Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) links learning, memory and cognitive decline in elderly, but evidence linking BDNF allele variation, cognition and brain structural differences is lacking.
...367 elderly Swedish men (n = 181) and women (n = 186) from Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala seniors (PIVUS) were genotyped and the BDNF functional rs6265 SNP was further examined in subjects who completed the Trail Making Task (TMT), verbal fluency task, and had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) examined brain structure, cognition and links with BDNF.
The functional BDNF SNP (rs6265,) predicted better working memory performance on the TMT with positive association of the Met rs6265, and was linked with greater cerebellar, precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus and bilateral hippocampal volume, and reduced brainstem and bilateral posterior cingulate volumes.
The functional BDNF polymorphism influences brain volume in regions associated with memory and regulation of sensorimotor control, with the Met rs6265 allele potentially being more beneficial to these functions in the elderly.
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The combination of the obesity epidemic and an aging population presents growing challenges for the healthcare system. Obesity and aging are major risk factors for a diverse number of diseases and it ...is of importance to understand their interaction and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Herein the authors examined the methylation levels of 27578 CpG sites in 46 samples from adult peripheral blood. The effect of obesity and aging was ascertained with general linear models. More than one hundred probes were correlated to aging, nine of which belonged to the KEGG group map04080. Additionally, 10 CpG sites had diverse methylation profiles in obese and lean individuals, one of which was the telomerase catalytic subunit (TERT). In eight of ten cases the methylation change was reverted between obese and lean individuals. One region proved to be differentially methylated with obesity (LINC00304) independent of age. This study provides evidence that obesity influences age driven epigenetic changes, which provides a molecular link between aging and obesity. This link and the identified markers may prove to be valuable biomarkers for the understanding of the molecular basis of aging, obesity and associated diseases.
•We perform genome wide methylation analysis on 46 individuals.•We investigate the influence of age, obesity, and FTO genotype on methylation.•We found associations to age, obesity and interaction between age and obesity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
This study investigates wood density and anatomy of juvenile silver birch stems in Sweden, grown in mixed conifer stands. Our aim is to investigate if fertilization provides increased growth, as well ...as an eventual reduction in stem wood density. Measurements of basic density, ring width, cell wall thickness, and vessels are analyzed for 20 birch trees. Bark to pith radial sections are analyzed using a light microscope and the freeware ImageJ to compare treatments and ages. The results show that trees with fertilizer treatment have wider growth rings and thinner cell wall thickness compared to unfertilized trees. The fertilized trees also have a lower cambium age at the same height and the same diameter, and a slightly lower stem mean density (420 kg m−3) than the unfertilized stems (460 kg m−3). Fertilizer is a significant determinant of density and cell wall thickness in nonlinear models. The fertilized trees have increased growth and reached a fixed diameter earlier. The age difference between the trees likely explains some of the differences in cell wall thickness. This study supports the use of fertilizer as a silvicultural option for increasing the growth rate of silver birch for a relatively small reduction of wood density.
Background Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) links learning, memory and cognitive decline in elderly, but evidence linking BDNF allele variation, cognition and brain structural differences is ...lacking. Methods 367 elderly Swedish men (n = 181) and women (n = 186) from Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala seniors (PIVUS) were genotyped and the BDNF functional rs6265 SNP was further examined in subjects who completed the Trail Making Task (TMT), verbal fluency task, and had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) examined brain structure, cognition and links with BDNF. Results The functional BDNF SNP (rs6265,) predicted better working memory performance on the TMT with positive association of the Met rs6265, and was linked with greater cerebellar, precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus and bilateral hippocampal volume, and reduced brainstem and bilateral posterior cingulate volumes. Conclusions The functional BDNF polymorphism influences brain volume in regions associated with memory and regulation of sensorimotor control, with the Met rs6265 allele potentially being more beneficial to these functions in the elderly.
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In response to the furniture industry’s growing demand for raw material, large volumes of juvenile silver birch and downy birch stems available from pre-commercial thinning operations in Sweden’s ...forests could offer solutions. However, such stems are not currently used on an industrial scale, and most research conducted on birch stems in general has neither focussed on young trees nor the potential use of the central stem part around the tree pith. The resulting lack of knowledge about the juvenile part of birch wood thus requires additional information about the material properties of birch, which could encourage its use for various purposes in the furniture and other industries. The initial literature review performed for this thesis has highlighted some properties of juvenile birch required for its use as a furniture material, as well as identified topics concerning the physical characteristics of juvenile birch about which knowledge is currently limited. Consequently, the objectives of this thesis were to explore some characteristics of juvenile birch—bark thickness, wood-to-bark bonding ratio after drying, variations in the density and width of growth rings, and anatomical growth response to fertilisation—in order to increase the knowledge. The material studied came from mixed birch and Norway spruce stands at two sites in southern Sweden, namely Asa and Toftaholm. The birch stems were naturally regenerated silver birch and downy birch, with breast height diameters between 30 and 83 mm. Fertilised and unfertilised silver birch trees were sampled at Toftaholm, whereas unfertilised stems of silver birch and downy birch were sampled at Asa. The characteristics of stems from the pith to bark (radial direction) and along the stem (longitudinal direction) were measured. The wood-to-bark bonding ratio on downy birch after drying was calculated as the percentage of the stem circumference with full contact between the wood and bark, while oven-dry density and basic wood density for silver birch were determined by using the water displacement method. The impact of ring width on wood density was statistically analysed, and an image analysis of the wood anatomy was conducted to elucidate their relationship. Amongst the results, bark thickness along the stem had the highest deviation in the section closest to the stump. Moreover, the wood-to-bark bonding ratio after drying measured for juvenile downy birch seemed to depend more on the stem’s diameter than the sampling height along the stem. Such results are relevant for processors seeking to estimate the volume of wood under the bark. The wood-to-bark bonding ratio was highest for diameters between 30 and 39 mm, and neither did that relationship correlate with the sampling height along the stem. Variation in wood density in the radial and longitudinal directions in juvenile silver birch suggested that such density negatively correlated with growth rate (ring width). That relationship held true for stems at each site and between the sites, irrespective of management or growing conditions. As expected, mean wood density was lower in fertilised trees than in unfertilised ones, and towards the bark, radial density increased more in trees that grew more slowly. At the same time, variation in longitudinal density in young silver birch trees was low. Quantitative wood anatomy studies confirmed that the fertilised juvenile birch had younger cambia, thinner cell walls, and fewer vessels per mm2 than unfertilised trees in the same diameter class. Overall, the knowledge generated in the study may facilitate the industrial use of juvenile birch stems and wood in interior and furniture applications. The role of wood anatomy in determining the mechanical performance of juvenile birch stems should be further examined, however, to possibly reveal new opportunities for the use of juvenile birch.
Det finns ett växande behov av råvaror till möbelindustrin. Stammar av juvenil vårtbjörk och glasbjörk finns tillgängliga i stora volymer från röjning i svenska skogar. För närvarande finns det inget storskaligt industriellt nyttjande av det virket. Bättre kunskap om dess virkesegenskaper kan öppna upp möjligheterna till olika användningsområden. Dock har en majoritet av den befintliga björkforskningen ofta exkluderat studier av innersta veden närmast kärnan, vilket resulterat i en låg kunskapsnivå om det juvenila virket. I den inledande litteraturstudien i denna uppsats belyses vilka krav som ställs på materialegenskaperna i möbelvirke. Vidare identifieras befintliga kunskapsluckor i fysiska och mekaniska egenskaper för juvenil björk. Målet med denna uppsats är därför att utforska några egenskaper, såsom barktjocklek, barkvidhäftning efter torkning, densitet och årsringsbreddsvariation samt hur gödsling kan påverka vedanatomin. Materialet kom från blandskogsbestånd med gran och björk i Asa och Toftaholm i Götaland. Björkarna var självföryngrad vårtbjörk och glasbjörk och stammarna hade en brösthöjdsdiameter mellan 30 och 83 mm. I Toftaholm var en del av beståndet gödslad respektive ogödslad vårtbjörk. Från Asa togs stammar av både vårtbjörk och glasbjörk. Virkesegenskaper och dess variationer i stammens radiella och longitudinella riktning studerades. Vidhäftningen av barken till veden efter torkning bedömdes procentuellt på omkretsen av ändträet. Relativ torrdensitet och rådensitet mättes. Påverkan av årsringsbredd på veddensitet analyserades statistiskt och vedanatomin studerades med mikroskop och bildanalys för en vidare förståelse av dess samband med gödsling. Resultaten gällande barktjocklekens variation visade att den nedre delen av stammen hade störst medelavvikelse. Dessa resultat kan vara relevant information för vidareförädling efter avbarkning. Barkens vidhäftning till veden efter torkning mättes på juvenil glasbjörk. Det visade ett visst samband med stamdiameter där den högsta vidhäftningen fanns på stammarna med en diameter mellan 30 och 39 mm. Sambandet var däremot inte korrelerat till stamhöjden där provet togs. Densitetsvariation i radiell och longitudinell riktning studerades för juvenil vårtbjörk. Densiteten hade en svag negativt korrelation till årsringsbredd. Detta samband sågs både inom bestånd och mellan bestånd med olika tillväxtförhållande samt skötsel. Medeldensiteten för virket var, som förväntat, lägre i de gödslade träden jämfört med de ogödslade. I den radiella riktningen hade det senvuxna virket en högre faktor på densitetsökningen. Den longitudinella densitetsvariationen i unga vårtbjörkar var låg. Kvantitativa vedanatomistudier bekräftade att ungdomsveden i gödslad vårtbjörk hade en lägre kambiumålder, tunnare cellväggstjocklek och färre kärl jämfört med ogödslade träd med samma diameter, resultat som tidigare påvisats för mogen björk. Sammanfattningsvis kan resultaten från den här uppsatsen förbättra kunskapen och därmed underlätta för en industriell användning av juvenila björkstammar inom inredning och möbler. Dock bör vedanatomins påverkan på de mekaniska egenskaperna för juvenila björkstammar studeras vidare. Det kan möjliggöra nya användningsområden för juvenil björk.
Wetlands in agricultural areas mitigate eutrophication by intercepting nutrient transports from land to sea. The role of wetlands for nutrient removal may become even more important in the future ...because of the expected increase in agricultural runoff due to climate change. Because denitrification is temperature dependent, wetland nitrogen (N) removal usually peaks during the warm summer. However, climate change scenarios for the northern temperate zone predict decreased summer and increased winter flows. Future wetlands may therefore shift towards lower hydraulic loading rate and N load during summer. We hypothesised that low summer N loads would decrease annual wetland N removal and tested this by examining 1.5–3 years of continuous N removal data from created agricultural wetlands in two regions in southern Sweden (East and West) during different periods. West wetlands showed relatively stable hydraulic loads throughout the year, whereas East wetlands had pronounced no-flow periods during summer. We compared East and West wetlands and tested the effects of several variables (e.g., N concentration, N load, hydraulic load, depth, vegetation cover, hydraulic shape) on annual absolute and relative N removal. We found no difference in annual N removal between East and West wetlands, even though summer N loads were lower in East than in West wetlands. A possible explanation is that stagnant water conditions in East wetlands suppressed decomposition of organic matter during summer, making more organic matter available for denitrification during winter. Absolute N removal in all wetlands was best explained by N load and hydraulic shape, whereas relative N removal was best explained by emergent vegetation cover and hydraulic shape. This study highlights the importance of design and location of agricultural wetlands for high N removal, and we conclude that wetlands in a future climate may remove N from agricultural runoff as efficiently as today.
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•N removal was best explained by N load, hydraulic shape, and vegetation cover.•Low flows during summer did not affect annual N removal.•In the future, increased winter N removal may balance reduced summer N removal.•N removal may depend more on organic C availability than on seasonal flow dynamics.•Wetland N removal exhibits a certain degree of robustness to climate change.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract
Background
Health inequities arise when the public cannot access and understand health information in an easy, accessible, and understandable way. Evidence supports that health literacy (HL) ...is a determinant for health outcomes, and when HL is limited this may have a major impact on morbidity as well as mortality. Migrants are known to have limited HL. Therefore, this study aimed to explore comprehensive health literacy (CHL) and electronic health literacy (eHL) among Arabic-speaking migrants in Sweden.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in Sweden. A total of 703 persons were invited to participate between February and September 2019. Two questionnaires – the Health Literacy Survey European Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) and the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) – and questions about self-perceived health and Internet use were distributed in Swedish and Arabic. Various statistical analyses were performed to determine the associations for limited CHL and eHL.
Results
A total of 681 respondents were included in the analysis. Of these, 334 (49%) were native Arabic-speaking migrants and 347 (51%) were native Swedish-speaking residents. CHL and eHL differed between the groups. The Arabic speakers had significantly lower mean sum scores in eHL 28.1 (SD 6.1) vs 29.3 (6.2),
p
= 0.012 and lower proportion of sufficient CHL 125 (38.9%) vs 239 (71.3%),
p
< 0.001 compared to Swedish speakers. Multiple regression analysis showed on associations between limited CHL and eHL and being Arabic speaking, less Internet use, and not finding the Internet to be important or useful. Furthermore, longer time spent in Sweden was associated with higher levels of CHL among the Arabic speakers, (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91–0.98,
p
< 0.01).
Conclusions
CHL and eHL differ between Arabic-speaking migrants and native Swedish speakers, but also between Arabic speakers who have lived different lengths of time in Sweden. Though it seems that the eHealth literacy is less affected by language spoken, the Internet is suggested to be an appropriate channel for disseminating health information to Arabic-speaking migrants.
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Wetland management maintains nitrogen (N) removal capacity in mature and overgrown constructed wetlands (CWs). We evaluated whether CW management by macrophyte harvesting, and subsequent installation ...of woodchips-based floating beds (WFBs) planted with Glyceria maxima and Filipendula ulmaria improved N removal. In sixteen heavily overgrown experimental CWs, we applied four treatments: i) only macrophyte harvesting, ii) 5% of the harvested-CW surface covered with WFBs, iii) 20% WFBs cover, and iv) a control treatment (heavily overgrown). N removal was determined in all wetlands at nine occasions. Plant biomass accrual, N assimilation, and denitrification genes nirS, nirK, nosZI and nosZII on plant roots and woodchips from WFBs were estimated. Macrophyte harvesting improved N removal of heavily overgrown CWs, whereas subsequent WFB installation only sometimes improved N removal. Mean N removal efficiencies (± standard deviation) overall were 41 ± 15 %, 45 ± 20 %, 46 ± 16 % and 27 ± 8.3 % for treatments i to iv, respectively. Relative biomass production, root length and root surface area for G.maxima (mean ± standard deviation: 234 ± 114 %, 40 ± 6.5 cm, 6308 ± 1059 cm2g-1, respectively) were higher than those for F. ulmaria (63 ± 86 %, 28 ± 12 cm, 3131 ± 535 cm2g-1, respectively) whereas biomass N assimilation was higher for F. ulmaria (1.8 ± 0.9 gNm−2 of WFB) than for G. maxima (1.3 ± 0.5 gNm−2 of WFB). Denitrification gene abundance was higher on plant roots than on woodchips while G. maxima hosted higher root denitrification gene abundance than F. ulmaria. We conclude that macrophyte harvesting improves N removal in heavily overgrown CWs. WFBs installation has the potential to support plant growth and denitrification in surface-flow constructed wetlands. Further studies need to evaluate the long-term effects of macrophyte harvesting and WFB installation on N removal in CWs.
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•Macrophyte harvesting may improve N removal capacity of surface-flow constructed wetlands.•Woodchips-based floating beds support plant growth and plant N assimilation.•Glyceria maxima and Filipendula ulmaria grow well on woodchips-based floating beds.•Plant roots and woodchips enhance floating bed denitrification potential.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
IntroductionEquity in health and access to healthcare regardless of gender, ethnicity or social position is a major political issue worldwide. Regardless of an individual’s knowledge, motivation and ...competence, individuals are expected to be engaged and take responsibility of their own care. Migrants have been identified as a vulnerable population in healthcare, and an explanation for the inequity in health and in healthcare is limited health literacy. Furthermore, with increasing digitalisation in healthcare, it also puts demand on the individual to have digital or electronic health (eHealth) literacy.The overall aim of this study is to conduct a psychometric evaluation of the Swedish and Arabic versions of HLS-EU-Q16 and eHEALS and to compare Arabic and Swedish speakers’ Health literacy and eHealth literacy levels in Sweden.Methods and analysisThis is a prospective, psychometric evaluation study with the intent of including 300 Arabic-speaking and 300 Swedish-speaking participants. Questionnaires: The Health Literacy Survey European Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) includes 16 items measuring perceived personal skills of finding, understanding, judging and applying health information to maintain and improve their health. The eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) is an 8-item scale measuring health literacy skills in relation to online information and applications.This study will be conducted in four phases. Phase 1: Translation of HLS-EU-Q16 and eHEALS from English to Swedish and Arabic versions following the principles of translation of questionnaires. Phase 2: Content validity testing of eHEALS, including face validity and interpretability, conducted with five Arabic and five Swedish-speaking participants. Phase 3: Psychometric testing including construct validity, reliability, feasibility and floor ceiling effects. Phase 4: Distribution and comparison of eHealth and HLS-EU-Q16 analysed with χ2 and Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. To assess associations between HLS-EU-Q16, eHEALS and demographic variables, binary logistic regression analyses will be performed.Ethics and disseminationThe project has been approved by the regional ethical review board in Stockholm, Sweden (2019/5:1) and will follow the principles outlined in the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. Results from this study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences and social media.
Health Literacy is a crucial factor for health. In Europe, many people have limited health literacy (i.e. difficulties with accessing, understanding, appraising and using health information). This ...study aimed to evaluate the psychometrics of the Swedish versions of the HLS-EU-Q16 and HLS-EU-Q6, instruments that aims to assess health literacy.
In this prospective psychometric study convenience sampling was used, which gave a study population of 347 Swedish-speaking adults. The psychometric evaluation included item distributional statistics, construct validity testing, and principal component analysis to assess structural validity. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability was also investigated.
For the Swedish version of HLS-EU-Q16, no floor effects were detected but a ceiling effect was noted among 28% of the respondents. Construct validity was supported as four out of five expected correlations was confirmed (educational level, self-perceived health, electronic health literacy and HLS-EU-Q6). In terms of structural validity, the principal component analysis yielded a four-factor structure with most items loading significantly only to one factor. The Swedish version of HLS-EU-Q16 had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.89, split-half reliability = 0.93) and test-retest reliability showed stability over time (Cohen's κ = 0.822). For the Swedish version of HLS-EU-Q6, neither floor nor ceiling effects were observed. Construct validity was supported as HLS-EU-Q6 correlated as our a priori stated hypothesis. The principal component analysis did not support the unidimensionality of the scale as a two-factor structure was identified. The Swedish version of HLS-EU-Q6 had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.77, split-half reliability = 0.80) and test-retest reliability showed stability over time (Cohen's κ = 0.812). According to the Swedish version of the HLS-EU-Q16, 71% of the participants were classified as having sufficient comprehensive health knowledge (CHL), while only 33% were classified as having this when the HLS-EU-Q6 was used.
The Swedish versions of the HLS-EU-Q16 and HLS-EU-Q6 have acceptable psychometric properties, and based on the results we recommend its use to measure CHL. However, we are hesitant to use Sw-HLS-EU-Q6 in estimating different CHL levels and further studies need to be conducted to establish validity and accuracy of the thresholds of HLS-EU-Q6.
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