Maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes in the NICE birth cohort: an assessment of self-selection bias.

Background: Prospective birth cohorts are essential for identifying associations between exposures and outcomes. However, voluntary participation introduces a potential bias due to self selection since the persons that chose to participate may differ in background characteristics and behaviors.

Objectives: To investigate potential bias due to self-selection in the (NICE) birth cohort in northern Sweden.

Effects of research disturbance on nest survival in a mixed colony of waterbirds.

Background: Long-term research is crucial for the conservation and development of knowledge in ecology; however, it is essential to quantify and minimize any negative effects associated with research to gather reliable and representative long-term monitoring data. In colonial bird species, chicks are often marked with coded bands in order to assess demographic parameters of the population. Banding chicks in multi-species colonies is challenging because it involves disturbances to species that are at different stages of progress in their reproduction.

Gender differences in the well-being of patients diagnosed with : a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate how an infection with (CT) influenced patients' well-being and whether there were differences due to gender, age or relationship status, in an effort to strengthen preventive measures and provide better healthcare for patients with CT.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with CT in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden, were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their feelings, thoughts and actions after CT diagnosis. The patients were also asked to fill in the validated questionnaires Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test.

Investigation of porcine circovirus contamination in human vaccines.

DNA from porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) and 2 (PCV2) has recently been detected in two vaccines against rotaviral gastroenteritis from manufacturers A and B. We investigated if PCV1 sequences are present in other viral vaccines. We screened seeds, bulks and final vaccine preparations from ten manufacturers using qRT-PCR.

Asking about condom use: a key to individualized care when screening for chlamydia.

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection has been a target for both selective and national screening programmes, and Sweden has an opportunistic approach. A national plan of action states that risk groups should be identified and offered risk reduction counselling. Patients attending a drop-in sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic reception at the University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden, were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic characteristics, symptoms and sexual risk behaviour; all had a CT test taken.