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BACKGROUND: Prognostic stratification is essential for guiding treatment and follow-up in cutaneous melanoma. Previous international studies suggest that patients with localized stage IIB and IIC melanoma have poorer survival rates than those with lymph node involvement in stage IIIA. Nevertheless, Swedish guidelines still recommend less frequent follow-up for stage II than for stage III melanoma
BACKGROUND: Low anterior resection syndrome is common after sphincter-sparing surgery, but it is unclear to what extent anastomotic leakage after anterior resection contributes to this condition. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the long-term effect of anastomotic leakage on the occurrence of major low anterior resection syndrome. DESIGN: This is a retrospective observational cohort s
The gastrointestinal mucosa is one of the most rapidly proliferating tissues in the body, and serves as a barrier to luminal bacteria and toxins. Enteral nutrition, luminal fiber and probiotics are of crucial importance for the integrity of this barrier. We examined the potential beneficial effects of lactobacilli and fiber on methotrexate-induced enterocolitis and radiation-induced intestinal inj
BACKGROUND. Recently, the gene for cysteine-rich secretory protein 3 (CRISP-3) was reported to be highly upregulated in prostate cancer (PCa) compared to benign prostatic tissue. The current aims were to investigate diagnostic use of tissue expression and immunodetection in serum of CRISP-3 for detection or monitoring of PCa. METHODS. Radical prostatectomy specimens and tissue microarrays from tra
Pre-treatment serum levels of sCD163 were measured in a cohort of 236 suspected tuberculosis (TB) cases from Guinea-Bissau, with a median follow-up period of 3.3 years (range 0-6.4 years). In 113 cases, the diagnosis of TB was verified by positive sputum microscopy and/or culture. Among the verified TB cases, a decreased survival rate was found in 27 patients with sCD163 levels above the upper ref
Background: Although studies have shown associations between neighbourhood quality and chronic disease outcomes, such associations are potentially confounded by the selection of different types of people into different neighbourhood environments. We sought to identify the causal effects of neighbourhood deprivation on type 2 diabetes risk, by comparing refugees in Sweden who were actively disperse
Objectives To describe the incidence of atrioventricular (AV) block II-III, atrial fibrillation (AF), pacemaker implantation (PM) and aortic regurgitation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) compared with the general population (GP) and with each other. Methods A prospective nationwide study with cohorts of patients
Popular Abstract in Swedish Antikroppar är viktiga beståndsdelar av det naturliga immunförsvaret som skyddar oss mot smittämnen, såsom bakterier och virus. Utvecklingen av olika genetiska och biokemiska teknologier har dessutom möjliggjort användningen av antikroppar för en mängd ändmål, bl a för diagnostik och behandling av infektionssjukdomar och cancer. I denna avhandling, som bygger på fem vetAntibodies are key players of the immune system in higher vertebrates, which provide a defense against potentially lethal threats from the environment. Besides their importance in the immune defense, antibodies have a great potential as reagents in biological chemistry and diagnostics, and as therapeutic agents against both infectious diseases and cancer. Despite tremendous advances in all fields
Induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies, such as the monoclonal antibodies IgGb12, 2F5 and 2G12, is the objective of most antibody-based HIV-1 vaccine undertakings. However, despite the relative conserved nature of epitopes targeted by these antibodies, mechanisms underlying the sensitivity of circulating HIV-1 variants to broadly neutralizing antibodies are not fully understood. Here we have
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) employs various strategies to modulate host immune responses to facilitate its persistence in macrophages. The Mtb cell wall contains numerous glycoproteins with unknown role in pathogenesis. Here, by using concavalinA and LC-MS analysis we identified a novel mannosylated glycoprotein phosphoribosyl- transferase, encoded by the Rv3242c, from Mtb cell walls. Homolog
Variation in transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2), the strongest genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), may play a role in prostate cancer (PCa) depending on lifestyle factors. The aims of this study were to determine if TCF7L2 rs7903146 is associated with risk of PCa and if the association is modified by lifestyle factors independently of T2D status.
Exposure to Ljungan virus (LV) is implicated in the risk of autoimmune (type 1) diabetes but possible contribution by other parechoviruses is not ruled out. The aim was to compare children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2005-2011 (n = 69) with healthy controls (n = 294), all from the Jämtland County in Sweden, using an exploratory suspension multiplex immunoassay for IgM and IgG against 26 pept
Background: Ten to 30% of HIV-1 infected subjects develop broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) during chronic infection. We hypothesized that immunizing rabbits with viral envelope glycoproteins (Envs) from these patients may induce bNAbs, when formulated as a trimeric protein and in the presence of an adjuvant. Methods: Based on in vitro neutralizing activity in serum, patients with bNAbs were
Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus pyogenes are two related human pathogens causing different diseases. This thesis focuses on a number of surface proteins expressed by S. agalactiae and S. pyogenes and, more specifically, the molecular and biological characterization of these proteins. The first paper describes the novel Blr protein of S. agalactiae, which together with the previously de
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited disorder characterized by recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. CGD results from defective production of reactive oxygen species by phagocytes caused by mutations in genes encoding the NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) complex subunits. Mice with a spontaneous mutation in Ncf1, which encodes the NCF1 (p47(Phox)) subunit of NOX2, have d
The HAMLET family of compounds (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumours) was discovered during studies on the properties of human milk, and is a class of protein-lipid complexes having broad spectrum anti-cancer, and some specific anti-bacterial properties. The structure of HAMLET-like compounds consists of an aggregation of partially unfolded protein making up the majority of the compound'
Background: Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is recommended to be given at birth together with BCG vaccine. While we were conducting two trials including low-birth-weight (LBW) and normal-birth-weight (NBW) infants in Guinea-Bissau, OPV was not available during some periods and therefore some infants did not receive OPV at birth, but only BCG. We investigated the effect of OPV given simultaneously with BC
Malaria is a major global cause of deaths and a vaccine is urgently needed.
Glycoprotein B (gB) is a major component in several vaccines that are under development for prevention of disease by cytomegalovirus. It contains multiple determinants that are targets for neutralizing antibodies. One of them is site I of antigenic domain 2 (AD-2). The epitope, defined by short peptides, is quite conserved between different isolates. However, it is poorly immunogenic in natural in
