| 1. |
- Nordenfelt, E, et al.
(författare)
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Hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients in southern Sweden: epidemiological, clinical, and diagnostic aspects
- 1993
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Virology. - : Wiley. - 1096-9071 .- 0146-6615. ; 40:4, s. 266-270
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies of 12% was found in 276 patients from 11 dialysis units. Between zero and 22% of the patients in the different units were anti-HCV positive. The epidemiology of HCV was studied in two units during a 2 year period by antibody assays and the polymerase chain reaction and correlated with clinical manifestations. Two types of epidemiologic patterns were found that may explain the wide difference of HCV prevalence described in different dialysis units. In one unit there was no evidence of spread within the unit, and the prevalence of HCV was dependent on the status of the patients entering for treatment. In the other unit, a clustering of infected patients could be seen in which 13 of 36 were infected during a 3 year period. Some patients who had not received blood transfusions were among the infected. Hepatitis C infection was the most common explanation for repeated abnormal transferase levels. Most of the HCV-infected patients reacted both for anti-HCV and HCV RNA. HCV RNA was in general detected earlier than anti-HCV seroconversion. Among 20 HCV RNA-positive serum samples that were anti-HCV ELISA-positive 18 had indeterminate and two negative reactions by immunoblot (RIBA 2). Thus the RIBA 2 test should be used with caution as a confirmatory antibody test in this group of patients.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Bengt-Åke, et al.
(författare)
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Cigarette smoking affects microRNAs and inflammatory biomarkers in healthy individuals and an association to single nucleotide polymorphisms is indicated
- 2019
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Ingår i: Biomarkers. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1354-750X .- 1366-5804. ; 24:2, s. 180-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoke induces inflammation and remodels immune response. Genetic and epigenetic alterations might be involved in the pathogenesis of smoking related diseases. In this study, we investigated the effect of smoking on systemic inflammation biomarkers and epigenetic changes at microRNA (miRNA) expression level. We also examined if the levels of inflammatory biomarkers were associated with selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).METHOD: From 39 smokers and 101 non-smokers, levels of total white blood cells (WBCs) and its subpopulations, plasma cytokines/chemokines/proteins and miRNAs were analysed. For three biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP), MCP-1 and IFN-γ that were affected by smoking, the influence of SNPs was analyzed.RESULT: Elevated levels of total WBCs, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, CRP, MCP-1, IFN-γ and lower levels of miR-21 were detected in smokers. The elevated levels of IFN-γ in smokers was only statistically significantly associated with rs2069705 AG/GG SNP-genotype.CONCLUSIONS: A lower level of oncomir miRNA-21 and a higher level of immune modelling cytokine IFN-γ detected in smokers could be a protective immune response to cigarette smoke. The higher level of IFN-γ in smokers with a specific SNP genotype also suggests that a genetic interaction with smoking might predict the pathobiology of smoking related disease.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Bengt-Åke, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of Cigarette Smoking and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma on Circulating Inflammatory Biomarkers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Oncology. - : S. Karger. - 0030-2414 .- 1423-0232. ; 98:1, s. 42-47
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Smoking induces inflammation and an immune response. A cancer-related inflammatory response has been seen in smoking and nonsmoking head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the possible separated effects of smoking or HNSCC on 18 inflammatory or immune regulatory biomarkers.METHODS: Fifty-one nonsmoking and 36 smoking pretreated HNSCC patients and 101 nonsmoking and 39 smoking controls were included in this study. The levels of 18 inflammatory or immune regulatory biomarkers were analyzed. A multivariable linear regression model was used to predict the impact of smoking and HNSCC on the levels of the biomarkers.RESULTS: Smoking had the highest impact on total WBC, IFN-γ, and MCP-1 levels. The highest impact of HNSCC was found on neutrophils, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, HsCRP, MIP-1b, and TNF-α levels.CONCLUSION: Identifying HNSCC or smoking-related inflammatory biomarkers might contribute to the understanding of the immune response in HNSCC patients. This study could provide information of inflammatory biomarkers in HNSCC patients.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Bengt-Åke, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein as biomarker for survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0171-5216 .- 1432-1335. ; 140:3, s. 515-519
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: Tumor TNM staging is the main basis for prognosis and treatment decision for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) despite significant heterogeneity in terms of outcome among patients with the same clinical stage. In this study, a possible role of plasma interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as biomarkers for survival of HNSCC patients was investigated.METHODS: In this prospective study, plasma levels of IL-2, IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF-α and CRP in patients (n = 100) and controls (n = 48) were analyzed.RESULTS: Significantly elevated levels of CRP and TNF-α (p < 0.001) were found in the patients. Combination of upregulated CRP and TNF-α in the patient plasma was significantly related to shorter patient survival, independent of clinical stage.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that CRP and TNF-α might be suitable as biomarkers in combination with tumor TNM staging for predicting survival and individualized treatment of HNSCC patients. Plasma CRP and TNF-α analysis are simple, rapid, cost effective and suitable for clinical practice.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Kent, et al.
(författare)
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Technology Forecast 2012: Military utility of ten technologies : a report from seminars at the SNDC Department of Military Technology
- 2012
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ten technology forecast reports from the Fraunhofer Institute have been reviewed by staff at the Department of Military-Technology at the Swedish National Defence College (Note that there probably are other technology areas, equally interesting, but not included in this study). The task given by FMV was to assess the military utility of the chosen technologies in a time frame from 2025 to 2030, from a SwAF viewpoint.The method used was first to make a summary of each forecast report. The technology was then put into one or more scenarios that are assessed to be the best in order to show possible utility as well as possibilities and drawbacks of the technology. Based on a SWOT-analysis, the contribution to SwAF capabilities and the cost in terms of acquisition, C2 footprint, logistic footprint, doctrine/TTP, training, facilities and R&D were assessed. Conclusions regarding the military utility of the technology were drawn.We introduce our definition of military utility as being activities that efficiently and with the lowest cost in terms of lives and materiel lead to fulfilment of the mission objectives.The technologies were grouped in three classes; technologies with a significant potential, with uncertain potential and with negligible potential.The following technologies were assessed to have a significant potential for military utility;Augmented RealityNano air vehiclesSolid State Laser weaponsIn the scenarios studied, Augmented Reality (AR) is assessed to have a positive impact on several SwAF capabilities, especially for C2 and intelligence. AR is a relatively mature technology, applicable in many different branches. There are examples where AR is already applied with great success, e.g. Head-Up-Displays, HUD. The technology has proven its value. However, there are well known drawbacks to the technology such as weaknesses regarding models, increased weight for dismounted soldiers, power consumption etc. There is also a risk that personnel will have problems solving their tasks when AR systems fail, not being used to fighting without supporting systems.Nano air vehicles (NAV’s) have been assessed to contribute to a large range of capabilities, primarily intelligence. Their lifecycle cost has been assessed to be low, since development in this area is commercially driven, bringing down acquisition costs. Also, FAA has decided to allow NAV’s in controlled air space from 2015, which is expected to lead to an increase in civilian use of NAV’s. The technology is relatively mature even though there are obstacles concerning suitable materials, energy efficient propulsion systems as well as miniaturized microprocessors and software to control them.In the scenario studied, High Energy Solid State Lasers are assessed to have a positive impact on SwAF capabilities to engage targets on surface and in the air. The technology can be used to protect vessels on the surface and thereby increase survivability. The development of SSL in the given timeframe is expected to lower cost per shot and avoid the environmental problems with use of chemical lasers. Neighbouring military powers are expected to use laser weapons in the future, therefore SwAF should monitor the development of the laser weapons technology and develop and purchase adequate countermeasures.The following technologies were assessed to have uncertain potential for military utility;Metamaterial cloakingElectromagnetic gunSmall satellitesUltra-violet communicationMetamaterial cloaking, if realisable in the future, is assessed to be firstly implemented in the acoustic spectrum, since manufacturing of small structured cloaks for the shorter wavelengths in the optic and radar spectra is believed to be more difficult. Cloaking of submarines is primarily assessed to increase the survivability against torpedoes having active sonar. The use of cloaked mines could pose a deterring threat, even to advanced amphibious operations against Sweden. The technological development in this area should be closely monitored and compared to existing, maturing techniques for countermeasures and for the development of broad spectrum active torpedoes. The greatest concern is that cloaking will have negative impact on submarine manoeuvrability.The electro-thermal chemical (ETC) gun seems to be a first step towards a fully electrical gun such as the rail-gun or the coil-gun. The fully electrical guns have been a work in progress for some decades and there are still remaining challenges both concerning electrical power supply and design materials. When or if, they will be operational is difficult to say.The military utility of small satellites is disputed, despite an assessed contribution to several of the SwAF capabilities. The main reason for this is that there seems to be other alternatives which provide the desired capabilities, at a lower cost. Furthermore, the realisability and performance of small productionline manufactured nanosatellites is uncertain. However the scenario has shown that there are benefits to the military utility not met by other resources, e.g. the capability to perform surveillance and reconnaissance in operational areas globally without risking violation of the territorial integrity of other states or the lives of military personnel. Since there is a great interest in the technology area and several programmes are ongoing internationally the knowledgebase is assessed to be significantly better in a five year period. Also, the Swedish in depth study of space exploitation is soon to report.Ultra-violet communication has uncertain potential for military utility within the period, but the technology is assessed to have a positive impact on SwAF capability to maintain communications. The theoretical understanding of the area is low It is therefore uncertain if systems can be realized in the time frame. However, if commercial applications are developed, the prospect of military applications might change. In that case UV-communication could be a complement to RF- communication but is not foreseen to replace it. The following technologies were assessed to have negligible potential for military utility;Biomimetic unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV)Automated behaviour AnalysisEvolutionary RoboticsBiomimetic UUV’s could be used for covert surveillance and inconspicuous naval reconnaissance missions at sea or in amphibious missions. Even though the report focuses on fishlike propulsion, the military utility of UUV’s is assessed to be mostly dependent on the development of advanced automation and learning systems. As of now, we assess other existing technologies as being preferable due to lower cost and less complexity. The performance of UUV’s needed for SwAF capabilities are assessed to be far off into the future. Simpler UUV systems could however be used by potential adversaries for monitoring our own base areas and hence the development should be monitored from a protection point of view.Automated behaviour analysis may be of some relevance for increased security screening and surveillance. The primary military utility of the technology will however probably be for international activities and to a lesser extent for increased base security in Sweden. Generally the main applications for this kind of technology are assessed to be for civilian use in public spaces and close to high value areas like airports, important official buildings and other similar objects.Evolutionary Robotics, here restricted to the sub domain Advanced Robotics, has uncertain potential for military utility within the period. In the scenarios studied the technology is assessed to have a positive impact on a broad range of SwAF capabilities. The area is large and inconsistent comprising sub areas that are assessed to have significant potential, but also those that are believed to have negligible potential or where technological obstacles might retard the development.Our evaluation of the used method shows that there is a risk that the assessment is biased by the participating experts’ presumptions and experiences from their own field of research. The scenarios that were chosen do not cover all possible aspects of the technology and their possible contribution to operational capabilities. It should be stressed that we have assessed the ten technologies’ military utility in the presented scenarios, not the technology itself. The chosen definition of military utility clearly affects the result of the study. The definition is believed to be good enough for this report, but could be further elaborated in the future.The greatest value of the method used is its simplicity, cost effectiveness and the trade off that it promotes learning within the working group. The composition of the working group and the methodology used is believed to provide for a broad and balanced coverage of the technologies under study.
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| 6. |
- Arvidsson, Barbro, 1945-, et al.
(författare)
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Psychiatric nurses' conceptions of how a group supervision programme in nursing care influences their professional competence : a 4-year follow-up study
- 2001
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Ingår i: Journal of Nursing Management. - Chichester, United Kingdom : Blackwell Publishing. - 0966-0429 .- 1365-2834. ; 9:3, s. 161-171
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: The aim of the study was to describe, after 4 years, psychiatric nurses' conceptions of how a 2-year group supervision programme within nursing care had influenced their professional competence.BACKGROUND: The intention of group supervision in nursing care is to understand nurses' experiences within real care settings and to structure these in a professional and personal context.METHODS: Ten psychiatric nurses participated in a 2-year group supervision programme. They were interviewed 4 years after the group supervision was ended. Data were analysed according to the phenomenographic method.FINDINGS: Six description categories emerged: a feeling of job satisfaction; gaining knowledge and competence; gaining a sense of security in nursing situations; a feeling of personal development; realizing the value of supervision; and a sense of professional solidarity.CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the 4-year follow-up showed that a group supervision programme in nursing care had lasting influences on the psychiatric nurses' professional competence in the form of a pronounced professional identity and an integrated nursing care perspective. Group supervision contributes to maintaining the strength and energy needed to carry on working, which makes continuing supervision necessary.IMPLICATIONS: An important research implication could be to investigate the type of knowledge that ought to be developed within group supervision in nursing care.© 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Arvidsson, Barbro, 1945-, et al.
(författare)
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Psychiatric nurses' conceptions of how group supervision in nursing care influences their professional competence
- 2000
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Ingår i: Journal of Nursing Management. - Oxford : Blackwell Publishing. - 0966-0429 .- 1365-2834. ; 8:3, s. 175-185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: The aim of the study was to describe, after 1 and 2 years respectively, psychiatric nurses' conceptions of how group supervision within nursing care influenced their professional competence.BACKGROUND: The intention of group supervision in nursing care is to understand nurses' experiences within real care settings and to structure these in a professional and personal context.THE STUDY: Ten psychiatric nurses participated in the group supervision. They were interviewed on two occasions: after 1 and 2 years, respectively.FINDINGS: The data analysis was influenced by the phenomenographic approach and provided four description categories: a feeling of job satisfaction; acquiring knowledge and competence; gaining a sense of security in nursing situations; and a feeling of personal development.CONCLUSIONS: In supervision, practice and theory are integrated, resulting in enhanced nursing competence among the participants. Supervision should be an integrated part of nursing work and regarded as a means of quality assurance. A long-term follow-up could give valuable proof that group supervision in nursing care has a lasting effect on nurses' professional competence.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Axberg, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Lärobok i Militärteknik, vol. 9 : Teori och metod
- 2013. - 1
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Bok (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ämnet militärteknik utgår från att tekniska system är officerens arbetsredskap och att en förståelse för och kunskap om dessa verktyg är central för att kunna utöva professionen framgångsrikt. Denna nionde volym av Lärobok i Militärteknik, benämnd Teori och Metod, behandlar centrala begrepp, teorier och postulat samt metoder för värdering av teknik och består av ett antal texter författade av 16 forskare och lärare vid den militärtekniska avdelningen. Volymen riktar sig främst till de som inlett sin officersutbildning och utgörs till stora delar av ett kompilat av publicerade och opublicerade militärtekniska texter och kan sägas utgöra militärteknikens ”state of the art”.
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