Cell identities are defined by intrinsic transcriptional networks and spatio-temporal environmental factors. Here, we explored multiple factors that contribute to the identity of adipose stem cells, including anatomic location, microvascular neighborhood, and sex. Our data suggest that adipose stem cells serve a dual role as adipocyte precursors and fibroblast-like cells that shape the adipose tissue's extracellular matrix in an organotypic manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrent research on metabolic disorders and diabetes relies on animal models because multi-organ diseases cannot be well studied with standard in vitro assays. Here, we have connected cell models of key metabolic organs, the pancreas and liver, on a microfluidic chip to enable diabetes research in a human-based in vitro system. Aided by mechanistic mathematical modeling, we demonstrate that hyperglycemia and high cortisone concentration induce glucose dysregulation in the pancreas-liver microphysiological system (MPS), mimicking a diabetic phenotype seen in patients with glucocorticoid-induced diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis retrospective observational study aimed to identify complications and re-admissions after unilateral exploration of the parathyroid, hemithyroidectomy or resection of the thyroid isthmus in patients that underwent ambulatory surgery at Karolinska University Hospital 2018-2019. The medical records of 280 patients were scrutinized by searching for re-admissions within 10 days or frequent contact with the healthcare provider within 30 days. 256 out of 280 patients underwent ambulatory surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a characteristic hallmark of numerous diseases, clinical approaches that ameliorate oxidative stress have been unsuccessful. Here, utilizing multi-omics, we demonstrate that in cardiomyocytes, mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH2) constitutes a major antioxidative defense mechanism. Paradoxically reduced expression of IDH2 associated with ventricular eccentric hypertrophy is counterbalanced by an increase in the enzyme activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBuildings are rapidly becoming more digitized, largely due to developments in the internet of things (IoT). This provides both opportunities and challenges. One of the central challenges in the process of digitizing buildings is the ability to monitor these buildings' status effectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is the most common intra-abdominal sarcoma. Risk classification systems, commonly the modified National Institutes of Health consensus criteria, identify tumour properties relating to patient outcomes. However, owing to limited long-term evidence, most guidelines recommend up to 10-year follow-up for all risk groups except very low-risk GIST.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Breast angiosarcoma is a rare disease mostly observed in breast cancer (BC) patients who have previously received radiotherapy (RT). Little is known about angiosarcoma aetiology, management, and outcome. The study aim was to estimate risk and to characterize breast angiosarcoma in a Swedish population-based cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStreptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) and derived enzymes are widely used as genome editors, but their promiscuous nuclease activity often induces undesired mutations and chromosomal rearrangements. Several strategies for mapping off-target effects have emerged, but they suffer from limited sensitivity. To increase the detection sensitivity, we develop an off-target assessment workflow that uses Duplex Sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTesticular germ cell tumours are the most common malignancies in young men. Germ cell tumours can be classified as seminomas or non-seminomas, each with different clinical features and treatment approaches. Germ cell tumours are occasionally associated with somatic-type malignancy, particularly in metastatic lymph nodes after adjuvant chemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To provide normative data on swallowing capacity (mL/s) in people older than 60 years using the Timed Water Swallow Test (TWST), stratified by sex. Intra- and inter-rater reliability for swallowing time in TWST was further investigated.
Method: A total of 165 participants, aged 60 years and above, were included in the study.
The Timed Water Swallow Test (TWST) and the Test of Mastication of Solids (TOMASS) are dysphagia screening procedures that have been shown to be reliably assessed from video. The reliability of the procedures performed over telemedicine has not previously been assessed. TWST and TOMASS outcomes in two situations (both face-to-face and over telemedicine) were compared for 48 participants (aged 60-90; 27 with clinical conditions and 21 older persons).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRapid and flexible plasmid construct generation at scale is one of the most limiting first steps in drug discovery projects. These hurdles can partly be overcome by adopting modular DNA design principles, automated sequence fragmentation, and plasmid assembly. To this end we have designed a robust, multimodule based cloning platform for construct generation with a wide range of applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuantifying the number of occupants in an indoor space is useful for a wide variety of applications. Attempts have been made at solving the task using passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor data together with supervised learning methods. Collecting a large labeled dataset containing both PIR motion sensor data and ground truth people count is however time-consuming, often requiring one hour of observation for each hour of data gathered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are at increased risk of poor outcome from Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Early data suggest elevated Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression, but relationships to disease phenotype and downstream regulators of inflammation in the Renin-Angiotensin system (RAS) are unknown. We aimed to determine the relationship between RAS gene expression relevant to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lung with disease characteristics in COPD, and the regulation of newly identified SARS-CoV-2 receptors and spike-cleaving proteases, important for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is often successful in alleviating motor symptoms of essential tremor (ET); however, DBS may also induce adverse speech effects. The caudal zona incerta (cZi) is a promising DBS target for tremor, but less is known about the consequences of cZi DBS for speech. This preliminary study examined how habitual cZi DBS and cZi stimulation at high amplitudes may affect speech function in persons with ET.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To establish normative data of crackers common in the Scandinavian and international markets for use in the Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS), and to investigate possible sex and age effects on masticatory performances.
Method: 234 healthy participants (>20 years of age) were asked to either ingest the Göteborgskex Guld Marie™ cracker ( = 234) or to ingest both a Guld Marie cracker and a Tuc Original™ cracker ( = 115). Quantifiable measures of masticatory performance (number of bites, number of chewing cycles, number of swallows, and total time) were observed during TOMASS for each participant, directly on-site or by video recording.
Purpose: Sarcomas of the breast account for about 1% of all breast malignancies. The aim of this national survey was to explore etiologic and prognostic factors.
Methods: Utilizing national Swedish registers, all patients registered with mesenchymal tumors in the breast during the period 1993-2013 (n = 344) were identified and compared to up to ten age and gender matched controls.
This investigation aimed at determining whether an acoustic quantification of the oral diadochokinetic (DDK) task may be used to predict the perceived level of speech impairment when speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD) are reading a standard passage. DDK sequences with repeated [pa], [ta], and [ka] syllables were collected from 108 recordings (68 unique speakers with PD), along with recordings of the speakers reading a standardized text. The passage readings were assessed in five dimensions individually by four speech-language pathologists in a blinded and randomized procedure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Speech Lang Hear Res
February 2020
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate how deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the caudal zona incerta (cZi) affects speech intelligibility in persons with essential tremor. Method Thirty-five participants were evaluated: off stimulation, on chronic stimulation optimized to alleviate tremor, and during unilateral stimulation at increasing amplitude levels. At each stimulation condition, the participants read 10 unique nonsense sentences from the Swedish Test of Intelligibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Deep brain stimulation of the motor thalamus or the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) shows promising results for patients with voice tremor, although only for about 50% of patients. There are indications that voice tremor requires more focused stimulation within the target area compared with hand tremor. The objective of the present study was to determine the most efficient location for reducing voice tremor within the PSA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate whether syllables produced in an oral diadochokinetic (DDK) task may be quantified so that persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) perceived to have reduced articulatory precision when reading may be correctly identified using that quantification.
Patients And Methods: Syllable sequences from 38 speakers with PD and 38 gender- and age-matched control speakers (normal controls [NC]) were quantified acoustically and evaluated in terms of (1) the speakers' ability to accurately predict speaker group membership (PD or NC) and (2) their ability to predict reduced/non-reduced articulatory precision.
Results: A balanced accuracy of 80-93% in predicting speaker group membership was achieved.