Macrophages play an essential role in the defense against infection by phagocytosis and by production of inflammatory mediators. Such mediators are TNF? and eicosanoids. Many microbial agents elicit arachidonate release in macrophages that lead to the formation of eicosanoids. This thesis is based on studies performed with the use of microbial constituents which induce arachidonate release or/and

The treatment of flow in the area of traffic safety has a long tradition. The influence flow has on the number of accidents is, however, often considered so obvious that it tends to be trivial. In this thesis I can show that the relation between flow and accidents holds interesting information. In order to compare countermeasures, or conduct other types of traffic safety comparisons where the flo

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder where the midbrain dopaminergic neurons are lost. Presently there is no cure for PD, and the most common treatment is to replace the lost dopamine pharmacologically by administration of the dopamine precursor L-DOPA. This works very well during the initial treatment period, but unfortunately a majority of the patients develop abnormal involu

Hindered diffusion occurs in the most different processes, as has been described in this thesis. It is very important to have an understanding of the influence of hindered diffusion on the mass transfer rate, especially when competing rate processes are acting simultaneously. Using mathematical modeling and simulation makes it possible to predict the effects of hindered diffusion. The systems that

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant and also the most common form of brain tumour in humans. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate morphological and diagnostics features in human GBM that may be of importance for prognosis and treatment. Immunohistochemically stained tissue sections have been microscopically analysed regarding immuno-reactive cells, cell proliferation,

The research presented in this thesis investigates sea and aviation transport safety culture, with a focus on perceptions and attitudes. A safety culture reflects the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and values that individuals share in relation to safety. Safety culture is often identified as being essential to an organization's ability to manage safety-related aspects of its operations. The aims

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in the bone marrow (BM) of adult individuals and are ultimately responsible for the continuous production of blood cells throughout life. The regulation of HSCs in vivo is tightly regulated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The Smad-signaling pathway is an evolutionary conserved signaling circuitry with critical functions during embryogenesis and throu

This work concerns techniques for improvement of the coherence properties of diode lasers so that they may be used in two specific medical applications: (Interstitial) photodynamic therapy (PDT) and laser-induced fluorescence diagnostics. In the first application, spatial coherence is crucial, since the treatment light should be delivered through relatively thin optical fibers to optimize treatmen

Senior lecturer I have a broad expertise within the fields of theoretical biological physics, equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics, mathematical physics and nanophysics. I worked with several experimental partners from the fields of physics, chemistry and nanoscience, where my group did modeling, image analysis, statistics and software development. Contact details Email: tobias [dot

https://www.cec.lu.se/tobias-ambjornsson - 2025-07-30

The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether a structured and systematic approach on improving pharmacotherapy in the elderly (the LIMM-model) would lead to a more appropriate and accurate drug use in the elderly. The elderly use many drugs and are more prone to suffer from adverse drug reaction. It is therefore important to address the quality of their drug therapy. The first study presente

There were two principal objectives for this thesis. The first was to develop a methodology and evaluation model of moisture redistribution in order to make the future relative humidity in a screeded concrete slab predictable. The second objective was to develop a method to determine the critical humidity for ion transport in concrete. Residual moisture in screeded concrete slabs may be redistrib

All hematopoietic cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) residing in the bone marrow (BM). The classical model of hematopoietic lineage commitment, that has been the prevailing model for hematopoiesis, proposes that the first lineage commitment step of HSCs and progenitors results in a strict separation of myelopoiesis and lymphopoiesis. However, an alternative model has already been

Parkinson's disease and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) does not merely involve the dopamine (DA) system but also include non-dopaminergic systems such as glutamate and serotonin (5-HT). An aberrant glutamate transmission at the corticostriatal synapse, has been linked to LID. Pharmacological agents to glutamate receptors at this synapse, (of which some are already clinically tested), could preve

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of cortical reorganisational changes following experimental deafferentation and peripheral nerve injury and apply the concept of brain plasticity to enhance sensory re-education following peripheral nerve injury and repair in the hand. In the first two papers the effects on hand function of contralateral deafferentation was investigated. Tourn

Stroke in young adult rodents triggers neurogenesis in the damaged striatum and intact hippocampus. as stroke happens frequently in aged individuals it is of great importance to know whether aging affects brain recovery mechanisms. Aged and young adult rats were subjected to stroke by transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and proliferating cells were labeled by intraperitoneal administ

Dizziness is a common reason for visits to primary health care, especially among elderly patients. From a physiotherapeutic perspective, this thesis aims to study the assessment and treatment of dizzy patients in primary health care. Interventions in papers I, III and IV comprised a vestibular rehabilitation programme. In paper I, patients with multisensory dizziness were randomized to interventi

Modern machinery is expensive and therefore must run at high availability and effectiveness which cannot be achieved without an effective maintenance policy. Condition monitoring, (CM), techniques can be utilised to reduce or arrest the rate of deterioration of a component so increasing operating life. The main result reported in this thesis is that the rolling element bearing’s mean effective li

This thesis is based on three original papers with the overall aim to study the mechanisms of induction and function of Foxp3+CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. Regulatory T cells induce down-modulation of costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 on dendritic cells in vitro. In the first study we further show that the extent of down-modulation is functionally significant since regulatory T cell condition

The BCR/ABL1 fusion gene is associated with chronic myeloid leukemia and a subgroup of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The general aim of this thesis was to increase the understanding of BCR/ABL1-induced leukemogenesis by molecular and functional studies of this fusion gene. In Article I, an experimental U937 cell line model with inducible expression of BCR/ABL1 was established and characterized. Ex

Civil society is frequently singled out as one of the most important factors in the democratization process, but existing research is often imprecise with regard to civil society’s relation to democratic development. This study analyzes how, and under what circumstances, civil society can contribute to democratic development in newly established democracies. A conceptual framework is outlined that