Survival of Eurasian lynx in the human-dominated landscape of Europe.

Survival and cause-specific mortality rates are vital for evidence-based population forecasting and conservation, particularly for large carnivores, whose populations are often vulnerable to human-caused mortalities. It is therefore important to know the relationship between anthropogenic and natural mortality causes to evaluate whether they are additive or compensatory. Further, the relation between survival and environmental covariates could reveal whether specific landscape characteristics influence demographic performance.

High leptin levels in blood are associated with chronic widespread pain in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: High body mass index (BMI) has been shown to have an association with chronic widespread pain (CWP), both in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in other pain conditions such as fibromyalgia. Research on the adipose tissue and it's adipokines, for example the well described leptin, is emerging. The objective of this study was to determine if there is an association between leptin levels in blood and CWP in patients with RA.

Precarious employment, strenuous working conditions and the long-term risk of diagnosed chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of precarious employment (PE) on the risk of diagnosed chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among Swedish workers in occupations with strenuous working conditions.

Methods: This nationwide register-based cohort study included workers registered as living in Sweden in 2005, aged 21-60 at the 2010 baseline. Three samples were included: workers with high biomechanical workload (n=680 841), repetitive work (n=659 422) or low job control (n=703 645).

Large-scale systematic review support for guideline development in diabetes precision medicine.

Background: Involving librarians as team members can lead to better quality in reviews. To improve their search results, an international diabetes project involved two medical librarians in a large-scale project planning of a series of systematic reviews for clinical guidelines in diabetes precision medicine.

Case Presentation: The precision diabetes project was divided into teams.

Evaluating the quality of multiple-choice question pilot database: A global educator-created tool for concept-based pharmacology learning.

The Core Concepts of Pharmacology (CCP) initiative is developing educational resources to transform pharmacology education into a concept-based approach. This study evaluated the quality of global educator-created MCQs in generating items for the pharmacology concept inventory (PCI) instrument and developed as a resource for learning pharmacology fundamental concepts. A panel of 22 global pharmacology experts recruited from the CCP initiative research team participated in the MCQ pilot database design and evaluation.

The Sustainable Use of Halophytes in Salt-Affected Land: State-of-the-Art and Next Steps in a Saltier World.

Salinization is a major cause of soil degradation that affects several million hectares of agricultural land, threatening food security and the sustainability of agricultural systems worldwide. Nevertheless, despite the negative impact of salinity, salt-affected land also provides several important ecosystem services, from providing habitats and nurseries for numerous species to sustainable food production. This opinion paper, written in the framework of the EU COST Action CA22144 SUSTAIN on the sustainable use of salt-affected land, therefore, focuses on the potential of halophytes and saline agriculture to transform and restore key functions of these salt-affected and marginal lands.

Two decades of research capacity strengthening and reciprocal learning on sexual and reproductive health in East Africa - a point of (no) return.

As the world is facing challenges such as pandemics, climate change, conflicts, and changing political landscapes, the need to secure access to safe and high-quality abortion care is more urgent than ever. On 27th of June 2023, the Swedish government decided to cut funding resources available for developmental research, which has played a fundamental role in the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally, including abortion care. Withdrawal of this funding not only threatens the fulfilment of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGS) - target 3.

An Accurate Representation of the Number of bZIP Transcription Factors in the (Wheat) Genome and the Regulation of Functional Genes during Salt Stress.

Climate change is dramatically increasing the overall area of saline soils around the world, which is increasing by approximately two million hectares each year. Soil salinity decreases crop yields and, thereby, makes farming less profitable, potentially causing increased poverty and hunger in many areas. A solution to this problem is increasing the salt tolerance of crop plants.

"Recovery activities are needed every step of the way"-exploring the process of long-term recovery in people previously diagnosed with exhaustion disorder.

Background: Sick-leave rates are high due to stress-related illnesses, but little is still known about the process of recovery from these conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of the recovery process, 6 to 10 years after treatment in people previously diagnosed with exhaustion disorder (ED), focusing on facilitators and barriers for the process of recovery from ED, and recovery activities experienced as helpful during the recovery process.

Method: Thirty-eight participants (average age: 52 years, 32 females) previously diagnosed with ED were interviewed with semi-structured interviews 6-10 years after undergoing treatment.

Toward better targeting of mitigation measures for reducing phosphorus losses from land to water: Andrew Sharpley's legacy in Norway and Sweden.

Nordic agriculture faces big challenges to reduce phosphorus (P) loss from land to water for improving surface water quality. While understanding the processes controlling P loss and seeking for P mitigation measures, Norwegian and Swedish researchers have substantially benefited from and been inspired by Dr. Andrew Sharpley's career-long, high-standard P research.

Diversification of Plastid Structure and Function in Land Plants.

Plastids represent a largely diverse group of organelles in plant and algal cells that have several common features but also a broad spectrum of morphological, ultrastructural, biochemical, and physiological differences. Plastids and their structural and metabolic diversity significantly contribute to the functionality and developmental flexibility of the plant body throughout its lifetime. In addition to the multiple roles of given plastid types, this diversity is accomplished in some cases by interconversions between different plastids as a consequence of developmental and environmental signals that regulate plastid differentiation and specialization.

Manifestations of X-linked pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency in female PDHA1 carriers.

Background And Purpose: Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency is in up to 90% caused by pathogenic variants in the X-linked PDHA1 gene. We aimed to investigate female relatives of index patients with PDHA1-related disease to (i) describe the prevalence of female PDHA1 carriers, (ii) determine whether they had symptoms and signs, and (iii) delineate the associated phenotype.

Methods: In a national population-based study, we identified 37 patients with pathogenic variants in PDHA1.

Evaluation of an early childhood caries preventive programme starting during pregnancy-Results after 3 and 6 years.

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) has been found to be up to five times more common among children living in areas of low socio-economic status (SES) than among children in areas of higher SES.

Aim: To evaluate an ECC prevention programme from pregnancy to 3 and 6 years of age.

Design: A prospective, controlled, intervention cohort study was initiated in 2013 in a low-SES area in Sweden.

Global Transcriptomic Analysis of Placentas from Women with Gestational SARS-CoV-2 Infection during the Third Trimester of Pregnancy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and enduring influence on global health, including maternal and fetal well-being. Evidence suggests that placental dysfunction is a potential consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, which may result in adverse outcomes such as preeclampsia and preterm birth. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear, and it is uncertain whether a mature placenta can protect the fetus from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Bronchodilator Responsiveness Measured by Spirometry and Impulse Oscillometry in Patients with Asthma After Short Acting Antimuscarinic and/or Beta-2-Agonists Inhalation.

Background: Bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) in asthma involves both the central and peripheral airways but is primarily relieved with beta-2-agonists and evaluated by spirometry. To date, antimuscarinics can be added as a reliever medication in more severe asthma. We hypothesize that combining both short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA) and short-acting muscarinic antagonist (SAMA) could also improve the responsiveness in mild-moderate asthma.

Detecting potential outliers in longitudinal data with time-dependent covariates.

Background: Outliers can influence regression model parameters and change the direction of the estimated effect, over-estimating or under-estimating the strength of the association between a response variable and an exposure of interest. Identifying visit-level outliers from longitudinal data with continuous time-dependent covariates is important when the distribution of such variable is highly skewed.

Objectives: The primary objective was to identify potential outliers at follow-up visits using interquartile range (IQR) statistic and assess their influence on estimated Cox regression parameters.

Factors assessed in the first year of a longitudinal study predict subsequent study visit compliance: the TEDDY study.

Background: Compliance with a study protocol is central to meeting its research goals. In longitudinal research studies, data loss due to missed visits limit statistical power and introduce bias. The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study is a longitudinal multinational (US, Finland, Germany, and Sweden) investigation of children at risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D) that seeks to identify the environmental triggers of islet autoimmunity and T1D.

Managing multi-functional peri-urban landscapes: Impacts of horse-keeping on water quality.

Eutrophication assessments in water management to quantify nutrient loads and identify mitigating measures seldom include the contribution from horse facilities. This may be due to lack of appropriate methods, limited resources, or the belief that the impact from horses is insignificant. However, the recreational horse sector is growing, predominantly in multi-functional peri-urban landscapes.

Nursing students' and educators' perspectives on sustainability and climate change: An integrative review.

Aim: To identify and synthesize research on the awareness, attitudes and action related to sustainability and climate change from the perspective of nursing students and educators globally.

Design: Integrative review.

Methods: The review was guided by Whittemore and Knafl.

Beyond the urothelium: Interplay between autonomic nervous system and bladder inflammation in urinary tract infection, bladder pain syndrome with interstitial cystitis and neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction in spinal cord injury-ICI-RS 2023.

Introduction: Inflammation and neuronal hypersensitivity are reactive protective mechanisms after urothelial injury. In lower urinary tract dysfunctions (LUTD), such as urinary tract infection (UTI), bladder pain syndrome with interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) and neurogenic LUTD after spinal cord injury (SCI), chronic inflammation can develop. It is unclear how the protective reactionary inflammation escalates into chronic disease in some patients.

Angiotensinergic and GABAergic transmission in the medial preoptic area: role in urinary bladder and cardiovascular control in female rats.

The medial preoptic area (mPOA) participates in thermoregulatory control and blood pressure modulation as shown by studies with electrical stimulation of this area or cobalt chloride injection, a non-selective synapse inhibitor. This study aimed to investigate whether angiotensin II (Ang II) and GABA could act or not in the mPOA to mediate the cardiovascular and micturition control pathways. Female Wistar rats were submitted to stereotaxic surgery for implantation of a guide cannula into the mPOA 7 days prior to the experiments.

Soluble guanylate cyclase mediates the relaxation of healthy and inflamed bladder smooth muscle by aqueous nitric oxide.

Due to its chemical properties, functional responses to nitric oxide (NO) are often difficult to examine. In the present study, we established a method to produce NO in an aqueous solution and validated its capacity to evoke functional responses in isolated rat bladders. Furthermore, we compared the NO responses to the commonly used NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP).

Identification of motif-based interactions between SARS-CoV-2 protein domains and human peptide ligands pinpoint antiviral targets.

The virus life cycle depends on host-virus protein-protein interactions, which often involve a disordered protein region binding to a folded protein domain. Here, we used proteomic peptide phage display (ProP-PD) to identify peptides from the intrinsically disordered regions of the human proteome that bind to folded protein domains encoded by the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Eleven folded domains of SARS-CoV-2 proteins were found to bind 281 peptides from human proteins, and affinities of 31 interactions involving eight SARS-CoV-2 protein domains were determined (K ∼ 7-300 μM).