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Efficient energy production relies on complementary use of crop residues, to enhance the amount of energy obtained per unit biomass. In this frame, sugarcane bagasse (SB) was pretreated and the resulting slurry and liquid fraction served, respectively, for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) at high solid concentration (15%), and anaerobic digestion (AD). More specifically, SB was
Objectives: We evaluated a method for gas monitoring in the mastoid cavity using tunable diode laser spectroscopy by comparing it to simultaneously obtained computed tomographic (CT) scans. Methods: The presented optical technique measures free gases, oxygen (O2), and water vapor (H2O) within human tissue by use of low-power diode lasers. Laser light was sent into the tip of the mastoid process
The present study proposes a novel sorting algorithm for identification of patients with atrial fibrillation in large one-lead ECG repositories. Repeated measurements at home with automatic transmission of data to a central database is presently tested in the search for atrial fibrillation for the long-term purpose to reduce the incidence of stroke. Such screening rapidly generates large databases
Background: Risk gene variants for celiac disease, identified in genome-wide linkage and association studies, might influence molecular pathways important for disease development. The aim was to examine expression levels of potential risk genes close to these variants in the small intestine and peripheral blood and also to test if the non-coding variants affect nearby gene expression levels in chi
Primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) is a distressing condition, particularly in severe cases (>= 3 wet nights/week). A prevalent pathophysiological mechanism, especially in monosymptomatic PNE (PMNE), is commonly believed to be an insufficient increase in night-time release of antidiuretic hormone. Desmopressin, a synthetic analogue of antidiuretic hormone, has been shown to reduce the number of wet
Objective We tested whether men and women in the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) high normal and normal blood pressure (BP) categories, all included in the the Seventh Joint National Committee (JNC 7) prehypertension group, share similar metabolic characteristics and whether they differ from men and women with optimal BP (<120/80 mmHg). Methods BP (multiple measurements with a standardized
This study investigated the role of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin in Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection and subsequent renal damage. Mouse and human cathelicidin, CRAMP and LL-37, respectively, killed E. coli O157:H7 in vitro. Intestines from healthy wild-type (129/SvJ) and cathelicidin-knock-out (Camp(-/-)) mice were investigated, showing that cathelicidin-deficient mice had a thinner co
Popular Abstract in Swedish Hjärt och kärlsjukdomar utgör idag den vanligaste orsaken till död världen över. I denna avhandling studerades patienter med hjärt-kärlsjukdom inom svenska register för att analysera betydelsen av olika komponenter av behandlingen vid hjärt-kärlsjukdom. Komponenter som utvärderades var tid till primär perkutan (endovaskulär) kranskärlsintervention (PCI), dvs ballongvidgIntroduction: Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. The aims of this thesis were to evaluate different contemporary approaches in coronary care with regard to mortality and myocardial infarction. Methods: The thesis consists of 6 papers with 4 papers evaluating different exposures and their outcomes (clopidogrel pre-treatment, 5 different anti-platelet protocols, ticagrel
Background: Survival of people with HIV-2 and HTLV-1 infection is better than that of HIV-1 infected people, but long-term follow-up data are rare. We compared mortality rates of HIV-1, HIV-2, and HTLV-1 infected subjects with those of retrovirus-uninfected people in a rural community in Guinea-Bissau. Methods: In 1990, 1997 and 2007, adult residents (aged >= 15 years) were interviewed, a blood sa
Background: To estimate cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in relation to obesity and gender. Methods: Data from 11 prospective cohorts from four European countries including 23 629 men and 21 965 women, aged 24 to 99 years, with a median follow-up of 7.9 years were analyzed. Hazards ratios (HR) for CVD mortality in relation to baseline body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to
Background: Hip dislocation is a serious complication among children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of hip dislocation among children with CP in an area providing regular care with an area providing hip surveillance services. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in seven Norwegian counties providing regular care and one Swedish healthcare region w
Land use intensification is associated with loss of biodiversity and altered ecosystem functioning. Until now most studies on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning focused on random loss of species, while loss of rare species that usually are the first to disappear received less attention. Here we test if the effect of rare microbial species loss on plant productivity dep
In birds, molt duration is an important trait that can affect plumage functionality and, consequently, the fitness of individuals. However, knowledge about the factors that affect variation in molt speed is sparse, mostly because of the methodological difficulties of studying avian molt. We used a ptilochronology-based approach to estimate the rate at which tail feathers were produced during molt
Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is toxic to the kidney and a major part of the body burden occurs here. Cd in urine (U-Cd) and blood (B-Cd) are widely-used biomarkers for assessing Cd exposure or body burden. However, empirical general population data on the relationship between Cd in kidney (K-Cd), urine, and blood are scarce. Our objectives were to determine the relationship between cadmium in kidney
Objectives To describe changes in uterine and ovarian size and morphology as determined by ultrasonography from 2 years before to 2 years after menopause. Methods Twenty 50-year-old women with fairly regular vaginal bleeding at the start of the study underwent transvaginal ultrasound examination every 3 months until 12 months postmenopause, then every 6 months until 24 months postmenopause. The re
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although there have been numerous publications on lumbar disc herniation (LDH) treated surgically, there has been little interest in sex differences. It has been shown in many studies that sex differences may be important in certain diseases. We therefore reviewed consecutive register material from one institution for possible gender differences in pre- and postoperative pa
Aim. - To explore the association between baseline levels of insulin-like growth-factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), a marker of insulin sensitivity, and the development of type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in a specifically defined middle-aged population. Methods. - This cross-sectional population-based screening study was conducted in 1989-1990 and included baseline data for 66
It is known that warm and humid environment reduces human physical performance. The present study examined whether the use of an ice-vest in such conditions can improve cycling performance. Seven participants cycled with consecutive, non-stop, 10-minute cycles of nine minutes at 60% of their (V) over dot O-2 max punctuated by a one-minute sprint at 80% (V) over dot O-2 max. The cycling protocol wa
Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate associations of screen-time and physical activity (PA) with self-efficacy for PA, intrinsic motivation to PA and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Colombian schoolchildren from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and to compare these variables among children with normal-weight (NW), overweight (OW) and obesity (OB). Methods: In 678 s
Objective To investigate whether the risk allele for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 4 (STAT4) gene, defined by the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs10181656(G), is associated with vascular events and/or presence of prothrombotic anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) in patients with SLE. Methods Two independent groups of unrelat
