Linköping University

About: Linköping University is a education organization based out in Linköping, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Thin film. The organization has 15671 authors who have published 50013 publications receiving 1542189 citations.

The crucial role of patient education in heart failure

Abstract: Background: Deterioration of heart failure causes and complicates many hospital admissions in people aged over 65 years. Frequent readmissions cause an immense burden on the individual, the family ...

Microflora‐associated characteristics in faeces from allergic and nonallergic infants

Abstract: Background The prevalence of allergic diseases has increased particularly over the past 30-40 years. A reduced microbial stimulation during infancy may result in a development of a disturbed balance between Th1- and Th2-like immunity. The gut flora is, quantitatively, the most important source for such stimulation. Objective The aim of the study was to compare the gut microbial flora in 25 allergic and 47 nonallergic 13-month-old infants (range 11-18), through analysing microflora-associated biochemical markers in faeces. Methods Microflora associated characteristics (MACs) were assessed by determining the concentrations of eight different short chain fatty acids and the conversion of cholesterol to coprostanol by gas chromatography. Faecal tryptic activity was analysed spectrophotometrically. Results The allergic infants had lower levels of propionic, i-butyric, butyric, i-valeric and valeric acid. In contrast, they had higher levels of the rarely detected i-caproic acid, which has been associated with the presence of Clostridium difficile. Furthermore, the allergic infants had higher relative distribution of acetic and i-caproic acid. None of the other parameters differed between the groups. Conclusion The results demonstrate differences in the MACs between allergic and nonallergic infants, indicating differences in the composition of the gut flora. that may disturb the development of a normal Th1-/Th2-balance in allergic children.

MRBrainS challenge: online evaluation framework for brain image segmentation in 3T MRI scans

Abstract: Many methods have been proposed for tissue segmentation in brain MRI scans. The multitude of methods proposed complicates the choice of one method above others. We have therefore established the MRBrainS online evaluation framework for evaluating (semi)automatic algorithms that segment gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on 3T brain MRI scans of elderly subjects (65-80 y). Participants apply their algorithms to the provided data, after which their results are evaluated and ranked. Full manual segmentations of GM, WM, and CSF are available for all scans and used as the reference standard. Five datasets are provided for training and fifteen for testing. The evaluated methods are ranked based on their overall performance to segment GM, WM, and CSF and evaluated using three evaluation metrics (Dice, H95, and AVD) and the results are published on the MRBrainS13 website. We present the results of eleven segmentation algorithms that participated in the MRBrainS13 challenge workshop at MICCAI, where the framework was launched, and three commonly used freeware packages: FreeSurfer, FSL, and SPM. The MRBrainS evaluation framework provides an objective and direct comparison of all evaluated algorithms and can aid in selecting the best performing method for the segmentation goal at hand.

Depression, anxiety and their comorbidity in the Swedish general population : point prevalence and the effect on health-related quality of life

Abstract: Background. Depression and anxiety disorders are major world-wide problems. There are no or few epidemiological studies investigating the prevalence of depression, generalized anxiety disorder and anxiety disorders in general in the Swedish population. Methods. Data were obtained by means of a postal survey administered to 3001 randomly selected adults. After two reminders response rate was 44.3%. Measures of depression and general anxiety were the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale (PHQ-9) and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). The PHQ-9 identified participants who had experienced clinically significant depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), and who had a diagnosis of major depression (defined by using a PHQ-9 scoring algorithm). Clinically significant anxiety was defined as having a GAD-7 score ≥ 8. To specifically measure generalized anxiety disorder, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-IV (GAD-Q-IV) was used with an established cut-off. Health-related quality of life was measured using the EuroQol (EQ-5D). Experiences of treatments for psychiatric disorders were also assessed. Results. Around 17.2% (95% CI: 15.1–19.4) of the participants were experiencing clinically significant depression (10.8%; 95% CI: 9.1–12.5) and clinically significant anxiety (14.7%; 95% CI: 12.7–16.6). Among participants with either clinically significant depression or anxiety, nearly 50% had comorbid disorders. The point prevalence of major depression was 5.2% (95% CI: 4.0–6.5), and 8.8% (95% CI: 7.3–10.4) had GAD. Among those with either of these disorders, 28.2% had comorbid depression and GAD. There were, generally, significant gender differences, with more women having a disorder compared to men. Among those with depression or anxiety, only between half and two thirds had any treatment experience. Comorbidity was associated with higher symptom severity and lower health-related quality of life. Conclusions. Epidemiological data from the Swedish community collected in this study provide point prevalence rates of depression, anxiety disorders and their comorbidity. These conditions were shown in this study to be undertreated and associated with lower quality of life, that need further efforts regarding preventive and treatment interventions.