Outcomes of trabecular metal total ankle replacement: a longitudinal observational cohort study of 239 consecutive cases from the Swedish Ankle Registry.

Background And Purpose: Information on outcomes after some modern total ankle replacement (TAR) designs is scarce. We therefore examined outcomes after trabecular metal (TM) TAR in Sweden by use of data from the national registry.

Patients And Methods: On December 31, 2020, 239 primary TM TARs had been reported to the Swedish Ankle Registry.

Better implant survival with modern ankle prosthetic designs: 1,226 total ankle prostheses followed for up to 20 years in the Swedish Ankle Registry.

Background and purpose - We have previously reported on the prosthetic survival of total ankle replacements (TAR) in Sweden performed between 1993 and 2010. Few other reports have been published on 5- and 10-year survival rates. Furthermore, there is a lack of long-term outcome data on modern prosthetic designs.

Parallel reductions of IgE and exhaled nitric oxide after optimized anti-inflammatory asthma treatment.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is crucial for the development of airway inflammation in atopic asthma, and inhibition of IgE using monoclonal antibodies is now part of asthma therapy. However, the impact of ordinary anti-inflammatory treatment on IgE is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate if optimization of treatment with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and leukotriene-receptor antagonist (LTRA) according to symptoms or exhaled nitric oxide (FNO) levels over a one-year period affects IgE concentrations.

Testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and the metabolic syndrome in men: an individual participant data meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Low total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations have been associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in men, but the reported strength of association varies considerably.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate whether associations differ across specific subgroups (according to age and body mass index (BMI)) and individual MetS components.

Data Sources: Two previously published meta-analyses including an updated systematic search in PubMed and EMBASE.

Anti-inflammatory treatment of atopic asthma guided by exhaled nitric oxide: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Atopic asthma is characterized by Th2 cytokine-driven inflammation of the airway mucosa, which is signaled by the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO).

Objective: We tested whether an FENO-guided anti-inflammatory treatment algorithm could improve asthma-related quality of life and asthma symptom control, and reduce exacerbations in atopic asthmatics within primary care.

Methods: Altogether, 187 patients with asthma and who were nonsmokers (age range, 18-64 years) with perennial allergy and who were on regular inhaled corticosteroid treatment were recruited at 17 primary health care centers, randomly assigned to 2 groups and followed up for 1 year.

Leptin and adiponectin: distribution and associations with cardiovascular risk factors in men and women of the general population.

Objective: In view of the increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide, understanding the role of the recently discovered adipokines leptin and adiponectin is of high clinical relevance. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between levels of leptin and adiponectin with age, known cardiovascular risk factors and to establish whether there are differences between men and women of the general population.

Methods: A total of 98 men and 107 women of the general population, aged between 20 and 74 years, underwent a medical examination at a clinical research center and fasting morning blood samples were also taken.

Inflammation and positive affect are associated with subjective health in women of the general population.

Poor subjective health has been associated with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines. We investigated whether such an association would apply to women of the general population. Levels of cytokines, affect and subjective health were assessed in 347 women of the general population aged 45 to 90 years.

Pharmacodynamic synergy strictly dependent on the co-operative aggregation of enantiomers of cyclic peptides in the bacterial cell membrane.

The antimicrobial activity of the peptide enantiomers cyclo[D-Tle-D-Lys-D-Tle-L-Ala-D-Tle-L-Ala-D-Tle-L-Ala] and cyclo[L-Tle-L-Lys-L-Tle-D-Ala-L-Tle-D-Ala-L-Tle-D-Ala] against Bacillus megaterium was investigated. Both these peptides showed very low activity in both an agar diffusion assay and a broth microdilution assay. However, when both peptides were present during the experiments a potent inhibition with an IC(50) value of 2 μM was observed.

Association between self-rated health and asthma: a population-based study.

Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is a relevant measure of health as it can predict morbidity, mortality and health-care use. Studies have shown an association between poor SRH and elevated levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines. It is therefore interesting to learn more about the association between asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease with a recognised systemic component and SRH.

A five-year rehabilitation programme for younger women after a coronary event reduces the need for hospital care.

Aims: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the dominant diagnosis in in-patient care in Sweden and the third most common cause for long-term sick leave and disability pension. Women are higher consumers of health care than men and have higher frequencies of sickness absenteeism. The aim of this paper was to evaluate whether a five-year long rehabilitation programme for women with CVD affected the use of hospital care and sickness absenteeism.

Associations between leptin and self-rated health in men and women.

Background: As an important mediator by which the brain receives information about the body's energy state, leptin may be associated with subjectively perceived health.

Objective: The main aim of the present study was to investigate concurrent and prospective associations between leptin and self-rated health (SRH), a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality, in a random population sample. An additional aim was to examine whether sick leave was associated with leptin and poor SRH.

Relationship between exhaled nitric oxide and IgE sensitisation in patients with asthma: influence of steroid treatment.

Introduction: The influence of the degree of immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitisation on the fraction of expired nitric oxide (FE(NO)) in asthma patients being treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is not well known.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between IgE sensitisation and FE(NO), and the effect of a step-up in ICS treatment on this relationship, in patients with allergic asthma.

Methods: A primary health care centre recruited 20 non-smoking patients with perennial allergic asthma (18 years-50 years, six male) outside the pollen season.

Plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1, coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E in female populations from Poland, Serbia and Sweden.

Exposure to environmental contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), life style and nutritional status of a population are important factors that may influence normal serum levels of antioxidants and the insulin-like growth factor system. In this study we examined serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1(IGFBP-1), coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) and vitamin E in healthy female populations (n=4 x 100) aged 19-59 years from Poland (PL), Sweden (SE), Serbia I (SR I) and Serbia II (SR II). The last group lived in an environmental emergency area affected by the bombings of 1999 in Serbia.

Gender differences in self-rated health, quality of life, quality of care, and metabolic control in patients with diabetes.

Background: Because the projected increase in the number of diabetic patients is expected to strain the capabilities of health care providers worldwide, we are challenged to find ways of reducing the burden of diabetes. Maintaining and improving health-related quality of life (QoL) for diabetic patients may be viewed as public health goals.

Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare different aspects of health, QoL, and quality of care (QoC) between men and women with diabetes as a basis for planning and managing diabees care.

Eating meals irregularly: a novel environmental risk factor for the metabolic syndrome.

Background: Skipping meals is a common practice in our current society; however, it is not clear whether eating meals regularly is associated with the metabolic syndrome.

Objective: Our aim was to assess the association of eating meals regularly with parameters of the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in a representative population-based cohort of 60-year-old men and women.

Methods And Procedures: A population-based cross-sectional study of 3,607 individuals (1,686 men and 1,921 women), aged 60 years, was conducted in Stockholm County, Sweden.

Do different factors explain self-rated health in men and women?

Background: Self-rated health has elicited special interest, in the wake of a number of studies demonstrating that it is a powerful predictor of future mortality, mare so for men than for women. The association between self-rated health and biological correlates also appears to differ between men and women, for reasons unknown.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in the interpretation and/or valuation of health-related information by comparing men and women's association of abroad array of perceived health determinants with their statements about health.

Inflammatory cytokines, behaviour and age as determinants of self-rated health in women.

Self-rated health is a powerful and independent predictor of long-term health, but its biological basis is unknown. We have shown previously that self-rated health is associated with increased levels of circulating cytokines in women. The main aim of the present study was to increase the understanding of the association between markers of wellbeing, such as self-rated health, and cytokines and to investigate the impact of age on these associations.

Deregulation of the hedgehog signalling pathway: a possible role for the PTCH and SUFU genes in human rhabdomyoma and rhabdomyosarcoma development.

The naevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) is caused by mutations in the hedgehog receptor PTCH gene. It is characterized by developmental defects and a predisposition to the development of certain tumours, such as basal cell carcinoma, medulloblastoma and meningioma, and potentially fetal rhabdomyomas and embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas. This study aimed to analyse PTCH status in an NBCCS patient with fetal rhabdomyoma and to investigate whether deregulation of hedgehog signalling, as shown by altered expression of hedgehog pathway components and/or genetic imbalances, is a general finding in sporadic rhabdomyomas and rhabdomyosarcomas.

Gender differences in the relation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 to cardiovascular risk factors: a population-based study.

Objective: A possible involvement of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and its binding protein IGFBP-1 in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disorder has been suggested. However, few publications have addressed the gender differences in cardiovascular risk factors in relation to the IGF/IGFBP system. The aim of the present study was to study gender differences in the relationship between fasting serum levels of IGFBP-1 and cardiovascular risk factors in a normal population of men and women.

Locus of control and weight reduction.

The objective of this study was to determine if locus of control orientation is predictive for weight loss among participants in a behaviour modification weight reduction programme. The subjects completed a locus of control questionnaire consisting of 40 questions before starting the programme and again after 1 year. Forty-one participants started the programme, 28 remained after 1 year.

Are sexual dissatisfaction and sexual abuse associated with obesity? A population-based study.

Objective: To investigate whether there is any association between obesity and sexual satisfaction and sexual abuse in a normal population.

Research Methods And Procedures: A representative sample of 2810 subjects from a population study was interviewed about sexual satisfaction, sexual abuse, and life satisfaction. The answers from normal weight, overweight, and obese participants were compared.

Self-rated health is related to levels of circulating cytokines.

Objective: Self-rated health is a powerful and independent predictor of long-term health, but its biological basis is unknown. Because factors associated with poor self-rated health (eg, pain, daily discomforts, and low energy and fitness) resemble symptoms of a generalized cytokine-induced sickness response, we examined the relationship between circulating cytokines and self-rated health.

Methods: In 265 consecutive primary health care patients (174 women and 91 men), we examined self-rated and physician-rated health, circulating levels of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha as determined from plasma samples using high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunoassay.

Self-assembling peptide nanotubes from enantiomeric pairs of cyclic peptides with alternating D and L amino acid residues.

Cyclic peptides with alternating d- and l-amino acid residues containing tert-leucine residues in every second position can form peptide nanotubes only when both enantiomers of the peptide are present in the solution. These results strongly indicate the formation of peptide nanotubes that assemble with one enantiomer in every second position, thereby forming a lamellar structure.

Role for ELOVL3 and fatty acid chain length in development of hair and skin function.

Very little is known about the in vivo regulation of mammalian fatty acid chain elongation enzymes as well as the role of specific fatty acid chain length in cellular responses and developmental processes. Here, we report that the Elovl3 gene product, which belongs to a highly conserved family of microsomal enzymes involved in the formation of very long chain fatty acids, revealed a distinct expression in the skin that was restricted to the sebaceous glands and the epithelial cells of the hair follicles. By disruption of the Elovl3 gene by homologous recombination in mouse, we show that ELOVL3 participates in the formation of specific neutral lipids that are necessary for the function of the skin.

Transcriptional regulation of bcl-2 mediated by the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway through gli-1.

Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) express high levels of the antiapoptotic proto-oncogene, bcl-2, and we have shown that bcl-2 contributes to the malignant phenotype in a transgenic mouse model. The basis of bcl-2 transcriptional regulation in keratinocytes is unknown. The sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway is frequently altered in BCCs.