3) to females producing more and/or better offspring. Whether males allocate sperm in all of these ways is not known, particularly in birds where the collection of natural ejaculates only recently became possible. Here we demonstrate male sperm allocation of unprecedented sophistication in the fowl Gallus gallus. Males show status-dependent sperm investment in females according to the level of female promiscuity; they progressively reduce sperm investment in a particular female but, on encountering a new female, instantaneously increase their sperm investment; and they preferentially allocate sperm to females with large sexual ornaments signalling superior maternal investment. Our results indicate that female promiscuity leads to the evolution of sophisticated male sexual behaviour.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Shoenfeld, Yehuda, et al.
(author)
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Features associated with epilepsy in the antiphospholipid syndrome
- 2004
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In: Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X. ; 31:7, s. 1344-1348
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of epilepsy in primary and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS); to analyze the clinical and laboratory features characterizing those with epilepsy in a cohort of 538 patients with APS; and to find associated features that would suggest risk factors for epilepsy in APS. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical features of patients with APS who had epilepsy and compared them to the clinical features of non-epileptic APS patients. RESULTS: Of 538 APS patients, 46 (8.6%) had epilepsy. Epilepsy was more prevalent among APS secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared to primary APS (13.7% vs 6%; p < 0.05). The patients with epilepsy had a higher prevalence of central nervous system (CNS) manifestations including focal ischemic events (strokes or transient ischemic events, 54.3% vs 24.6%; p < 0.0001) and amaurosis fugax (15.2% vs 4.9%; p < 0.05). APS patients with epilepsy had a higher frequency of valvular pathology (30.4% vs 14.6%; p < 0.01), thrombocytopenia (43.5% vs 25%; p < 0.05), and livedo reticularis (26.1% vs 11.5%; p < 0.01). The multivariate logistic regression analysis found CNS thromboembolic events as the most significant factor associated with epilepsy, with an odds ratio (OR) of 4.05 (95% confidence interval, CI: 2.05-8), followed by SLE (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-4.7), and valvular vegetations (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1-8.27). CONCLUSION: Epilepsy is common in APS and most of the risk seems to be linked to vascular disease as manifested by extensive CNS involvement, valvulopathy, and livedo reticularis and to the presence of SLE. These factors, however, explain only part of the increased occurrence of epilepsy in APS and other causes such as direct immune interaction in the brain should be investigated.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Taft, Charles, 1950, et al.
(author)
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Treatment efficacy of intermittent claudication by invasive therapy, supervised physical exercise training compared to no treatment in unselected randomised patients II: one-year results of health-related quality of life.
- 2001
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In: European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery. - : Elsevier BV. - 1078-5884. ; 22:2, s. 114-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: to compare the effectiveness of invasive therapy, supervised physical training and no treatment in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with intermittent claudication (IC). DESIGN: a prospective, randomised, controlled study. MATERIALS: a total of 253 unselected patients with stable IC were sequentially randomised into 3 balanced treatment groups. At 1 year follow-up data from a battery of generic and disease specific HRQL questionnaires, and global indices of quality of life and physical condition were available in 171 patients. RESULTS: compared with a non-diseased reference group, claudicants were substantially limited in daily physical functioning, but little affected regarding emotional, cognitive and social functioning, or well-being. Invasive therapy yielded significantly greater improvements in some aspects of physical functioning and walk-related symptoms than training. Training was not superior to invasive therapy on any HRQL dimension and superior to no treatment on only one dimension. Treatment effects, however, were generally small-to-moderate and levels of physical dysfunction in all groups remained higher than reference values. CONCLUSIONS: invasive therapy is more effective than supervised training in alleviating illness-specific symptoms and improving certain aspects of physical functioning - the primary HRQL domains impacted on by IC and the principal goals of its treatment. However, since treatment effect sizes were at most moderate and given that untreated claudicants reported at most small deterioration in HRQL, the level of evidence supporting invasive therapy is modest.
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