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- Arnardóttir, Ragnheiður Harpa, 1963-
(author)
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Physical Training and Testing in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- 2007
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The overall aims of the studies were to investigate the effects of different training modalities on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with moderate or severe COPD and, further, to explore two of the physical tests used in pulmonary rehabilitation.In study I, the 12-minute walking distance (12MWD) did not increase on retesting in patients with exercise-induced hypoxemia (EIH) whereas 12MWD increased significantly on retesting in the non-EIH patients. In study II, we found that the incremental shuttle walking test was as good a predictor of peak exercise capacity (W peak) as peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) is. In study III, we investigated the effects of two different combination training programmes when training twice a week for eight weeks. One programme was mainly based on endurance training (group A) and the other on resistance training and callisthenics (group B). W peak and 12MWD increased in group A but not in group B. HRQoL, anxiety and depression were unchanged in both groups. Ratings of perceived exertion at rest were significantly lower in group A than in group B after training and during 12 months of follow-up. Twelve months post-training, 12MWD was back to baseline in group A, but significantly shorter than at baseline in group B. Thus, a short endurance training intervention delayed decline in 12MWD for at least one year. Patients with moderate and severe COPD responded to training in the same way. In study IV, both interval and continuous endurance training increased W peak, VO2 peak, peak exhaled carbon dioxide (VCO2 peak) and 12MWD. Likewise, HRQoL, dyspnoea during activities of daily life, anxiety and depression improved similarly in both groups. At a fixed, submaximal workload (isotime), the interval training reduced oxygen cost and ventilatory demand significantly more than the continuous training did.
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| 2. |
- Bjerg, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Increased Prevalence of Symptoms of Rhinitis but Not of Asthma between 1990 and 2008 in Swedish Adults : Comparisons of the ECRHS and GA(2)LEN Surveys
- 2011
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In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6:2, s. e16082-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The increase in asthma prevalence until 1990 has been well described. Thereafter, time trends are poorly known, due to the low number of high quality studies. The preferred method for studying time trends in prevalence is repeated surveys of similar populations. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of asthma symptoms and their major determinants, rhinitis and smoking, in Swedish young adults in 1990 and 2008. Methods: In 1990 the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) studied respiratory symptoms, asthma, rhinitis and smoking in a population-based sample (86% participation) in Sweden. In 2008 the same symptom questions were included in the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN) survey (60% participation). Smoking questions were however differently worded. The regions (Gothenburg, Uppsala, Umea) and age interval (20-44 years) surveyed both in 1990 (n = 8,982) and 2008 (n = 9,156) were analysed. Results: The prevalence of any wheeze last 12 months decreased from 20% to 16% (p<0.001), and the prevalence of "asthma-related symptoms" was unchanged at 7%. However, either having asthma attacks or using asthma medications increased from 6% to 8% (p<0.001), and their major risk factor, rhinitis, increased from 22% to 31%. Past and present smoking decreased. Conclusion: From 1990 to 2008 the prevalence of obstructive airway symptoms common in asthma did not increase in Swedish young adults. This supports the few available international findings suggesting the previous upward trend in asthma has recently reached a plateau. The fact that wheeze did not increase despite the significant increment in rhinitis, may at least in part be due to the decrease in smoking.
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| 3. |
- Grip, Kjell, 1939-
(author)
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Marine environmental governance and management in Sweden from the 1960s until today : Did the actions suit the needs?
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis investigates how governance and management relevant to the use and protection of the marine environment has emerged in Sweden from the 1960s until today. Focus is on how the modern environmental and nature conservation administration in Sweden developed the legal and organizational frameworks needed for proper management. More specifically – did the available tools suit the needs?The Swedish National Physical Planning system, initiated in the mid-1960s, pioneered the concept of ecology as basis for physical planning in Sweden. This introduced environmental considerations in societal planning, inter alia, through special national guidelines (geographical and for certain activities) for local authority planning. The National Physical Planning system strengthened the cooperation between local and regional (county) authorities and with central governmental bodies. With some delay, marine spatial planning became the instrument for coordinating and balancing competing demands on coastal and marine environments.Marine environmental governance and management are commonly linked to intergovernmental agreements, usually in the form of international conventions. Measures against pollution and other threats to the marine environment, as well as conservation of its natural resources and biodiversity, become more efficient when countries work together through global or regional organizations, rather than each country is acting on its own (Article I). However, it should be noted that in practice many intergovernmental agreements are less binding than first appears.While marine pollution began to be addressed and remedied in the 1980s, it was only in the 2000s that marine nature conservation and the establishment of marine protected areas began to receive increased attention and effective action (Article II).Marine nature conservation and fisheries often conflict, as the establishment of a marine protected area commonly involves a restriction on some ongoing fishing. Usually, such conflicts are related to differences in the objectives between marine protected areas established for environmental and fishery purposes, which often leads to strongly conflicting opinions on how to manage them (Articles II–III).Initial environmental and nature conservation efforts focused on measures against land, air and freshwater pollution, and the conservation of terrestrial environments. Excepting inner coastal areas, the open marine environment was not a focus of Swedish marine research although ecosystem research began early in the Baltic Sea. However, by the mid-1980s large-scale effects of pollution also on the open seas along the Swedish west coast, had become apparent and required environmental management actions (Article IV).
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| 6. |
- Janson, Christer, et al.
(author)
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Scientific rationale for the possible inhaled corticosteroid intraclass difference in the risk of pneumonia in COPD
- 2017
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In: The International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. - 1176-9106 .- 1178-2005. ; 12, s. 3055-3064
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) treatment combined with long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists (LABAs) reduces the risk of exacerbations in COPD, but the use of ICSs is associated with increased incidence of pneumonia. There are indications that this association is stronger for fluticasone propionate than for budesonide. We have examined systematic reviews assessing the risk of pneumonia associated with fluticasone propionate and budesonide COPD therapy. Compared with placebo or LABAs, we found that fluticasone propionate was associated with 43%–78% increased risk of pneumonia, while only slightly increased risk or no risk was found for budesonide. We have evaluated conceivable mechanisms which may explain this difference and suggest that the higher pneumonia risk with fluticasone propionate treatment is caused by greater and more protracted immunosuppressive effects locally in the airways/lungs. These effects are due to the much slower dissolution of fluticasone propionate particles in airway luminal fluid, resulting in a slower uptake into the airway tissue and a much longer presence of fluticasone propionate in airway epithelial lining fluid.
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| 7. |
- Knief, Ulrich, et al.
(author)
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Highly pathogenic avian influenza causes mass mortality in Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis breeding colonies across north-western Europe
- 2024
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In: Bird conservation international. - : Cambridge University Press. - 0959-2709 .- 1474-0001. ; 34
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2022, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.4.4b became enzootic and caused mass mortality in Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis and other seabird species across north-western Europe. We present data on the characteristics of the spread of the virus between and within breeding colonies and the number of dead adult Sandwich Terns recorded at breeding sites throughout north-western Europe. Within two months of the first reported mortalities, 20,531 adult Sandwich Terns were found dead, which is >17% of the total north-western European breeding population. This is probably an under-representation of total mortality, as many carcasses are likely to have gone unnoticed and unreported. Within affected colonies, almost all chicks died. After the peak of the outbreak, in a colony established by late breeders, 25.7% of tested adults showed immunity to HPAI subtype H5. Removal of carcasses was associated with lower levels of mortality at affected colonies. More research on the sources and modes of transmission, incubation times, effective containment, and immunity is urgently needed to combat this major threat for colonial seabirds.
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| 8. |
- Larsson, Britt-Marie, et al.
(author)
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Effects of 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor zileuton on airway responses to inhaled swine house dust in healthy subjects
- 2006
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In: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 100:2, s. 226-37
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Inhalation of swine house dust induces acute airway inflammation and increased bronchial responsiveness in healthy subjects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate whether 5-lipoxygenase products such as leukotrienes may have a role in this reaction. METHODS: Twenty-three healthy subjects were randomised into two groups receiving treatment with either zileuton (600 mg) or placebo four times a day. After 5 days of treatment, all subjects were exposed for 3h in a swine barn. Bronchial responsiveness, exhaled nitric oxide (NO), and mediators in nasal lavage (NAL), blood and urine were measured before and after the exposure. RESULTS: The exposure induced an increased bronchial responsiveness to methacholine in both groups with 2-3 doubling concentration steps, no significant difference between treatments. Leukotriene E(4) in urine increased significantly following exposure in the placebo group from 37.3 (29.1-45.6) (mean (95% confidence interval)) ng/mmol creatinine to 47.7 (36.3-59.0) ng/mmol creatinine (P<0.05), but not in the zileuton group. The post-exposure increase of LTB(4) levels in NAL fluid was totally abolished in the zileuton group (P<0.05 vs. the placebo). The levels of exhaled NO increased significantly (P<0.01), two-fold in both groups. The PGD(2) metabolite 9alpha, 11beta-PGF(2) increased in placebo-treated subjects (P<0.01; P<0.05 vs. zileuton), strengthening mast cell participation. Neutrophil counts and levels of IL-6 in peripheral blood increased in both groups, with a significantly larger increase in zileuton treated subjects (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively compared to placebo). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-treatment with clinically recommended doses of the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor zileuton did not affect the increase of bronchial reactivity induced by swine dust exposure. The intervention totally abolished the LTB(4) release in NAL fluid, but only partially inhibited the formation of leukotrienes as monitored by urinary levels. The enhanced increase of neutrophils and IL-6 in peripheral blood in the zileuton group, suggests that inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase may have pro-inflammatory effects.
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| 9. |
- Larsson, Dhana E., et al.
(author)
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Combination analyses of anti-cancer drugs on human neuroendocrine tumor cell lines
- 2009
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In: Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0344-5704 .- 1432-0843. ; 65:1, s. 5-12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE: There is a large need for better pharmacological treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate and quantify the cytotoxic potentiating effects resulting from a combination of five substances, NSC 95397, emetine, CGP-74514A hydrochloride, Brefeldin A and sanguinarine chloride, chosen from a previous screening of 1,280 pharmacologically active agents on neuroendocrine tumor cells, with standard cytotoxic agents currently used in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. METHOD: The human pancreatic carcinoid cell line BON-1, human typical bronchial carcinoid cell line NCI-H727 and the human atypical bronchial carcinoid cell line NCI-H720 were used. Combinations between doxorubicin, etoposide, oxaliplatin, docetaxel, and each one of the five agents were studied and simultaneous exposures were explored using the median-effect method. RESULTS: Most of the combinations of NSC-95397 and emetine with doxorubicin, etoposide, docetaxel, and oxaliplatin showed synergism, and their remaining combinations were additive. Almost all of the CGP-74514A hydrochloride interactions were additive, while brefeldin A and sanguinarine displayed less synergy but more additive and antagonistic interactions in combination with the standard drugs. CONCLUSION: The synergistic and additive interactions make NSC-95397, emetine, and CGP-74514A hydrochloride potential candidates for incorporation into combination chemotherapy regimens and these drugs might be the suitable candidates for further clinical studies in patients with bronchial carcinoids and pancreatic endocrine tumors.
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| 10. |
- Larsson, Dhana E., et al.
(author)
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Identification and evaluation of potential anti-cancer drugs on human neuroendocrine tumor cell lines
- 2006
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In: Anticancer Research. - 0250-7005 .- 1791-7530. ; 26:6B, s. 4125-4129
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate drug sensitivity in neuroendocrine tumor cell lines. Materials and Methods: In vitro drug sensitivity screening was performed using the fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay in one human pancreatic carcinoid and two human bronchial carcinoid cell lines. In addition, a normal human retinal pigment epithelial cell line was used for comparison. A total of 18 drugs with different mechanisms of action were tested. Results: The most active agents were brefeldin A, emetine, bortezomib and idarubicin, having IC50 values < 1 μM in all four cell lines. In addition, the three tumor cell lines showed sensitivity for sanguinarine, Bay11-7085, mitoxantrone, doxorubicin, β-lapachone, NSC 95397 and CGP-74514A. Conclusion: The cell lines were sensitive for several drugs acting in different ways, covering a broad spectrum of mechanisms of action. Some of these compounds may possibly be used in clinical trials and show therapeutic effect in patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
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