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The human tympanic membrane (TM) has a thin outer epidermal layer which plays an important role in TM homeostasis and ear health. The specialised cells of the TM epidermis have a different physiology compared to normal skin epidermal keratinocytes, displaying a dynamic and constitutive migration that maintains a clear TM surface and assists in regeneration. Here, we characterise and compare molecular phenotypes in keratinocyte cultures from TM and normal skin. TM keratinocytes were isolated by enzymatic digestion and cultured in vitro. We compared global mRNA and microRNA expression of the cultured cells with that of human epidermal keratinocyte cultures. Genes with either relatively higher or lower expression were analysed further using the biostatistical tools g:Profiler and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Approximately 500 genes were found differentially expressed. Gene ontology enrichment and Ingenuity analyses identified cellular migration and closely related biological processes to be the most significant functions of the genes highly expressed in the TM keratinocytes. The genes of low expression showed a marked difference in homeobox (HOX) genes of clusters A and C, giving the TM keratinocytes a strikingly low HOX gene expression profile. An in vitro scratch wound assay showed a more individualised cell movement in cells from the tympanic membrane than normal epidermal keratinocytes. We identified 10 microRNAs with differential expression, several of which can also be linked to regulation of cell migration and expression of HOX genes. Our data provides clues to understanding the specific physiological properties of TM keratinocytes, including candidate genes for constitutive migration, and may thus help focus further research.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often characterized by atypical sensory behavior (hyperor hyporeactivity) although evidence is scarce regarding olfactory abilities in ASD; 16 adults with high-functioning ASD (mean age: 38.2, SD: 9.7) and 14 healthy control subjects (mean age: 42.0 years, SD: 12.5) were assessed in odor threshold, free and cued odor identification, and perceived pleasantness, intensity, and edibility of everyday odors. Although results showed no differences between groups, the Bayes Factors (close to 1) suggested that the evidence for no group differences on the threshold and identification tests was inconclusive. In contrast, there was some evidence for no group differences on perceived edibility (BF01 = 2.69) and perceived intensity (BF01 = 2.80). These results do not provide conclusive evidence for or against differences between ASD and healthy controls on olfactory abilities. However, they suggest that there are no apparent group differences in subjective ratings of odors.

Objectives: The study aim was to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and acceptance or nonacceptance of such disorders in adult patients attending all public dental health services in the County of Sormland, Sweden, during a 3-year period, 2011-2013.

Methods: Two questions were asked about TMD and the voluntary mouth-opening capacity was measured. The results were registered in a score 0-3. The registration was completed with a question about each patient's acceptance or nonacceptance of their condition.

Results: More than 73,000 registrations of the TMD condition were performed in general dental clinics from 2011 to 2013. The mean prevalence of a TMD score of 1-3 was 5% and was consistent over these years. Seventy percent of these patients were women. The peak prevalence of TMD was registered in patients aged 30-45years (38%), and the frequency declined in older age groups. Reduced voluntary mouth-opening capacity (<= 35 mm) was found in less than 2% of the participants. About one-fifth of the patients with a TMD-score of 1-3 did not accept their condition and wanted professional care. The frequency of nonacceptance of the condition increased with the severity of symptom score: 15%, 27%, and 49% for scores 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

Conclusions: This study shows that the prevalence of self-reported TMD in adult patients was consistent from 2011 to 2013 and should be considered as a public health issue in Sweden. Patients with more severe TMD pain symptoms wanted care more frequent. The annual clinical calibrations should be continued to achieve an acceptable level of registration.

Objective:

The aims of this paper were to study the reporting rate and completeness of data reported from primary healthcare centres (PHCCs) in Sweden to the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR), with a special attention on the relation between these measures and the reporting system used by the PHCCs.

Method:

A national survey conducted in Swedish primary healthcare covering the year 2006. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 523 PHCCs. Data on 87,099 adult diabetic patients attending these PHCCs and reported to the NDR were obtained from the register. In Sweden, participation in the NDR is voluntary. The data were reported through the Internet, either online using a web-based system or by direct transmission. The main outcome measures were reporting rate and completeness of reported data.

Results:

Of the 523 PHCCs, almost two-thirds had reported <75% of their diabetic patients to the NDR. The lowest reporting rate was found among the largest PHCCs, while the highest was found among small PHCCs (p < 0.001). Reasons given for not reporting data to the NDR were lack of time and lack of personnel resources. Altogether, 73.1% of the PHCCs reported data to the NDR online using a web-based system, 20.5% used direct transmission and 6.3% used both systems. The PHCCs that reported data through direct transmission systems reported almost 70% of their diabetic patients to the NDR, while PHCCs using web-based systems reported 54% of their diabetic patients to the NDR. Adjusted for other factors, using direct transmission increased the reporting rate by 13.0 percentage points. However, the web-based system contributed to a higher completeness of data than the direct transmission system.

Conclusions:

A direct transmission system facilitates a high reporting rate to the register at the expense of lower completeness of the reported data.

AIM:

To describe the quality and organization of diabetes care in primary healthcare in Sweden regarding resources and ways of working.

METHOD:

A questionnaire was used to collect data from all 921 primary healthcare centres (PHCCs) in Sweden. Of these, 74.3% (n=684) responded to the questionnaire covering list size of the PHCCs, number of diabetic patients, personnel resources and ways of working.

RESULTS:

The median list size reported from the PHCCs was 9,000 patients, 294 of whom were diabetic patients. The majority (72%) of PHCCs had diabetes-responsible general practitioners (GPs) and almost all (97%) had diabetes specialist nurses (DSNs) with some degree of postgraduate education in diabetes. The PHCCs reported that they used regional/local diabetes guidelines (93%), were engaged in call-recall diabetic reviews by GP(s) (66%) and DSN(s) (89%), checked that patients had participated in the reviews by GP(s) (69%) and DSN(s) (78%), arranged group education programmes (23%) and reported data to a National Diabetes Register (82%).

CONCLUSIONS:

The presence of diabetes-responsible GP(s) and DSN(s) who use guidelines may contribute to good and equal quality of care. It is, however, necessary to improve the call-recall system and there is an urgent need for all diabetic patients to receive patient education.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to explore patients' experiences of participating in an empowerment group education programme or receiving individual counselling. Method: In total, 28 patients from seven primary care centres were interviewed. Of these, 14 had received individual counselling and the remaining 14 had also participated in 4-5 empowerment group sessions. The semi-structured interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings: Three main categories crystallized from the interviews: (I) relationships, (II) learning and (III) controlling the disease. The relationships in the individual counselling seemed vertical, characterized by one-way communication with care providers acting as superiors and patients as subordinates. The relationships in the empowerment group appeared to be horizontal, characterized by trust and mutual communication. Those who had received individual counselling talked about learning by compliance-care providers acted as superiors, giving advice they expected the patients to follow. In the empowerment groups the patients talked more about participatory learning, whereby the facilitators and patients shared their knowledge and experiences. Controlling the disease could be labelled external in individual counselling, which made it difficult for patients to take responsibility for and control of their diabetes self-care. On the contrary, the patients in the empowerment group achieved the insight that diabetes is a serious disease but can be influenced, which contributed to their experience of self-control. Conclusions: The current study indicates that vertical relationships, learning by compliance and external control seem to limit patients' ability to take responsibility for their disease, while horizontal relationships, participatory learning and self-control may contribute to strengthening patients' ability to influence and be actively involved in their own care.

The objective was to outline results from our scientific studies on the associations among childhood behavior, adult personality, and biochemical factors in smoking habits. The studies consisted of: (1) follow-up of young criminals and controls, subdivided into risk for antisocial behavior groups, based on childhood rating levels of a projective test; and adult smoking habit groups; and (2) a large group of young adults examined on the same inventories. Personality in terms of KSP and EPQ-I scale scores, controlled for intelligence, indicated that the high and very high risk groups displayed significantly higher self-rated impulsiveness, anxiety, and nonconformity, as compared to the low risk group. Further, the very high risk group subjects, found to be overrepresented among subjects with heavy smoking habits, displayed lower mean platelet MAO-B activity and higher thyroid hormone levels than the low risk group. Thus, the higher the childhood risk for antisocial behavior, the clearer the adult personality pattern making subjects more disposed for smoking appeared; and the higher smoking habits, the stronger the relationships with biochemical measures. Results are discussed in terms of possible underlying mechanisms influencing personality and smoking habits. 

The objective was to examine early adolescent projective risk indicators for the development of antisocial behaviour as related to adult personality traits, psychopathy, and violent behaviour over the life span. Assessment data included Rorschach (Rr) ratings (at age 11-14 years), personality inventories (EPQ-I and KSP scales), and a shortened Psychopathy Check List (PCL) (administered at age 32-40 years), obtained from a group of 199 male subjects; and smoking habits (at age 36-44 years) obtained from 125 of those subjects. Results, controlled for intelligence, indicated that the high and very high risk groups, as determined by level of total Rr risk scores, were (1) significantly higher on self-rated IVE Impulsiveness, the anxiety-related KSP Muscular Tension, and nonconformity traits, as compared to the low Rr risk group - the very high risk group also scoring significantly higher on the EPQ Psychoticism scale, related to aggressiveness and cruelty; (2) higher on clinically rated PCL total sum and factor scores; and (3) they were overrepresented among Ss with subsequent violent offence, and Ss with heavy smoking habits. The results are discussed in terms of the possible usefulness of psychodynamic oriented cognitive-emotional indicators in the search for underlying mechanisms in the development of disinhibitory psychopathology.

Survival among patients with stage IV rectal cancer is poor and surgical treatment for this disease is associated with morbidities such as small bowel obstruction, complications with a diverting loop ileostomy, and functional bowel disturbances. The overall aim of this thesis was to assess risk factors and morbidity after surgery for rectal cancer and to evaluate factors affecting survival in patients with stage IV rectal cancer.

Paper I a prospective study on patients with rectal cancer with loop ileostomy who underwent stoma closure in a 23-hour hospital stay setting. Results were compared with a group who underwent standard in-hospital stoma closure prior to the start of the study, selected retrospectively as controls. No differences were found in the number of complications or the frequency of re-hospitalization or re-operation, indicating that ileostomy closure in a 23-hour hospital stay setting in these selected patients was feasible and safe with high patient satisfaction.

Paper II a population-based study with data gathered prospectively. In total, 11% of the patients developed small bowel obstruction (SBO), mostly during the first year after rectal cancer surgery. Surgical treatment for SBO was performed in 4.2% of the patients, and the mechanism was stoma-related in one-fourth. Rectal resection without anastomoses, age, morbidity, and previous radiotherapy (RT) was not associated with admission to the hospital or surgery for SBO. Re-laparotomy due to complications after rectal cancer surgery was an independent risk factor for admission for treating SBO.

Paper III a population-based study with data gathered prospectively on bowel function at 1 year after anterior resection or stoma reversal. No associations were found between any defecatory dysfunction and the part of the colon used for anastomosis, the level of the vascular tie, or gender. An association was observed between higher anastomotic level and a lower risk of incontinence and clustering. At 1 year after loop ileostomy closure, the risks of incontinence, clustering, and urgency increased by up to fourfold.

Paper IV a case-control study aiming to identify patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related prognostic factors for 5-year survival in patients with rectal cancer with synchronous stage IV disease. Patient-related factors did not differ between groups. Among the tumor-related factors, multiple site metastases, bilobar liver metastases, and increasing numbers of liver metastases were associated with poor survival. Prognostic treatment-related factors were preoperative RT, metastasectomy, and radical resection of the primary tumor. The most important prognostic factor for long-term survival was metastasectomy.