MODELLING SYSTEM FOR DISPERSION CALCULATIONS DURING ACCIDENTAL RELEASES

An operational model system for calculating dispersion during accidental releases is presented. The operational model system is designed so it can be used by non-specialists and with presentation of the results in graphical form. Applications of the model system include: 1) Air pollution calculations in now-casting mode to obtain concentrations in real time and 2) Prognosis of air pollution during accidental releases. The prognoses show quite good agreement with measured data

Central obesity as a precursor to the metabolic syndrome in the AusDiab study and Mauritius

Evidence from epidemiologic studies that central obesity precedes future metabolic change and does not occur concurrently with the appearance of the blood pressure, glucose, and lipid abnormalities that characterize the metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been lacking. Longitudinal surveys were conducted in Mauritius in 1987, 1992, and 1998, and in Australia in 2000 and 2005 (AusDiab). This analysis included men and women (aged 25 years) in three cohorts: AusDiab 2000&ndash;2005 (n = 5,039), Mauritius 1987&ndash;1992 (n = 2,849), and Mauritius 1987&ndash;1998 (n = 1,999). MetS components included waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting and 2-h postload plasma glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) (representing insulin sensitivity). Linear regression was used to determine which baseline components predicted deterioration in other MetS components over 5 years in AusDiab and 5 and 11 years in Mauritius, adjusted for age, sex, and ethnic group. Baseline waist circumference predicted deterioration (P &lt; 0.01) in four of the other six MetS variables tested in AusDiab, five of six in Mauritius 1987&ndash;1992, and four of six in Mauritius 1987&ndash;1998. In contrast, an increase in waist circumference between baseline and follow-up was only predicted by insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) at baseline, and only in one of the three cohorts. These results suggest that central obesity plays a central role in the development of the MetS and appears to precede the appearance of the other MetS components.<br /

Genetisk analys av avelsfisk, Lax och havsöring 2017-2018 från svenska kompensationsodlingar

I flera av Sveriges stora älvar sker odling och utsättning av lax och havsöring som kompensation för minskad naturlig reproduktion orsakad av vattenkraften. All kompensationsodlad utsatt fisk ska vara fenklippt, och en mindre andel ska enligt vattendom även vara märkt på annat sätt. Länge har så kallade Carlin-märken använts för storskalig s.k. ”driftsmärkning” av laxungar (smolt). Av olika skäl har dock återrapporteringen av märkt fisk sjunkit, och Carlin-märkena har även visat sig kunna påverka fisken negativt. Som alternativ till yttre märken kan man dra nytta av att all fisk är ”genetiskt märkta” från födseln. Genom DNA-prov från avelsfisk kan man göra diverse uppföljningar av odlingsverksamheten som att identifiera felvandrare och familjegrupper, samt avgöra om avelspar är helsyskon. Med tiden går det även att identifiera den återvändande lekfiskens föräldrar från tidigare års avel. I denna rapport presenteras resultat efter DNA-analys av lax och havsöring från sex respektive fem kompensationsodlingar i Sverige. Målsättningen har varit att lägga grunden för ett ”genetiskt märkningsprogram” för dessa arter. Samtliga odlade stammar uppvisade jämförelsevis hög genetisk variation, vilket kan förklaras av att nya avelsfiskar fångas in till aveln varje år och att ”felvandring” mellan älvar förekommer (dvs. fisken simmar upp i annan älv än där den är född). Inom aveln 2017 och 2018 var det mest älvseget material som användes, men det förekom även en andel felvandrare. Den genetiska likheten var högre mellan fisk från olika år inom samma älv jämfört med andra älvar. Generellt var de odlade stammarna från närliggande älvar mer genetiskt lika, vilket är samma mönster som förekommer bland vilda bestånd av lax och havsöring. Havsöringen från Luleälven var dock genetiskt mest lik den från Dalälven och Ljusnan, trots det geografiska avståndet, vilket sannolikt återspeglar äldre omflyttningar av fisk (och därmed genetiskt material). Ett flertal helsyskongrupper av varierande storlek kunde identifieras bland lekfisken, och i några fall hade helsyskon av slumpen också parats med varandra. Skellefteälven har låtit DNA-analysera sina avelslaxar under flera år; bland avelsfisken 2018 från denna älv gick det därför att identifiera 89 (utav 100) laxar som avkomma till tidigare analyserade föräldrar från aveln 2014

The impact of diabetes on coronary heart disease differs from that on ischaemic stroke with regard to the gender

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To study the diabetes related CVD risk between men and women of different ages.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Hazards ratios (HRs) (95%CI) for acute CHD and ischaemic stroke events were estimated based on data of Finnish and Swedish cohorts of 5111 women and 4167 men.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>182 (3.6%) women and 348 (8.4%) men had CHD and 129 (2.5%) women and 137 (3.3%) men ischaemic stroke events. The multivariate adjusted HRs for acute CHD at age groups of 40–49, 50–59 and 60–69 years were 1.00 (1.94), 1.78 (4.23), 3.75 (8.40) in women (men) without diabetes and 4.35 (5.40), 5.49 (9.54) and 8.84 (13.76) in women (men) with diabetes. The corresponding HRs for ischaemic stroke were 1.00 (1.26), 2.48 (2.83) and 5.17 (5.11) in women (men) without diabetes and 4.14 (4.91), 3.32 (6.75) and 13.91 (18.06) in women (men) with diabetes, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>CHD risk was higher in men than in women but difference reduced in diabetic population. Diabetes, however, increased stroke risk more in men than in women.</p

Diabetes status-related differences in risk factors and mediators of heart failure in the general population:results from the MORGAM/BiomarCaRE consortium

Background: The risk of heart failure among diabetic individuals is high, even under tight glycemic control. The correlates and mediators of heart failure risk in individuals with diabetes need more elucidation in large population-based cohorts with long follow-up times and a wide panel of biologically relevant biomarkers. Methods: In a population-based sample of 3834 diabetic and 90,177 non-diabetic individuals, proportional hazards models and mediation analysis were used to assess the relation of conventional heart failure risk factors and biomarkers with incident heart failure. Results: Over a median follow-up of 13.8 years, a total of 652 (17.0%) and 5524 (6.1%) cases of incident heart failure were observed in participants with and without diabetes, respectively. 51.4% were women and the mean age at baseline was 48.7 (standard deviation [SD] 12.5) years. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for heart failure among diabetic individuals was 2.70 (95% confidence interval, 2.49–2.93) compared to non-diabetic participants. In the multivariable-adjusted Cox models, conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as smoking (diabetes: HR 2.07 [1.59–2.69]; non-diabetes: HR 1.85 [1.68–2.02]), BMI (diabetes: HR 1.30 [1.18–1.42]; non-diabetes: HR 1.40 [1.35–1.47]), baseline myocardial infarction (diabetes: HR 2.06 [1.55–2.75]; non-diabetes: HR 2.86 [2.50–3.28]), and baseline atrial fibrillation (diabetes: HR 1.51 [0.82–2.80]; non-diabetes: HR 2.97 [2.21–4.00]) had the strongest associations with incident heart failure. In addition, biomarkers for cardiac strain (represented by nT-proBNP, diabetes: HR 1.26 [1.19–1.34]; non-diabetes: HR 1.43 [1.39–1.47]), myocardial injury (hs-TnI, diabetes: HR 1.10 [1.04–1.16]; non-diabetes: HR 1.13 [1.10–1.16]), and inflammation (hs-CRP, diabetes: HR 1.13 [1.03–1.24]; non-diabetes: HR 1.29 [1.25–1.34]) were also associated with incident heart failure. In general, all these associations were equally strong in non-diabetic and diabetic individuals. However, the strongest mediators of heart failure in diabetes were the direct effect of diabetes status itself (relative effect share 43.1% [33.9–52.3] and indirect effects (effect share 56.9% [47.7-66.1]) mediated by obesity (BMI, 13.2% [10.3–16.2]), cardiac strain/volume overload (nT-proBNP, 8.4% [-0.7–17.4]), and hyperglycemia (glucose, 12.0% [4.2–19.9]). Conclusions: The findings suggest that the main mediators of heart failure in diabetes are obesity, hyperglycemia, and cardiac strain/volume overload. Conventional cardiovascular risk factors are strongly related to incident heart failure, but these associations are not stronger in diabetic than in non-diabetic individuals. Active measurement of relevant biomarkers could potentially be used to improve prevention and prediction of heart failure in high-risk diabetic patients

An action spectrum for UV-B radiation and the rat lens.

PURPOSE. To determine an action spectrum for UV-B radiation and the rat lens and to show the effect of the atmosphere and the cornea on the action spectrum. METHODS. One eye of young female rats was exposed to 5-nm bandwidths of UV-B radiation (290, 295, 300, 305, 310, and 315 nm). Light scattering of exposed and nonexposed lenses was measured 1 week after irradiation. A quadratic polynomial was fit to the dose-response curve for each wave band. The dose at each wave band that produced a level of light scattering greater than 95% of the nonexposed lenses was defined as the maximum acceptable dose (MAD). Transmittance of the rat cornea was measured with a fiberoptic spectrophotometer. The times to be exposed to the MAD in Stockholm (59.3°N) and La Palma (28°N) were compared. RESULTS. Significant light scattering was detected after UV-B at 295, 300, 305, 310, and 315 nm. The lens was most sensitive to UV-B at 300 nm. Correcting for corneal transmittance showed that the rat lens is at least as sensitive to UV radiation at 295 nm as at 300 nm. The times to be exposed to the MAD at each wave band were greater in Stockholm than in La Palma, and in both locations the theoretical time to be exposed to the MAD was least at 305 nm. CONCLUSIONS. After correcting for corneal transmittance, the biological sensitivity of the rat lens to UV-B is at least as great at 295 nm as at 300 nm. After correcting for transmittance by the atmosphere, UV-B at 305 nm is the most likely wave band to injure the rat lens in both Stockhol

Influence of geographical latitude on vitamin D status:cross-sectional results from the BiomarCaRE consortium

Even though sunlight is viewed as the most important determinant of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) status, several European studies have observed higher 25(OH)D concentrations among north-Europeans than south-Europeans. We studied the association between geographical latitude (derived from ecological data) and 25(OH)D status in 6 European countries by using harmonized immunoassay data from 81,084 participants in the Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Europe (BiomarCaRE) project (male sex 48.9%; median age 50.8 years; examination period 1984 to 2014). Quantile regression models, adjusted for age, sex, decade and calendar week of sampling, and time from sampling to analysis, were used for between-country comparisons. Up until the median percentile, the ordering of countries by 25(OH)D status (from highest to lowest) was as follows: Sweden (at 65.6 to 63.8 oN), Germany (at 48.4 oN), Finland (at 65.0 to 60.2 oN), Italy (at 45.6 to 41.5 oN), Scotland (at 58.2 to 55.1 oN), and Spain (at 41.5 oN). From the 75th percentile and upwards, Finland had higher values than Germany. As an example, using the Swedish cohort as comparator, the median 25(OH)D concentration was 3.03, 3.28, 5.41, 6.54, and 9.28 ng/mL lower in the German, Finnish, Italian, Scottish, and Spanish cohort, respectively (P-value &lt; 0.001 for all comparisons). The ordering of countries was highly consistent in subgroup analyses by sex, age, and decade and season of sampling. In conclusion, we confirmed the previous observation of a north-to-south gradient of 25(OH)D status in Europe, with higher percentile values among north-Europeans than south-Europeans