Search results

Popular Abstract in English More than 50% of road accident fatality victims in Malaysia are motorcyclists, numbering more than 4,000 fatalities per year. The aim of this thesis was to investigate motorcyclists’ road safety problems in general in Malaysia, and narrow down the focus to the most salient road infrastructure related risk factors. After identifying access points on primary roads as hazaMore than 50% of road accident fatality victims in Malaysia are motorcyclists, numbering more than 4,000 fatalities per year. The aim of this thesis is to investigate motorcyclists’ road safety problems in general in Malaysia, and narrow down the focus to the most salient road infrastructure related risk factors. After identifying access points on primary roads as hazardous sites, observations of

Accurate and internationally comparable Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA genotyping is essential both for evaluation of HPV vaccines and for effective monitoring and implementation of vaccination programs. World Health Organisation (WHO) HPV Laboratory Network (LabNet) regularly issues international proficiency studies. The 2010 HPV genotyping proficiency panel for HPV vaccinology contained 43 coded

Objective: To determine whether preterm birth is associated with epilepsy in a national cohort of adults aged 25-37 years. Methods: We conducted a national cohort study of 630,090 infants born in Sweden from 1973 through 1979, including 27,953 born preterm (< 37 weeks), followed from 2005 to 2009 for 1) hospitalization for epilepsy and 2) outpatient and inpatient prescription of antiepileptic drug

The common genetic variants associated with complex traits typically lie in noncoding DNA and may alter gene regulation in a cell type-specific manner. Consequently, the choice of tissue or cell model in the dissection of disease associations is important. We carried out an expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) study of primary human osteoblasts (HOb) derived from 95 unrelated donors of Swedis

Germline BRCA1 mutations predispose to breast cancer. To identify genetic modifiers of this risk, we performed a genome-wide association study in 1,193 individuals with BRCA1 mutations who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer under age 40 and 1,190 BRCA1 carriers without breast cancer diagnosis over age 35. We took forward 96 SNPs for replication in another 5,986 BRCA1 carriers (2,974 indivi

Our knowledge about acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients is mainly based on data from clinical trials, whereas population-based information is scarce. We studied APL patients diagnosed between 1997 and 2006 in the population-based Swedish Adult Acute Leukemia Registry. Of a total of 3897 acute leukemia cases, 3205 (82%) had non-APL acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 105 (2.7%) had APL. The in

Background: Studies from Sweden have reported association between immigrant status and incidence of cardiovascular diseases. The nature of this relationship is unclear. We investigated the relationship between immigrant status and risk of heart failure (HF) hospitalization in a population-based cohort, and to what extent this is mediated by hypertension and life-style risk factors. We also explore

Objective: To analyse if predictors of radiographic progression differ between patients treated with or without prednisolone in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Radiographs of hands and feet were assessed using the modified Sharp/van der Heijde score and radiographic progression was defined as an increase in the total Sharp score above 5.8 (the smallest detectable change). Design: Prospective, ran

Background: Laryngo-pharyngeal reflux (LPR) is assumed to be the most common cause of posterior laryngitis (PL). Since LPR is found in healthy subjects, and PL patients are not improved by acid-reducing therapy, other aetiologies to PL must be considered. The aims of this study in PL were to investigate the prevalence of acid reflux in the proximal oesophagus and functional gastrointestinal sympto

Recent studies on young men from the general population have demonstrated geographic and ethnic differences in semen quality. The aim of this study was to investigate whether reported ethnic differences in semen quality might be associated with the maternally derived CAG and GGN polymorphisms in the androgen receptor gene or paternal ethnicity. In total 114 military conscripts from Latvia were inc

To be able to robustly propagate P. falciparum at optimal conditions in vitro is of fundamental importance for genotypic and phenotypic studies of both established and fresh clinical isolates. Cryo-preserved P. falciparum isolates from Ugandan children with severe or uncomplicated malaria were investigated for parasite phenotypes under different in vitro growth conditions or studied directly from

Objectives: To investigate gender differences in daily smoking prevalence in different age groups in southern Sweden. Methods: The 2004 public-health survey in Skåne is a cross-sectional study. A total of 27,757 persons aged 18-80 years answered a postal questionnaire, which represents 59% of the random sample. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the associations between gender and

Background: BARD1 was originally identified as a BRCA1- interacting protein but has also been described in tumour-suppressive functions independent of BRCA1. Several studies have indicated that the BARD1 gene is a potential target for germline changes predisposing to breast and ovarian cancer. The C- terminal Cys557Ser change has previously been uncovered to associate with an increased risk of bre

Background: Reduced quadriceps strength is an early finding in subjects with knee osteoarthritis, but it is not clear whether it is a cause or a consequence of knee osteoarthritis. Objective: To determine whether reduced functional performance in the lower extremity predicts the incidence or progression of radiographic knee osteoarthritis. Design: Prospective, epidemiological, population based c

BACKGROUND: Persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) may interfere with reproductive function but direct evidence in humans is very limited. METHODS: Fertility was examined in four regions with contrasting blood levels of POPs. Pregnant women and their partners in Warsaw (Poland), Kharkiv (Ukraine) and Greenland were consecutively enrolled during antenatal visits. Swedish fishermen and their sp

OBJECTIVE - Consumption of a meal high in resistant starch or soluble fiber (P-glucan) decreases peak insulin and glucose concentrations and areas under the curve (AUCs). The objective was to determine whether the effects of soluble fiber and resistant starch on glycemic variables are additive. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Ten normal-weight (43.5 years of age, BMI 22.0 kg/m(2)) and 10 overweight

BACKGROUND. This study was performed in women who had attended the clinic for contraceptive advice to determine whether a history of casual sex with a foreign male, previously unknown to them (SFM) in their home country (Sweden), constituted an increased risk for acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as compared to women without such an experience (COMP). METHODS. Of 996 women enrolled, an

BACKGROUND: A standardised suction technique has been used to sample plasma proteins in dermal interstitial fluid (IF) serially for 5 to 6 days from a suction-induced skin mini-erosion. Increased protein concentrations ascribed to inflammation have been shown from day 1 onward. In this study, we assessed the effect of two different extraction pressures on IF sample composition. METHODS: Total prot