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Rationale: Cardiovascular drugs may improve survival in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, previous studies did not account for major sources of bias, and drug effects have not been evaluated in severe COPD. Objectives: To estimate the time-dependent effects of cardiovascular drugs on survival in oxygen-dependent COPD, accounting for immortal and immeasurable time bias. Methods

Purification of cardiomyocytes from the embryonic mouse heart, embryonic stem (ES) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) is a challenging task and will require specific isolation procedures. Lately the significance of surface markers for the isolation of cardiac cell populations with fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) has been acknowledged, and the hunt for cardiac specific markers has i

Managing risk using an “all-hazards” and “whole of society”-approach involves extensive communication of risk descriptions among many stakeholders. In the present study we investigate how professionals working with disaster risk management in such contexts perceive the usefulness of different descriptions of risk. Empirical data from the Swedish disaster risk management system were used in an atte

To estimate the effects of smoking, gender and occupational exposure on the risk of developing severe pulmonary fibrosis (PF), including dose-response and interaction effects.

An obstetrical paradox is that maternal smoking is protective for the development of preeclampsia. However, there are no prior studies investigating the risk of preeclampsia in women who were exposed to tobacco smoking during their own fetal period. We aimed to study the subsequent risk of preeclampsia in women who were exposed to tobacco smoke in utero, using a national population-based register.

Objectives Evidence suggests that certain occupations and related exposures may increase the risk of malignant lymphoma. Farming, printing and paper industry, wood processing, meat handling and processing, welding, shoe and leather manufacturing and teaching profession are among the categories that have been implicated in previous studies. The relationship between occupation and malignant lymphoma

Background: Plasmodium falciparum transmission has decreased significantly in Zambia in the last decade. The malaria transmission is influenced by environmental variables. Incorporation of environmental variables in models of malaria transmission likely improves model fit and predicts probable trends in malaria disease. This work is based on the hypothesis that remotely-sensed environmental factor

In embryonic stem cells, removal of oxidatively damaged proteins is triggered upon the first signs of cell fate specification but the underlying mechanism is not known. Here, we report that this phase of differentiation encompasses an unexpected induction of genes encoding the proteasome activator PA28 alpha beta (11S), subunits of the immunoproteasome (20Si), and the 20Si regulator TNF alpha. Thi

Background: More than 90 immunologically distinct serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae exist, and it is not fully elucidated whether the serotype is a risk factor for severity of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Our hypothesis is that serotypes differ in their capacity to cause septic shock. Methods: We performed a retrospective study in Southern Sweden based upon 513 patients with IPD in the

Background. Methylmalonic acid (MMA), a sensitive biomarker of functional vitamin B12 deficiency, is commonly determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods using manual extraction and derivatization of MMA to reduce polarity prior to separation. Methods. In the present study we introduce a semi-automated extraction o

Thirty-eight adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) underwent reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) in Sweden between 1999 and 2007. The cumulative incidences of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grades II-IV and chronic GVHD were 29% and 47%, respectively. Rates of non-relapse mortality, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall sur

The use of nanoparticles in consumer products, for example, cosmetics, sunscreens, and electrical devices, has increased tremendously over the past decade despite insufficient knowledge about their effects on human health and ecosystem function. Moreover, the amount of plastic waste products that enter natural ecosystems, such as oceans and lakes, is increasing, and degradation of the disposed pla

Background The existence of multiple subsets of chronic lymphocytic leukemia expressing 'stereotyped' B-cell receptors implies the involvement of antigen(s) in leukemogenesis. Studies also indicate that 'stereotypy' may influence the clinical course of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, for example, in subsets with stereotyped IGHV3-21 and IGHV4-34 B-cell receptors; however, little is kno

The Swedish National Register for Systemic Treatment of Psoriasis (PsoReg) was established in 2006. This article analyzes the implementation phase of biologics in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in Sweden in the period 2006-2012. Clinical studies have shown efficacy of biologic agents in psoriasis, but their relative effectiveness in real-world clinical practice has rarely been studi

Swedish Health and Medical Services act states that good care should be given to the entire population on equal terms. Still studies show that access to care in Sweden differ related to for example gender and socioeconomic variables. One of the areas in Swedish health care that has attracted attention for potential inequity in access is Cataract Extraction (CE). Previous studies of access to CE in

Natural killer (NK) cells represent the third lymphoid lineage playing important role against viral infections and cancer. In contrast to B and T cell development where both cellular and regulatory pathways are well established, the development of NK cells from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is poorly understood. Although bone marrow (BM) represents the main site for postnatal NK cell development

Mesenchymal stroma cells (MSCs) have a high potential for novel cell therapy approaches in clinical transplantation. Commonly used bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs), however, have a restricted proliferative capacity and cultures are difficult to standardize. Recently developed human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stroma cells (hES-MSCs) might represent an alternative and unlimited source