Publications by authors named "Backman J"

Carbonaceous aerosols (CA), composed of black carbon (BC) and organic matter (OM), significantly impact the climate. Light absorption properties of CA, particularly of BC and brown carbon (BrC), are crucial due to their contribution to global and regional warming. We present the absorption properties of BC (b) and BrC (b) inferred using Aethalometer data from 44 European sites covering different environments (traffic (TR), urban (UB), suburban (SUB), regional background (RB) and mountain (M)).

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Transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis is a progressive disorder characterized by peripheral neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction, and cardiomyopathy. The precise mechanism by which TTR misfolds and forms fibrils in vivo remains incompletely understood, posing challenges to the development of effective therapeutics. In this study, we reveal that the recently identified nonnative pathological species of TTR (NNTTR), which is enriched in the plasma of ttr-val30met gene carriers, exhibits strong amyloidogenic properties, making it a promising therapeutic target.

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  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of heart failure, and this study analyzes genetic factors by examining 14,256 DCM cases and 36,203 participants from the UK Biobank for related traits.
  • Researchers discovered 80 genomic risk loci and pinpointed 62 potential effector genes tied to DCM, including some linked to rare variants.
  • The study uses advanced transcriptomics to explore how cellular functions contribute to DCM, showing that polygenic scores can help predict the disease in the general population and emphasize the importance of genetic testing and development of precise treatments.
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In vitro evidence shows that the acyl--D-glucuronide metabolite of candesartan inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C8 with an inhibition constant of 7.12 M. We investigated the effect of candesartan on the plasma concentrations and glucose-lowering effect of repaglinide, a sensitive clinical CYP2C8 index substrate.

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Current genetic research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) supports contributions to risk specifically from common single nucleotide variants (SNVs), along with rare coding SNVs and small insertion-deletions (indels). The contribution to OCD risk from rare copy number variants (CNVs), however, has not been formally assessed at a similar scale. Here we describe an analysis of rare CNVs called from genotype array data in 2248 deeply phenotyped OCD cases and 3608 unaffected controls from Sweden and Norway.

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  • Researchers studied how different genetic variations in the CYP2D6 enzyme affect the body's ability to metabolize codeine into morphine, which is vital for determining pain relief and potential side effects.
  • A clinical trial involving 1000 patients was conducted, where their CYP2D6 genotypes were analyzed after they were given a standard dose of codeine, and the relationship between their genetic makeup and morphine exposure was modeled.
  • The results showed that individuals with certain genetic variations (like CYP2D6*10 and *41) had less effective metabolism of codeine, leading to significantly higher or lower morphine levels in the bloodstream, highlighting the importance of genetic testing for safer opioid prescribing.
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Gene-based burden tests are a popular and powerful approach for analysis of exome-wide association studies. These approaches combine sets of variants within a gene into a single burden score that is then tested for association. Typically, a range of burden scores are calculated and tested across a range of annotation classes and frequency bins.

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Whole-genome sequencing (WGS), whole-exome sequencing (WES) and array genotyping with imputation (IMP) are common strategies for assessing genetic variation and its association with medically relevant phenotypes. To date, there has been no systematic empirical assessment of the yield of these approaches when applied to hundreds of thousands of samples to enable the discovery of complex trait genetic signals. Using data for 100 complex traits from 149,195 individuals in the UK Biobank, we systematically compare the relative yield of these strategies in genetic association studies.

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Background: Symptom reduction occurring early in depression treatment is associated with favourable post-treatment outcome, but it is not known how early reduction in specific depression symptoms affect treatment outcome. We aimed to determine the impact of symptom-specific change from pre-treatment to week four during internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) on overall and symptom-specific depression severity at post-treatment. We hypothesized that change in mood and emotional involvement would be most strongly associated with later overall depression severity.

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  • The genetic factors contributing to stroke risk in South Asians remain largely unstudied, with a recent study examining 75,000 Pakistanis using exome-wide sequencing.
  • A specific genetic variant, NOTCH3 p.Arg1231Cys, was found to be more common in South Asians (0.58%) compared to Western Europeans (0.019%) and was significantly linked to hemorrhagic and overall stroke risk.
  • This variant accounts for about 2.0% of hemorrhagic strokes and 1.1% of all strokes in South Asians, emphasizing the importance of including diverse populations in genetic research for better understanding and treatment of stroke.
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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated drug-drug interaction (DDI) potential of kinase inhibitors with warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

Methods: An in vitro CYP probe substrate cocktail assay was used to study the inhibitory effects of fifteen kinase inhibitors on CYP2C9, 3A, and 1A2. Then, DDI predictions were performed using both mechanistic static and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models.

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Background: Small songbirds respond and adapt to various geographical barriers during their annual migration. Global flyways reveal the diverse migration strategies in response to different geographical barriers, among which are high-elevation plateaus. However, few studies have been focused on the largest and highest plateau in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) which poses a significant barrier to migratory passerines.

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Digital twins have been gaining an immense interest in various fields over the last decade. Bringing conventional process simulation models into (near) real time are thought to provide valuable insights for operators, decision makers, and stakeholders in many industries. The objective of this paper is to describe two methods for implementing digital twins at water resource recovery facilities and highlight and discuss their differences and preferable use situations, with focus on the automated data transfer from the real process.

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  • Researchers analyzed genetic data from nearly 1 million individuals to create a comprehensive catalogue of human protein-coding variations, shedding light on gene function and the frequency of rare coding variants.
  • The study identified over 10 million missense and 1.1 million loss-of-function variants, discovering 1,751 novel genes with rare biallelic loss-of-function variants and 3,988 genes intolerant to these variants.
  • They estimate that 3% of people carry a clinically significant genetic variant and provide public access to their data to enhance genetic interpretation and support precision medicine.
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Math difficulties (MDs) occur in about 3-7 % of children and have been associated with academic, health, and occupational challenges. To date, findings about the role of working memory in MDs have been conflicting. The Automated Working Memory Assessment Battery (AWMA), which assesses all components of Baddeley and Hitch's model of working memory, was used to investigate which component of the model was most related to math calculation skills in elementary-school children.

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Background & Aims: Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) is a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of liver fibrosis. It is uncertain if LSM can predict risk for future liver-related outcomes in large, heterogenous populations.

Methods: This Swedish multi-centre cohort study included patients (n = 14 414) from 16 sites who underwent LSM by VCTE between 2008 and 2020.

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Our aim was to evaluate biomarkers for organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) function using a hypothesis-free metabolomics approach. We analyzed fasting plasma samples from 356 healthy volunteers using non-targeted metabolite profiling by liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry. Based on SLCO1B1 genotypes, we stratified the volunteers to poor, decreased, normal, increased, and highly increased OATP1B1 function groups.

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  • A study involving 158 healthy volunteers identified genetic variants in SLCO1B1, UGT1A3, LPP, and CYP3A4 that influence the pharmacokinetics of atorvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug.
  • The SLCO1B1 c.521T>C variant was linked to significantly higher exposure levels of atorvastatin and its metabolites, while the LPP rs1975991 variant was associated with lower exposure.
  • Findings suggest varying genetic profiles among individuals can lead to differences in how atorvastatin is processed by the body, highlighting the importance of personalized medicine in drug administration.
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Background And Aims: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has a variable effect on cholesterol synthesis. To clarify this, we assessed the effect of HCQ on the cholesterol-synthesis pathway in individuals with low and high cholesterol absorption efficiency.

Method: A total of 53 acute myocardial infarction patients with a constant statin dose randomized to receive HCQ or placebo for six months in a double-blind manner, were classified further into low (n = 26) and high (n = 27) cholesterol absorbers based on the median baseline serum cholestanol level.

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Time-dependent inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes has been observed for a few glucuronide metabolites of clinically used drugs. Here, we investigated the inhibitory potential of 16 glucuronide metabolites towards nine major CYP enzymes in vitro. Automated substrate cocktail methods were used to screen time-dependent inhibition of CYP1A2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2J2 and 3A in human liver microsomes.

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Aims: Ibrutinib is used in the treatment of certain B-cell malignancies. Due to its CYP3A4-mediated metabolism and highly variable pharmacokinetics, it is prone to potentially harmful drug-drug interactions.

Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, three-phase crossover study, we examined the effect of the CYP3A4-inhibiting antifungal posaconazole on ibrutinib pharmacokinetics.

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The incidence of fatal adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in hospitals varies widely, and ADRs are often underreported. The impact of medical safety processes is not easily evaluated, and although medical practice changes constantly, little is known about ADR trends. This study concentrated on the current incidence and properties of fatal ADRs occurring in a university hospital and compared the results with two previous studies performed in the same hospital.

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  • The Mexico City Prospective Study is a large-scale research initiative involving over 150,000 adults from urban areas in Mexico City, aimed at understanding genetic diversity and ancestry.
  • The study reveals a mix of Indigenous American, European, and African ancestries among participants, highlighting significant genetic differences and a unique genetic landscape within the Indigenous Mexican population.
  • Researchers created a valuable reference panel for genetic research, improving the accuracy of studying genetic variants in populations with high Indigenous ancestry, and providing essential resources for future genetic studies in both Mexico and the US.
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