Birth weight and risk of renal cell cancer

Birth weight and risk of renal cell cancer.BackgroundThe prenatal period has been suggested to be important for future cancer risk. Conditions in utero are also important for the development of the kidney, and birth weight, a marker of fetal nutrition and growth, is linearly correlated with the number of nephrons and the structural and functional unit of the kidney. An association between birth weight and renal cell cancer, the major form of kidney cancer, is biologically plausible, but has never been studied.MethodsWe conducted a population-based, case-controlled study in Sweden of men and women aged 20 to 79 years. We collected self-reported information on categories of birth weight from 648 patients with newly diagnosed renal cell cancer and from 900 frequency-matched control subjects. We used unconditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as estimates of the relative risks.ResultsAn increased risk of renal cell cancer was observed among men with a birth weight of ≥3500 g (adjusted OR = 1.3, 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.8) compared with men with a birth weight between 3000 and 3499 g, especially in the subgroup without hypertension or diabetes (adjusted OR = 1.8, 95% CI, 1.2 to 2.6). No clear association among men with a birth weight <3000 g or among women was found.ConclusionsOur study shows that conditions in utero, reflected by birth weight, might affect the risk of renal cell cancer in adulthood. It is unclear why no association was found among women. Further studies, based on weight from birth certificates, are needed to clarify this relationship

Arbetsområde vid ledningsrätt

The Utility Easement Act is used to provide land for conduits. It gives the owner of the conduit the right to construct and maintain conduits of various types on the land. The decision about utility easement is taken by a cadastral surveyor at the Swedish National Land Survey and is a perpetual right. In the decision it is normally stated what land can be used during the construction of the conduit, a temporary construction area. The possibility to create a temporary right to use land during the construction is nowhere to be found in the legislation and there is an uncertainty amongst cadastral surveyors how they are supposed to handle it. Cadastral surveyors, conduit owners and the Federation of Swedish Farmers are all agreeing that the temporary construction area is very practical and useful but it’s questionable if there is any legal basis. The compensation for the encroachment caused by the conduit may differ depending on if a construction area has been granted in the cadastral procedure or not. Because of uncertainty and the difference in compensation we believe a change in the Utility Easement Act is needed. An amendment that gives the surveyor a legal possibility to create temporary areas within the utility easement.Det här examensarbetet syftar till att reda ut de juridiska, tekniska och ekonomiska aspekterna kring begreppet arbetsområde. Arbetsområde upplåts ofta i en ledningsförrättning av lantmäterimyndigheten och ger ledningshavaren en rätt att nyttja visst utrymme vid anläggandet av ledning. Området är, till skillnad från ledningsområdet, endast en tillfällig rättighet för ledningshavaren. Det råder osäkerhet kring hur arbetsområdet ska användas och om det faktiskt går att upplåta utrymmet i lantmäteriförrättningen. Genom examensarbetet vill vi förtydliga hur arbetsområdet förhåller sig till nuvarande lagstiftning genom att besvara följande frågeställningar * Finns det lagstöd för att bilda ett arbetsområde som en tillfällig nyttjanderätt inom ramen för en ledningsrättsförrättning? * Hur stort arbetsområde behövs vid anläggandet av olika typer av ledningar? * Vad får storleken på arbetsområdet för konsekvenser för markägare och ledningsrättshavare? * Hur hanteras ersättningsfrågan för arbetsområdet i ledningsrättsförrättningar? * Behövs det en ändring eller förtydligande angående arbetsområdet i ledningsrättslagen? För att besvara frågeställningarna har det genomförts en litteraturstudie och undersökning av förrättningsakter samt rättspraxis. Det har även genomförts intervjuer med parter som är involverade i ledningsförrättningar. Vid upplåtelse av ledningsrätt är det ett krav att upplåtelsen ska ske med så litet intrång som möjligt. Att tillfälligt upplåta mark enbart för anläggandet är därför något som samtliga parter, såväl markägare, ledningshavare och förrättningslantmätare, anser vara något positivt. Hur stort område som generellt behövs för en ledning är dock väldigt svårt att säga. Ledningens typ, dimensioner, fysiska förhållanden på plats, anläggningsteknik och val av maskiner påverkar alla hur stort område som behövs. Det är därför mycket svårt att säga något om hur stort område som behövs i det enskilda fallet. Ledningshavaren är den som sitter på störst kunskap och erfarenhet över hur stort område som behövs och det är därför naturligt om denna part kommer med motiverade förslag till hur stort område som kan tänkas behövas. Hur stort arbetsområde som upplåts får konsekvenser för både ledningshavare och markägare. Ett större område medför ett större intrång för markägaren men kan innebära att det blir enklare och går fortare att anlägga ledningen. Om det istället upplåts ett litet arbetsområde minskar visserligen intrånget men anläggandet blir svårare. Det kan leda till att ledningshavaren använder sig av mer mark och orsakar skador utanför det upplåtna utrymmet. Ersättning för skador på mark utanför arbetsområdet kan tas upp i förrättningen om alla parter är överens. Beloppet blir dock mindre eftersom skador utanför det upplåtna utrymmet ej räknas som marknadsvärdeminskning och därmed inte är berättigade till ett påslag om 25 %. Det vanligaste är att ledningshavare och markägare kommer överens om vilken ersättning som ska utgå. I de fall en överenskommelse inte kan träffas är det upp till förrättningslantmätaren att göra en värdering av intrånget och bestämma ersättningen. För att skador som uppstår utanför det upplåtna utrymmet ska kunna ersättas i förrättningen krävs som sagt att samtliga parter är överens om det. Den gängse uppfattningen bland alla parter är att arbetsområdet behövs för att ledningsrätten ska bli funktionell och samtidigt minimera intrånget. Åsikterna bland lantmätarna om det faktiskt går att upplåta ett arbetsområde går dock isär. Vissa anser att det ska upplåtas ett arbetsområde om det finns yrkande om det medan andra menar att lagen inte tillåter tillfälliga upplåtelser. Efter vår undersökning är vi av uppfattningen att det faktiskt saknas lagstöd för att kunna upplåta ett arbetsområde. Samtidigt är tillvägagångssättet väl etablerat i branschen och innebär en väldigt välfungerad praktisk lösning. Lagen innehåller även tolkningsmöjligheter men vi har svårt att finna stöd för arbetsområdet. Med anledning av de delade åsikter som finns hos förrättningslantmätare om hur arbetsområdet ska behandlas anser vi att det behövs ett förtydligande i ledningsrättslagen

Environmental compensation for biodiversity and ecosystem services: A flexible framework that addresses human wellbeing

Environmental compensation should address negative impacts from human activities on nature, including loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, successful compensation, achieving no net loss, requires broad quantitative information on different types of losses and gains. We find that the scope of compensatory schemes varies in what is considered compensable, which makes it challenging to apply a conceptual approach consistently across schemes with different needs. We propose a flexible yet structured framework for determining which values should be compensated and how. Our framework focuses specifically on habitat deterioration and is illustrated with a case study involving loss of eelgrass habitat. The framework helps identify compensation needs and selects among suitable compensation options, merging science-based information with normative issues and local concerns. By integrating the ecosystem services cascade model, it encompasses aspects from biodiversity structure to human wellbeing. The framework prefers in-kind compensation because this targets the structure level and thus meets compensation needs in all subsequent levels of the cascade model; further, it is more likely to capture non-instrumental values (i.e. in nature) and reduce exposure to uncertainty. We highlight the importance of spatial aspects of ecosystem functions, services and their subsequent impacts on wellbeing. Although our selection hierarchy assumes a "similar and nearby" principle for habitat restoration (preference for in-kind/on-site), this criterion is not universal. We underscore the hierarchy's implicit normative assumptions and suggest that apparent disagreement about who should benefit may be traced to an unresolved conflict between egalitarianism and utilitarianism

Seabed Mapping and Marine Spatial Planning: A Case Study from a Swedish Marine Protected Area

Physical chemistr

Chapter Seabed Mapping and Marine Spatial Planning: A Case Study from a Swedish Marine Protected Area

Physical chemistr

Autoradiographic Mapping of 5-HT1B/1D Binding Sites in the Rhesus Monkey Brain Using [carbonyl-11C]zolmitriptan

Zolmitriptan is a serotonin 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist that is an effective and well-tolerated drug for migraine treatment. In a human positron emission tomography study, [11C]zolmitriptan crossed the blood-brain barrier but no clear pattern of regional uptake was discernable. The objective of this study was to map the binding of [11C]zolmitriptan in Rhesus monkey brain using whole hemisphere in vitro autoradiography with [11C]zolmitriptan as a radioligand. In saturation studies, [11C]zolmitriptan showed specific (90%) binding to a population of high-affinity binding sites (Kd 0.95–5.06 nM). There was regional distribution of binding sites with the highest density in the ventral pallidum, followed by the external globus pallidus, substantia nigra, visual cortex, and nucleus accumbens. In competitive binding studies with 5-HT1 receptor antagonists, [11C]zolmitriptan binding was blocked by selective 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D ligands in all target areas. There was no appreciable change in binding with the addition of a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist

Good behavior game – study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a preventive behavior management program in a Swedish school context

BackgroundEarly conduct problems and school failure are prominent risk factors for several adverse outcomes in later life. With the potential of reaching many children at early stages of their life, school-based interventions constitute a valuable approach to universal prevention. Good behavior game (GBG) is a promising school-based behavior management program, having shown immediate reductions in conduct problems along with several long-term positive effects. Adapting interventions to new contexts may however affect their effectiveness. The current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Swedish adaption of GBG under pragmatic conditions. The intervention is hypothesized to reduce conduct problems in the classroom (primary outcome). Secondary analyses will investigate changes in conduct problems in common school areas, classroom climate, teacher collective efficacy, on-task behavior, as well as investigating behavioral management practices, implementation, and barriers to implementation.MethodsThis is a cluster-randomized trial with two parallel groups. Schools will be randomized (1,1, stratified by their areas sociodemographic index score) to be provided training in GBG or perform business-as-usual. The intervention and data collection lasts for a school year. Data will be collected at three time points: at baseline in the beginning of the school year (prior to training in GBG), after three months, and after nine months (at the end of the school year; primary endpoint). Data consists of teacher-rated measures of conduct problems, classroom climate, teacher collective efficacy, behavior management practices, and implementation factors, along with demographic factors. In addition, data will be collected by independent and blinded observers using corresponding measures in a subset of randomly chosen classrooms. Procedural fidelity will be rated and collected by GBG-trainers during nine observations throughout the school year. Statistical analysis will include frequentist intention-to-treat analysis, and comparisons of estimates with a corresponding Bayesian model using weakly informative priors. The study has currently completed data collection.DiscussionThis study will provide knowledge in universal prevention and school-based interventions with high reach, as well as specific knowledge concerning the effectiveness of an adapted version of GBG under real-world conditions, along with factors affecting its implementation and effects.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05794893

Common Genetic Variations in the NALP3 Inflammasome Are Associated with Delayed Apoptosis of Human Neutrophils

Background: Neutrophils are key-players in the innate host defense and their programmed cell death and removal are essential for efficient resolution of inflammation. These cells recognize a variety of pathogens, and the NOD-like receptors (NLRs) have been suggested as intracellular sensors of microbial components and cell injury/stress. Some NLR will upon activation form multi-protein complexes termed inflammasomes that result in IL-1 beta production. NLR mutations are associated with auto-inflammatory syndromes, and our previous data propose NLRP3 (Q705K)/CARD-8 (C10X) polymorphisms to contribute to increased risk and severity of inflammatory disease by acting as genetic susceptibility factors. These gene products are components of the NALP3 inflammasome, and approximately 6.5% of the Swedish population are heterozygote carriers of these combined gene variants. Since patients carrying the Q705K/C10X polymorphisms display leukocytosis, the aim of the present study was to find out whether the inflammatory phenotype was related to dysfunctional apoptosis and impaired clearance of neutrophils by macrophages. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods and Findings: Patients carrying the Q705K/C10X polymorphisms displayed significantly delayed spontaneous as well as microbe-induced apoptosis compared to matched controls. Western blotting revealed increased levels and phosphorylation of Akt and Mcl-1 in the patients neutrophils. In contrast to macrophages from healthy controls, macrophages from the patients produced lower amounts of TNF; suggesting impaired macrophage clearance response. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: The Q705K/C10X polymorphisms are associated with delayed apoptosis of neutrophils. These findings are explained by altered involvement of different regulators of apoptosis, resulting in an anti-apoptotic profile. Moreover, the macrophage response to ingestion of microbe-induced apoptotic neutrophils is altered in the patients. Taken together, the patients display impaired turnover and clearance of apoptotic neutrophils, pointing towards a dysregulated innate immune response that influences the resolution of inflammation. The future challenge is to understand how microbes affect the activation of inflammasomes, and why this interaction will develop into severe inflammatory disease in certain individuals.Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council||Heart-Lung Foundation||King Gustaf V Memorial Foundation||County Council of Ostergotland||Soderberg Foundation|