Socioeconomic Differences in Patient Reported Outcome Measures 3 Months After Stroke: A Nationwide Swedish Register-Based Study.

Background: There is a well-known association between low socioeconomic status (SES), poor survival, and clinician-reported outcomes after stroke. We aimed to assess socioeconomic differences in Patient Reported Outcome Measures 3 months after stroke.

Methods: This nationwide cohort study included patients registered with acute stroke in the Swedish Stroke Register 2015-2017.

Mediation Analyses of the Mechanisms by Which Socioeconomic Status, Comorbidity, Stroke Severity, and Acute Care Influence Stroke Outcome.

Background And Objectives: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with increased risk of death and disability after stroke, but interventional targets to minimize disparities remain unclear. We aim to assess the extent to which SES-based disparities in the association between low SES and death and dependency at 3 months after stroke could be eliminated by offsetting differences in comorbidity, stroke severity, and acute care.

Methods: This nationwide register-based cohort study included all 72 hospitals caring for patients with acute stroke in Sweden.

Socioeconomic status and stroke severity: Understanding indirect effects via risk factors and stroke prevention using innovative statistical methods for mediation analysis.

Background: Those with low socioeconomic status have an increased risk of stroke, more severe strokes, reduced access to treatment, and more adverse outcomes after stroke. The question is why these differences are present. In this study we investigate to which extent the association between low socioeconomic status and stroke severity can be explained by differences in risk factors and stroke prevention drugs.

Socioeconomic status and survival after stroke - using mediation and sensitivity analyses to assess the effect of stroke severity and unmeasured confounding.

Background: Although it has been established that low socioeconomic status is linked to increased risk of death after stroke, the mechanisms behind this link are still unclear. In this study we aim to shed light on the relationship between income level and survival after stroke by investigating the extent to which differences in stroke severity account for differences in survival.

Methods: The study was based on patients registered in Riksstroke (the Swedish stroke register) with first time ischemic stroke (n = 51,159) or intracerebral hemorrhage (n = 6777) in 2009-2012.

Sensitivity analysis for unobserved confounding of direct and indirect effects using uncertainty intervals.

To estimate direct and indirect effects of an exposure on an outcome from observed data, strong assumptions about unconfoundedness are required. Since these assumptions cannot be tested using the observed data, a mediation analysis should always be accompanied by a sensitivity analysis of the resulting estimates. In this article, we propose a sensitivity analysis method for parametric estimation of direct and indirect effects when the exposure, mediator, and outcome are all binary.

The Importance of Integrating Clinical Relevance and Statistical Significance in the Assessment of Quality of Care--Illustrated Using the Swedish Stroke Register.

Background: When profiling hospital performance, quality inicators are commonly evaluated through hospital-specific adjusted means with confidence intervals. When identifying deviations from a norm, large hospitals can have statistically significant results even for clinically irrelevant deviations while important deviations in small hospitals can remain undiscovered. We have used data from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke) to illustrate the properties of a benchmarking method that integrates considerations of both clinical relevance and level of statistical significance.

Prognosis of Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Recipients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective, Single-Centre Study.

Background: Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a procedure with inherent complications and intensive care may be necessary. We evaluated the short- and long-term outcomes of the HSCT recipients requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: We retrospectively examined the outcome of 54 adult haematological HSCT recipients admitted to the ICU at the University Hospital Rigshospitalet between January 2007 and March 2012.

Gender aspects in clinical presentation and prognostication of chronic heart failure according to NT-proBNP and the Heart Failure Survival Score.

Aims: We performed a prospective multi-center study to assess gender-specific differences in the predictive value of the measured level of NT-proBNP and the calculated Heart Failure Survival Score (HFSS).

Methods: Baseline characteristics and follow-up data up to 5 years from 2,019 men and 530 women diagnosed with chronic heart failure (CHF) due to ischemic heart disease or dilated cardiomyopathy were prospectively compared. Death from any cause constituted the endpoint of the study.

Importance of reduced sulfur for the equilibrium chemistry and kinetics of Fe(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) supplemented to semi-continuous stirred tank biogas reactors fed with stillage.

The objective of the present study was to assess major chemical reactions and chemical forms contributing to solubility and speciation of Fe(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) during anaerobic digestion of sulfur (S)-rich stillage in semi-continuous stirred tank biogas reactors (SCSTR). These metals are essential supplements for efficient and stable performance of stillage-fed SCSTR. In particular, the influence of reduced inorganic and organic S species on kinetics and thermodynamics of the metals and their partitioning between aqueous and solid phases were investigated.

The prevalence and prognostic value of concomitant eosinophilia in chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

The prognostic significance of eosinophilia after myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains to be established. Patients, whom developed chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after ASCT, were included (n = 142). Eosinophil count was analyzed at cGVHD onset.

Socioeconomic disparities in stroke case fatality--Observations from Riks-Stroke, the Swedish stroke register.

Background: Low socioeconomic status (low education and income level) has been found to be associated with increased stroke mortality. However, findings from previous studies on the association between socioeconomic status and case fatality (survival) after stroke have been inconsistent.

Aims: The study aims to explore the association between socio-economic status and survival after stroke using Riks-Stroke, the Swedish Stroke Register, with emphasis on changes in survival (in)equality with time after stroke.

Increased TLR2 expression on blood monocytes in irritable bowel syndrome patients.

Objectives: The understanding of the mechanisms for increased immune activation in subgroups of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is incomplete. We hypothesized that monocytes are more activated in patients with IBS than in the healthy population. We therefore examined activation phenotype and cytokine secretion of blood monocytes.

Results of risk-adapted therapy in acute myeloid leukaemia. A long-term population-based follow-up study.

In 1997-2003, a protocol for treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) (except promyelocytic leukaemia) was activated in four Swedish health care regions covering 50% of the national population. Based on cytogenetics and clinical findings, patients aged 18-60 yr were assigned to one of three risk groups. In this report we account for the long-term clinical outcome of enrolled patients.

T-cell activation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been found to be associated with low-grade immune activation in a subset of patients. We therefore investigated blood and colonic T-cell activity in IBS patients.

Methods: Blood samples were initially obtained from 74 IBS patients and 30 controls.

B-cell activation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may have a low grade immune activation. However, little is known about the properties of B cells of IBS patients. We therefore investigated activation level and antigen presenting phenotype of blood B cells of IBS patients.

Identification of a novel and myeloid specific role of the leukemia-associated fusion protein DEK-NUP214 leading to increased protein synthesis.

The t(6;9)(p22;q34) chromosomal translocation is found in a subset of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The translocation results in a fusion between the nuclear phosphoprotein DEK and the nucleoporin NUP214 (previously CAN). The mechanism by which the fusion protein DEK-NUP214 contributes to leukemia development has not been identified, and disruptions of normal cellular functions by DEK-NUP214 have previously not been described.

Rapid and effective CD3 T-cell depletion with a magnetic cell sorting program to produce peripheral blood progenitor cell products for haploidentical transplantation in children and adults.

Background: Effective T-cell depletion is a prerequisite for haploidentical peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) transplantation. This study was performed to investigate the performance of magnetic cell sorting-based direct large-scale T-cell depletion, which is an attractive alternative to standard PBPC enrichment procedures.

Study Design And Methods: PBPCs were harvested from 11 human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical donors.

Acute effects of vibration on thermal perception thresholds.

Objective: This study focuses on the acute effects of vibration and how vibrations influence the measures of the thermal perception thresholds during different vibration magnitudes, frequencies, and durations.

Methods: The fingers of ten healthy subjects, five males and five females, were exposed to vibration under 16 conditions with a combination of different frequency, intensity and exposure time. The vibration frequency was 31.

The involvement of cellular proliferation status in the expression of the human proto-oncogene DEK.

The role of the DEK protein, involved in the leukemia-associated fusion protein DEK-CAN, is not yet known. In this study, we show a higher expression of DEK mRNA in immature cells than in mature cells. Furthermore, a correlation between DEK expression and cell proliferation was demonstrated, suggesting that DEK plays a role in the proliferation of hematopoietic cells and raising the question of whether the DEK-CAN fusion protein might perturb regulation of proliferation in leukemic cells.

The proximal promoter of the human cathepsin G gene conferring myeloid-specific expression includes C/EBP, c-myb and PU.1 binding sites.

Cathepsin G is a hematopoietic serine protease stored in the azurophil granules of neutrophil granulocytes. The mRNA of cathepsin G is transiently expressed during the promyelocyte stage of neutrophil maturation. The protease plays several roles in inflammatory actions of neutrophils, such as bactericidal effects.

Biosynthetic profiles of neutrophil serine proteases in a human bone marrow-derived cellular myeloid differentiation model.

Background And Objectives: Human leukocyte elastase, proteinase 3 and cathepsin G are neutrophil granule proteins belonging to the hematopoietic serine protease superfamily. In addition to their established roles in inflammation, they have recently been implicated as regulators of granulopoiesis and mediators of apoptosis. We set out to characterize the individual biosynthetic profiles of these proteins in a neutrophil differentiation model.

Autologous del(20q)-positive erythroid progenitor cells, re-emerging after DLI treatment of an MDS patient relapsing after allo-SCT, can provide a normal peripheral red blood cell count.

A 54-year-old RhD-negative male with del(20q)-positive myelodysplastic syndrome was transplanted with bone marrow from an HLA-identical RhD-positive sibling donor. Cytogenetic relapse was detected 21 months after stem cell transplantation (SCT), with reappearance of the original del(20q)-positive clone and reversion to recipient RhD-negative blood group. The patient received sequential donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs), resulting in mild graft-versus-host disease and pure red cell aplasia.

Characterisation of the biosynthesis and processing of the neutrophil granule membrane protein CD63 in myeloid cells.

The biosynthesis and processing of the neutrophil granule membrane protein CD63, present in azurophil granules, was investigated in four myeloid cell lines. The amount of CD63 synthesised differed, so did the amount of protein processed to high molecular weight forms, with the demonstration of a more prominent synthesis of CD63 in K562 cells. Newly synthesised CD63 was initially detected as two precursor forms with molecular weight of 32 and 35 kDa, respectively.