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Ischemic brain damage is a common cause of death and disability. A global ischemic insult is usually the result of a transient cardiac arrest while occlusion of cerebral blood vessels leads to focal ischemic lesions, commonly termed stroke. During the last decades our knowledge about the metabolic and cellular events leading to cell death following ischemia has expanded mainly due to experimental
Ex-smokers are exposed to a higher breast cancer risk than are never smokers. This conclusion is based on a follow-up of the 10 902 women in the Malmö Preventive Project. The 31% higher incidence in ex-smokers remained statistically significant when other risk factors were taken into account in the analysis. In both smokers and ex-smokers there was an increased incidence of oestrogen receptor nega
In the present thesis, genetic abnormalities in pancreatic cancer were studied, with special emphasis on alterations of components involved in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) signaling pathway. In the first study, fluorescence in situ hybridization and cytogenetic analyses revealed aberrations of chromosome 18 in all 13 pancreatic carcinoma cell lines studied, in particular frequent bre
Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative substances that also can induce sensitization, mainly through skin contact. In a sensitized individual, it can be hard to disclose the contact allergy at patch testing because the anti-inflammatory effect may mask the allergic contact reaction. This is primarily seen when patch testing to potent corticosteroids is performed and the readi
Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication to diabetes mellitus and is still a major cause of impaired vision in the Western world. The aim of the present study was to identify medical risk factors influencing the development and progression of retinopathy in type 1 diabetic patients, and to investigate the effects of laser treatment on visual acuity and glare. Although the development of sigh
Histamine is involved in a variety of physiological processes like gastric acid secretion, inflammation and neurotransmission. The production of histamine is catalysed by the enzyme histidine decarboxylase (HDC), which is a strongly regulated enzyme. Mammalian HDC mRNA encodes a protein with a molecular mass of 74 kDa, which is greater than that reported for the subunit of purified mammalian HDC,
The diagnosis of S. aureus infections is most often based on culture of the organism from various body sites. However, cultures could be false negative due to e.g. previous antibiotic therapy, and in some situations cultures are difficult to obtain. Antibody assays against various S. aureus antigens have been proposed as a way to diagnose S. aureus bacteremia, as well as to distinguish between unc
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive form of B-cell lymphoma (BCL) with poor clinical outcome. In this thesis, which is based upon five original papers, different approaches have been used to pinpoint and investigate molecular events that promote MCL tumor growth, progression or resistance to treatment. The aim has been to identify novel targets with the potential to eradicate malignant cel
A risk for premature atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular mortality has been reported in adult patients suffering from growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and receiving conventional hormone substitution without growth hormone (GH) replacement. GHD patients are resistant to insulin, which is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. Insulin resistance can develop from an unfavourabl
This thesis focuses on one of the most common types of hereditary cancer, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). This syndrome is characterized by an autosomal dominant inheritance, an increased risk for several types of cancer (especially cancer of the colorectum, small bowel, endometrium, ovary and urinary tract), early age at diagnosis, and frequent development of multiple primary m
The Gram-negative genus of Helicobacter consists of many bacterial species that colonize a wide range of animal hosts. The genus can be divided into gastric species that colonize the stomach, and enteric species that preferentially colonize the colon and biliary tree of various animal hosts. Helicobacter pylori cause gastritis, gastro-duodenal ulcer disease and gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma
The striatum is part of the telencephalon, the most anterior part of the vertebrate brain. From when it first can be identified, telencephalic morphology is highly complex and a wide range of mechanisms has been suggested to participate in its induction, patterning and neurogenesis. Sonic hedgehog (shh), a gene coding for a secreted protein has been suggested to be required for ventral telencephal
Sediment sequences from five lakes on the Skagi peninsula, northern Iceland, were subjected to mineral magnetic analysis, carbon analysis, pollen analysis, plant macrofossil analysis, diatom analysis, radiocarbon dating and tephra analysis in order to make detailed reconstructions of vegetation, climate and sea level during the Late Weichselian and Early Holocene. The main purpose was to investiga
The aim of this research was to clinically and experimentally evaluate the use of vacuum-assisted closure in poststernotomy mediastinitis after cardiac surgery. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) is a new wound-healing therapy based on the application of a local negative pressure to the wound. New techniques for treating poststernotomy mediastinitis are needed since conventional techniques have an unsa
