| 1. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
-
Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
|
|
| 2. |
- Abdillahi, Hamda A, et al.
(författare)
-
A mixed-methods study of maternal near miss and death after emergency cesarean delivery at a referral hospital in Somaliland
- 2017
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0020-7292 .- 1879-3479. ; 138:1, s. 119-124
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To explore maternal near miss and death after emergency cesarean delivery in Somaliland, including the impact of the prerequisite for family consent.METHODS: A facility-based, mixed-methods study was conducted to assess all maternal near misses and deaths recorded at a referral hospital that provided services to women from all regions of Somaliland. The data sources comprised a quantitative prospective cross-sectional study using the WHO near-miss tool (performed from August 1 to December 31, 2015) and qualitative interviews with 17 healthcare providers working at the referral hospital who were in direct contact with the women in labor (performed from January 15 to March 15, 2015).RESULTS: Of the 138 maternal near misses and deaths recorded, 50 (36%) were associated with emergency cesarean delivery. The most frequent maternal complication was severe pre-eclampsia (n=17; 34%), and the most frequent underlying causes were hypertensive disorders (n=31; 62%) and obstetric hemorrhage (n=15; 30%). Healthcare providers were often prevented from performing emergency cesarean delivery until the required consent had been received from the woman's extended family.CONCLUSION: Maternity care in Somaliland must be improved, and the issue of legal authority for consent examined, to ensure both safe and timely provision of emergency cesarean delivery. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 3. |
- Bloom, A. C., et al.
(författare)
-
Deletion of the membrane complement inhibitor CD59a drives age and gender-dependent alterations to bone phenotype in mice
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Bone. - : Elsevier BV. - 8756-3282. ; 84, s. 253-261
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis are characterised by aberrant region-specific bone formation and abnormal bone mineral content. A recent study suggested a role for the complement membrane attack complex in experimental models of osteoarthritis. Since CD59a is the principal regulator of the membrane attack complex in mice, we evaluated the impact of CD59a gene deletion upon maintenance of bone architecture. In vivo bone morphology analysis revealed that male CD59a-deficient mice have increased femur length and cortical bone volume, albeit with reduced bone mineral density. However, this phenomenon was not observed in female mice. Histomorphometric analysis of the trabecular bone showed increased rates of bone homeostasis, with both increased bone resorption and mineral apposition rate in CD59a-deficient male mice. When bone cells were studied in isolation, in vitro osteoclastogenesis was significantly increased in male CD59a-deficient mice, although osteoblast formation was not altered. Our data reveal, for the first time, that CD59a is a regulator of bone growth and homeostasis. CD59a ablation in male mice results in longer and wider bones, but with less density, which is likely a major contributing factor for their susceptibility to osteoarthritis. These findings increase our understanding of the role of complement regulation in degenerative arthritis.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
| 11. |
- Matikas, A., et al.
(författare)
-
Immune function and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Annals of Oncology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0923-7534 .- 1569-8041. ; 28
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- BackgroundGene expression (GE) signatures and Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TILs) enumeration have shown promise as predictors of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Hormone Receptor negative (HR-) and HER2+, but not in HR+/HER2- breast cancer (BC). This study aimed to explore their predictive value in HR+/HER2- BC, based on previous work from our group on the association of immune function and chemosensitivity in advanced HR+ BC.MethodsThe PROMIX phase 2 trial enrolled patients with locally advanced HER2- BC to receive six cycles of epirubicin and docetaxel, plus bevacizumab during cycles 3-6. Patients underwent tumor biopsies at baseline and after cycle 2 for GE profiling using DNA microarrays and TIL enumeration according to standard guidelines. Since pathologic complete remission (pCR) is relatively rare in HR+ BC, we also associated an immune gene module score (IMS) and TIL counts with the non-dichotomous variable of decrease in tumor size.ResultsOf the 150 enrolled patients, n = 113 were HR+. For n = 71, both TIL and GE data were available at baseline, while for n = 78 and n = 49 patients longitudinal TIL and GE data at baseline and cycle 2 were available, respectively. At baseline, on both univariate (OR = 2.29, P = 0.037) and multivariate analysis (OR = 2.35, P = 0.044) IMS was associated with pCR, while its association with tumor shrinkage was only apparent on univariate (P = 0.047) and not multivariate analysis (P = 0.061). TIL infiltration >50% (n = 9) was associated with neither pCR (OR = 1.812, P = 0.61) nor tumor shrinkage (P = 0.99). However, decreases in TIL counts in cycle 2 compared with baseline were associated with lesser decreases in tumor size (P = 0.043 for univariate and P = 0.044 for multivariate analysis).
|
|
| 12. |
- Akay, Altug, et al.
(författare)
-
A Novel Data-Mining Approach Leveraging Social Media to Monitor Consumer Opinion of Sitagliptin
- 2015
-
Ingår i: IEEE journal of biomedical and health informatics. - 2168-2194 .- 2168-2208. ; 19:1, s. 389-396
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A novel data mining method was developed to gauge the experience of the drug Sitagliptin (trade name Januvia) by patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. To this goal, we devised a two-step analysis framework. Initial exploratory analysis using self-organizing maps was performed to determine structures based on user opinions among the forum posts. The results were a compilation of user's clusters and their correlated (positive or negative) opinion of the drug. Subsequent modeling using network analysis methods was used to determine influential users among the forum members. These findings can open new avenues of research into rapid data collection, feedback, and analysis that can enable improved outcomes and solutions for public health and important feedback for the manufacturer.
|
|
| 13. |
- Akay, Altug, et al.
(författare)
-
Network-Based Modeling and Intelligent Data Mining of Social Media for Improving Care
- 2015
-
Ingår i: IEEE journal of biomedical and health informatics. - 2168-2194 .- 2168-2208. ; 19:1, s. 210-218
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intelligently extracting knowledge from social media has recently attracted great interest from the Biomedical and Health Informatics community to simultaneously improve healthcare outcomes and reduce costs using consumer-generated opinion. We propose a two-step analysis framework that focuses on positive and negative sentiment, as well as the side effects of treatment, in users' forum posts, and identifies user communities (modules) and influential users for the purpose of ascertaining user opinion of cancer treatment. We used a self-organizing map to analyze word frequency data derived from users' forum posts. We then introduced a novel network-based approach for modeling users' forum interactions and employed a network partitioning method based on optimizing a stability quality measure. This allowed us to determine consumer opinion and identify influential users within the retrieved modules using information derived from both word-frequency data and network-based properties. Our approach can expand research into intelligently mining social media data for consumer opinion of various treatments to provide rapid, up-to-date information for the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, and medical staff, on the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of future treatments.
|
|
| 14. |
- Ameli, Ali A., et al.
(författare)
-
Primary weathering rates, water transit times, and concentration-discharge relations : A theoretical analysis for the critical zone
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Water resources research. - : AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION. - 0043-1397 .- 1944-7973. ; 53:1, s. 942-960
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The permeability architecture of the critical zone exerts a major influence on the hydrogeochemistry of the critical zone. Water flow path dynamics drive the spatiotemporal pattern of geochemical evolution and resulting streamflow concentration-discharge (C-Q) relation, but these flow paths are complex and difficult to map quantitatively. Here we couple a new integrated flow and particle tracking transport model with a general reversible Transition State Theory style dissolution rate law to explore theoretically how C-Q relations and concentration in the critical zone respond to decline in saturated hydraulic conductivity (K-s) with soil depth. We do this for a range of flow rates and mineral reaction kinetics. Our results show that for minerals with a high ratio of equilibrium concentration ( Ceq) to intrinsic weathering rate ( Rmax), vertical heterogeneity in K-s enhances the gradient of weathering-derived solute concentration in the critical zone and strengthens the inverse stream C-Q relation. As CeqRmax decreases, the spatial distribution of concentration in the critical zone becomes more uniform for a wide range of flow rates, and stream C-Q relation approaches chemostatic behavior, regardless of the degree of vertical heterogeneity in K-s. These findings suggest that the transport-controlled mechanisms in the hillslope can lead to chemostatic C-Q relations in the stream while the hillslope surface reaction-controlled mechanisms are associated with an inverse stream C-Q relation. In addition, as CeqRmax decreases, the concentration in the critical zone and stream become less dependent on groundwater age (or transit time).
|
|
| 15. |
- Andersson, Karin, 1972, et al.
(författare)
-
Inflammation in the hippocampus affects IGF1 receptor signaling and contributes to neurological sequelae in rheumatoid arthritis.
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490. ; 115:51
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disease with a neurological component including depression, cognitive deficits, and pain, which substantially affect patients' quality of daily life. Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) signaling is one of the factors in RA pathogenesis as well as a known regulator of adult neurogenesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between IGF1R signaling and the neurological symptoms in RA. In experimental RA, we demonstrated that arthritis induced enrichment of IBA1+ microglia in the hippocampus. This coincided with inhibitory phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) and up-regulation of IGF1R in the pyramidal cell layer of the cornus ammoni and in the dentate gyrus, reproducing the molecular features of the IGF1/insulin resistance. The aberrant IGF1R signaling was associated with reduced hippocampal neurogenesis, smaller hippocampus, and increased immobility of RA mice. Inhibition of IGF1R in experimental RA led to a reduction of IRS1 inhibition and partial improvement of neurogenesis. Evaluation of physical functioning and brain imaging in RA patients revealed that enhanced functional disability is linked with smaller hippocampus volume and aberrant IGF1R/IRS1 signaling. These results point to abnormal IGF1R signaling in the brain as a mediator of neurological sequelae in RA and provide support for the potentially reversible nature of hippocampal changes.
|
|
| 16. |
|
|
| 17. |
- Banerjee, Indradumna, et al.
(författare)
-
Slipdisc : A versatile sample preparation platform for point of care diagnostics
- 2017
-
Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2046-2069. ; 7:56, s. 35048-35054
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report a microfluidic sample preparation platform called "Slipdisc" based on slipchip technology. Slipdisc is a rotational slipchip that uses a unique hand-wound clockwork mechanism for precise movement of specially fabricated polycarbonate discs. In operation, the microchannels and microchambers carved on the closely aligned microfluidic discs convert from continuous filled paths to defined compartments using the slip movement. The clockwork mechanism introduced here is characterised by a food dye experiment and a conventional HRP TMB reaction before measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme levels, which is a crucial biomarker for neonatal diagnostics. The colorimetry based detection of LDH was performed with an unmodified camera and an image analysis procedure based on normalising images and observing changes in red channel intensity. The analysis showed a close to unity coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.96) in detecting the LDH concentration when compared with a standard Chemical Analyser, demonstrating the excellent performance of the slipdisc platform with colorimetric detection. The versatile point of care sample preparation platform should ideally be suited for a multitude of applications at resource-limited settings.
|
|
| 18. |
- Berteaux, Dominique, et al.
(författare)
-
Harmonizing circumpolar monitoring of Arctic fox : benefits, opportunities, challenges and recommendations
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Polar Research. - : Norwegian Polar Institute. - 0800-0395 .- 1751-8369. ; 36:suppl. 1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council has developed pan-Arctic biodiversity monitoring plans to improve our ability to detect, understand and report on long-term change in Arctic biodiversity. The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) was identified as a target of future monitoring because of its circumpolar distribution, ecological importance and reliance on Arctic ecosystems. We provide the first exhaustive survey of contemporary Arctic fox monitoring programmes, describing 34 projects located in eight countries. Monitored populations covered equally the four climate zones of the species’ distribution, and there were large differences between populations in long-term trends, multi-annual fluctuations, diet composition, degree of competition with red fox and human interferences. Den density, number of active dens, number of breeding dens and litter size were assessed in almost all populations, while projects varied greatly with respect to monitoring of other variables indicative of population status, ecosystem state or ecosystem function. We review the benefits, opportunities and challenges to increased integration of monitoring projects. We argue that better harmonizing protocols of data collection and data management would allow new questions to be addressed while adding tremendous value to individual projects. However, despite many opportunities, challenges remain. We offer six recommendations that represent decisive progress toward a better integration of Arctic fox monitoring projects. Further, our work serves as a template that can be used to integrate monitoring efforts of other species, thereby providing a key step for future assessments of global biodiversity.
|
|
| 19. |
- Byrskog, Ulrika, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
-
The situation for female survivors of non-partner sexual violence : A focused enquiry of Somali young women's views, knowledge and opinions
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Sexual & Reproductive HealthCare. - : Elsevier. - 1877-5756 .- 1877-5764. ; 16, s. 39-44
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to elucidate young women’s perceptions of the situation for female survivors of non-partner sexual violence in Somaliland.MethodsYoung Somali women with diverse backgrounds (n = 25) shared views, knowledge and opinions about non partner sexual violence in focus group discussions held in urban settings. Data was analysed using content analysis.ResultsA main category “Bound by culture and community perceptions” with four subcategories comprises the informants’ perceptions of non-partner sexual violence among young women in Somaliland. Illuminated is the importance of protecting oneself and the family dignity, a fear of being rejected and mistrusted, how the juridical system exists in the shadow of tradition and potential keys to healthcare support.ConclusionThe study raises awareness of the dilemmas which may be faced by young women subjected to non-partner sexual violence and healthcare providers in the intersection between state and traditional norms. Education is a key when it comes to a young woman considering the use of the services available in a society where traditional problem-solving is relied on parallel to state-based support. State-based functions, communities and families need to work together to provide comprehensive support to young female survivors of non-partner sexual violence in Somaliland.
|
|
| 20. |
- Erlandsson, Johan
(författare)
-
CONTROLLED ASSEMBLY AND FUNCTIONALISATION OF CELLULOSE-BASED MATERIALS
- 2019
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The environmental effects caused by the use of fossil-based resources have intensified and driven society and research towards new materials and processes that utilise renewable resources. Within the development of new materials, wood has been identified as a raw-material from which high performing materials can be derived. One such material is cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) which are capable of replacing several currently used fossil-based materials. However, for CNFs to exhibit the required material properties they need to be chemically or physically modified. This means that the properties of the CNFs can be specifically adapted to fit the demand in particular areas, for example electrical energy storage. In these applications it is the mechanical properties; the large, easily functionalised surface and ability to be moulded into 3D shapes that make CNFs a highly interesting raw material.This thesis explores the formation and functionalisation of CNF- and fibre-based materials and their novel use in applications such as energy storage. The wet stability of the materials was achieved by crosslinking and ice templating the fibrils by a novel freezing procedure, which makes it possible to avoid the use of freeze-drying and subsequent crosslinking. Using colloidal probe atomic force microscopy adhesion measurements, hemiacetals were shown to be formed between the aldehyde-containing fibrils when they are brought into molecular contact, for example during ice templating. Hemiacetal crosslinked aerogels have been shaped and functionalised to demonstrate their application as biomimetic structural composites, electrical circuits and electrical cells. In addition, crosslinked, light-weight 3D fibre networks were prepared with á similar chemistry by a self-assembly process of pulp fibres. These networks could be dried under ambient conditions and the materials formed were wet-stable due to the hemiacetal crosslinks formed in the fibre–fibre contacts, which provided the networks with excellent mechanical properties and shape recovery capacity in water.Finally, using a newly developed polyampholyte and mixing it with CNFs, heterofunctional composite films and aerogels could be prepared. By activating crosslinkable groups in these composite materials, they were able to undergo further water based chemical functionalisation. In this highly dispersed state, the composite could be irreversibly crosslinked by a hydrothermal treatment to create transparent, low solid content hydrogels.
|
|
| 21. |
- Erlandsson, Johan, et al.
(författare)
-
Macro- and mesoporous nanocellulose beads for use in energy storage devices
- 2016
-
Ingår i: APPLIED MATERIALS TODAY. - : Elsevier. - 2352-9407. ; 5, s. 246-254
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chemically cross-linked, wet-stable cellulose nanofibril (CNF) aerogel beads were fabricated using a novel procedure. The procedure facilitated controlled production of millimetre-sized CNF aerogel beads without freeze-drying or critical point drying, while still retaining a highly porous structure with low density. The aerogel beads were mechanically robust in the dry state, supporting loads of 1.3 N at 70% compression, even after being soaked in water and re-dried. Furthermore, they displayed both a good stability in water and a remarkably good shape recovery after wet compression. Owing to the stability in water, the entire surface of the highly porous aerogel beads could be successfully functionalized with polyelectrolytes and carboxyl-functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes (CF-SWCNTs) using the Layer-by-Layer technique, introducing a significant electrical conductivity (1.6 mS/cm) to the aerogel beads. The functionalized, electrically conducting aerogel beads could carry as much as 2 kA/cm(2) and act as electrodes in a supercapacitor displaying a stabilized charge storage capacity of 9.8 F/g after 50 charging-discharging cycles.
|
|
| 22. |
- Erlandsson, Johan, et al.
(författare)
-
On the mechanism behind freezing-induced chemical crosslinking in ice-templated cellulose nanofibril aerogels
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 6:40, s. 19371-19380
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The underlying mechanism related to freezing-induced crosslinking of aldehyde-containing cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) has been investigated, and the critical parameters behind this process have been identified. The aldehydes introduced by periodate oxidation allows for formation of hemiacetal bonds between the CNFs provided the fibrils are in sufficiently close contact before the water is removed. This is achieved during the freezing process where the cellulose components are initially separated, and the growth of ice crystals forces the CNFs to come into contact in the thin lamellae between the ice crystals. The crosslinked 3-D structure of the CNFs can subsequently be dried under ambient conditions after solvent exchange and still maintain a remarkably low density of 35 kg m-3, i.e. a porosity greater than 98%. A lower critical amount of aldehydes, 0.6 mmol g-1, was found necessary in order to generate a crosslinked 3-D CNF structure of sufficient strength not to collapse during the ambient drying. The chemical stability of the 3-D structure can be further enhanced by converting the hemiacetals to acetals by treatment with an alcohol under acidic conditions.
|
|
| 23. |
- Erlandsson, J., et al.
(författare)
-
Postoperative complications in relation to overall treatment time in patients with rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant radiotherapy
- 2019
-
Ingår i: British Journal of Surgery. - : WILEY. - 0007-1323 .- 1365-2168. ; 106:9, s. 1248-1256
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The optimal timing of surgery for rectal cancer after radiotherapy (RT) is disputed. The Stockholm III trial concluded that it was oncologically safe to delay surgery for 4-8weeks after short-course RT (SRT), with fewer postoperative complications compared with SRT with surgery within a week. Other studies have indicated that an even shorter interval between RT and surgery (0-3 days) might be beneficial. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal interval to surgery after RT.Methods: Patients were analysed as treated, in terms of overall treatment time (OTT), the interval from the start of RT until the day of surgery. Patients receiving SRT (5x5Gy) were categorized according to OTT: 7 days (group A), 8-13 days (group B), 5-7weeks (group C) and 8-13weeks (group D). Patients receiving long-course RT (25x2Gy) were grouped into those with an OTT of 9-11weeks (group E) or 12-14weeks (group F). Outcomes assessed were postoperative complications and early mortality.Results: A total of 810 patients were analysed (group A, 100; group B, 247; group C, 192; group D, 160; group E, 52; group F, 59). Baseline patient characteristics were similar. There were significantly more overall complications in group B than in groups C and D. Adjusted odds ratios, with B as the reference group, were: 0.72 (95 per cent c. i. 0.40 to 1.32; P = 0.289), 0.50 (0.30 to 0.84; P = 0.009) and 0.39 (0.23 to 0.65; P < 0.001) for groups A, C and D respectively. Early mortality was similar in all groups. There were no significant differences between long-course RT groups.Conclusion: These results suggest that surgery should optimally be delayed for 4-12weeks (OTT 5-13weeks) after SRT.
|
|
| 24. |
|
|
| 25. |
|
|
| 26. |
- Erlandsson, Malin, 1972, et al.
(författare)
-
Low serum IGF1 is associated with hypertension and predicts early cardiovascular events in women with rheumatoid arthritis
- 2019
-
Ingår i: BMC Med. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1741-7015. ; 17:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesSince low insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 is often linked to inflammation, we analyze whether serum levels of IGF1 are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a longitudinal observational study.MethodsA CVD risk was estimated (eCVR) in 184 female RA patients (mean age 52years) and in 132 female patients after ischemic stroke (mean age 56years) with no rheumatic disease, using the Framingham algorithm. The median level of IGF1 divided the cohorts in IGF1(high) and IGF1(low) groups. A 5-year prospective follow-up for new CVD events was completed in all RA patients. The Mantel-Cox analysis and event-free survival curves were prepared. Unsupervised clustering of proteins within the IGF1 signaling pathway was employed to identify their association with eCVR.ResultsLow IGF1 resulted in a higher eCVR in RA patients (7.2% and 3.3%, p=0.0063) and in stroke (9.3% and 7.1%, p=0.033). RA had higher rate for new CVD events at prospective follow-up (OR 4.96, p=0.028). Hypertension was the major risk factor associated with low IGF1 in RA and stroke. In hypertension, IGF1 was no longer responsible for intracellular activation and lost its correlation to IRS1/2 adaptor proteins. The clustering analysis confirmed that combination of low IGF1 and IRS1/2 with high IL6, insulin, and glucose predisposed to high eCVR and emphasized the functional role of serum IGF1.ConclusionsLow serum IGF1 precedes and predicts development of early CVD events in female RA patients. Hypertension and aberrant IGF1 receptor signaling are highlighted as the important contributors to IGF1-related CVD events.
|
|
| 27. |
- Gilani, Sarwat I, et al.
(författare)
-
Urinary Extracellular Vesicles of Podocyte Origin and Renal Injury in Preeclampsia
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: JASN. - 1533-3450. ; 28:11, s. 3363-3372
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Renal histologic expression of the podocyte-specific protein, nephrin, but not podocin, is reduced in preeclamptic compared with normotensive pregnancies. We hypothesized that renal expression of podocyte-specific proteins would be reflected in urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) of podocyte origin and accompanied by increased urinary soluble nephrin levels (nephrinuria) in preeclampsia. We further postulated that podocyte injury and attendant formation of EVs are related mechanistically to cellfree fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in maternal plasma. Our study population included preeclamptic (n=49) and normotensive (n=42) pregnant women recruited at delivery. Plasma measurements included HbF concentrations and concentrations of the endogenous chelators haptoglobin, hemopexin, and α1- microglobulin. We assessed concentrations of urinary EVs containing immunologically detectable podocyte-specific proteins by digital flow cytometry and measured nephrinuria by ELISA. The mechanistic role of HbF in podocyte injury was studied in pregnant rabbits. Compared with urine from women with normotensive pregnancies, urine from women with preeclamptic pregnancies contained a high ratio of podocin-positive to nephrin-positive urinary EVs (podocin(+) EVs-to-nephrin(+) EVs ratio) and increased nephrinuria, both of which correlated with proteinuria. Plasma levels of hemopexin, which were decreased in women with preeclampsia, negatively correlated with proteinuria, urinary podocin(+) EVs-to-nephrin(+) EVs ratio, and nephrinuria. Administration of HbF to pregnant rabbits increased the number of urinary EVs of podocyte origin. These findings provide evidence that urinary EVs are reflective of preeclampsia-related altered podocyte protein expression. Furthermore, renal injury in preeclampsia associated with an elevated urinary podocin(+) EVs-to-nephrin(+) EVs ratio and may be mediated by prolonged exposure to cellfree HbF.
|
|
| 28. |
- Jaramillo, Fernando, et al.
(författare)
-
Priorities and Interactions of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with Focus on Wetlands
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Water. - : MDPI. - 2073-4441. ; 11:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wetlands are often vital physical and social components of a country’s natural capital, as well as providers of ecosystem services to local and national communities. We performed a network analysis to prioritize Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for sustainable development in iconic wetlands and wetlandscapes around the world. The analysis was based on the information and perceptions on 45 wetlandscapes worldwide by 49 wetland researchers of the Global Wetland Ecohydrological Network (GWEN). We identified three 2030 Agenda targets of high priority across the wetlandscapes needed to achieve sustainable development: Target 6.3—“Improve water quality”; 2.4—“Sustainable food production”; and 12.2—“Sustainable management of resources”. Moreover, we found specific feedback mechanisms and synergies between SDG targets in the context of wetlands. The most consistent reinforcing interactions were the influence of Target 12.2 on 8.4—“Efficient resource consumption”; and that of Target 6.3 on 12.2. The wetlandscapes could be differentiated in four bundles of distinctive priority SDG-targets: “Basic human needs”, “Sustainable tourism”, “Environmental impact in urban wetlands”, and “Improving and conserving environment”. In general, we find that the SDG groups, targets, and interactions stress that maintaining good water quality and a “wise use” of wetlandscapes are vital to attaining sustainable development within these sensitive ecosystems.
|
|
| 29. |
- Karbalaie, Abdolamir, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
-
Elliptical broken line method for calculating capillary density in nailfold capillaroscopy : Proposal and evaluation
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Microvascular Research. - : Academic Press. - 0026-2862 .- 1095-9319. ; 113, s. 1-8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nailfold capillaroscopy is a practical method for identifying and obtaining morphological changes in capillaries which might reveal relevant information about diseases and health. Capillaroscopy is harmless, and seems simple and repeatable. However, there is lack of established guidelines and instructions for acquisition as well as the interpretation of the obtained images; which might lead to various ambiguities. In addition, assessment and interpretation of the acquired images are very subjective. In an attempt to overcome some of these problems, in this study a new modified technique for assessment of nailfold capillary density is introduced. The new method is named elliptic broken line (EBL) which is an extension of the two previously known methods by defining clear criteria for finding the apex of capillaries in different scenarios by using a fitted elliptic. A graphical user interface (GUI) is developed for pre-processing, manual assessment of capillary apexes and automatic correction of selected apexes based on 90° rule. Intra- and inter-observer reliability of EBL and corrected EBL is evaluated in this study. Four independent observers familiar with capillaroscopy performed the assessment for 200 nailfold videocapillaroscopy images, form healthy subject and systemic lupus erythematosus patients, in two different sessions. The results show elevation from moderate (ICC = 0.691) and good (ICC = 0.753) agreements to good (ICC = 0.750) and good (ICC = 0.801) for intra- and inter-observer reliability after automatic correction of EBL. This clearly shows the potential of this method to improve the reliability and repeatability of assessment which motivates us for further development of automatic tool for EBL method.
|
|
| 30. |
- Kiruja, J., et al.
(författare)
-
Maternal near-miss and death incidences – Frequencies, causes and the referral chain in Somaliland : A pilot study using the WHO near-miss approach
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Sexual & Reproductive HealthCare. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-5756 .- 1877-5764. ; 12, s. 30-36
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Somaliland is a self-declared country with a population of 3.5 million. Most of its population reside in rural areas. The objective of this pilot near-miss study was to monitor the frequency and causes of maternal near-miss and deaths and the referral chain for women to access Skilled Birth Attendants (SBA). Method: A facility-based study of all maternal near-miss and mortality cases over 5 months using the WHO near-miss tool in a main referral hospital. Reasons for bypassing the Antenatal Care facility (ANC) and late arrival to the referral hospital were investigated through verbal autopsy. Results: One hundred and thirty-eight (138) women with severe maternal complications were identified: 120 maternal near-miss, 18 maternal deaths. There were more near-miss cases on arrival (74.2%) compared with events that developed inside the hospital (25.8%). Likewise, there were more maternal deaths (77.8%) on arrival than was the case during hospitalization (22.2%). The most common mode of referral among maternal near-miss events was family referrals (66.7%). Of 18 maternal deaths, 15 were family referrals. Reasons for bypassing ANC were as follows: lack of confidence in the service provided; lack of financial resources; and lack of time to visit ANC. Reasons for late arrival to the referral hospital were as follows: lack of knowledge and transportation; and poor communication. Conclusion and clinical implication: To increase the utilization of ANC might indirectly lower the number of near-miss and death events. Collaboration between ANC staff and referral hospital staff and a more comprehensive near-miss project are proposed. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.
|
|
| 31. |
|
|
| 32. |
|
|
| 33. |
|
|
| 34. |
|
|
| 35. |
- Levitsky, A., et al.
(författare)
-
Serum survivin predicts responses to treatment in active rheumatoid arthritis: a post hoc analysis from the SWEFOT trial
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Bmc Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1741-7015. ; 13
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The identification of biomarkers that predict optimal and individual choices of treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis gains increasing attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the proto-oncogene survivin might aid in treatment decisions in early rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Serum survivin levels were measured in 302 patients who completed the Swedish pharmacotherapy (SWEFOT) trial at baseline, 3, 12, and 24 months. Survivin levels > 0.45 ng/mL were considered positive. Based on the survivin status, core set outcomes measuring disease activity, functional disability, as well as global health and pain were evaluated after methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy at 3 months, and at 12 and 24 months of follow-up. Treatment of non-responders was randomly intensified with either a combination of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (triple therapy: MTX, sulfasalazine, and hydroxychloroquine) or by adding antibodies against tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF). Results: Antirheumatic treatment resulted in an overall decrease of serum survivin levels. Survivin-positive patients at baseline who initially responded to MTX had a higher risk of disease re-activation (OR 3.21 (95 % CI 1.12-9.24), P = 0.032) and failed to improve in their functional disability (P = 0.018) if having continued on MTX monotherapy compared to survivin-negative patients. Ever-smokers who were survivin-positive were less likely to respond to MTX than those who were survivin-negative (OR 1.91 (1.01-3.62), P = 0.045). In survivin-positive patients, triple therapy led to better improvements in disease activity than did MTX+anti-TNF. At 24 months, survivin-positive patients randomized to anti-TNF had a higher risk of active disease than those randomized to triple therapy (OR 3.15 (1.09-9.10), P = 0.037). Discussion: We demonstrate for the first time that survivin is a valuable serologic marker that can distinguish drugspecific clinical responses in early rheumatoid arthritis through the pragmatic clinical setting of the care-based SWEFOT trial. Although treatment response cannot solely be attributable to survivin status, per protocol sensitivity analyses confirmed the superior effect of triple therapy on survivin-positive patients. Conclusions: Survivin-positive patients have poor outcomes if treated with MTX monotherapy. A decrease of survivin levels during treatment is associated with better clinical responses. For survivin-positive patients who fail MTX, triple therapy is associated with better outcomes than anti-TNF therapy.
|
|
| 36. |
|
|
| 37. |
- López Durán, Veronica, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
-
Novel, Cellulose-Based, Lightweight, Wet-Resilient Materials with Tunable Porosity, Density, and Strength
- 2018
-
Ingår i: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2168-0485. ; 6:8, s. 9951-9957
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Highly porous materials with low density were developed from chemically modified cellulose fibers using solvent-exchange and air drying. Periodate oxidation was initially performed to introduce aldehydes into the cellulose chain, which were then further oxidized to carboxyl groups by chlorite oxidation. Low-density materials were finally achieved by a second periodate oxidation under which the fibers self-assembled into porous fibrous networks. Following a solvent exchange to acetone, these networks could be air-dried without shrinkage. The properties of the materials were tuned by mechanical mixing with a high intensity mixer for different times prior to the second periodate oxidation, which resulted in porosities between 94.4% and 96.3% (i.e., densities between 54 and 82 kg/m(3)). The compressive strength of the materials was between 400 and 1600 kPa in the dry state and between 20 and 50 kPa in the wet state. It was also observed that in the wet state the fiber networks could be compressed up to 80% while still being able to recover their shape. These networks are highly interesting for use in different types of absorption products, and since they also have a high wet integrity, they can be modified with physical methods for different high-value-added end-use applications.
|
|
| 38. |
- Lukumay, Gift G., et al.
(författare)
-
Provision of post-crash first aid by traffic police in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania : a cross-sectional survey
- 2018
-
Ingår i: BMC Emergency Medicine. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-227X. ; 18
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The availability of prehospital trauma care is an important means of reducing serious injuries and fatalities associated with road traffic injuries (RTIs). Lay responders such as traffic police play an important role in the provision of prehospital trauma care to RTI victims, especially where there is no established prehospital care system. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate knowledge, self-reported practice, and attitudes toward post-crash first aid among traffic police officers in Tanzania. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania between July-September 2017 to investigate knowledge, self-reported practice and attitude among traffic police officers during provision of post-crash care. We used simple random technique to recruit 340 traffic police officers, self -administered questionnaires were used to collect data. The researchers used descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square tests to analyze the data.Results: A total of 340 traffic police officers were surveyed. Nearly two thirds (65.3%) reported having had post-crash first aid on-the job training; a slightly larger proportion (70.9%) reported that they had cared for RTI victims in the previous year. The survey responses showed that, generally, traffic police officers' level of knowledge about post-crash first aid to RTI victims was low-about 3% of the surveyed officers possessed knowledge at a level considered good. Also, there was a statistically significant correlation between higher educational attainment and greater knowledgeability (p = 0.015). Almost all of the officers (96%) had a positive attitude toward providing post-crash first aid to RTI victims.Conclusions: Improved training of Tanzania traffic police officers, by means of an updated post-crash first aid curriculum and updated resources is recommended. Also, user-friendly post-crash first aid leaflets should be provided to traffic police for their reference.
|
|
| 39. |
- Mattebo, Magdalena, et al.
(författare)
-
Perspectives on adolescent girls’ health-seeking behaviour in relation to sexual and reproductive health in Nepal
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Sexual & Reproductive HealthCare. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-5756 .- 1877-5764. ; 20, s. 7-12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AimTo explore health care providers’ perspectives on adolescent girls’ health-seeking behaviour in Nepal in relation to their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Twenty health-care providers were included in this interview study. Ethical approval was obtained from the Nepal Health Research Council.FindingsThe main category ‘Barriers affect adolescent girls’ health-seeking behaviour in relation to their sexual and reproductive health’ was divided into five categories: a conservative society with social stigma; lack of information, education and knowledge; lack of facilities and respectful care; insufficient confidentiality and privacy; and unmet needs of adolescent-friendly facilities.ConclusionsLack of knowledge among adolescent girls and unmet needs of adolescent-friendly facilities affect their access to sexual and reproductive health care in Nepal. Lack of knowledge could be seen as a barrier, and as a reason why adolescent girls do not seek sexual and reproductive health care.
|
|
| 40. |
- Michiels, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
-
Diagnostic Criteria for Somatosensory Tinnitus : A Delphi Process and Face-to-Face Meeting to Establish Consensus.
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Trends in hearing. - : Sage Publications. - 2331-2165. ; 22
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since somatic or somatosensory tinnitus (ST) was first described as a subtype of subjective tinnitus, where altered somatosensory afference from the cervical spine or temporomandibular area causes or changes a patient's tinnitus perception, several studies in humans and animals have provided a neurophysiological explanation for this type of tinnitus. Due to a lack of unambiguous clinical tests, many authors and clinicians use their own criteria for diagnosing ST. This resulted in large differences in prevalence figures in different studies and limits the comparison of clinical trials on ST treatment. This study aimed to reach an international consensus on diagnostic criteria for ST among experts, scientists and clinicians using a Delphi survey and face-to-face consensus meeting strategy. Following recommended procedures to gain expert consensus, a two-round Delphi survey was delivered online, followed by an in-person consensus meeting. Experts agreed upon a set of criteria that strongly suggest ST. These criteria comprise items on somatosensory modulation, specific tinnitus characteristics, and symptoms that can accompany the tinnitus. None of these criteria have to be present in every single patient with ST, but in case they are present, they strongly suggest the presence of ST. Because of the international nature of the survey, we expect these criteria to gain wide acceptance in the research field and to serve as a guideline for clinicians across all disciplines. Criteria developed in this consensus paper should now allow further investigation of the extent of somatosensory influence in individual tinnitus patients and tinnitus populations.
|
|
| 41. |
- Säwen, Petter, et al.
(författare)
-
Murine HSCs contribute actively to native hematopoiesis but with reduced differentiation capacity upon aging
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Elife. - 2050-084X. ; 7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A hallmark of adult hematopoiesis is the continuous replacement of blood cells with limited lifespans. While active hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) contribution to multilineage hematopoiesis is the foundation of clinical HSC transplantation, recent reports have questioned the physiological contribution of HSCs to normal/steady-state adult hematopoiesis. Here, we use inducible lineage tracing from genetically marked adult HSCs and reveal robust HSC-derived multilineage hematopoiesis. This commences via defined progenitor cells, but varies substantially in between different hematopoietic lineages. By contrast, adult HSC contribution to hematopoietic cells with proposed fetal origins is neglible. Finally, we establish that the HSC contribution to multilineage hematopoiesis declines with increasing age. Therefore, while HSCs are active contributors to native adult hematopoiesis, it appears that the numerical increase of HSCs is a physiologically relevant compensatory mechanism to account for their reduced differentiation capacity with age.
|
|
| 42. |
- Wang-Erlandsson, Lan, et al.
(författare)
-
Global root zone storage capacity from satellite-based evaporation
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1027-5606 .- 1607-7938. ; 20:4, s. 1459-1481
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study presents an "Earth observation-based" method for estimating root zone storage capacity – a critical, yet uncertain parameter in hydrological and land surface modelling. By assuming that vegetation optimises its root zone storage capacity to bridge critical dry periods, we were able to use state-of-the-art satellite-based evaporation data computed with independent energy balance equations to derive gridded root zone storage capacity at global scale. This approach does not require soil or vegetation information, is model independent, and is in principle scale independent. In contrast to a traditional look-up table approach, our method captures the variability in root zone storage capacity within land cover types, including in rainforests where direct measurements of root depths otherwise are scarce. Implementing the estimated root zone storage capacity in the global hydrological model STEAM (Simple Terrestrial Evaporation to Atmosphere Model) improved evaporation simulation overall, and in particular during the least evaporating months in sub-humid to humid regions with moderate to high seasonality. Our results suggest that several forest types are able to create a large storage to buffer for severe droughts (with a very long return period), in contrast to, for example, savannahs and woody savannahs (medium length return period), as well as grasslands, shrublands, and croplands (very short return period). The presented method to estimate root zone storage capacity eliminates the need for poor resolution soil and rooting depth data that form a limitation for achieving progress in the global land surface modelling community.
|
|
| 43. |
|
|
