| 1. |
- Danielsson, Åke, et al.
(author)
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A controlled randomized trial of budesonide versus prednisolone retention enemas in active distal ulcerative colitis
- 1987
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 22:8, s. 987-992
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sixty-four patients with active distal ulcerative colitis participated in a multicentre, randomized, investigator-blind trial to compare the effect of budesonide enema, 2 mg/100 ml, with prednisolone disodium phosphate enema, 31.25 mg/100 ml. Budesonide is a new potent corticosteroid with a rapid first-pass elimination. The patients were treated for 4 weeks, and the efficacy of the drugs were evaluated by sigmoidoscopy, histology, and subjective symptoms after 2 and 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of treatment 16 of 31 patients (52%) receiving budesonide enema had healed endoscopically, compared with 8 of 33 (24%) (p = 0.045) receiving prednisolone enema. Budesonide was superior to prednisolone in terms of both significantly improved sigmoidoscopic and histologic scores and subjective symptoms evaluated by visual analogue scales. The patients receiving prednisolone had a significant depression of endogenous cortisol levels during the treatment period, but not the patients receiving budesonide. Budesonide enema seems to be a promising therapy for active distal ulcerative colitis and causes no adverse reactions
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| 2. |
- af Sillén, Ulrika, et al.
(author)
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Self-rated health in relation to age and gender: influence on mortality risk in the Malmö Preventive Project.
- 2005
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1651-1905 .- 1403-4948. ; 33:3, s. 9-183
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: A study was undertaken to examine whether poor self-rated health (SRH) can independently predict all-cause mortality during 22-year follow-up in middle-aged men and women. Subjects and methods: Data are derived from a population-based study in Malmo¨ , Sweden. This included baseline laboratory testing and a self-administered questionnaire. The question on global SRH was answered by 15,590 men (mean age 46.4 years) and 10,089 women (49.4 years). Social background characteristics (occupation, marital status) were based on data from national censuses. Mortality was retrieved from national registers. Results: At screening 4,261 (27.3%) men and 3,085 (30.6%) women reported poor SRH. Among subjects rating their SRH as low, 1,022 (24.0%) men and 228 (7.4%) women died during follow-up. Corresponding figures for subjects rating their SRH as high were 1801 (15.9%) men and 376 (5.4%) women. An analysis of survival in subjects reporting poor SRH revealed an age-adjusted hazard risk ratio (HR, 95%CI) for men HR 1.5 (1.4–1.7), and for women HR 1.4 (1.2–1.6). The corresponding HR after adjusting for possible social confounders was for men HR 1.3 (1.1–1.4), and women HR 1.1 (0.9–1.4). When additional adjustment was made for biological risk factors the association for men was still significant, HR 1.2 (1.1–1.3). Conclusion: Poor SRH predicts increased long-term mortality in healthy, middle-aged subjects. For men the association is independent of both social background and selected biological variables. The adjustment for biological variables can be questioned as they might represent mediating mechanisms in a possible causal chain of events.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Andersson, C, et al.
(author)
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The three ZNT8 autoantibody variants together improve the diagnostic sensitivity of childhood and adolescent type 1 diabetes
- 2011
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In: Autoimmunity. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0891-6934 .- 1607-842X. ; 44:5, s. 394-405
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: We tested whether autoantibodies to all three ZnT8RWQ variants, GAD65, insulinoma-associated protein 2 (IA-2), insulin and autoantibodies to islet cell cytoplasm (ICA) in combination with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) would improve the diagnostic sensitivity of childhood type 1 diabetes by detecting the children who otherwise would have been autoantibody-negative.Methods: A total of 686 patients diagnosed in 1996–2005 in Skåne were analyzed for all the seven autoantibodies [arginin 325 zinc transporter 8 autoantibody (ZnT8RA), tryptophan 325 zinc transporter 8 autoantibody (ZnT8WA), glutamine 325 Zinc transporter 8 autoantibody (ZnT8QA), autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), Autoantibodies to islet-antigen-2 (IA-2A), insulin autoantibodies (IAA) and ICA] in addition to HLA-DQ genotypes.Results: Zinc transporter 8 autoantibody to either one or all three amino acid variants at position 325 (ZnT8RWQA) was found in 65% (449/686) of the patients. The frequency was independent of age at diagnosis. The ZnT8RWQA reduced the frequency of autoantibody-negative patients from 7.5 to 5.4%—a reduction by 28%. Only 2 of 108 (2%) patients who are below 5 years of age had no autoantibody at diagnosis. Diagnosis without any islet autoantibody increased with increasing age at onset. DQA1-B1*X-0604 was associated with both ZnT8RA (p = 0.002) and ZnT8WA (p = 0.01) but not with ZnT8QA (p = 0.07). Kappa agreement analysis showed moderate (>0.40) to fair (>0.20) agreement between pairs of autoantibodies for all combinations of GADA, IA-2A, ZnT8RWQA and ICA but only slight ( < 0.19) agreement for any combination with IAA.Conclusions: This study revealed that (1) the ZnT8RWQA was common, independent of age; (2) multiple autoantibodies were common among the young; (3) DQA1-B1*X-0604 increased the risk for ZnT8RA and ZnT8WA; (4) agreement between autoantibody pairs was common for all combinations except IAA. These results suggest that ZnT8RWQA is a necessary complement to the classification and prediction of childhood type 1 diabetes as well as to randomize the subjects in the prevention and intervention of clinical trials.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, Kristoffer, 1976, et al.
(author)
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Fabrication and characterization of field-plated buried-gate SiC MESFETs
- 2006
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In: IEEE Electron Device Letters. - 0741-3106 .- 1558-0563. ; 27:7, s. 573-575
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Silicon carbide (SiC) MESFETs were fabricated using a standard SiC MESFET structure with the application of the "buried-channel" and field-plate (FP) techniques in the process. FPs combined with a buried-gate are shown to be favorable concerning output power density and power-added efficiency (PAE), due to higher breakdown voltage and decreased output conductance. A very high power density of 7.8 W/mm was measured on-wafer at 3 GHz for a two-finger 400-/spl mu/m gate periphery SiC MESFET. The PAE for this device was 70% at class AB bias. Two-tone measurements at 3 GHz /spl plusmn/ 100 kHz indicate an optimum FP length for high linearity operation.
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| 7. |
- Andersson, Martin N., et al.
(author)
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Diet and ambient temperature interact to shape plasma fatty acid composition, basal metabolic rate and oxidative stress in great tits
- 2018
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In: The Journal of experimental biology. - : The Company of Biologists. - 1477-9145 .- 0022-0949. ; 221
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diet and ambient temperature affect animal physiology, survival and reproductive success. However, knowledge of how these environmental factors interact to shape physiological processes and life-history traits of birds and other animals is largely lacking. By exposing adult great tits (Parus major) to two contrasting diets (saturated or unsaturated fatty acids; SFAs and UFAs, respectively) and ambient temperatures (3°C versus 20°C) that the birds encounter in nature, we investigated the effects of these two factors on several physiological parameters. Our results show that diet and ambient temperature interact to affect the composition of plasma fatty acids, basal metabolic rate (BMR) and oxidative stress, which are thought to affect the life-history and survival of individuals. Specifically, birds provided the SFA-rich diet had higher mass-specific BMR and oxidative stress (levels of lipid peroxidation) after exposure to low compared with high ambient temperature, whereas the opposite pattern was evident for birds with a UFA-rich diet. Surprisingly, birds on the SFA diet had higher relative levels of monounsaturated fatty acids compared with the UFA-fed birds at low ambient temperature, whereas the opposite, and expected, pattern was found at the high temperature. Although the present study focuses on the physiological implications of the diet×temperature interaction, our results might also be important for the leading theories of ageing, which currently do not take interactions between environmental factors into account. In addition, the present results are important for wildlife management, especially with regards to anthropogenic feeding of wild animals across variable and changing climatic conditions.
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| 8. |
- Barbosa, Edna J L, 1961, et al.
(author)
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Extracellular water and blood pressure in adults with growth hormone (GH) deficiency: a genotype-phenotype association study.
- 2014
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In: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in adults is associated with decreased extracellular water volume (ECW). In response to GH replacement therapy (GHRT), ECW increases and blood pressure (BP) reduces or remains unchanged. Our primary aim was to study the association between polymorphisms in genes related to renal tubular function with ECW and BP before and 1 year after GHRT. The ECW measures using bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) were validated against a reference method, the sodium bromide dilution method (Br(-)).
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| 9. |
- Barbosa, Edna J L, 1961, et al.
(author)
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Genotypes associated with lipid metabolism contribute to differences in serum lipid profile of GH-deficient adults before and after GH replacement therapy.
- 2012
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In: European journal of endocrinology / European Federation of Endocrine Societies. - 1479-683X .- 0804-4643. ; 167:3, s. 353-62
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- bjective: GH deficiency (GHD) in adults is associated with an altered serum lipid profile that responds to GH replacement therapy (GHRT). This study evaluated the influence of polymorphisms in genes related to lipid metabolism on serum lipid profile before and after 1 year of GHRT in adults. Design and methods: In 318 GHD patients, total cholesterol (TC) serum concentrations, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides (TG) were assessed. Using a candidate gene approach, 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped. GH dose was individually titrated to obtain normal serum IGF1 concentrations. Results: At baseline, the minor alleles of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene SNPs rs708272 and rs1800775 were associated with higher serum TC and apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene SNP rs7412 with lower TC concentrations; CETP SNPs rs708272, rs1800775, and rs3764261 and apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene SNP rs693 with higher serum HDL-C; APOE SNP rs7412, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) gene SNP rs10865710 with lower LDL-C, and CETP SNP rs1800775 with higher LDL-C; and APOE/C1/C4/C2 cluster SNP rs35136575 with lower serum TG. After treatment, APOB SNP rs676210 GG genotype was associated with larger reductions in TC and LDL-C and PPARG SNP rs10865710 CC genotype with greater TC reduction. All associations remained significant when adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Conclusions: In GHD adults, multiple SNPs in genes related to lipid metabolism contributed to individual differences in baseline serum lipid profile. The GH treatment response in TC and LDL-C was influenced by polymorphisms in the APOB and PPARG genes.
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| 10. |
- Bengtsson, Kenneth, et al.
(author)
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Så kan Sverige bli ledande nation i resurseffektivitet
- 2016
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In: Dagens Nyheter. - 1101-2447. ; :2016-04-30
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Ny rapport. Det svenska näringslivet kan bli mer hållbart, resurssmart och därmed internationellt konkurrenskraftigt. Men för det behövs en tydlig politisk avsiktsförklaring och riktlinjer. Vi har listat sex områden där policyutveckling brådskar, skriver företrädare för näringsliv, forskning och myndigheter i en gemensam uppmaning.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Broggi, Juli, et al.
(author)
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Carry-over effects on reproduction in food-supplemented wintering great tits
- 2022
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In: Journal of Avian Biology. - : Wiley. - 0908-8857 .- 1600-048X. ; 2022:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bird winter-feeding has become a popular backyard activity around the world, particularly in northern regions of Europe and America with cold winters. However, the short- and long-term ecological consequences of such artificial feeding remain inconclusive. In seasonal environments, timing of breeding is a crucial aspect that can strongly influence reproductive output and ultimately fitness. Individual condition at the start of the breeding season is especially important in determining breeding success, by influencing the onset of and investment in breeding. However, empirical evidence on the effects of winter feeding on avian breeding performance remain equivocal. We studied onset of reproduction (laying date) and breeding investment (clutch size) over seven consecutive seasons in a population of wild great tits Parus major in southern Sweden. During the first three years of study, no experimental manipulation was undertaken, while over the last four years the study area was exposed to either supplemented or unmanipulated winter feeding conditions. Breeding was positively affected by supplementary feeding during winter, as birds breeding in the supplemented area increased their clutch size compared to birds from the control area, although laying date remained unaffected by winter feeding. Since differences in clutch size were absent during the three years prior to the experimental manipulation, the results suggest that winter supplementary feeding, and not inherent differences between the two areas, was the reason for the observed effect. Both breeding parameters varied over the years of study, although the effects of the experimental manipulation on clutch size remained consistent, which suggests a carry-over effect of winter feeding on subsequent breeding performance.
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| 14. |
- Broggi, Juli, et al.
(author)
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Mass or pace? Seasonal energy management in wintering boreal passerines
- 2019
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In: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 189:2, s. 339-351
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Research on winter energy management in small vertebrates has focused on the regulation of body mass (BM) within a framework of starvation-predation trade-off. Winter-acclimatized birds exhibit a seasonal increase in both BM and basal metabolic rate (BMR), although the patterns of co-variation between the two traits remain unknown. We studied this co-variation in three different species of wild titmice, great, blue and willow tits, originating from two boreal regions at different latitudes. Seasonal change in BM and BMR was inter-dependent, particularly in the great tit; however, by contrast, no seasonal change was observed in the willow tit. BMR changed non-linearly in concert with BM with a peak in midwinter for both blue and great tits, whereas such non-linear pattern in willow tit was opposite and independent of BM. Surprisingly, BMR appears to be more sensitive to ambient temperatures than BM in all three species studied. Energy management is a multifaceted strategy that cannot be fully understood without considering reserve levels and energy expenditure simultaneously. Thus, our study indicates that the prevailing conceptual framework based on variation in BM alone is insufficient to understand seasonal energy management in small wintering passerines.
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| 15. |
- Cha, Eunjung, 1985, et al.
(author)
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Cryogenic low-noise InP HEMTs: A source-drain distance study
- 2016
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In: 2016 Compound Semiconductor Week, CSW 2016. - 9781509019649 ; , s. Article number 7528576-
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The scaling effect of the source-drain distance was investigated in order to improve the performance of low-noise InP HEMTs at cryogenic temperatures 4-15 K. The highest dc transconductance at an operating temperature of 4.8 K and low bias power was achieved at a source-drain distance of 1.4 mu m. The extracted HEMT minimum noise temperature was 0.9 K at 5.8 GHz for a 3-stage 4-8 GHz hybrid low-noise amplifier at 10 K.
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| 16. |
- Chapman, Ben, et al.
(author)
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To boldly go: individual differences in boldness influence migratory tendency.
- 2011
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In: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X. ; 14, s. 871-876
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ecology Letters (2011) ABSTRACT: Partial migration, whereby only a fraction of the population migrates, is thought to be the most common type of migration in the animal kingdom, and can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. Despite this, the factors that influence which individuals migrate and which remain resident are poorly understood. Recent work has shown that consistent individual differences in personality traits in animals can be ecologically important, but field studies integrating personality traits with migratory behaviour are extremely rare. In this study, we investigate the influence of individual boldness, an important personality trait, upon the migratory propensity of roach, a freshwater fish, over two consecutive migration seasons. We assay and individually tag 460 roach and show that boldness influences migratory propensity, with bold individuals being more likely to migrate than shy fish. Our data suggest that an extremely widespread personality trait in animals can have significant ecological consequences via influencing individual-level migratory behaviour.
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| 17. |
- Culina, Antica, et al.
(author)
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Connecting the data landscape of long-term ecological studies : The SPI-Birds data hub
- 2021
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In: Journal of Animal Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0021-8790 .- 1365-2656. ; 90:9, s. 2147-2160
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The integration and synthesis of the data in different areas of science is drastically slowed and hindered by a lack of standards and networking programmes. Long-term studies of individually marked animals are not an exception. These studies are especially important as instrumental for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes in the wild. Furthermore, their number and global distribution provides a unique opportunity to assess the generality of patterns and to address broad-scale global issues (e.g. climate change). To solve data integration issues and enable a new scale of ecological and evolutionary research based on long-term studies of birds, we have created the SPI-Birds Network and Database ()-a large-scale initiative that connects data from, and researchers working on, studies of wild populations of individually recognizable (usually ringed) birds. Within year and a half since the establishment, SPI-Birds has recruited over 120 members, and currently hosts data on almost 1.5 million individual birds collected in 80 populations over 2,000 cumulative years, and counting. SPI-Birds acts as a data hub and a catalogue of studied populations. It prevents data loss, secures easy data finding, use and integration and thus facilitates collaboration and synthesis. We provide community-derived data and meta-data standards and improve data integrity guided by the principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), and aligned with the existing metadata languages (e.g. ecological meta-data language). The encouraging community involvement stems from SPI-Bird's decentralized approach: research groups retain full control over data use and their way of data management, while SPI-Birds creates tailored pipelines to convert each unique data format into a standard format. We outline the lessons learned, so that other communities (e.g. those working on other taxa) can adapt our successful model. Creating community-specific hubs (such as ours, COMADRE for animal demography, etc.) will aid much-needed large-scale ecological data integration.
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| 18. |
- Cöster, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Validity, reliability, and responsiveness of a self-reported foot and ankle score (SEFAS)
- 2012
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In: Acta Orthopaedica. - : Medical Journals Sweden AB. - 1745-3682 .- 1745-3674. ; 83:2, s. 197-203
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and purpose A questionnaire was introduced by the New Zealand Arthroplasty Registry for use when evaluating the outcome of total ankle replacement surgery. We evaluated the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the modified Swedish version of the questionnaire (SEFAS) in patients with osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis before and/or after their ankle was replaced or fused. Patients and methods The questionnaire was translated into Swedish and cross-culturally adapted according to a standardized procedure. It was sent to 135 patients with ankle arthritis who were scheduled for or had undergone surgery, together with the foot and ankle outcome score (FAOS), the short form 36 (SF-36) score, and the EuroQol (EQ-5D) score. Construct validity was evaluated with Spearman's correlation coefficient when comparing SEFAS with FAOS, SF-36, and EQ-5D, content validity by calculating floor and ceiling effects, test-retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha (n = 62), agreement by Bland-Altman plot, and responsiveness by effect size and standardized response mean (n = 37). Results For construct validity, we correlated SEFAS with the other scores and 70% or more of our predefined hypotheses concerning correlations could be confirmed. There were no floor or ceiling effects. ICC was 0.92 (CI 95%: 0.88-0.95), Cronbach's alpha 0.96, effect size was 1.44, and the standardized response mean was 1.00. Interpretation SEFAS is a self-reported foot and ankle score with good validity, reliability and responsiveness, indicating that the score can be used to evaluate patients with osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis of the ankle and outcome of surgery.
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| 19. |
- Ekberg, Marie, et al.
(author)
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Hospital admission rates among men and women with symptoms of chronic bronchitis and airflow limitation corresponding to the GOLD stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - A population-based study
- 2008
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In: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1532-3064 .- 0954-6111. ; 102:1, s. 109-120
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a major cause of increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate hospital admission rates among individuals with symptoms of chronic bronchitis and among those with airflow limitation corresponding to GOLD stages 1-4. Method: Between 1974 and 1992, 22 044 middle-aged individuals participated in a health screening, which included spirometry (without broncho-dilation), as well as recording of respiratory symptoms and smoking habits. Information on hospital admissions until 31 December 2002 was obtained from local and national registers. The hospital admission rates due to all causes, obstructive Lung disease and cardiovascular disease were analysed among individuals with symptoms of chronic bronchitis and among those with airflow limitation corresponding to GOLD stages 1-4 using ordinal regression with adjustment for age and with individuals with normal lung function and without symptoms of chronic bronchitis as reference group. Results: Symptoms of chronic bronchitis and GOLD stages 1-4 showed increased hospital admission rates (hospital admission rates due to obstructive lung disease excluded) among smokers of both genders. Furthermore, symptoms of chronic bronchitis showed increased hospital admission rates due to obstructive lung disease among smoking women. There were also increased hospital admission rates due to obstructive lung disease among smokers of GOLD stages 1-4 and increased hospital admission rates due to cardiovascular disease among female smokers of GOLD stage 2. Conclusion: Among smokers, symptoms of chronic bronchitis as well airflow limitation corresponding to GOLD stages 1-4 conveyed a substantial morbidity with increased hospital admission rates due to all causes. The burden of disease is most likely underestimated among individuals with symptoms of chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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| 20. |
- Ekberg, Marie, et al.
(author)
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Mortality in GOLD stages of COPD and its dependence on symptoms of chronic bronchitis
- 2005
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In: Respiratory Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1465-9921 .- 1465-993X. ; 6, s. 98-106
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The GOLD classification of COPD severity introduces a stage 0 ( at risk) comprising individuals with productive cough and normal lung function. The aims of this study were to investigate total mortality risks in GOLD stages 0 - 4 with special focus on stage 0, and furthermore to assess the influence of symptoms of chronic bronchitis on mortality risks in GOLD stages 1 - 4. Method: Between 1974 and 1992, a total of 22 044 middle-aged individuals participated in a health screening, which included a spirometry as well as recording of respiratory symptoms and smoking habits. Individuals with comorbidity at baseline ( diabetes, stroke, cancer, angina pectoris, or heart infarction) were excluded from the analyses. Hazard ratios (HR 95% CI) of total mortality were analyzed in GOLD stages 0 - 4 with individuals with normal lung function and without symptoms of chronic bronchitis as a reference group. HR: s in smoking individuals with symptoms of chronic bronchitis within the stages 1 - 4 were calculated with individuals with the same GOLD stage but without symptoms of chronic bronchitis as reference. Results: The number of deaths was 3674 for men and 832 for women based on 352 324 and 150 050 person-years respectively. The proportion of smokers among men was 50% and among women 40%. Self reported comorbidity was present in 4.6% of the men and 6.6% of the women. Among smoking men, Stage 0 was associated with an increased mortality risk, HR; 1.65 ( 1.32 - 2.08), of similar magnitude as in stage 2, HR; 1.41 ( 1.31 - 1.70). The hazard ratio in stage 0 was significantly higher than in stage 1 HR; 1.13 ( 0.98 - 1.29). Among male smokers with stage 1; HR: 2.04 ( 1.34 - 3.11), and among female smokers with stage 2 disease; HR: 3.16 ( 1.38 - 7.23), increased HR: s were found in individuals with symptoms of chronic bronchitis as compared to those without symptoms of chronic bronchitis. Conclusion: Symptoms fulfilling the definition of chronic bronchitis were associated with an increased mortality risk among male smokers with normal pulmonary function ( stage 0) and also with an increased risk of death among smoking individuals with mild to moderate COPD ( stage 1 and 2).
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| 21. |
- Ellis, Vincenzo A., et al.
(author)
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Explaining prevalence, diversity and host specificity in a community of avian haemosporidian parasites
- 2020
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In: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 129:9, s. 1314-1329
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many hypotheses attempt to explain parasite–host associations, but rarely are they examined together in a single community. For hosts, key traits are the proportion of infected individuals (prevalence) and the diversity of parasites infecting them. A key parasite trait is host specificity, ranging from specialists infecting one or a few closely related species to generalists infecting many species. We tested 10 hypotheses to explain host-parasite associations; five ‘host-centric’ (e.g. prevalence is related to host abundance) and five ‘parasite-centric’ (e.g. parasite abundance is related to host specificity). We analyzed a community of 67 locally transmitted avian haemosporidian parasite lineages (genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus or Leucocytozoon), sampled from 2726 birds (64 species) in southern Sweden. Among host-centric hypotheses, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon prevalence and Haemoproteus diversity were related to host habitat preferences, whereas there were no relationships with host abundance or body mass. Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon prevalences were more similar among closely related than among distantly related host species. Haemoproteus prevalence and diversity were lower in host species with few close relatives (‘evolutionarily distinct’ hosts). Among parasite-centric hypotheses, most lineages, even relative generalists, infected closely related host species more often than expected by chance. However, the host species of Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon lineages overlapped less among lineages than expected by chance. Specialists did not reach higher prevalences than generalists on single host species. However, the abundance of Haemoproteus lineages was related to host specificity with generalists more common than specialists; this was driven by three closely related generalists. Host specificity of parasites was unrelated to the abundance or evolutionarily distinctiveness of their hosts. Parasite communities are likely structured by many factors and cannot be explained by hypotheses focusing solely on hosts or parasites. However, we found consistent effects of host phylogenetic relationships, plausibly a result of evolutionarily conserved host immune systems limiting parasite distributions.
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| 22. |
- Galeev, Roman, et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide RNAi Screen Identifies Cohesin Genes as Modifiers of Renewal and Differentiation in Human HSCs
- 2016
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In: Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-1247. ; 14:12, s. 2988-3000
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To gain insights into the regulatory mechanisms of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), we employed a genome-wide RNAi screen in human cord-blood derived cells and identified candidate genes whose knockdown maintained the HSC phenotype during culture. A striking finding was the identification of members of the cohesin complex (STAG2, RAD21, STAG1, and SMC3) among the top 20 genes from the screen. Upon individual validation of these cohesin genes, we found that their knockdown led to an immediate expansion of cells with an HSC phenotype in vitro. A similar expansion was observed in vivo following transplantation to immunodeficient mice. Transcriptome analysis of cohesin-deficient CD34(+) cells showed an upregulation of HSC-specific genes, demonstrating an immediate shift toward a more stem-cell-like gene expression signature upon cohesin deficiency. Our findings implicate cohesin as a major regulator of HSCs and illustrate the power of global RNAi screens to identify modifiers of cell fate.
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| 23. |
- Haghighi, Mona, et al.
(author)
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A Comparison of Rule-based Analysis with Regression Methods in Understanding the Risk Factors for Study Withdrawal in a Pediatric Study
- 2016
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Regression models are extensively used in many epidemiological studies to understand the linkage between specific outcomes of interest and their risk factors. However, regression models in general examine the average effects of the risk factors and ignore subgroups with different risk profiles. As a result, interventions are often geared towards the average member of the population, without consideration of the special health needs of different subgroups within the population. This paper demonstrates the value of using rule-based analysis methods that can identify subgroups with heterogeneous risk profiles in a population without imposing assumptions on the subgroups or method. The rules define the risk pattern of subsets of individuals by not only considering the interactions between the risk factors but also their ranges. We compared the rule-based analysis results with the results from a logistic regression model in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study. Both methods detected a similar suite of risk factors, but the rule-based analysis was superior at detecting multiple interactions between the risk factors that characterize the subgroups. A further investigation of the particular characteristics of each subgroup may detect the special health needs of the subgroup and lead to tailored interventions.
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| 24. |
- Hansson, L-A, et al.
(author)
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A synthesis of animal movement across scales
- 2014
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In: Animal Movement Across Scales. - : Oxford University Press. - 9780199677184 ; , s. 259-267
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This chapter aims at synthesizing the knowledge presented in the chapters of the book’s three sections by addressing evolutionary compromises, dispersal, gene flow, and assisted movements. How climate change and other environmental changes at different scales may affect animal movement, migration, and dispersal in the future are also summarized here. Moreover, how the different senses are utilized for navigation and orientation and how these may lead to different movement and migration patterns are also discussed. Finally, how the recent technical revolution has affected animal movement research is addressed and the view on future perspectives of animal movement research is also provided.
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| 25. |
- Henricson, Anders, et al.
(author)
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10-year survival of total ankle arthroplasties A report on 780 cases from the Swedish Ankle Register
- 2011
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In: Acta Orthopaedica. - : Medical Journals Sweden AB. - 1745-3682 .- 1745-3674. ; 82:6, s. 655-659
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and purpose There is an ongoing need to review large series of total ankle replacements (TARs) for monitoring of changes in practice and their outcome. 4 national registries, including the Swedish Ankle Register, have previously reported their 5-year results. We now present an extended series with a longer follow-up, and with a 10-year survival analysis. Patients and methods Records of uncemented 3-component TARs were retrospectively reviewed, determining risk factors such as age, sex, and diagnosis. Prosthetic survival rates were calculated with exchange or removal of components as endpoint-excluding incidental exchange of the polyethylene meniscus. Results Of the 780 prostheses implanted since 1993, 168 (22%) had been revised by June 15, 2010. The overall survival rate fell from 0.81 (95% CI: 0.79-0.83) at 5 years to 0.69 (95% CI: 0.67-0.71) at 10 years. The survival rate was higher, although not statistically significantly so, during the latter part of the period investigated. Excluding the STAR prosthesis, the survival rate for all the remaining designs was 0.78 at 10 years. Women below the age of 60 with osteoarthritis were at a higher risk of revision, but age did not influence the outcome in men or women with rheumatoid arthritis. Revisions due to technical mistakes at the index surgery and instability were undertaken earlier than revisions for other reasons. Interpretation The results have slowly improved during the 18-year period investigated. However, we do not believe that the survival rates of ankle replacements in the near future will approach those of hip and knee replacements-even though improved instrumentation and design of the prostheses, together with better patient selection, will presumably give better results.
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