Is breast cancer prognosis inherited?

Introduction: A genetic component is well established in the etiology of breast cancer. It is not well known, however, whether genetic traits also influence prognostic features of the malignant phenotype. Methods: We carried out a population-based cohort study in Sweden based on the nationwide Multi-Generation Register. Among all women with breast cancer diagnosed from 1961 to 2001, 2,787 mother-daughter pairs and 831 sister pairs with breast cancer were identified; we achieved complete follow-up and classified 5-year breast cancer-specific prognosis among proband (mother or oldest sister) into tertiles as poor, intermediary, or good. We used Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival proportions and Cox models to calculate relative risks of dying from breast cancer within 5 years depending on the proband's outcome. Results: The 5-year survival proportion among daughters whose mothers died within 5 years was 87% compared to 91% if the mother was alive (p = 0.03). Among sisters, the corresponding proportions were 70% and 88%, respectively (p = 0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, daughters and sisters of a proband with poor prognosis had a 60% higher 5-year breast cancer mortality compared to those of a proband with good prognosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 2.2; p for trend 0.002). This association was slightly stronger among sisters (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0 to 3.4) than among daughters (HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.3). Conclusion: Breast cancer prognosis of a woman predicts the survival in her first-degree relatives with breast cancer. Our novel findings suggest that breast cancer prognosis might be inherited

Distinct Expression/Function of Potassium and Chloride Channels Contributes to the Diverse Volume Regulation in Cortical Astrocytes of GFAP/EGFP Mice

Recently, we have identified two astrocytic subpopulations in the cortex of GFAP-EGFP mice, in which the astrocytes are visualized by the enhanced green–fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promotor. These astrocytic subpopulations, termed high response- (HR-) and low response- (LR-) astrocytes, differed in the extent of their swelling during oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). In the present study we focused on identifying the ion channels or transporters that might underlie the different capabilities of these two astrocytic subpopulations to regulate their volume during OGD. Using three-dimensional confocal morphometry, which enables quantification of the total astrocytic volume, the effects of selected inhibitors of K+ and Cl− channels/transporters or glutamate transporters on astrocyte volume changes were determined during 20 minute-OGD in situ. The inhibition of volume regulated anion channels (VRACs) and two-pore domain potassium channels (K2P) highlighted their distinct contributions to volume regulation in HR-/LR-astrocytes. While the inhibition of VRACs or K2P channels revealed their contribution to the swelling of HR-astrocytes, in LR-astrocytes they were both involved in anion/K+ effluxes. Additionally, the inhibition of Na+-K+-Cl− co-transporters in HR-astrocytes led to a reduction of cell swelling, but it had no effect on LR-astrocyte volume. Moreover, employing real-time single-cell quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we characterized the expression profiles of EGFP-positive astrocytes with a focus on those ion channels and transporters participating in astrocyte swelling and volume regulation. The PCR data revealed the existence of two astrocytic subpopulations markedly differing in their gene expression levels for inwardly rectifying K+ channels (Kir4.1), K2P channels (TREK-1 and TWIK-1) and Cl− channels (ClC2). Thus, we propose that the diverse volume changes displayed by cortical astrocytes during OGD mainly result from their distinct expression patterns of ClC2 and K2P channels

Modelling the Swedish Wind Power Production Using MERRA Reanalysis Data

The variability of wind power will be an increasing challenge for the power system as wind penetration grows and thus needs to be studied. In this paper a model for generation of hourly aggregated wind power time series is described and evaluated. The model is based on MERRA reanalysis data and information on wind energy converters in Sweden. Installed capacity during the studied period (2007–2012) increased from around 600 to over 3500 MW. When comparing with data from the Swedish TSO, the mean absolute error in hourly energy was 2.9% and RMS error was 3.8%. The model was able to adequately capture step changes and also yielded a nicely corresponding distribution of hourly energy. Two key factors explaining the good results were the use of a globally optimised power curve smoothing parameter and the correction of seasonal and diurnal bias. Because of bottlenecks in the Swedish transmission system it is relevant to model certain areas separately. For the two southern areas the MAE were 3.7 and 4.2%. The northern area was harder to model and had a MAE of 6.5%. This might be explained by a low installed capacity, more complex terrain and icing losses not captured in the model

"Salus populi suprema lex esto" : En kvantitativ undersökning, med en kvalitativ fördjupning, av ett företags hälsoarbete

Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur företagets hälsoplan efterföljs och i vilken utsträckning den lever upp till de anställdas behov och önskemål. Samt undersöka hur de anställdas aktuella hälsostatus ser ut. Vi arbetade utefter tre frågeställningar; Hur ser det aktuella hälsoarbetet ut på företaget? Hur ser de anställdas aktuella hälsostatus ut? Samvarierar hälsostatus (upplevd psykisk, fysik hälsa och upplevelser i arbetslivet) med grad av fysisk aktivitet eller tid i stillasittande? Hur upplever det anställda företagets hälsoarbete?   Metod Vi har gjort en kvantitativ enkätstudie med en kvalitativ fördjupning i form av en intervju. Enkäten är gjord i googledoc och skickad via internet, resultaten bearbetades i IBM SPSS Statistics 19. Företaget vi har valt att undersöka har kontor i Sverige och Finland och urvalsgruppen är dem med anställning på företagets kontor i Stockholm och Mariehamn. Antalet utskickade enkäter är 191 varav 73 har blivit besvarade.   Resultat Resultaten visar att de anställda har förhållandevis god hälsa men uppvisar tendens till stressrelaterad sjukdom. Företaget bedriver hälsoarbetet på så sätt att man försöker uppmuntra till fysiskaktivitet på arbetstid samt bjuder in till olika typer av föreläsningar och ”prova på pass” för att på så vis försöka individanpassa de anställdas träning. Företagets anställda upplever hälsoarbetet som relativt genomtänkt och relevant, förhållandevis tillräckligt för att tillgodose behoven hos de anställda och de flesta tycker att ledningen lyckats ganska bra med att upprätthålla den nedskrivna hälsopolicyn.   Slutsats Företagets arbete har på ett bra sätt nått fram till de anställda, dock finns vissa områden där deras uppfattningar om vad som sätts i kraft går isär. Vi anser att företaget arbetar bra men att det finns områden där mer skulle kunna göras, så som att minska stressen på arbetsplatsen och på ett tydligare sätt promota de förmåner som finns

Gratistidningar -Ett utbrett fenomen, Varför?

Uppsatsen syftar till att utifrån både ett producentperspektiv och ett konsumentperspektiv undersöka och belysa tänkbara anledningar till att gratistidningar har blivit ett utbrett fenomen. Primärdata har samlats in med hjälp av följande metoder: 1. En enkätundersökning kring gratistidningskonsumenter. 2. Genomläsning av gratistidningar samt observationer av gratistidningsutgivares konkurrenspräglade distributionsbeteende. Sekundärdata har till största del hämtats från elektroniska källor, artiklar och rapporter. Insamlad information har analyserats med hjälp av teoretiska modeller som behandlar konsumenters livsstil samt olika marknadsinträdesstrategier hos gratistidningsutgivare. Uppsatsen har avgränsats genom att enbart undersöka fenomenet gratistidningar och dess utbredning i Malmö/Lundregionen. Uppsatsens resultat visar på att gratistidningarnas utbredning i större utsträckning kan förklaras genom mediekoncerners marknadsintressen än genom gratistidningsläsares livsstil och medföljande konsumtionsmönster

Så tyckte jag det var... en retrospektiv studie av åtta ungdomars upplevelser av att vara på Staple behandlingshem

The aim of this university paper was to understand how eight former clients at Staple reformatory had experienced their stay there. The clients at Staple are young people between 13-20 years old, both boys and girls. The basic questions were: What picture do the clients have of the treatment they received? What has been, from their perspective, the most important during their stay? Do the clients think the time spent at Staple has helped them? And how do they describe their change, if there was any? We gathered the information from the youngsters with qualitative interviews based on a manual divided into covering different themes We found that the time at Staple had been very positive for all the former clients that we interviewed. They described the relations with the staff at Staple as central for their rehabilitation. The most important task for the people that work there is to set a good example for the client, and to be role models. All our informants believed that the environment at Staple has helped them to develop a healthy new social behaviour and from their point of view a stronger, happier and more humble personality

Scenarios and time series of future wind power production in Sweden

The introduction of large amounts of wind power is a challenge for the operation of the power system. In order to facilitate future studies of the effects of significantly higher penetration levels, scenarios and accompanying time series of hourly wind power production in Sweden were developed. The annual production in the scenarios range from 20 to 70 TWh and the time series span the period 1979 to 2014. The model for hourly wind power production was validated with historical measurements and is shown to give a small error (MAE below 3%) and a good match of the statistical distributions of hourly power and step changes thereof. A statistical model for simulation of intrahourly fluctuations (5 and 15 minutes temporal resolution) was also developed. An important conclusion is that the normalised variability will be reduced in the future, mainly because of higher capacity factors and an increased share of offshore wind power

Scenarios and time series of future wind power production in Sweden

The introduction of large amounts of wind power is a challenge for the operation of the power system. In order to facilitate future studies of the effects of significantly higher penetration levels, scenarios and accompanying time series of hourly wind power production in Sweden were developed. The annual production in the scenarios range from 20 to 70 TWh and the time series span the period 1979 to 2014. The model for hourly wind power production was validated with historical measurements and is shown to give a small error (MAE below 3%) and a good match of the statistical distributions of hourly power and step changes thereof. A statistical model for simulation of intrahourly fluctuations (5 and 15 minutes temporal resolution) was also developed. An important conclusion is that the normalised variability will be reduced in the future, mainly because of higher capacity factors and an increased share of offshore wind power

Power grid vulnerability analysis using complex network theory : A topological study of the Nordic transmission grid

To reduce the vulnerability of power grids to high impact low probability (HILP) events, analysis methods can be applied to quantify the criticality of the nodes in the grid. The method implemented in this article is one originating from complex network theory. It is used to quantify the structural vulnerability of an open-source transmission grid model representing the Nordic transmission grid. The analytical measures used are clustering coefficient and betweenness, closeness, degree, and combined centrality, which are weighted with respect to the estimated values of the transmission lines’ series reactance. The results, which are presented in the form of geographic and network representations, show substantial differences in terms of criticality between the nodes. The most critical ones are highlighted in geographic representations and are further compared with an open-source system analysis performed by the Swedish transmission system operator (TSO). The outcome from this study is that the weighted and combined centrality measure performed the best in terms of identifying critical nodes in the Nordic transmission grid. Thus, the method can be used as a tool for assessing the structural vulnerability of a real transmission grid, even with limited access to electrical grid data. However, the results from this method should not be considered conclusive

Wind Energy Converters and Photovoltaics for Generation of Electricity after Natural Disasters

During recovery and reconstruction after a natural disaster, an autonomous power supply might be needed for an extended period of time. In this work, the feasibility of using small-scale wind power and battery storage for power supply is evaluated and compared with systems containing photovoltaics. The investment cost per yearly produced kWh and for an optimized energy system supplying small loads (2 or 20 kW peak) has been calculated for 32 sites, predominantly in Africa and the Middle East. The sites represent foreign activities of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency at the end of 2012. Since wind speed measurement series often have a lot of missing data, autoregressive moving average models were trained and used to generate hourly time series of wind speed. This methodology proved robust, even when data availability was very low or when measurements were only taken every third hour. The results of the simulations show that photovoltaic/battery systems outperform wind/battery systems at all evaluated sites. This can be explained by lower investment cost per yearly produced kWh and smoother daily/weekly power output over the year for the photovoltaic system. The proportion of wind power for optimized systems comprising wind, photovoltaics and battery bank is generally very low and the system cost is almost identical to the corresponding photovoltaic/battery systems. In conclusion, at lower latitudes and with little time for a proper wind measurement campaign, photovoltaics should be the primary candidate for replacing or complementing conventional diesel generators