Malmö University

Salivary dysfunction, including xerostomia and drooling, is common in Parkinson's disease and further impairs oral health and quality of life, which are already compromised in this population. Their effective management demands deeper insight into the complexity of salivary dysfunction. To examine the occurrence and associations of xerostomia and drooling complaints in individuals with Parkinson's disease. 111 individuals with Parkinson's disease (69.9 ± 7.7 years; 46.8% female) participated in an online survey. The questionnaire used validated scales (e.g., Xerostomia Inventory) and original questions. After descriptive analyses, multiple linear regression analyses identified factors (e.g., severity of motor impairment) associated with severity of xerostomia and drooling. Xerostomia (64.9%) and drooling (27.0%) were common, with 18.0% of the individuals experiencing both concurrently. Xerostomia was associated with the presence of jaw symptoms (B = 4.63; 95% CI 1.86-7.40), chewing gum usage (B = 1.27; 95% CI 0.52-2.02), swallowing difficulties (B = 0.41; 95% CI 0.04-0.78) and taste alterations (B = 0.15; 95% CI 0.00-0.30). Drooling was associated with the severity of motor impairment (B = 0.40; 95% CI 0.18-0.60) and with swallowing difficulties (B = 0.64; 95% CI 0.14-1.15). Xerostomia and drooling complaints frequently co-occur in individuals with Parkinson's disease. To prevent further deterioration of the oral health-related quality of life, a comprehensive evaluation of the underlying aetiology of salivary issues in people with Parkinson's disease is crucial to assist in determining suitable treatment.

Iodine is a well-established antimicrobial agent, but its clinical use is limited by low chemical stability and adverse effects. This work investigates iodine loading into degradable starch microspheres (DSM), elucidating iodine–starch interactions, and structural changes after iodine uptake. Iodine complexation was achieved using a KI/I₂ system, yielding a characteristic purplish-red coloration within the DSM. Swelling and sedimentation analyses showed a slight reduction in DSM density after iodine absorption, without negative impact on hydration capacity. A UV–Vis spectrophotometric method targeting the triiodide band at 352 nm enabled robust quantification of iodine by leveraging equilibrium among iodine species. Sorption isotherms revealed cooperative binding behavior, with iodine uptake increasing nonlinearly in response to the external iodine concentration. Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) showed iodine-induced ordering across multiple length scales, including a reduction in the dynamic correlation length and the emergence of characteristic peaks associated with iodine–amylose complex. These results elucidate the physicochemical mechanisms governing iodine incorporation into DSM and highlight the structural consequences of loading, providing a framework for designing starch-based carriers for controlled iodine release.

Pea albumins are the soluble fraction of pea proteins, recovered as a side stream of the isoelectric precipitation. The time-resolved heat-induced structural transitions of the whole fraction of pea albumin (PA) were studied by evaluating the structure of the two main fractions, PA1 and PA2. Synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SR-CD) spectroscopy showed that the secondary structure signature for PA1 remained unchanged at temperatures up to 85°C. In contrast, PA2 underwent a change in secondary structure between 45 and 70°C. These thermal transitions were also confirmed by Nano Differential Scanning Calorimetry (Nano-DSC). Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in situ experiments were also carried out, and high-resolution structural models of PA1 and PA2, derived from the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, were used for data analysis. PA1 maintained a consistent local structure with a radius of gyration ∼17 Å across all temperatures, but formed small soluble aggregates above 60°C, as evidenced by an upturn at low q . PA2 scattering resulted from its dimeric structures and transitioned to unfolded structures after 60°C. The unfractionated PA scattering showed good agreement with a linear combination of PA1 and PA2 scattering. This was also confirmed by the structural behavior of the purified PA1+PA2 mixture, which closely resembled that of PA2, though the PA2 component remained partially folded even after heating above 70°C. This study brings new knowledge on the contribution of the two main components of pea albumins in the thermal behavior of this novel extract, with great potential to be used as a functional food ingredient. • PA1 and PA2 contains higher β-sheet compared to α-helix; • Heat induced aggregation of PA can be modeled after a combination of PA1 and PA2; • PA1 maintains a consistent local structure, but forms soluble aggregates above 60°C; • PA2 transitions from dimer to unfolded structure above 60°C.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and a growing healthcare challenge. Amyloid-targeting therapies (ATT) may slow progression, but implementation is limited by logistical and economic barriers. As primary care is the first contact for most patients with cognitive concerns, quantifying treatment eligibility in this setting is essential. The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion of primary care patients presenting with cognitive symptoms who are eligible for ATT. This cohort study included patients presenting with cognitive symptoms in primary care across the region Skåne, in southern Sweden, recruited between January 2020 and April 2025. Stepwise exclusion criteria based on clinical diagnosis, comorbidities, and treatment contraindications were applied, in alignment with appropriate use recommendations for lecanemab and donanemab, respectively. Eligibility was further refined using CSF biomarkers (Aβ42/40 ratio), cognitive performance, and MRI findings. In a full diagnostic work-up of 607 patients with sequential exclusions, 86 patients (14.2%) and 78 patients (12.8%) ultimately met the eligibility criteria for lecanemab and donanemab, respectively. Due to comorbidities, medication use, and age/BMI, around 1/3 of the original population was excluded. Most ineligible patients met more than one exclusion criterion. The eligible population was 63% female, mean age 77 years. Around 65% of the individuals had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 35% mild dementia. About 13-14% of primary care patients evaluated for cognitive complaints were eligible for ATT. Compared with clinical trials, the eligible population was older and consisted of more women. BioFINDERPrimary Care study (NCT06120361, Registration date 2 November 2023 https//biofinder.se).

Growing concern over the environmental impact of conventionaldetergentshas started the search for ecofriendly washing methods, includingthe use of purified water. Previous studies show that purified waterfacilitates the removal of olive oil from hydrophilic surfaces viaroll-up and bulk mechanisms by promoting electrostatic interactions,while pH-adjusted purified water is effective on hydrophobic surfaces.Here, we investigated lipase-enhanced cleaning with purified and nonpurifiedwater, as well as phosphate buffer solutions, for the removal of oliveoil films from both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces, as wellas glycerol dioleate films from hydrophilic surfaces. The lipase usedwas a fungal lipase extracted from Rhizopus niveus. Cleaning efficiency was evaluated by gravimetric analysis and quartzcrystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). Both methods showedthat lipase enhanced cleaning performance in purified water and buffersolution below 40 °C. Even small amounts of lipase in purifiedwater or buffer increased washing efficiency or led to nearly completeoil removal, whereas lipase in tap water showed limited effectiveness.Contact angle and interfacial tension measurements show that the interactionbetween olive oil and lipase lowers surface tension by hydrolyzingtriglycerides into amphiphilic free fatty acids (FFAs). These FFAsact as surfactants at the air/water interface, reducing interfacialtension and promoting oil droplet formation rather than oil spreading,thereby facilitating oil removal. Overall, lipase enables efficientcleaning under mild, surfactant-free conditions, demonstrating strongpotential for the development of enzyme-based, environmentally sustainablewashing systems based on purified water.

Our aim was to study whether hospitalizations due to high alcohol consumption, as an objective indicator of high alcohol consumption, is associated with hip fractures in non-elderly adults. The participants in this study consist of 10,043 men and women in a survey study in Stockholm 1969-70, when they were 18–25 years old. We used data on hospitalization events due to a hip fracture or a diagnosis indicating high alcohol consumption from 1970 to 2016 acquired from the National Patient Register. This allowed 47 years of follow-up, until the participants were 65–72 years old, an age-span that can be described as “non-elderly adults”. A Cox regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of hip fractures, comparing individuals with and without a diagnosis indicating high alcohol consumption, treating this exposure as a time-varying covariate. There were 151 participants with at least one hip fracture, 86 women and 65 men. There were 450 participants, 173 women and 277 men, who had an alcohol related event, as an indication of alcohol abuse, during the follow-up time of which 24 (10 women and 14 men) also experienced a hip fracture. We found an elevated HR for hip fractures for non-elderly women (HR = 4.59, 95% CI = 2.12–9.95, p < 0.001) and men (HR = 7.65, 95% CI = 4.07–14.36, p < 0.001) with a previous hospitalization-diagnosis indicating high alcohol consumption.

Individuals affected with a psychiatric disorder typically have elevated genetic risks for other mental disorders beyond the one from which they are currently suffering. From this observation it is possible to develop the concept of genetic specificity , defined in a cohort of affected individuals, as the proportion of the genetic risk for a set of psychiatric conditions due specifically to the disorder from which they are affected. To investigate this phenomenon, we studied all Swedish individuals born 1950 to 1995 with one of nine disorders ascertained from national registers: schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD), alcohol use disorder (AUD), ADHD, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), PTSD, major depression (MD), anxiety disorder (AD) and drug use disorder (DUD). Genetic liabilities were calculated from family genetic risk scores. Specificity of genetic risk was defined as the proportion of genetic risk to all nine disorders due to genetic risk to the diagnosed disorder. The specificity of genetic risk varied from 29.5% for DUD to 73.1% for SZ. With increasing age at onset (AAO), genetic specificity decreased for BD and increased for PTSD. Higher levels of recurrence increased genetic specificity for all disorders with the largest effects on BD and ADHD. Genetic specificity was highest with hospitalized cases for BD while for PTSD, AD and MD, specificity was highest in primary care cases. Common psychiatric disorders differ widely in their degrees of genetic specificity. The genetic specificity for many disorders can vary substantially as a function of AAO, level of recurrence, and site of treatment.

Mechanical ventilation (MV) can induce or exacerbate ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), particularly in mechanically heterogeneous lungs with pre-existing injury. We investigated VILI in a rat model of bleomycin-induced lung injury and compared it with healthy controls using a combined in-vivo and ex-vivo imaging approach. Previously acquired in-vivo data from four-dimensional (4D) phase-contrast synchrotron micro-computed tomography (microCT) and forced oscillation measurements showed increased lung elastance and reduced local acinar strain in bleomycin-induced injured lungs at baseline and after injurious MV. To identify structural and mechanical correlates, we performed automated three-dimensional (3D) pore analysis and atomic force microscopy (AFM) on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung tissue, complemented by histology and spatial co-registration. Ex-vivo analysis revealed pronounced airspace enlargement after injurious MV of healthy lungs, whereas this effect was attenuated in fibrotic lungs. AFM demonstrated region-specific mechanical responses, and correlation analyses linked pore geometry and nanoscale stiffness to in-vivo lung mechanics. Spatial analysis further showed colocalization of VILI-associated airspace damage with injured regions. Overall, extracellular matrix remodelling modifies the lung’s mechanical response to injurious MV. This multiscale correlative approach provides mechanistic insight into the interplay between lung injury and VILI and informs ventilation strategies in structurally altered lungs.

Awake bruxism is a masticatory muscle activity reported by approximately one in four individuals in the general population. Bruxism can have various manifestations such as tooth clenching, grinding or bracing, with different possible clinical consequences, ranging from tooth wear and fractures of dental restorations to orofacial pain related to the musculoskeletal overload. However, no official guidelines exist on the management of awake bruxism. The aim of this systematic review was to review published literature on management of awake bruxism. The review followed the PRISMA guidelines. After registration in Prospero (CRD42022351309), an electronic literature search was conducted in Medline, Embase, Scopus, LILACS, CINAHL, OpenGrey, Trip Medical, and Google on 30 August 2023 to identify articles on management of awake bruxism in participants aged 13 years and above. The electronic search was complemented with a hand search of reference lists. The review process was managed in Covidence. Two researchers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles according to the inclusion criteria which required the studies to be clinical studies involving teenagers or adults, written in English, and presented as randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, reports or trials, or case series reports. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for case-series, or the RoB 2 scale, depending on study design. After screening of 4358 abstracts, 210 articles were assessed in full text and nine studies, with 165 participants, were included and summarized in a qualitative synthesis. The most common reason for exclusion was having the wrong study design. In addition, 30 articles were excluded because of not evaluating an awake bruxism population. In the included studies, most evaluated strategies fall within the broad category of cognitive behavioural therapy. The included studies, despite varying risks of bias, generally suggested positive effects of biofeedback, guided music listening, habit reversal, medication, reminder prompts, and counselling with self-management. Given the heterogeneity of included studies, meta-analysis was deemed not appropriate. The available evidence is limited but still suggests benefits of a behavioural approach to managing the frequency and consequences of awake bruxism.