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The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of strength training on muscle function, gait performance and perceived participation in subjects with chronic mild to moderate post-stroke hemiparesis. A main impairment after stroke is reduced muscle strength. This post-stroke weakness is a major contributor to mobility limitations, which can prevent the resumption of activities of dail

The North Taymyr ice-marginal zone (NTZ) on the Taymyr Peninsula, Arctic Siberia and the Ugleelv Valley on Jameson Land, East Greenland, have been investigated with the aim of reconstructing the glacial history, including depositional processes and environments. Geomorphological, sedimentological, stratigraphical and remote sensing methods have been combined to give a comprehensive view of develop

This thesis examines the microvascular inflammatory response in the skin. The microvascular response includes vasodilatation and plasma exudation. In the first three studies, the combined response was measured in guinea pig skin with a technique based on detection of radiolabelled protein. Transferrin was labelled in vivo by injection of 113mIn and the conversion electrons detected over the skin u

Estrogen receptor (ER) status can define breast cancer patients who would benefit from adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. However, resistance to tamoxifen is often observed and possible mechanisms may be loss or reduction of ER, dysfunctional ER- signaling and ligand independent activation of the receptor. Hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factor-1? (HIF-1) expression has been correlated to loss of ER in bre

“Cutaneous melanoma is a most unpredictable lesion” wrote Alexander Breslow in 1970. He was one of the first to predict outcome in melanoma patients, based on the thickness of the primary tumor, and today this parameter bears his name and remains the main prognostic factor in melanoma. The aim of this thesis has been to contribute to the understanding of melanoma biology in order to make this canc

This thesis addressed the diagnosis, pathogenesis and clinical course of specific renal diseases hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and dense deposit disease (DDD). HUS may be associated with infection caused by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) or with complement dysfunction due to complement mutations or auto-antibodies (atypical HUS, aHUS). EHEC is a non-invasive highly virulent bacterium

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is a growing concern. As the life expectancy increases across the globe, the number of affected people is estimated to reach 100 million by 2050. Efforts to develop effective treatments for humans have mostly been based on the assumption that a faulty homeostasis of beta amyloid (Aβ) is the triggering or the driving factor behind this co

Objectives: To study: (I) the impact on cost-utility analyses of applying different national EuroQol 5-Dimensions (EQ-5D) preference sets; (II and III) whether, in methotrexate-refractory, early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the addition of infliximab results in superior health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and may be considered cost-effective, as compared to adding sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroq

Abstract Population movements are more substantial today than at any other point in human history. If managed effectively, migration can be beneficial for all aspects of social and economic life. This thesis contains four papers, all of which are related to the economic consequences and determinants of migration, within and across countries. The first paper employs a household survey to explore

Between ca 1.53 and 1.40 Ga, the southwestern margin of the East European Craton was subjected to extensive magmatism and deformation. While various suites of anorthositic, mangeritic and charnockitic-granitic rocks were emplaced between ca. 1.53 and 1.50 Ga, a major event of A-type granitic magmatism took place around 1.45 Ga. During that event, numerous voluminous plutons were intruded in a wide

Streptococcus pyogenes is a common human pathogen, which causes a variety of diseases. A major virulence factor of S. pyogenes is the surface-associated M protein, which mediates resistance to phagocytosis. Several studies indicate that M proteins inhibit complement deposition and thereby phagocytosis. It is often assumed that S. pyogenes lacking M protein activates complement via the alternative

The present thesis aimed to examine how ischemic stroke affects the vascular endothelin and angiotensin systems in cerebral arteries. To study vascular receptor changes in ischemic stroke transient focal ischemia was induced in rats. In addition, rat cerebral arteries and arterial smooth muscle cells were cultured for further analysis of cerebrovascular receptor regulation. For functional studies

Interstitial laser thermotherapy (ILT) is a method well suited for selective local destruction of malignant tumours. In the present work, a laser thermotherapy system based on feedback temperature control of energy delivery (through computerised feedback system) was developed. Temperature control was excellent in experiments without carbonization and with preserved light penetration, whereas tempe

Abstract Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) has strong and direct lipid-lowering effects in man. All apoB-containing lipoproteins, i.e. VLDL, LDL, Lp(a), are reduced by 25-30%. In contrast, levels of HDL increase about 10%. In hepatic cell cultures, ACTH inhibits expression and secretion of apoB. In this thesis we corroborate that the reduced apoB synthesis, seen in hepatic cell systems, is als

This thesis presents results of studies on the ice flow pattern and ice movement mechanism during the Weichselian glaciations in the middle Notec River area, NW Poland. A new lithostratigraphy of the study area has been established, based on correlation of stratigraphical position, clast lithology, fabrics and grain size composition of till units. The lithostratigraphy covers two glacial advances

The chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 are required, together with CD4, for the entry of HIV-1 into target cells. CCR5 using HIV-1 dominates during transmission and the asymptomatic phase of infection. During progression, virus phenotypes with the ability to use CXCR4 emerge in about 50% of infected individuals. Individuals continuously harbouring CCR5-restricted isolates still progress to AIDS. D

Every day we encounter many potentially harmful microbes in our environment. The epithelial linings constitute an anatomical barrier protecting us and they also produce antimicrobial polypeptides (AMPs) that act as a chemical barrier. These AMPs are small and positively charged, killing a broad range of microbes rapidly. They can either be constitutively produced or rapidly induced when epithelial

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. Only about 6% of patients are alive 5 years after diagnosis. One reason for this low survival rate is that most patients are diagnosed at a late stage, when the tumor has spread to surrounding tissues or distant organs. Less than 20% of cases are diagnosed at an early stage that allows them to undergo potentially cu

Hereditary breast cancer constitutes a considerable fraction of the total number of breast cancer cases occurring each year. Up until recently very few breast cancer predisposing genes were known, but many new common polymorphisms contributing to increased cancer susceptibility are continuously being identified. This thesis has focused on familial breast cancer and identifying as well as investi