Upsala journal of medical sciences
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Improved methods for molecular analyses are obviously central for medical research. I will describe herein our work developing tools to reveal molecular states in health and disease. I will recount how I got started in this endeavor, and how our early work characterizing genetic variation led onto high-throughput protein measurements and to techniques for imaging the distribution of proteins and their activity states in tissues. I will also describe a more recent technique to measure even exceedingly rare genetic variants in order to monitor recurrence of disease for tumor patients.
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Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) marks the birth of a new era in physiology and medicine. Within foreseeable future, we will know exactly what genes are expressed - and at what levels - in all the different cell types and subtypes that make up our bodies. We will also learn how a particular cell state, whether it occurs during development, tissue repair, or disease, reflects precise changes in gene expression. ⋯ Moreover, gene expression-based molecular changes dictate states of cellular activity, necessary for angiogenesis, vascular permeability, and immune cell trafficking, i.e. functions necessary for development, inflammation, and repair. These different levels of cellular heterogeneity create a nearly infinite phenotypic diversity among vascular cells. In this review, I summarize and exemplify what scRNAseq has brought to the picture in just a few years and point out where it will take us.
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Health-related quality of life as associated with asthma control, psychological status and insomnia.
Asthma is associated not only with lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) but also with psychological health and insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between HRQL, asthma symptoms, psychological status and insomnia in adults from three Nordic countries. ⋯ In this study, we found that HRQL of life was independently related to the HADS, insomnia and asthma symptoms. Further prospective studies to identify the most efficient target for intervention in order to improve asthma control are needed.
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Electronic medical records (EMRs) are adopted for storing patient-related healthcare information. Using data mining techniques, it is possible to make use of and derive benefit from this massive amount of data effectively. We aimed to evaluate validity of data extracted by the Customized eXtraction Program (CXP). ⋯ Utilisation of the CXP software can be considered as an effective way to extract relevant EMR data without significant errors. Hence, by extracting from EMRs, CXP accurately identifies patients and has the capacity to facilitate research studies and clinical trials by finding patients with the requested code as well as funnel down itemised individuals according to specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Beyond this, medical procedures and laboratory data can rapidly be retrieved from the EMRs to create tailored databases of extracted material for immediate use in clinical trials.
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Observational Study
Effects of lipid-lowering treatment intensity and adherence on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with a recent myocardial infarction: a Swedish register-based study.
Oral lipid-lowering treatment (LLT) is the standard of care for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, insufficient treatment intensity and poor adherence can lead to suboptimal treatment benefit, rendering patients at increased risk of CVD. ⋯ The proportion of post-MI patients with high LLT intensity and adherence has increased in recent years, with little change after transfer from specialist to primary care. The combination of LLT intensity and adherence is important for preventing future cardiovascular events.