Publications by authors named "Alm J"

Introduction: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the leading cause of disability in the United States and is associated with a steadily increasing burden of healthcare expenditures. Given this trend, it is essential to evaluate interventions aimed at reducing disability and optimizing healthcare utilization (HCU) in affected populations. This study investigates the impact of prior spinal surgery on functional outcomes and HCU patterns following high-frequency (10 kHz) spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy.

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  • - The study focused on the use of endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) to treat recurrent varicose veins after small saphenous vein (SSV) surgery, analyzing its feasibility and initial results in 40 patients.
  • - Out of 45 EVLA procedures, there was a 97.8% immediate technical success rate, but 13.3% of limbs experienced further issues requiring additional treatment within a median follow-up period of 77 days.
  • - The majority of patients had complex vein anatomy, but no significant complications arose that required further medical intervention, demonstrating that EVLA is a promising option for managing recurrent varicose veins.
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Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) serum levels reflect osteoclast number, bone remodeling activity, and fracture risk. Deletion or loss of function of TRAP results in short stature in mice and man. Yet, the impact and mechanisms of TRAP for the site- and sex-specific development of bone and cartilage is not well understood.

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Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a well-established treatment for patients with chronic pain. With increasing healthcare costs, it is important to determine the benefits of SCS in healthcare utilization (HCU). This retrospective, single-center observational study involved 160 subjects who underwent implantation of a high-frequency (10 kHz) SCS device.

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Psoriatic arthritis mutilans (PAM) is the rarest and most severe form of psoriatic arthritis, characterized by erosions of the small joints and osteolysis leading to joint disruption. Despite its severity, the underlying mechanisms are unknown, and no susceptibility genes have hitherto been identified. We aimed to investigate the genetic basis of PAM by performing massive parallel sequencing in sixty-one patients from the PAM Nordic cohort.

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Perturbation of angiogenesis is associated with a variety of diseases and pro- as well as antiangiogenic therapies are being actively explored. Additionally, unintended adverse drug effects on angiogenesis might lead to promotion of tumor progression and cardiovascular complications. Several tri-dimensional microfluidic vessel-on-chip systems have been described that allow a more accurate investigation of vascular physiology and pathology, compared to the two-dimensional static culture of endothelial cells.

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Introduction: The use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy to treat chronic pain continues to rise. Optimal patient selection remains one of the most important factors for SCS success. However, despite increased utilization and the existence of general indications, predicting which patients will benefit from neuromodulation remains one of the main challenges for this therapy.

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Introduction: Women with pelvic pain commonly report pain in their ovaries, vagina, uterus, or bladder. These symptoms may be caused by visceral genitourinary pain syndromes but also may be caused by musculoskeletal disorders of the abdomen and pelvis. Understanding neuroanatomical and musculoskeletal factors that may contribute to genitourinary pain is important for evaluation and management.

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  • - Vaccination provides significant protection against severe COVID-19 variants like omicron but is less effective at preventing initial infections; a study of 368 triple vaccinated healthcare workers observed a 22% infection rate among participants.
  • - High serum antibody levels were linked to better protection against infection, as indicated by a lower viral load and quicker viral clearance in qPCR positive cases.
  • - Previous infection with non-omicron variants improves protection against omicron, mainly through mucosal spike-specific IgA responses, while only 10% of those infected remained asymptomatic.
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Background: The effects of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) on the infant microbiome remain unclear. Swedish pilot cohort study to assess the longitudinal effect of long-term PPI on the infant gut microbiome, including ten newborn infants operated for esophageal atresia exposed to PPIs (mean 57 weeks), compared to healthy one-year-old controls. All children were born vaginally and were otherwise healthy.

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Objective: While the effect of triamcinolone acetonide extended-release (TA-ER) on reducing knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain has been reported, the effects on physical performance are incompletely understood. This open label clinical trial systematically evaluated the effects of intra-articular TA-ER on physical performance, self-reported function, and quality of life in participants with bilateral symptomatic knee OA 6, 12 (primary) and 24 weeks following bilateral injection of TA-ER (32 ​mg).

Methods: Seventy participants were enrolled (61.

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  • Shoulder and neck pain is a major global disability, with rotator cuff issues linked to this discomfort; however, the role of the lower trapezius muscle is often overlooked despite its contribution to such pain.
  • This systematic review examines differences in lower trapezius function between individuals with shoulder or neck pain and those without, utilizing various assessment tools to gather data from multiple studies.
  • Results showed that individuals with shoulder and neck pain exhibited decreased muscle strength and delayed muscle activation in the lower trapezius, highlighting the need for further research to clarify the impact of pain duration and type on muscle function.
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Introduction: Women with pelvic pain commonly report pain in their ovaries, vagina, uterus, or bladder. These symptoms may be caused by visceral genitourinary pain syndromes but also may be caused by musculoskeletal disorders of the abdomen and pelvis. Understanding neuroanatomical and musculoskeletal factors that may contribute to genitourinary pain is important for evaluation and management.

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Myofascial pain and myofascial pain syndromes are among some of the most common acute and chronic pain conditions. Many interventional procedures can be performed in both an acute and chronic pain setting to address myofascial pain syndromes. Trigger point injections can be performed with or without imaging guidance such as fluoroscopy and ultrasound; however, the use of imaging in years past has been recommended to improve patient outcome and safety.

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Most cases of fetal and neonatal thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) are caused by maternal anti-human platelet antigen-1a antibodies (anti-HPA-1a). Anti-HPA-5b antibodies are the second most common antibodies in suspected FNAIT cases. Given the high prevalence of anti-HPA-5b antibodies in pregnant women delivering healthy newborns, the association with FNAIT may be coincidental.

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Background: Changes in immune cell composition during the immunological window within the first years after birth are not fully understood, especially the effect that different lifestyles might have on immune cell functionality.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from mothers and their children at birth and at two anvd five years were analyzed by mass cytometry. Immune cell composition and functionality was analyzed according to family lifestyle (anthroposophic and non-anthroposophic).

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Reliable, robust, large-scale molecular testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential for monitoring the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We have developed a scalable analytical approach to detect viral proteins based on peptide immuno-affinity enrichment combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This is a multiplexed strategy, based on targeted proteomics analysis and read-out by LC-MS, capable of precisely quantifying and confirming the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) swab media from combined throat/nasopharynx/saliva samples.

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Purpose: Little is known about the longitudinal development of different plasma protein levels during early childhood and particularly in relation to lifestyle factors. This study aimed to monitor the plasma proteome early in life and the influence of different lifestyles.

Experimental Design: A multiplex bead-based immunoassay was used to analyze plasma levels of 97 proteins in 280 blood samples longitudinally collected in children at 6, 12, 24, and 60 months of age living in families with an anthroposophic (n = 15), partly anthroposophic (n = 27), or non-anthroposophic (n = 28) lifestyle.

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