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Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), resulting from disease (e.g. cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis) or surgery (e.g. pancreectomy or pancreas duct ligation), leads to disorders in the digestive system, such as, maldigestion, malabsorption and finally malnutrition. Pancreatic duct-ligated (PDL) pigs have been used as a suitable large-animal model to study the conditions and treatment of EP
Artificial neural network (ANN) and combinatorial optimization algorithms are developed, and applied to the medical domain. A novel method for training an ensemble of ANN is presented, based on random weight updates alternated with replication of networks with low error. The evolution of the ensemble is explored, with particular emphasis on its diversity and internal correlation. The performance
Dermal interstitial fluid (IF) was extracted serially and painlessly by brief suction for as long as 6 days. The erosion was otherwise kept occluded, Sample volumes exceded those required for measuring a wide range of biological substances. Epidermal regeneration was rapid. Glucose concentrations in IF and plasma, measured in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects for as long as 6 days were closely c
One of the major challenges facing the world today is the reduction of our dependency on fossil resources as their exploitation has severe negative effects on the environment. One way of realizing this is to utilise the components of lignocellulosic biomass to a greater extent as feedstock for various industrial products. However, such utilisation requires the extraction of the biopolymers from th
The Malmö Preventive Project, a preventive, case-finding programme for cardiovascular risk factors and alcohol abuse was created in 1974 at the Department of Preventive Medicine of Malmö University Hospital. Between 1974-1992, a total of 22 444 men (mean age 44 years range 27 - 61) and 10 902 women (mean age 50 years, range 28 - 58) attended the programme, with an overall attendance rate of 70% (r
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG-triplet expansion in the gene encoding the protein huntingtin. The disease typically starts in mid-life and progresses for 15-20 years. To date no effective treatment is available for curing the disease. HD primarily affects the striatum, cerebral cortex and hypothalamus. At later stages cell death is evident in the striatum
In this thesis, retinal function in general, as well as central retinal function and structure are described in selected forms of acquired and hereditary retinal disorders, in order to improve our understanding of underlying pathogenic mechanisms. This comparison has been made possible during the last years, through the relatively recent development of multifocal ERG (mfERG) and optical coherence
Poor ergonomics in production systems can compromise performance and cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which pose a huge cost to society, companies, and afflicted individuals. This thesis presents a research trajectory through the problem space by: 1) Identifying and quantifying workplace risk factors for MSDs, 2) Identifying how these risks may relate to production strategies, and 3) Develo
Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disorder with the characteristic symptoms itching, sneezing, secretion and blockage upon allergen contact. In addition to the local inflammation in the nose, there is a systemic component that influences peripheral blood, bone marrow and lungs. The immune system is conventionally divided into innate and acquired (adaptive) immunity. The former is important in
After an introductory chapter, the hypothesis is made in chapter two: that central bank power to control the rate of inflation rests on the bank’s ability to achieve a role as a focal point for inflation. Inflation is a measure of changes in the general price level, the price level is an index of individual prices, and to predict future price levels is thus to predict future prices on individual i
Proteolytic enzymes are enzymes that hydrolyze peptide bonds in peptides and proteins. This ability to carry out protein degradation is essential for many cellular and extracellular processes that occur in all living organisms. Cysteine peptidases constitute a class of proteolytic enzymes. Among these, papain-like (C1) peptidases are the mostly studied ones. Inhibitors regulate proteolytic activit
Mature blood cells are crucial for life, but they have a short lifetime and thus have to be replaced. These mature blood cells are produced by lineage restricted progenitors, which themselves are generated by rare multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in a highly dynamic process called hematopoiesis. In addition to the ability of HSCs to generate all blood cell lineages, they possess the uni
A highly dealuminated form of zeolite FAU, ultra-stable zeolite Y (USY), was used as an adsorbent matrix in the purification of proteins. Undesired proteins were removed from a crude preparation by adsorption on USY, increasing the purity of an unadsorbed protein (horse radish peroxidase), or the protein of interest was adsorbed on the zeolite and subsequently eluted through changes in the solutio
Specific language impairment (SLI) is commonly described as a condition where a child with otherwise normal development and hearing does not acquire language as expected. Children with SLI often have a family history of language disorders. The aetiology is poorly understood. In the first two studies, event-related brain potentials(ERPs)evoked in response to tone- and to speech stimuli were record
Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to study the self-diffusion of water in porous systems that respond to a change in water content in order to elucidate the porous structure and the properties of the confined water. In the carbohydrate systems cellulose fibers and starch granules, water is free to move throughout the porous objects, albeit with a rate reduced from the value of the
Evaluation of long-term side effects of treatment is important due to the growing number of childhood cancer survivors. How kidney function is affected over time needs to be clarified. In the first article, we investigated 247 healthy infants and children and established upper reference limits for several proteins in urine, to be used as markers for glomerular and tubular proteinuria in children w
The overall aim of this thesis was to increase our knowledge of the relationship between structure and function of human skeletal muscle, and about factors affecting strength. The ankle dorsiflexor muscles (DF) were chosen as a representative model of human skeletal muscle, and because these muscles have important roles in gait and maintenance of balance. Specific aims in this thesis were: i) to d
It is attractive to integrate a large deformable mirror for adaptive optics into an astronomical telescope rather than using relay optics within an auxiliary instrument. However, the resulting large deformable mirror can be expensive, particularly for extremely large telescopes. We have pursued a low-cost approach using force actuators connected to the back of the deformable mirror through suction
Transplantation is the only cure for end-stage organ failure. With the transplantation follows the need for continuous treatment with immunosuppressive agents for as long as the graft functions, which entails major side effects. Less toxic treatments are therefore in great demand. Preferably, the treatment should also be limited in time. The ultimate solution would be induction of tolerance to t
Our research group has previously shown that treatment with the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors a-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) or amidinoindan-1-one 2´-amidinohydrazone (CGP 48664) inhibited S phase progression before any other cell cycle phase was affected. This study was undertaken to further investigate the role of polyamines in the regulation of S phase progression and DNA synthesis. I hav
