Publications by authors named "Blomster J"

Article Synopsis
  • This research explores the antimicrobial properties of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) from cryptophytes against harmful bacteria and fungi.* -
  • The study found that TPC demonstrated stronger antibacterial and antifungal activity than EPS, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values generally lower for TPC.* -
  • Both TPC and EPS showed a bactericidal/fungicidal mechanism of action, suggesting their potential use as natural preservatives in the food industry.*
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Article Synopsis
  • Heart failure (HF) is a major health issue for those over 65, and seismocardiography, which measures heart vibrations through the chest, is being explored as a noninvasive detection method.
  • A multicenter study involving both inpatient and outpatient participants in Finland and the U.S. found that smartphone-based seismocardiography can effectively distinguish HF patients from healthy controls using advanced algorithms.
  • The study involved 217 HF patients and 786 control subjects, achieving high accuracy rates (89%) for HF detection, regardless of factors like age and sex.
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Nanocellulose is isolated from cellulosic fibers and exhibits many properties that macroscale cellulose lacks. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a subcategory of nanocellulose made of stiff, rodlike, and highly crystalline nanoparticles. Algae of the order Cladophorales are the source of the longest cellulosic nanocrystals, but manufacturing these CNCs is not well-studied.

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Iron is one of the important micronutrients affecting algal growth due to its fundamental role in the physiological processes, including photosynthetic electron transport, respiration, and nitrogen fixation. In this study, the effect of different iron levels on growth and the production of bioactive compounds (phycoerythrin (PE), extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and phenolic compounds (PCs)) of five cryptophyte strains were investigated. Also, the antioxidant capacity of the bioactive compounds was explored.

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Chemotaxonomic biomarkers are needed to monitor and evaluate the nutritional quality of phytoplankton communities. The biomolecules produced by different phytoplankton species do not always follow genetic phylogeny. Therefore, we analyzed fatty acids, sterols, and carotenoids from 57 freshwater phytoplankton strains to evaluate the usability of these biomolecules as chemotaxonomic biomarkers.

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Genetic characteristics of populations can have substantial impacts on the adaptive potential of a species. Species are heterogeneous, often defined by variability at a range of scales including at the genetic, individual and population level. Using microsatellite genotyping, we characterize patterns underlying the genetic heterogeneity in marine macroalga , with a particular focus on two forms: attached and free-living.

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Introduction: Disparities in the care and outcomes of peripheral artery disease (PAD) have been well-established. In part this is due to disparities in enrollment of PAD trial cohorts. However, less attention has been paid to non-random protocol non-adherence after enrollment, which may lead to inaccurate estimates of treatment effects and reduce generalizability of study results.

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The accumulation and production of biochemical compounds in microalgae are influenced by available light quality and algal species-specific features. In this study, four freshwater cryptophyte strains (Cryptomonas ozolinii, C. pyrenoidifera, C.

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Background Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with heightened risk for major adverse cardiovascular and limb events, but data on the burden of risk for total (first and potentially subsequent) events, and the association with polyvascular disease, are limited. This post hoc analysis of the EUCLID (Examining Use of Ticagrelor in Peripheral Artery Disease) trial evaluated total cardiovascular and limb events among patients with symptomatic PAD, overall and by number of symptomatic vascular territories. Methods and Results In the EUCLID trial, patients with symptomatic PAD (lower extremity revascularization >30 days before randomization or ankle-brachial index ≤0.

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Background: Patient recruitment for clinical trials is challenging-only approximately one third of all trials recruit their participants as planned. The pharmaceutical industry's views on recruitment success have not been comprehensively investigated, although the industry globally conducts almost one third of all clinical drug trials. This study explored patient recruitment success and failure factors and the role of electronic health records (EHR) in the recruitment of trial participants in the Nordic countries.

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Ciliophora is a phylum of unicellular eukaryotes that are common and have pivotal roles in aquatic environments. Sea ice is a marine habitat, which is composed of a matrix of solid ice and pockets of saline water in which Ciliophora thrive. Here, we used phylogenetic placement to identify Ciliophora 18S ribosomal RNA reads obtained from wintertime water and sea ice, and assigned functions to the reads based on this taxonomic information.

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Objective: Amputation remains a frequent and feared outcome in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Although typically characterized as major or minor on the extent of tissue loss, the etiologies and outcomes after amputation by extent are not well-understood. In addition, emerging data suggest that the drivers and outcomes of amputation in patients with PAD may differ in those with and without diabetes mellitus (DM).

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Regional variations exist in the epidemiology of peripheral artery disease (PAD), in comorbidities, use of secondary prevention, and outcomes. Large studies of these variations in worldwide populations are rare. The EUCLID (Examining Use of tiCagreLor In peripheral artery Disease) trial included 13,885 patients with PAD from four geographical regions (Central/South America, Europe, Asia, North America) and compared monotherapy with ticagrelor and clopidogrel.

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Introduction: Feasibility evaluations are performed to create the best possible starting point for the set-up and execution of a clinical trial, and to identify any obstacles for successful trial conduct. New digital technologies can provide various types of data for use in feasibility evaluations. There is a need to identify and compare such data sources for trial site identification and for evaluating the sites' patient recruitment potential.

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Patients with chronic kidney disease may develop new or more severe anemia when treated with antiplatelet agents due to blood loss in conjunction with impaired erythropoiesis. Because anemia independently predicts limb amputation and mortality among patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), we evaluated the relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels in the EUCLID trial in which patients with symptomatic PAD were randomized to ticagrelor or clopidogrel. At baseline, 9025, 1870, and 1000 patients had eGFR ⩾ 60, 45-59, and < 45 mL/min/1.

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Background Peripheral artery disease (PAD) and heart failure (HF) are each independently associated with poor outcomes. Risk factors associated with new-onset HF in patients with primary PAD are unknown. Furthermore, how the presence of HF is associated with outcomes in patients with PAD is unknown.

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Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of developing lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) and suffering PAD-related morbidity and mortality. However, the effect and burden of COPD on patients with PAD is less well defined. This post hoc analysis from EUCLID aimed to analyze the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE) in patients with PAD and concomitant COPD compared with those without COPD, and to describe the adverse events specific to patients with COPD.

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Microalgae produce a variety of bioactive components that provide benefits to human and animal health. Cryptophytes are one of the major groups of microalgae, with more than 20 genera comprised of 200 species. Recently, cryptophytes have attracted scientific attention because of their characteristics and biotechnological potential.

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Background: Peripheral artery disease is common and associated with high mortality. There are limited data detailing causes of death among patients with peripheral artery disease.

Methods: EUCLID (Examining Use of Ticagrelor in Peripheral Artery Disease) was a randomized clinical trial that assigned patients with peripheral artery disease to clopidogrel or ticagrelor.

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Background: Patients with peripheral artery disease have a high risk of future cardiovascular disease events and mortality. Little is known about the changes in symptom classification over time in patients with peripheral artery disease and the association of changes in symptom classification with subsequent cardiovascular disease events.

Methods: In this analysis of the EUCLID trial (Examining Use of Ticagrelor in Peripheral Artery Disease), we examined the changes in Rutherford classification (RC) of patients over 12 months.

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Background: Current guidelines recommend aggressive management of hypertension. Recent evidence suggested potential harm with low blood pressure targets in patients with peripheral artery disease. We investigated the association of a history of hypertension and office systolic blood pressure (SBP) with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and major adverse limb events (MALEs).

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Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, and major amputation. Data on major amputation from a large randomized trial that included a substantial cohort of patients without critical limb ischemia (CLI) have not been described. The objective was to describe the incidence and types of amputations in the EUCLID trial (Examining Use of Ticagrelor in Peripheral Artery Disease) population, subcategorize amputations in the CLI versus no CLI cohorts, and describe the events surrounding major amputation.

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The ballgame represents one of the most enduring and iconic features of ancient Mesoamerican civilization, yet its origins and evolution remain poorly understood, primarily associated with the Gulf Coast and southern Pacific coastal lowlands. While one early ballcourt dates to 1650 BCE from the Chiapas lowlands, ballcourts have remained undocumented in the Mesoamerican highlands until a millennium later, suggesting less involvement by highland civilizations in the ballgame's evolution. We provide new data from the southern highlands of Mexico, from the Early Formative period (1500-1000 BCE), that necessitate revising previous paradigms.

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