The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project : insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes

Helicobacter pylori, a dominant member of the gastric microbiota, shares co-evolutionary history with humans. This has led to the development of genetically distinct H. pylori subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host and with differential gastric disease risk. Here, we provide insights into H. pylori population structure as a part of the Helicobacter pylori Genome Project (HpGP), a multi-disciplinary initiative aimed at elucidating H. pylori pathogenesis and identifying new therapeutic targets. We collected 1011 well-characterized clinical strains from 50 countries and generated high-quality genome sequences. We analysed core genome diversity and population structure of the HpGP dataset and 255 worldwide reference genomes to outline the ancestral contribution to Eurasian, African, and American populations. We found evidence of substantial contribution of population hpNorthAsia and subpopulation hspUral in Northern European H. pylori. The genomes of H. pylori isolated from northern and southern Indigenous Americans differed in that bacteria isolated in northern Indigenous communities were more similar to North Asian H. pylori while the southern had higher relatedness to hpEastAsia. Notably, we also found a highly clonal yet geographically dispersed North American subpopulation, which is negative for the cag pathogenicity island, and present in 7% of sequenced US genomes. We expect the HpGP dataset and the corresponding strains to become a major asset for H. pylori genomics

Evidence-based practice in a library setting : Experiences from using EBLIP

The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on how evidence-based librarian and information practice (EBLIP) is understood and practised at some Swedish hospital libraries, and also to analyze how EBLIP functions as a strategy to bridge the gap between research and practice as described by Haddow & Klobas. The theoretical framework for the study is partly based on Haddow & Klobas description of the gap between research and practice in the field of LIS and partly a description of the EBP-process which plays a key role in the use of EBLIP. Interviews have been done with four people, three librarians, all with management experience, and an academic development officer, active at three different hospital libraries where EBLIP is practiced. All informants believed that it is important to make use of research results in order to improve services and practice. In their efforts to apply the research findings the informants face a number of hindrances, which indicates a gap between research and practice. The majority of the informants describe EBLIP as a concept by which they mean an approach, a process and skills training. With regard to the EBP process two approaches could be distinguished. First, to follow the EBP process stepwise with the aim of changing the work. Second, to elaborate on each step aiming to introduce the process and training skills in using scientific material and EBLIP. A number of activities at the different libraries have been identified to be included in the implementation of EBLIP. These activities seem to serve as strategies to bridge most, the extent not established, of the different forms of gaps between research and practice

Physical fitness, serum relaxin levels and duration of gestation

Background: Women are recommended to perform regular exercise during pregnancy but the impact of physical fitness on duration of gestation including miscarriage is inconsistent. In addition, an increased risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy among women with higher levels of physical activities has been noted. Previous studies have mostly used an epidemiologic method. Larger studies using careful measurement of physical fitness are needed. Besides physical fitness, elevated maternal circulating levels of the hormone relaxin have been associated with decreased duration of gestation. Methods: A prospective cohort including 20 women with miscarriage and 460 women with spontaneous start of labour, recruited from maternal health care centres in central Sweden, were examined regarding estimated absolute peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2 peak, est..) by cycle ergometer test, and maternal circulating relaxin levels in early pregnancy. Results: Women with miscarriage displayed the highest level of absolute V̇O2 peak, est. (2.61 l/min) and the lowest serum relaxin levels (640 ng/l). Among women with spontaneous start of labour, the mean absolute V̇O2 peak, est. increased successively from the lowest level (2.31 l/min) among those with preterm birth (n=28), to 2.49 l/min among women with post term birth (n=31). An opposite trend was shown regarding serum relaxin levels from women with miscarriage to those with post term birth. Serum relaxin concentrations, but not absolute V̇O2 peak, est. was significantly and independently associated with duration of gestation in women with miscarriages, and absolute V̇O2 peak, est., age and multiple pregnancy were independently associated with duration of gestation in women with spontaneous start of labour. Conclusions: Physical fitness appears to be a protective factor of established pregnancies and not significantly involved in the risk of early miscarriage. Additional studies are needed to more clearly define the role of relaxin in miscarriage

Avrättningar och centralmakt i Stora Tuna i Dalarna under den tidiga medeltiden : nya analyser av benen från Kyrkskolan

When construction started on a new school at Stora Tuna, Dalecarlia, almost 100 years ago, skeletal remains of sixteen people were found. Several had been executed and some showed clear traces of decapitation. The newspapers immediately linked this remarkable find to political opponents executed at the site by King Gustav I in1528. This story stuck. In 2016 the local historical society transferred the bones tothe Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. In this connection, new analyses were carried out whose results tell a completely different story: of power and centralised organisation hundreds of years before King Gustav's day

A dissonance-based intervention for women post roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery aiming at improving quality of life and physical activity 24 months after surgery : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is the most common bariatric procedure in Sweden and results in substantial weight loss. Approximately one year post-surgery weight regain for these patient are common, followed by a decrease in health related quality of life (HRQoL) and physical activity (PA). Our aim is to investigate the effects of a dissonance-based intervention on HRQoL, PA and other health-related behaviors in female RYGB patients 24 months after surgery. We are not aware of any previous RCT that has investigated the effects of a similar intervention targeting health behaviors after RYGB. Methods: The ongoing RCT, the “WELL-GBP”-trial (wellbeing after gastric bypass), is a dissonance-based intervention for female RYGB patients conducted at five hospitals in Sweden. The participants are randomized to either control group receiving usual follow-up care, or to receive an intervention consisting of four group sessions three months post-surgery during which a modified version of the Stice dissonance-based intervention model is used. The sessions are held at the hospitals, and topics discussed are PA, eating behavior, social and intimate relationships. All participants are asked to complete questionnaires measuring HRQoL and other health-related behaviors and wear an accelerometer for seven days before surgery and at six months, one year and two years after surgery. The intention to treat and per protocol analysis will focus on differences between the intervention and control group from pre-surgery assessments to follow-up assessments at 24 months after RYGB. Patients’ baseline characteristics are presented in this protocol paper. Discussion: A total of 259 RYGB female patients has been enrolled in the “WELL-GBP”-trial, of which 156 women have been randomized to receive the intervention and 103 women to control group. The trial is conducted within a Swedish health care setting where female RYGB patients from diverse geographical areas are represented. Our results may, therefore, be representative for female RYGB patients in the country as a whole. If the intervention is effective, implementation within the Swedish health care system is possible within the near future. Trial registration: The trial was registered on February 23th 2015 with registration number ISRCTN16417174