Purpose Autoantibodies against osteoprotegerin (OPG) have been associated with osteoporosis. The aim was to develop an immunoassay for OPG autoantibodies and test their diagnostic usefulness of identifying women general population with low bone mineral density. Methods Included were 698 women at mean age 55.1 years (range 50.4–60.6) randomly selected from the general population. Measurement of wri

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Few birth cohorts have prospectively followed development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CD) autoimmunities to determine timing, extent of co-occurrence, and associated genetic and demographic factors.METHODS: In this prospective birth cohort study, 8676 children at high genetic risk of both diseases were enrolled and 5891 analyzed in median follow-up of 66

BACKGROUND: Platelets are a critical element in coagulation and inflammation, and activated platelets are linked to cancer risk through diverse mechanisms. However, a causal relationship between platelets and risk of lung cancer remains unclear. METHODS: We performed single and combined multiple instrumental variable Mendelian randomization analysis by an inverse-weighted method, in addition to a

One of the central assumptions of modernity is that the problems faced by society are best resolved through the use of scientific knowledge. Indeed, during the past century, the professions have both become certified and expected to base their work on this form of knowledge. In contemporary social work, this assumption is embedded in the notion of evidence-based practice, which has become the leadOne of the central assumptions of modernity is that the problems faced by society are best resolved through the use of scientific knowledge. Indeed, during the past century, the professions have both become certified and expected to base their work on this form of knowledge. In contemporary social work, this assumption is embedded in the notion of evidence-based practice, which has become the lead

Objective: In non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), local recurrence after transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) is common. Outcomes vary between urological centres, partly due to the sub-optimal surgical technique and insufficient application of measures recommended in the guidelines. This study evaluated early recurrence rates after primary TURB for NMIBC before and after introduci

Den globala flyktingkrisen ställer Sverige inför en svårhanterlig politisk och moralisk fråga. Vilka skyldigheter har vi mot människor på flykt, och finns det en gräns för hur många flyktingar vi kan ta emot? I den politiska debatten går det att skönja att mycket grundläggande normativa föreställningar står mot varandra. En dragkamp mellan å ena sidan en partikularistisk etik och en nationell syn

In type 1 diabetes, pancreatic beta cells are destroyed by chronic autoimmune responses. The disease develops in genetically susceptible individuals, but a role for environmental factors has been postulated. Viral infections have long been considered as candidates for environmental triggers but, given the lack of evidence for an acute, widespread, cytopathic effect in the pancreas in type 1 diabet

Aim: To evaluate the impact on parental stress of an individualised neonatal parent support programme. Method: A quasi-experimental design. Parents of preterm infants, at a level II NICU, were consecutively assigned to a control group (n = 130) and to an intervention group (n = 101). The programme focused on person-centred communication and consisted of four individual nurse–parent dialogues durin

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and dementia are predominant among the elderly; patients with AF have an increased dementia risk. We aimed to study if prescribed antihypertensive drugs and cardiovascular pharmacotherapies are associated with a lower relative risk of dementia. Methods: All included patients were ≥45 years and diagnosed with AF in primary care; 12,096 (6580 men and 5516 women)

Background: The association between depression and type 2 diabetes is bidirectional. Underlying biological determinants remain elusive. We examined whether a common melatonin receptor 1B gene diabetes risk variant rs10830963 influenced the associations between depressive symptoms and glycaemic traits. Materials: The Prevalence, Prediction and Prevention of Diabetes-Botnia Study participants (n = 4

Background: Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) have a significant genetic contribution and commonly co-exist. To compare and contrast genetic determinants of the two diseases, we investigated associations of the LPA and 9p21 loci, i.e. the two strongest CAD risk loci, with risk of AVS. Methods: We genotyped the CAD-associated variants at the LPA (rs10455872) and 9p21 loc

Prior studies suggest dental caries traits in children and adolescents are partially heritable, but there has been no large-scale consortium genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date. We therefore performed GWAS for caries in participants aged 2.5-18.0 years from nine contributing centres. Phenotype definitions were created for the presence or absence of treated or untreated caries, stratified

The aim of this study was to explore parents’ experiences of sleep and rest while admitted to hospital together with their ill child. When a child is hospitalized, it can be a traumatic experience for the entire family. Adaptation to the new situation and new parental responsibilities is necessary. Hospitalized children demand more supervision and care, making sleep disturbance a common challenge

There are no studies evaluating the glucose variability in different periods of Ramadan fasting in patients with type 2 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). This study examined the effect of Ramadan fasting on interstitial glucose (IG) variability in early,- late-, and post-Ramadan compared to pre-Ramadan days in non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes patients. Participants had a CGM s

Background: Diabetes mellitus is linked to premature mortality of virtually all causes. Furin is a proprotein convertase broadly involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis; however, little is known about its role in the development of diabetes mellitus and risk of premature mortality. Objectives: To test if fasting plasma concentration of furin is associated with the development of diabet

Objective: IgG antibodies against apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) have been found to be elevated in subjects from the general population with clinically manifest cardiovascular disease and in myocardial infarction patients with an adverse prognosis. Here, we investigated whether these antibodies are prospectively associated with carotid artery disease progression and with the risk for first-time cardi