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HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells), a protein-lipid complex originally isolated from human milk, induces programmed cell death selectively in tumour cells. It consists of partially unfolded alpha-lactalbumin in complex with oleic acid. It was previously not known if the unfolding of alpha-lactalbumin alone accounts for the activity of HAMLET or if the lipid adds biologica

The inhibitory neuromuscular control of the human and cat lower oesophagus was investigated by morphological, functional, and biochemical methods. A supply of nerve fibres and myenteric cell bodies, containing nitric oxide synthase (NOS), haem oxygenase (HO)-2, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) was observed. The highest density of nerve

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

This thesis includes two different parts: One focusing on how to induce human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to differentiate into insulin producing cells by following the normal pancreatic development pathway. These cells have then the potential to be an unlimited source for diabetes regenerative medicine. The second part of the thesis deals with how embryonic stem cells rid themselves of damaged p

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

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

Schizophrenia is now generally considered to be a brain disease resulting from disturbed neurodevelopment, mediated by genetic and/or adverse events in utero and/or in early childhood. This process manifests itself in schizophrenia in young adulthood, when the brain completes its maturation. The background and development of affective psychosis have been less extensively investigated. Our aim was

Birds use vision to guide navigation, foraging and mate choice, and studies of the limitations in bird visual perception are most helpful for the understanding of bird ecology. Here, I present four studies of bird vision in bright and dim light. Paper I is a quantification of how sensitive colour vision modelling is to variation in data, such as the spectral sensitivity of photoreceptors and recep

In a retrospective follow-up study, n=202, long-term pain relief (>6 months) after a course of acupuncture treatments was found mainly among patients with chronic nociceptive pain while patients with neurogenic or psychogenic pain did not benefit much. In a placebo-controlled randomised single-blind long-term study with independent observer of chronic nociceptive low back pain, n=50, it was found

Extant research within the entrepreneurial marketing field has typically focused on the migration away from traditional marketing concepts while mostly ignoring the inclusion of branding as a fundamental principle of marketing. This paper is specifically interested in the often overlooked element of a young firm’s ability (or lack thereof) to control its brand and brand identity as perceived by it

The purpose of this thesis was to increase the understanding of altered movement patterns in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in order to improve ACL rehabilitation, and to develop an observational instrument termed Test for Substitution Patterns (TSP) for standardized, quantifiable scoring of altered movement patterns in legs and trunk. In all, 142 participants, 93 with A

Coordination of policies embracing biomass use has been called for in order to speed up progress towards the European Union renewable energy and climate change goals. Policy coordination and coherence is also required if the many complex and diverse issues constraining sustainable bioenergy development are to be addressed. To contribute to meeting such needs this doctoral thesis provides insights

Abstract Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is the only treatment available to reduce neurological sequels for unconscious patients following cardiac arrest (CA). TH requires sedation and muscular relaxation, obscuring the clinical neurological examination for estimation of prognosis, and clinical decision making. Continuous amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) has been used to predict outcome in neonates

The two genetically related human lentiviruses known today, HIV-1 (which is pandemic) and HIV-2 (which mainly is confined to West Africa), are the causative agents of AIDS. Progressive immune dysfunction and AIDS develop in most cases of untreated HIV-1 infection, but only in approximately 25-30% of HIV-2 infected individuals. The V1-V3 region of the HIV-1 env gp120 is important for HIV-1 corecept

Background: A prognostic marker should provide information about course and outcome of disease, e.g. predict time to a given endpoint or rate of progression due to disease in patients or subgroups of patients. Prognostic markers could be targeted to apply during the entire clinical course or just during distinct stages of the disease. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to identify, review and qualif

L-DOPA pharmacotherapy in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with adverse effects occurring after a few years of treatment. Among these, dyskinesia (abnormal involuntary movements) is particularly common and potentially disabling. The causes behind dyskinesia are not completely understood, but intense research has identified a number of neuronal alterations associated with L-DOPA-induced dyski

In this thesis, the main focus has been on the childhood cancer neuroblastoma, one of the most common and lethal childhood tumours. Neuroblastoma has througout the years continued to be a clinical and biological enigma. Our first focus was on one of the most important biological risk factors in neuroblastoma -- amplification of the oncogene MYCN in the tumour cells. Because amplified MYCN typical

Abstract The scaphoid is the most commonly fractured carpal bone. The diagnosis is difficult and untreated the long-term results are poor. Approximately 10% do not unite even if they are treated properly. The aim of this thesis was to study scaphoid fracture epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. During a four-year period (2004-03-01 to 2008-02-28) all patients attending the Emergency Department a

The incidence of overweight and obesity has reached alarming proportions. Today, overweight, obesity and the metabolic diseases cause more death than starvation. To counteract an increasing body weight gain, regulation of appetite and a controlled food intake is of greatest importance. Simply put, body weight is regulated by the amount of energy ingested, and the amount of energy expended. In toda