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Objective: The heterogeneity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) constitutes clinical and therapeutical challenges. We therefore studied whether unrecognized disease subgroups can be identified by using autoantibody profiling together with HLA-DRB1 alleles and immunological and clinical data. Methods: An unsupervised cluster analysis was performed based on detection of 13 SLE-associated autoanti
Aims: Recent studies have suggested potential sex differences in treatment response to pharmacological therapies in heart failure (HF). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing treatment effects between men and women with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) using established guideline-directed medical therapy and other emerging pharmacological treatments. Method
Background and ObjectivesIdentifying a clinically meaningful change in cognitive test score is essential when using cognition as an outcome in clinical trials. This is especially relevant because clinical trials increasingly feature novel composites of cognitive tests. Our primary objective was to establish minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for commonly used cognitive tests, using a
BACKGROUND: Complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) is a major reason for implantation of permanent pacemakers, but knowledge of CAVB inheritance is sparse. This nationwide study aimed to determine the occurrence of CAVB in first-, second-, and third-degree relatives (full siblings, half-siblings, and cousins).METHODS: The Swedish multigeneration register was linked to the Swedish nationwide patien
BackgroundLoss to follow-up (LTFU) from tuberculosis (TB) treatment and care is a major public health problem as patients can be infectious and also may develop a multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB). The study aimed to assess whether LTFU differs by the distance TB patients travelled to receive care from the nearest health facility.MethodsA total of 402 patient cards of TB patients who received care
Environmental concerns such as global warming, the surge of crude oil prices and more stringent emission regulations are demanding the development of internal combustion engines that are highly efficient and low polluting. With classical internal combustion engine concepts such as diesel compression ignition and gasoline spark ignition engines, a trade-off exists between local and global emissions
OBJECTIVE: To study cause specific mortality and cancer morbidity in workers exposed to the dust of grinding materials, grinding agents, and stainless steel, especially with regard to a possibly increased risk of respiratory, stomach, and colorectal cancer. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study, using reference cohorts of blue collar workers and population rates for comparison. The exposed cohort c
The identification of carotid atheromatous plaques associated to a higher neurologic risk may be important in therapeutic decision making for asymptomatic patients and symptomatic patients with 50%-70% stenosis. The introduction of high-definition ultrasonography (HDU) and computer-assisted image analysis provides the possibility of a standard, objective and detailed characterization of the struct
The criteria for Brief Resolved Unexplained Events (BRUE) are used to stratify the risk in infants presenting with apneic episodes. However, these criteria often classify a high proportion of infants as higher risk. This study aimed to investigate the etiology of apneic episodes, particularly those compatible with BRUE, and to assess whether age ≤60 days is associated with serious underlying condi
Background: Selected patients with advanced germ cell tumors have a poor prognosis. These include patients with brain, bone or liver metastases, very elevated tumor markers or primary mediastinal tumor. High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous stem cell support is recommended in the Swedish and Norwegian Testicular Cancer Group (SWENOTECA) guidelines in selected poor risk patients with poor r
BACKGROUND: Preoperative anaemia is associated with increased use of blood transfusions, a greater risk of postoperative complications, and patient morbidity. The IRON NOF trial aimed to investigate whether the administration of i.v. iron in anaemic patients during hip fracture surgery reduced the need for blood transfusion and improved patient outcomes.METHODS: This phase III double-blind, random
Antibiotic resistance poses a global threat. Antibiotics are administered to 80-90% of terminally ill patients but evidence of their effectiveness in improving survival or symptom relief at the end of life (EOL) is scarce. To determine the proportion of deceased patients that continue antibiotic treatment after documented EOL discussion and the decision to prioritise symptom relief over active tre
AIMS: Metformin has hitherto not been proven superior to other type 2 diabetes (T2D) medications for the prevention of organ complications. The aim of this study is to report baseline data and blinded interim analyses in the register-based randomised clinical trial (RRCT) SMARTEST, which compares metformin and the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin in early T2D. We also present learnings from the novel
Background: Various plasma phosphorylated tau species have been shown to be associated with amyloid-β (Aβ) PET and Tau PET in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but whether APOE ε4 affects the interaction between glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and phosphorylated tau (pTau), and whether a three-way interaction exists among APOE ε4, GFAP, and pTau that influences AD progression remain unclear. Method
BACKGROUND: Differences in cardiac sarcoidosis between racial groups remain understudied. Therefore, this study aims to explore race differences in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Cardiac Sarcoidosis Consortium, an international registry including over 25 centers. The primary clinical outcome was a composite end point of all-cause mortality, left ventricular a
ObjectivesThis study investigates the impact of transitioning from restricted to 24/7 access to blood culture cabinets on blood culture processing.MethodA post-hoc retrospective study and a prospective laboratory simulation to evaluate the effects of delayed incubation were conducted. Data analysis evaluated clinical data comparing incubation-to-detection (ITD) and Collection-to-detection (CTD) in
Background: Hearing loss is estimated to affect more than 20% of the global population. Hearing aid fitting is a common intervention in audiological rehabilitation; however, there are still those who struggle with remaining communication difficulties that require additional intervention. The group rehabilitation program Active Communication Education (ACE) has been shown to be an effective alterna
We assessed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk associated with smoking and alcohol consumption and their interactions, using both questionnaire data and objective serum biomarkers. Information on smoking and alcohol consumption was collected at baseline from 450,112 participants of the EPIC cohort, among whom 255 developed HCC after a median follow-up of 14 years. In a nested case–control subset
BACKGROUND: Accurate risk stratification in older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) is essential but challenging due to atypical presentations and age-related physiological changes. While vital signs are central to triage, their predictive value for short-term mortality in this population remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between initial vital signs and
Background: Opioid use disorder is a chronic disorder with a high risk of overdose-related morbidity and mortality where a large proportion of these can be averted by timely administration of the antidote naloxone. For naloxone to be present when and where overdoses occur, broad-scale overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) must be established. A regional naloxone program was implement
