Previous research has shown that white males have a relatively low perception of risks, known as the “white male effect” (WME). Many of the explanations of this effect refer to the privileged ...position of this particular demographic group in society, adducing white males’ socio‐economic resources, sense of control, worldviews, etc. It can thus be argued that inequality leads women and ethnic minorities to have higher risk perception than men and the ethnic majority. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the WME in a gender‐equal country, Sweden, to see if the pattern is similar to previous studies from the comparably less gender‐equal United States. The empirical analyses are based on a national survey (n= 1,472) on the perception of risk conducted in Sweden in the winter of 2005. The results show that in Sweden there is no significant difference between men and women in risk perception, while people with foreign backgrounds perceive risks higher than native people. The chief finding is that there is no WME in Sweden, which we concluded results from the relative equality between the sexes in the country. On the other hand, ethnicity serves as a marker of inequality and discrimination in Sweden. Consequently, ethnicity, in terms of foreign background, mediates inequality, resulting in high risk perception. Equality therefore seems to be a fruitful concept with which to examine differences in risk perception between groups in society, and we propose that the “societal inequality effect” is a more proper description than the “WME.”
The purpose was to analyze trends in intensity of care at End-of-life (EOL), in two cohorts of patients with lung or pancreatic cancer. We used population-based registry data on health care ...utilization to describe proportions and intensity of care at EOL comparing the two cohorts (deceased in the years of 2010 and 2017 respectively) in the region of Stockholm, Sweden. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used for associations. A moderation variable was added to assess for the effect of SPC at home between the cohorts. Intensity of care at EOL increased over time between the cohorts, especially use of SACT, increased with 10%, p<0.001, (n = 102/754 = 14% to n = 236/972 = 24%), ED visits with 7%, p<0.001, (n = 25/754 = 3% to n = 100/972 = 10%) and ICU care, 2%, p = 0.04, (n = 12/754 = 2% to n = 38/972 = 4%). High intensity of care at EOL were more likely among patients with lung cancer. The difference in use of SACT between the years, was moderated by SPC, with an increase of SACT, unstandardized coefficient beta; 0.87, SE = 0.27, p = 0.001, as well as the difference between the years in death at acute care hospitals, that decreased (beta = 0.69, SE = 0.26, p = 0.007). These findings underscore an increase of several aspects regarding intensity of care at EOL, and a need for further exploration of the optimal organization of EOL care. Our results indicate fragmentation of care and a need to better organize and coordinate care for vulnerable patients.
The building blocks of DNA, dNTPs, can be produced de novo or can be salvaged from deoxyribonucleosides. However, to what extent the absence of de novo dNTP production can be compensated for by the ...salvage pathway is unknown. Here, we eliminated de novo dNTP synthesis in the mouse heart and skeletal muscle by inactivating ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), a key enzyme for the de novo production of dNTPs, at embryonic day 13. All other tissues had normal de novo dNTP synthesis and theoretically could supply heart and skeletal muscle with deoxyribonucleosides needed for dNTP production by salvage. We observed that the dNTP and NTP pools in WT postnatal hearts are unexpectedly asymmetric, with unusually high dGTP and GTP levels compared with those in whole mouse embryos or murine cell cultures. We found that RNR inactivation in heart led to strongly decreased dGTP and increased dCTP, dTTP, and dATP pools; aberrant DNA replication; defective expression of muscle-specific proteins; progressive heart abnormalities; disturbance of the cardiac conduction system; and lethality between the second and fourth weeks after birth. We conclude that dNTP salvage cannot substitute for de novo dNTP synthesis in the heart and that cardiomyocytes and myocytes initiate DNA replication despite an inadequate dNTP supply. We discuss the possible reasons for the observed asymmetry in dNTP and NTP pools in WT hearts.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to register long-term recurrence rates and mortality rates in cats diagnosed with feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC), with an observation period until death or a ...minimum of 10 years.
Methods
Data regarding recurrence of signs of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) and FLUTD-related mortality in cats diagnosed with FIC between 2003 and 2009 were obtained through structured telephone interviews with the cat owners from December 2018 until February 2019. The interviews were based on a standardised questionnaire covering whether the cat was still alive or not, whether death/euthanasia were due to FLUTD and whether the cat had experienced recurrent episodes of clinical signs of FLUTD. If recurrences had occurred, exact numbers or estimates of 1–3, 4–6 or >6 recurrences were recorded.
Results
The owners of 50/105 FIC cats included in a previous study (48%) were available for inclusion in the present study. At the time of the interview, only 6/50 cats (12%) were still alive. The FLUTD-related mortality rate was 20% (n = 10/50). Twenty-three cats (46%) had no recurrences, three cats (6%) were euthanased shortly after diagnosis, nine cats (18%) had 1–3 recurrences, three cats (6%) had 4–6 recurrences and six cats (12%) had >6 recurrences. For the remaining six cats, the number of recurrences was uncertain.
Conclusions and relevance
The long-term prognosis for cats diagnosed with FIC may, based on the results from the present study, be regarded as fairly good, as approximately 70% of the cats either recovered without additional episodes, experienced only a few recurrences, are still alive after a minimum of 10 years since inclusion in the study, or were euthanased for reasons unrelated to FLUTD.
Precarious employment is a risk factor for poor mental health, particularly among young adults. Knowledge about how young people maintain their mental health while in a precarious employment ...situation is scarce. The aim of the study was to explore the meaning of precarious employment for young adults in Sweden and their strategies for maintaining good mental health.
In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 individuals (9 men and 6 women) aged 20-39 years in a precarious employment situation. Contact persons at union offices and at specific job-coaching organizations collaborating with the Swedish public employment agency in the city of Malmö were gate openers to reach informants. Analysis was based on constructivist grounded theory, implying an emergent design where data collection and analysis go hand in hand.
All informants had completed secondary school in Sweden, and one third had studied at the university level. A majority currently had jobs; however, they were mostly employed on an hourly basis and only a few had temporary full-time jobs. The analysis resulted in a core category "Diverting blame to stay sane," which summarized an emergent coping process involving individual resources and resources represented by the individuals' social capital. The developed theoretical model contained four main categories, "Facing reality," "Losing control," "Adapting," and "Fighting back," related to the core category.
The results implied a process where the challenges created by loss of employment-based rights required a coping process where the individual's social capital plays an important role. However, social capital is to a large extent determined by contextual factors, underlining the strong health equity aspect of precarious employment.
ObjectivesInequalities in oral health have been on the rise globally. In Sweden, these differences exist not between regions, but among subgroups living in vulnerable situations. This study aims at ...understanding behavioural change after taking part in participatory oral health promotional activity among families living in socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Southern Sweden.SettingThe current study involved citizens from a socially disadvantaged neighbourhood in Malmö, together with actors from the academic, public and private sectors. These neighbourhoods were characterised by high rates of unemployment, crime, low education levels and, most importantly, poor health.ParticipantsFamilies with children aged 7–14 years from the neighbourhood were invited to participate in the health promotional activities by a community representative, known as a health promoter, using snowball sampling. Between 8 and 12 families participated in the multistage focus groups over 6 months. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsThree main themes emerged from the analysis, providing an understanding of the determinants for behavioural change, including meaningful social interactions, family dynamics and health trajectories. The mothers in the study valued the social aspects of their participation; however, they believed that gaining knowledge in combination with social interaction made their presence also meaningful. Further, the participants recognised the role of family dynamics primarily the interactions within the family, family structure and traditional practices as influencing oral health-related behaviour among children. Participants reported having experienced a change in general health owing to changed behaviour. They started to understand the association between general health and oral health that further motivated them to follow healthier behavioural routines.ConclusionsThe results from this study show that oral health promotion through reflection and dialogue with the communities, together with other stakeholders, may have the potential to influence behavioural change and empower participants to be future ambassadors for change.
The tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) are primary sites for induction of tumor immunity. They are also common sites of metastasis, suggesting that tumor-induced mechanisms can subvert anti-tumor ...immune responses and promote metastatic seeding. The high endothelial venules (HEVs) together with CCL21-expressing fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are essential for lymphocyte recruitment into the LNs. We established multicolor antibody panels for evaluation of HEVs and FRCs in TDLNs from breast cancer (BC) patients. Our data show that patients with invasive BC display extensive structural and molecular remodeling of the HEVs, including vessel dilation, thinning of the endothelium and discontinuous expression of the HEV-marker PNAd. Remodeling of the HEVs was associated with dysregulation of CCL21 in perivascular FRCs and with accumulation of CCL21-saturated lymphocytes, which we link to loss of CCL21-binding heparan sulfate in FRCs. These changes were rare or absent in LNs from patients with non-invasive BC and cancer-free organ donors and were observed independent of nodal metastasis. Thus, pre-metastatic dysregulation of core stromal and vascular functions within TDLNs reflect the primary tumor invasiveness in BC. This adds to the understanding of cancer-induced perturbation of the immune response and opens for prospects of vascular and stromal changes in TDLNs as potential biomarkers.
Attosecond pulses, produced through high-order harmonic generation in gases, have been successfully used for observing ultrafast, subfemtosecond electron dynamics in atoms, molecules and solid state ...systems. Today’s typical attosecond sources, however, are often impaired by their low repetition rate and the resulting insufficient statistics, especially when the number of detectable events per shot is limited. This is the case for experiments, where several reaction products must be detected in coincidence, and for surface science applications where space charge effects compromise spectral and spatial resolution. In this work, we present an attosecond light source operating at 200 kHz, which opens up the exploration of phenomena previously inaccessible to attosecond interferometric and spectroscopic techniques. Key to our approach is the combination of a high-repetition rate, few-cycle laser source, a specially designed gas target for efficient high harmonic generation, a passively and actively stabilized pump-probe interferometer and an advanced 3D photoelectron/ion momentum detector. While most experiments in the field of attosecond science so far have been performed with either single attosecond pulses or long trains of pulses, we explore the hitherto mostly overlooked intermediate regime with short trains consisting of only a few attosecond pulses. We also present the first coincidence measurement of single-photon double-ionization of helium with full angular resolution, using an attosecond source. This opens up for future studies of the dynamic evolution of strongly correlated electrons.
The present study considers the correlation between parenthood and worry about the consequences of climate change. Two approaches to gauging people's perceptions of the risks of climate change are ...compared: the classic approach, which measures risk perception, and the emotion‐based approach, which measures feelings toward a risk object. The empirical material is based on a questionnaire‐based survey of 3,529 people in Sweden, of whom 1,376 answered, giving a response rate of 39%. The results show that the correlation of parenthood and climate risk is significant when the emotional aspect is raised, but not when respondents were asked to do cognitive estimates of risk. Parenthood proves significant in all three questions that measure feelings, demonstrating that it is a determinant that serves to increase worry about climate change.
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