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Data on sleep apnea is scarce in the elderly. We aimed to provide insight into the presentation of sleep apnea in people over 70 years of age including gender differences. We conducted a registry study in sleep apnea patients >18 years of age diagnosed at Turku University Hospital in 2012-2019. Patients whose sleep apnea was classified at least moderate according to apnea-hypopnea index were included (N = 5870; Men = 65.7%; Mean age 57.5 ± 13.5 years). Data on cardiorespiratory polygraphy (PG) variables, Body Mass Index (BMI), pre-existing depression diagnoses, number of comorbidities, the scores of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), depression scale (DEPS) and psychological distress (12-item General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12), and capillary blood gas results were derived from electronic medical records. Patients were stratified into three groups according to age: <70 (young-middle aged), 70-80 (elderly) and >80 years of age (very elderly). The severity of sleep apnea did not differ between the age groups based on any of the PG variables studied. No significant differences were found in the level of subjective daytime sleepiness between age groups. Women had higher DEPS scores than men in all age groups. Very elderly men had higher DEPS scores compared to men in other age groups (6.3 ± 4.6 vs. 5.6 ± 5.9 vs. 5.1 ± 4.8, p < 0.05) while the differences in DEPS scores did not reach significance among women. Each unit increase in SpO2 was associated with a 22% decrease in the odds of having a DEPS score of ≥9. The severity of sleep apnea or subjective daytime sleepiness did not differ among age groups in moderate-severe sleep apnea patients. Occurrence of depressive symptoms was consistently more common in women than in men of comparable age. Mental wellbeing was the worst in the very elderly. Higher SpO2 was associated with less depressive symptoms.

Key Clinical Message Beta‐agonist treatment during pregnancy may unmask the diagnosis of long QT syndrome. The QT prolongation can result in functional AV block. A history of seizure and/or sudden death in a family member should raise suspicion of ventricular tachycardia. More than one mutation may coexist. Refusal of beta‐blocker therapy complicates risk stratification. Beta‐agonist treatment during pregnancy may unmask the diagnosis of Long QT syndrome. The QT prolongation can result in functional AV block. A history of seizure and/or sudden death in a family member should raise suspicion of ventricular tachycardia. More than one mutation may coexist. Refusal of beta‐blocker therapy complicates risk stratification.

Data on sleep apnea is scarce in the elderly. We aimed to provide insight into the presentation of sleep apnea in people over 70 years of age including gender differences. We conducted a registry study in sleep apnea patients >18 years of age diagnosed at Turku University Hospital in 2012-2019. Patients whose sleep apnea was classified at least moderate according to apnea-hypopnea index were included (N = 5870; Men = 65.7%; Mean age 57.5 ± 13.5 years). Data on cardiorespiratory polygraphy (PG) variables, Body Mass Index (BMI), pre-existing depression diagnoses, number of comorbidities, the scores of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), depression scale (DEPS) and psychological distress (12-item General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12), and capillary blood gas results were derived from electronic medical records. Patients were stratified into three groups according to age: 80 years of age (very elderly). The severity of sleep apnea did not differ between the age groups based on any of the PG variables studied. No significant differences were found in the level of subjective daytime sleepiness between age groups. Women had higher DEPS scores than men in all age groups. Very elderly men had higher DEPS scores compared to men in other age groups (6.3 ± 4.6 vs. 5.6 ± 5.9 vs. 5.1 ± 4.8, p < 0.05) while the differences in DEPS scores did not reach significance among women. Each unit increase in SpO.sub.2 was associated with a 22% decrease in the odds of having a DEPS score of [greater than or equal to]9. The severity of sleep apnea or subjective daytime sleepiness did not differ among age groups in moderate-severe sleep apnea patients. Occurrence of depressive symptoms was consistently more common in women than in men of comparable age. Mental wellbeing was the worst in the very elderly. Higher SpO.sub.2 was associated with less depressive symptoms.

Data on sleep apnea is scarce in the elderly. We aimed to provide insight into the presentation of sleep apnea in people over 70 years of age including gender differences. We conducted a registry study in sleep apnea patients >18 years of age diagnosed at Turku University Hospital in 2012-2019. Patients whose sleep apnea was classified at least moderate according to apnea-hypopnea index were included (N = 5870; Men = 65.7%; Mean age 57.5 ± 13.5 years). Data on cardiorespiratory polygraphy (PG) variables, Body Mass Index (BMI), pre-existing depression diagnoses, number of comorbidities, the scores of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), depression scale (DEPS) and psychological distress (12-item General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12), and capillary blood gas results were derived from electronic medical records. Patients were stratified into three groups according to age: 80 years of age (very elderly). The severity of sleep apnea did not differ between the age groups based on any of the PG variables studied. No significant differences were found in the level of subjective daytime sleepiness between age groups. Women had higher DEPS scores than men in all age groups. Very elderly men had higher DEPS scores compared to men in other age groups (6.3 ± 4.6 vs. 5.6 ± 5.9 vs. 5.1 ± 4.8, p < 0.05) while the differences in DEPS scores did not reach significance among women. Each unit increase in SpO.sub.2 was associated with a 22% decrease in the odds of having a DEPS score of [greater than or equal to]9. The severity of sleep apnea or subjective daytime sleepiness did not differ among age groups in moderate-severe sleep apnea patients. Occurrence of depressive symptoms was consistently more common in women than in men of comparable age. Mental wellbeing was the worst in the very elderly. Higher SpO.sub.2 was associated with less depressive symptoms.

BackgroundEthnic discrimination is acknowledged as a social determinant of health for Indigenous populations worldwide. This study aimed to investigate embodiment of perceived ethnic discrimination among the Sámi population in Sweden.MethodsA population-based health study was conducted among the Sámi population aged 18–84 years in 2021. Perceived discrimination was assessed by three variables: exposure to threat, humiliation treatment and ethnic discrimination. To capture current physical health, complaints of headache, back pain, stomach pain, sleeping problems, dizziness and tiredness were used. An overall somatic complaints score was created by summing up the six individual symptoms. The magnitude of the association between the independent variables and the outcomes was summarised with the β coefficients and prevalence ratios using 95% credible intervals (95% CrI) for inferential purposes.ResultsOverall, 4.3% reported to have been exposed to threat, 26.1% to humiliation and 11.2% and 32.3% to ethnic discrimination in the last 12 months and beyond 12 months, respectively. After mutual adjustment, threat (β=1.25; 95% CrI=0.88 to 1.60), humiliation (β=1.29; 95% CrI: 1.14 to 1.44) and the two categories of discrimination (β=0.92; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.21 in the last 12 months and β=0.68; 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.83 beyond) remained significantly associated to the overall somatic complaints score. Similar results were found for individual complaints.ConclusionsThis study has shown a strong relationship between different expressions of perceived ethnic discrimination and a series of somatic complaints among the Sámi in Sweden. Efforts to alleviate interpersonal and institutional discrimination against the Sámi would contribute to improve their health.

The therapeutic and research potentials of oligonucleotides (ONs) have been hampered in part by their inability to effectively escape endosomal compartments to reach their cytosolic and nuclear targets. Splice-switching ONs (SSOs) can be used with endosomolytic small molecule compounds to increase functional delivery. So far, development of these compounds has been hindered by a lack of high-resolution methods that can correlate SSO trafficking with SSO activity. Here we present in-depth characterization of two novel endosomolytic compounds by using a combination of microscopic and functional assays with high spatiotemporal resolution. This system allows the visualization of SSO trafficking, evaluation of endosomal membrane rupture, and quantitates SSO functional activity on a protein level in the presence of endosomolytic compounds. We confirm that the leakage of SSO into the cytosol occurs in parallel with the physical engorgement of LAMP1-positive late endosomes and lysosomes. We conclude that the new compounds interfere with SSO trafficking to the LAMP1-positive endosomal compartments while inducing endosomal membrane rupture and concurrent ON escape into the cytosol. The efficacy of these compounds advocates their use as novel, potent, and quick-acting transfection reagents for antisense ONs. Two new endosomolytic small compounds increase delivery of splice-switching oligonucleotides by interfering with their trafficking to the LAMP1-positive endosomal compartments, inducing endosomal membrane rupture and concurrent oligonucleotide escape into the cytosol.

Knowledge of functional dispersal barriers in the marine environment can be used to inform a wide variety of management actions, such as marine spatial planning, restoration efforts, fisheries regulations, and invasive species management. Locations and causes of dispersal barriers can be studied through various methods, including movement tracking, biophysical modeling, demographic models, and genetics. Combining methods illustrating potential dispersal, such as biophysical modeling, with realized dispersal through, e.g., genetic connectivity estimates, provides particularly useful information for teasing apart potential causes of observed barriers. In this study, we focus on blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) in the Skagerrak—a marginal sea connected to the North Sea in Northern Europe—and combine biophysical models of larval dispersal with genomic data to infer locations and causes of dispersal barriers in the area. Results from both methods agree; patterns of ocean currents are a major structuring factor in the area. We find a complex pattern of source-sink dynamics with several dispersal barriers and show that some areas can be isolated despite an overall high dispersal capability. Finally, we translate our finding into management advice that can be used to sustainably manage this ecologically and economically important species in the future.

Ichthyosaurs are extinct marine reptiles that display a notable external similarity to modern toothed whales. Here we show that this resemblance is more than skin deep. We apply a multidisciplinary experimental approach to characterize the cellular and molecular composition of integumental tissues in an exceptionally preserved specimen of the Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Stenopterygius . Our analyses recovered still-flexible remnants of the original scaleless skin, which comprises morphologically distinct epidermal and dermal layers. These are underlain by insulating blubber that would have augmented streamlining, buoyancy and homeothermy. Additionally, we identify endogenous proteinaceous and lipid constituents, together with keratinocytes and branched melanophores that contain eumelanin pigment. Distributional variation of melanophores across the body suggests countershading, possibly enhanced by physiological adjustments of colour to enable photoprotection, concealment and/or thermoregulation. Convergence of ichthyosaurs with extant marine amniotes thus extends to the ultrastructural and molecular levels, reflecting the omnipresent constraints of their shared adaptation to pelagic life. The presence of blubber and distribution of melanophores in a countershading pattern in an Early Jurassic ichthyosaur demonstrate that the evolutionary convergence of these reptiles with extant marine amniotes extends to the cellular and molecular levels.

A simulation study based on recent regional climate scenarios for Sweden investigated possible changes in carbon (C) dynamics and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of Swedish Norway spruce forest ecosystems. Four sites, representative of well-drained soils in four regions, were included. Stand development was simulated for a 100-year rotation period using a coupled model describing abiotic and biotic processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. Two IPCC climate change scenarios, corresponding to a mean annual temperature increase of about 2°C (A2) or 3°C (B2) from the reference period 1961-1990 to a new period 2061-2090, were considered. Annual maximum snow depth decreased with the increase in air temperature, whereas maximum soil frost depth and mean annual soil temperature showed only small changes, especially for the sites in northern Sweden. Simulations suggested that in the warmer climate, gross primary production (GPP) increased by 24-32% in northern Sweden and by 32-43% in the south. In the north, the increase was related to the combined effect of air and soil temperature extending the growing season, whereas in the south it was mainly governed by increased N availability due to increased soil temperature. NEE increased by about 20% (A2) or 25% (B2) at all sites, more or less solely due to increased accumulation of C in the tree biomass (including harvest residues), since changes in soil C were small compared with the current climate. Both light use efficiency and water use efficiency were improved in the future climate scenarios, despite increases in atmospheric CO₂ not being considered.

Estimates of carbon fluxes and turnover in ecosystems are key elements in the understanding of climate change and in predicting the accumulation of trace elements in the biosphere. In this paper we present estimates of carbon fluxes and turnover times for five terrestrial ecosystems using a modeling approach. Multiple criteria of acceptance were used to parameterize the model, thus incorporating large amounts of multi-faceted empirical data in the simulations in a standardized manner. Mean turnover times of carbon were found to be rather similar between systems with a few exceptions, even though the size of both the pools and the fluxes varied substantially. Depending on the route of the carbon through the ecosystem, turnover times varied from less than one year to more than one hundred, which may be of importance when considering trace element transport and retention. The parameterization method was useful both in the estimation of unknown parameters, and to identify variability in carbon turnover in the selected ecosystems.