| 1. |
- Ingberg, Edvin, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
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RT-PCR cycle threshold value in combination with visual scoring of chest computed tomography at hospital admission predicts outcome in COVID-19
- 2022
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Ingår i: Infectious Diseases. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2374-4235 .- 2374-4243. ; 54:6, s. 431-440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has a most variable prognosis. Several risk factors for an unfavourable outcome have been identified including extensive lung involvement on chest CT and high viral load estimated by RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values. We investigated Ct value for outcome prediction, relation between Ct value and extent of lung involvement on chest CT and the combination of Ct value and chest CT lung involvement to predict outcome in COVID-19.METHODS: Population-based retrospective study on all patients (n = 286) hospitalised for COVID-19 in Örebro Region, Sweden, between 1 March and 31 August 2020. Nasopharyngeal samples and chest CT at hospital admission were evaluated in relation to outcome of COVID-19.RESULTS: Both Ct value and chest CT lung involvement were independently associated with risk for ICU admission or death. Lung involvement was superior as a single parameter, but addition of Ct value increased the prediction performance. Ct value was especially useful to identify patients with high risk for severe disease despite limited lung involvement.CONCLUSIONS: The addition of RT-PCR Ct value to the assessment of lung involvement on chest CT adds valuable prognostic information in COVID-19. We believe that this information can be used to support clinical decision-making when managing COVID-19 patients.
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| 2. |
- Silfverberg, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in Sweden: an observational cohort study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 0022-3050 .- 1468-330X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundA growing evidence base supports the use of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) for treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but it has not yet been integrated into most national clinical guidelines. The objective of this study was to assess efficacy and safety when aHSCT is implemented in routine healthcare.MethodsWe assessed 231 patients and the final analysis included 174 RRMS patients who were treated with aHSCT in Sweden before 1 January 2020. Efficacy was evaluated by performing a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the Swedish MS registry. Procedure-related safety was assessed by analysing data from electronic patient records covering a period of 100 days following aHSCT.ResultsWith a median follow-up time of 5.5 (IQR: 3.4-7.5) years, the Kaplan-Meier estimate for no evidence of disease activity was 73% (95% CI 66% to 81%) at 5 years and 65% (95% CI 57% to 75%) at 10 years. Out of the 149 patients with baseline disability, 80 (54%) improved, 55 (37%) were stable and 14 (9%) deteriorated. The mean number of adverse events per patient was 1.7 (& PLUSMN;SD: 1.5) for grade 3 events and 0.06 (& PLUSMN;SD: 0.3) for grade 4 events. Febrile neutropenia was the most common adverse event, affecting 68% of patients. There was no treatment-related mortality.ConclusionsTreatment with aHSCT for RRMS is associated with freedom from disease activity in a majority of patients, with acceptable adverse events. This procedure should be considered a standard of care for patients with highly active RRMS.
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| 3. |
- Ahlstrand, Erik, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Alteration of the colonization pattern of coagulase-negative staphylococci in patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancy
- 2012
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Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. - New York, USA : Springer. - 0934-9723 .- 1435-4373. ; 31:7, s. 1679-1687
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to prospectively describe the colonization pattern of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and the relationship between colonizing and invasive CoNS isolates among patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancy. Fourteen newly diagnosed patients were included with either multiple myeloma or acute leukemia. Patients were repeatedly sampled from nares, throat, axillae, and perineum, and the CoNS isolates obtained were phenotypically characterized together with blood isolates of CoNS using the PhenePlate system (PhP). During the treatment a gradual reduction in the heterogeneity of colonizing CoNS was observed as well as an inter-patient accumulation of phenotypically related and multi-drug-resistant CoNS. These clusters of CoNS persisted for 2–3 months after the end of therapy. Ten positive blood cultures of CoNS were obtained and in the majority of these cases CoNS of the same PhP type were found in superficial cultures collected prior to the blood culture sampling. In conclusion, the study shows that therapy for hematological malignancy is associated with a homogenization of colonizing CoNS isolates and that this acquired flora of CoNS is persistent several months after the end of therapy. Furthermore, the results suggest that the source of bloodstream infections of CoNS in hematological patients is colonizing CoNS of the skin and mucosa.
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| 4. |
- Ahlstrand, Erik, 1974-
(författare)
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Coagulase-negative staphylococci in hematological malignancy
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Bacterial infections are common in hematological malignancy. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are among the most prevalent causes of bacteremia in patients with hematological malignancies.In this thesis, different aspects of CoNS in hematological malignancy have been studied in four papers:In paper 1, CoNS blood culture isolates from patients with hematological malignancies treated at the University Hospital of Örebro from 1980 to 2009 were revaluated for the presence of reduced sensitivity to glycopeptides. A high incidence of heterogeneous-intermediate glycopeptide resistance was observed and there was a trend towards increasing incidence of this phenotype over time.In paper 2, the colonization pattern of CoNS among patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy for hematological malignancy was investigated. A successive homogenization and an accumulation of CoNS phenotypes mutually present in a majority of included patients were demonstrated.In paper 3, a PCR method to determine the clinical significance of positive blood cultures of the CoNS species Staphylococcus epidermidis was evaluated. The test failed to discriminate bloodstream infection from blood culture contamination.Finally, in paper 4, the long-term molecular epidemiology of S. epidermidis blood culture isolates from patients with hematological malignancies was studied with multilocus sequence typing. A predominance of sequence type 2 was demonstrated during the entire 30 year study period.In conclusion, the results are consistent with that CoNS have established as important pathogens by its capacity to colonize the human skin, its ability to reside and spread in the hospital environment and its rapid adaptation to stressors such as antimicrobials.
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| 5. |
- Ahlstrand, Erik, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of a PCR method to determine the clinical significance of blood cultures with Staphylococcus epidermidis in patients with hematological malignancies
- 2014
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Ingår i: Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS). - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0903-4641 .- 1600-0463. ; 122:6, s. 539-544
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to investigate whether the detection and quantification of Staphylococcus epidermidis DNA in blood could distinguish S. epidermidis blood stream infections (BSIs) from blood culture contaminations in patients with hematological malignancies. The hld gene was chosen to identify S. epidermidis DNA and DNA in blood samples was detected by real-time PCR. Blood samples were obtained simultaneously with blood cultures positive for S. epidermidis (n = 30), during blood culture-negative episodes (n = 10) and episodes of bacteremia with other bacteria than S. epidermidis (n = 4) and from healthy blood donors (n = 10). In addition, DNA from S. epidermidis and a selection of other bacterial species were analyzed. Three different sets of criteria were used to classify episodes with positive blood cultures with S. epidermidis as BSIs or contaminations. All DNA preparations from S. epidermidis (n = 48) were hld-positive, but other bacterial species (n = 13) were negative. Sixteen (53%) of 30 blood samples from patients with blood cultures positive for S. epidermidis were hld-positive, but none of the controls. There was no clear association between a positive hld PCR and episodes interpreted as BSIs. In conclusion, hld PCR failed to distinguish S. epidermidis BSIs from blood culture contaminations in patients with hematological malignancies.
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| 6. |
- Ahlstrand, Erik, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Highly Reduced Survival in Essential Thrombocythemia and Polycythemia Vera Patients with Vascular Complications during Follow-up
- 2020
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Ingår i: European Journal of Haematology. - : Munksgaard Forlag. - 0902-4441 .- 1600-0609. ; 104:3, s. 271-278
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To explore the relative importance of risk factors, treatments and blood counts for the occurrence of vascular complications and their impact on life expectancy in Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) and Polycythemia Vera (PV).METHODS: Nested case-control study within the Swedish MPN registry. From a cohort of 922 ET patients and 763 PV patients, 71 ET and 81 PV cases with vascular complications were compared to matched controls.RESULTS: Incidence of vascular complications were 2.0 and 3.4 events per 100 patient-years in ET and PV, respectively. At diagnosis, no significant risk factor differences were observed between cases and controls in neither of the diseases. At the time of vascular event, ET complication cases did not differ significantly from controls but in PV, cases had significantly higher WBCs and were to a lesser extent treated with antithrombotic and cytoreductive therapy. Life expectancy was significantly decreased in both ET and PV cases compared to controls.CONCLUSIONS: The risk of vascular complications is high in both ET and PV and these complications have a considerable impact on life expectancy. The protective effect of antithrombotic and cytoreductive therapy for vascular complications in PV underscores the importance of avoiding undertreatment.
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| 7. |
- Ahlstrand, Erik, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term molecular epidemiology of staphylococcus epidermidis blood culture isolates from patients with hematological malignancies
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - San Francisco, USA : Public Library Science. - 1932-6203. ; 9:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Staphylococcus epidermidis is an important cause of bloodstream infections in patients with hematological malignancies. Knowledge of the long-term epidemiology of these infections is limited. We surveyed all S. epidermidis blood culture isolates from patients treated for hematological malignancies at the University Hospital of Orebro, Sweden from 1980 to 2009. A total of 373 S. epidermidis isolates were identified and multilocus sequence typing, staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) typing and standard antibiotic susceptibility testing were employed to characterize these isolates. The majority of the isolates 361/373 (97%) belonged to clonal complex 2, and the 373 isolates were divided into 45 sequence types (STs); Simpson's Diversity Index was 0.56. The most prevalent STs were ST2 (243/373, 65%) and ST215 (28/373, 8%). Ninety three percent (226/243) of the ST2 isolates displayed either SCCmec type III or IV. ST2 and 215 were isolated during the entire study period, and together these STs caused temporal peaks in the number of positive blood cultures of S. epidermidis. Methicillin resistance was detected in 213/273 (78%) of all isolates. In the two predominating STs, ST2 and ST215, methicillin resistance was detected in 256/271 isolates (95%), compared with 34/100 (34%) in other STs (p<0.001). In conclusion, in this long-term study of patients with hematological malignancies, we demonstrate a predominance of methicillin-resistant ST2 among S. epidermidis blood culture isolates.
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| 8. |
- Ahlstrand, Erik, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Visual scoring of chest CT at hospital admission predicts hospitalization time and intensive care admission in Covid-19
- 2021
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Ingår i: Infectious Diseases. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2374-4235 .- 2374-4243. ; 53:8, s. 622-632
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Chest CT is prognostic in Covid-19 but there is a lack of consensus on how to report the CT findings. A chest CT scoring system, ÖCoS, was implemented in clinical routine on 1 April 2020, in Örebro Region, Sweden. The ÖCoS-severity score measures the extent of lung involvement. The objective of the study was to evaluate the ÖCoS scores as predictors of the clinical course of Covid-19.METHODS: Population based study including data from all hospitalized patients with Covid-19 in Örebro Region during March to July 2020. We evaluated the correlations between CT scores at the time of admission to hospital and intensive care in relation to hospital and intensive care length of stay (LoS), intensive care admission and death. C-reactive protein and lymphocyte count were included as covariates in multivariate regression analyses.RESULTS: In 381 included patients, the ÖCoS-severity score at admission closely correlated to hospital length of stay, and intensive care admission or death. At admission to intensive care, the ÖCoS-severity score correlated with intensive care length of stay. The ÖCoS-severity score was superior to basic inflammatory biomarkers in predicting clinical outcomes.CONCLUSION: Chest CT visual scoring at admission to hospital predicted the clinical course of Covid-19 pneumonia.
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| 9. |
- Andersen, Christen Lykkegaard, et al.
(författare)
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Circulating YKL-40 in patients with essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera treated with the novel histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat
- 2014
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Ingår i: Leukemia Research. - : Elsevier. - 0145-2126 .- 1873-5835. ; 38:7, s. 816-821
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- YKL-40 regulates vascular endothelial growth factors and induces tumor proliferation. We investigated YKL-40 before and after treatment with vorinostat in 31 polycythemia vera (PV) and 16 essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients. Baseline PV patient levels were 2 times higher than in healthy controls (P<0.0001) and 1.7 times higher than in ET (P = 0.02). A significant correlation between YKL-40 at baseline and neutrophils, CRP, LDH, JAK2V617F and platelets in PV patients was observed, as well as a significantly greater reduction of YKL-40 levels in PV patients responding to therapy. YKL-40 might be a novel marker of disease burden and progression in myeloproliferative neoplasms.
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| 10. |
- Birgegård, Gunnar, 1944-, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammatory functional iron deficiency common in myelofibrosis, contributes to anaemia and impairs quality of life. From the Nordic MPN study Group
- 2019
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Ingår i: European Journal of Haematology. - : Munksgaard Forlag. - 0902-4441 .- 1600-0609. ; 102:3, s. 235-240
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The study investigates the hypothesis that inflammation in myelofibrosis (MF) like in myeloma and lymphoma, may disturb iron distribution and contribute to anaemia.METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 80 MF and 23 ET patients was performed.RESULTS: About 35% of anaemic MF patients had functional iron deficiency (FID) with transferrin saturation <20 and normal or elevated S-ferritin (<500 µg/L). In ET, FID was rare. In MF patients with FID, 70.6% were anaemic, vs 29.4% in patients without FID (P = 0.03). Hepcidin was significantly higher in MF patients with anaemia, including transfusion-dependent patients, 50.6 vs 24.4 µg/L (P = 0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between Hb and inflammatory markers in all MF patients: IL-2, IL-6 and TNF-α, (P < 0.01-0.03), LD (P = 0.004) and hepcidin (P = 0.03). These correlations were also seen in the subgroup of anaemic MF patients (Table ). Tsat correlated negatively with CRP (P < 0.001). Symptom burden was heavier in MF patients with FID, and MPN-SAF quality of life scores correlated with IL-6 and CRP.CONCLUSIONS: The inflammatory state of MF disturbs iron turnover, FID is common and contributes to anaemia development and impairment of QoL. Anaemic MF patients should be screened for FID.
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| 11. |
- Egeland, Erik, 1974-
(författare)
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Christianity, Generation and Narrative : Religious Conversion and Change in Sidama, Ethiopia, 1974–2012
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study presents narratives concerning religious conversion and change in Evangelical-Pentecostal Christian communities in the Sidama zone, Southern Ethiopia. The study is based on narrative data collected through field research, which mainly focuses on the period 1974–2012. This data is supplemented with previous research and unpublished sources.The study discusses how narratives about religious conversion and change intersect with transformations in Ethiopian society during the period. It describes and analyses narratives in order to show that individual narratives are part of collective stories. These stories become formative for common experiences and provide a distinct group identity as part of a social generation.The Ethiopian revolution in 1974 was a major turning point. The encounter with the revolutionary state resulted in narratives about challenges and persecution. On the other hand, this situation became the setting for mobility and connections, and created a communal identity between Christians.The stories about the period after the revolution in 1974 are conveyed in the present. After 1991, political transitions in Ethiopia created a new turning point which influenced narratives about religious conversion and change. The Christian communities experienced religious freedom and revitalisation, leading to growth and expansion. But the religious changes also led to competition and differences in and between Evangelical-Pentecostal communities. The changes created negotiation internally in Christian communities about denominational identities and about religious innovations. This setting intersected with an increase of new members who belonged to a younger emerging generation. This sets the study on the boundaries between generations, and where new narratives are renegotiated in the context of social change.The thesis consists of three parts; the first gives the reader an introduction to the research context of the study, a brief historical background and a discussion of methodology. The second part focuses on the period after the Ethiopian revolution in 1974. The last part discusses religious change in the Christian communities after the political transition in 1991, and into present.
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| 12. |
- Flygt, Hjalmar, et al.
(författare)
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Treatment-free remission after a second TKI discontinuation attempt in patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia re-treated with dasatinib - interim results from the DAstop2 trial.
- 2024
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Ingår i: Leukemia. - : Springer. - 0887-6924 .- 1476-5551.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) discontinuation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has become part of routine care for patients with a sustained deep molecular response (DMR). Approximately 50% experience a molecular relapse upon TKI cessation. Most of them quickly regain DMR upon TKI resumption. Whether these patients can achieve a second treatment-free remission (TFR) remains unclear. DAstop2 (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03573596) is a prospective study including patients with a failed first TFR attempt re-treated with any TKI for ≥ one year. Upon entering the study, patients received the TKI dasatinib for additional two years. Patients with sustained DMR for ≥1 year qualified for a second TKI stop. Ninety-four patients were included between Oct 2017-Dec 2021. At the time of data analysis, 62 patients had attempted a 2nd stop. After a median follow-up of 27 months from 2nd stop, TFR rates were 61, 56 and 46% at 6, 12 and 24 months respectively. No progression to advanced stage disease was seen and 87% had re-achieved MR4 within a median of 3 months from TKI re-initiation. In summary, we show that a 2nd TFR attempt after dasatinib treatment is safe, feasible and TFR rates seem in the range of those reported in trials of a first TKI stop.
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| 13. |
- Granseth, Björn, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Paired pulse facilitation of corticogeniculate EPSCs in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the rat investigated in vitro
- 2002
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Ingår i: Journal of Physiology. - : Wiley. - 0022-3751 .- 1469-7793. ; 544:2, s. 477-486
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate paired pulse facilitation of corticogeniculate EPSCs, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were made from principal cells in the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) in vitro. Thalamic slices, oriented so that both corticogeniculate and retinogeniculate axons could be stimulated, were cut from young (16- to 37-day-old) DA-HAN rats. Corticogeniculate EPSCs displayed pronounced paired pulse facilitation at stimulus intervals up to 400 ms. The facilitation had a fast and a slow component of decay with time constants of 12 ± 7 and 164 ± 47 ms (means ± s.d.), respectively. Maximum paired pulse ratio (EPSC2 × EPSC1−1) was 3.7 ± 1.1 at the 20-30 ms interval. Similar to other systems, the facilitation was presynaptic. Retinogeniculate EPSCs recorded in the same dLGN cells displayed paired pulse depression at intervals up to at least 700 ms. The two types of EPSCs differed in their calcium response curves. At normal [Ca2+]o, the corticogeniculate synapse functioned over the early rising part of a Hill function, while the retinogeniculate synapse operated over the middle and upper parts of the curve. The paired pulse ratio of corticogeniculate EPSCs was maximal at physiological [Ca2+]o. The facilitation is proposed to have an important role in the function of the corticogeniculate circuit as a neuronal amplifier.
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| 14. |
- Lindgren, Marie, 1971, et al.
(författare)
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Survival and risk of vascular complications in myelofibrosis—A population-based study from the Swedish MPN group
- 2022
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Ingår i: European Journal of Haematology. - : Wiley. - 0902-4441 .- 1600-0609. ; 109:4, s. 336-342
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To gain knowledge of underlying risk factors for vascular complications and their impact on life expectancy in myelofibrosis. Methods: From a cohort of 392 myelofibrosis patients registered in the Swedish MPN registry 58 patients with vascular complications during follow-up were identified. Patients with vascular complications were compared with both 1:1 matched controls and the entire myelofibrosis cohort to explore potential risk factors for vascular complications and their impact on survival. Results: Incidence of vascular complications was 2.8 events per 100 patient-years and the majority of complications were thrombotic. Patients with complications were significantly older and had lower hemoglobin when compared to the entire cohort. In the case–control analysis, no significant risk factor differences were observed. The major cause of death was vascular complications and median survival was significantly impaired in patients with vascular complications (48 months) compared to controls (92 months). Inferior survival in patients with vascular complications was found to be dependent on IPSS risk category in a Cox regression model. Conclusion: Vascular complications have a considerable impact on survival in MF. At diagnosis, risk assessment by IPSS does not only predict survival but is also associated with the risk of vascular complications.
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| 15. |
- Löf, Liza, et al.
(författare)
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Flow Cytometric Measurement of Blood Cells with BCR-ABL1 Fusion Protein in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized in the majority of cases by a t(9;22)(q34;q11) translocation, also called the Philadelphia chromosome, giving rise to the BCR-ABL1 fusion protein. Current treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors is directed against the constitutively active ABL1 domain of the fusion protein, and minimal residual disease (MRD) after therapy is monitored by real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) of the fusion transcript. Here, we describe a novel approach to detect and enumerate cells positive for the BCR-ABL1 fusion protein by combining the in situ proximity ligation assay with flow cytometry as readout (PLA-flow). By targeting of the BCR and ABL1 parts of the fusion protein with one antibody each, and creating strong fluorescent signals through rolling circle amplification, PLA-flow allowed sensitive detection of cells positive for the BCR-ABL1 fusion at frequencies as low as one in 10,000. Importantly, the flow cytometric results correlated strongly to those of RQ-PCR, both in diagnostic testing and for MRD measurements over time. In summary, we believe this flow cytometry-based method can serve as an attractive approach for routine measurement of cells harboring BCR-ABL1 fusions, also allowing simultaneously assessment of other cell surface markers as well as sensitive longitudinal follow-up.
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