| 1. |
- Bergström, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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Annexin A1 in blood mononuclear cells from patients with coronary artery disease : Its association with inflammatory status and glucocorticoid sensitivity
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 12:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Annexin A1 (AnxA1) is a key player in resolution of inflammation and a mediator of glucocorticoid actions. In atherosclerotic tissue, increased expression of AnxA1 has been associated with protective plaque-stabilizing effects. Here, we investigated the expression of AnxA1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Blood was collected from 57 patients with stable CAD (SCAD) and 41 healthy controls. We also included a minor group (n = 10) with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). AnxA1 mRNA was measured in PBMCs. Expression of AnxA1 protein (total and surface-bound) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) were detected in PBMC subsets by flow cytometry. Also, salivary cortisol, interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-10 in plasma, and LPS-induced cytokine secretion from PBMCs, with or without dexamethasone, were assessed. AnxA1 mRNA was found to be slightly increased in PBMCs from SCAD patients compared with controls. However, protein expression of AnxA1 or GRs in PBMC subsets did not differ between SCAD patients and controls, despite SCAD patients showing a more proinflammatory cytokine profile ex vivo. Only surface expression of AnxA1 on monocytes correlated with dexamethasone-mediated suppression of cytokines. In ACS patients, a marked activation of AnxA1 was seen involving both gene expression and translocation of protein to cell surface probably reflecting a rapid glucocorticoid action modulating the acute inflammatory response in ACS. To conclude, surface expression of AnxA1 on monocytes may reflect the degree of glucocorticoid sensitivity. Speculatively, "normal" surface expression of AnxA1 indicates that anti-inflammatory capacity is impaired in SCAD patients.
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| 2. |
- Jönsson, Simon, 1983-
(författare)
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Leukocyte-derived matrix metalloproteinase-9 in patients with coronary artery disease : Associations with psychological stress and glucocorticoid sensitivity
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Inflammation is closely associated with development of atherosclerosis. The proteolytic enzyme matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 is considered to play a prominent role in this process. MMP-9 has also been introduced as a marker for plaque vulnerability. Still, the possible mechanisms behind altered levels of MMP-9 and its tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) in patients with atherosclerotic disease remain unclear. The general aim of this thesis was to compare leukocyte-derived MMP-9 and TIMPs in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy controls and to further relate the findings to psychological stress and glucocorticoid sensitivity.Levels of leukocyte-derived MMP-9 and TIMP-1 showed a significant difference between CAD patients and controls. Neutrophils in CAD patients were more prone to release MMP-9 and furthermore, PBMCs in patients expressed higher levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and -2 mRNA than PBMCs in controls while there were no differences in plasma or serum levels. The increase in leukocyte-derived levels of MMP-9 and TIMPs indicate the presence of preactivated leukocytes in CAD.Inflammation has been proposed as a mechanistic link between cardiovascular risk and depressive symptoms. We investigated whether the overexpression of leukocyte-derived MMP-9 and TIMPs in CAD patients was associated with psychological factors. Patients exhibited sustained elevations in depressive symptoms, however, these symptoms were not related to any MMP-9 or TIMP variables. The findings suggest that overexpression of leukocyte-derived MMP-9 and TIMPs and elevated depressive scores represent two parallel phenomena in CAD.Chronic inflammation may be associated with reduced glucocorticoid sensitivity. We found that PBMCs in CAD patient expressed significantly increased levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-α mRNA, whereas GR-β mRNA levels did not differ between patients and controls. Moreover, in ex vivo assays, dexamethasone efficiently suppressed MMP-9 and TIMPs equally or even more in patients compared to controls. The findings provide evidence for enhanced glucocorticoid sensitivity in CAD patients and also suggest that a state of relative hypocortisolism may contribute to the overexpression of leukocyte-derived MMP-9 and TIMPs.Lastly, we explored the release of MMP-9, TIMPs and cortisol in response to acute mental stress in CAD patients. Patients who exhibited a significant stress-induced increase in serum MMP-9 also exhibited an altered cortisol response. Moreover, the susceptibility to stressinduced increase in serum MMP-9 was associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length and atherosclerotic plaque burden. The findings highlight the existence of a high-risk group which may be in need of improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
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| 3. |
- Stichel, Sebastian, Professor, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Estimating the marginal maintenance cost of different vehicle types on rail infrastructure
- 2021
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Institution of mechanical engineers. Part F, journal of rail and rapid transit. - : SAGE Publications. - 0954-4097 .- 2041-3017.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we combine engineering and economic methods to estimate the relative maintenance cost of different types of damage on the Swedish rail infrastructure. The engineering method is good at predicting damage from traffic, while the economic method is suitable for establishing a relationship between damage and cost. We exploit the best features of both methods in a two-stage approach and demonstrate its applicability for rail infrastructure charging, based on a sample of 143 track sections comprising about 11,000 km of track. The paper implements for the first time the method previously proposed in Smith et al., whilst also enhancing the method in several respects. We demonstrate how the estimated relative maintenance costs related to different damage mechanisms can be used to calculate the marginal cost of different vehicle types. The results are relevant for infrastructure managers in Europe who wish to differentiate their track access charges such that each vehicle pays its short run-marginal damage cost, which can support more efficient use of the rail infrastructure and influence vehicle design to minimize system costs.
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