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Transplantation of embryonic human neural tissue can restore function in patients with Parkinson’s disease, but there is a severe shortage of donor tissue which limits the applicability of the technique. Embryonic neural tissue from other species, xenogeneic tissue, would provide a readily accessible donor tissue with the potential to help patients if the immunological reactions in the host could
Abstract The number of cancer and autoimmune disease diagnoses increases in our society, which place high demands on the health care system. Being able to tailor treatments for each individual patient is called "Personalized medicine", and could revolutionize the care in the future. This type of medicine requires biomarkers that could be used for diagnosis, prognosis and choice of therapy. In our
A new approach to the study of aqueous mixtures of oppositely charged polymers and surfactants has been introduced. Pure polyion-surfactant ion complex salts have been synthesized and used as the point of departure. The elimination of the simple ions reduces the number of components in the mixtures, thus greatly simplifying the system. By mixing the complex salt with either the polyelectrolyte or
Effective insulin-stimulated storage of excess glucose after a meal, and its rapid mobilisation in the fasting state provide basis of glucose homeostasis. Glycogen is the macromolecular storage form of glucose and glycogen synthase (GS) is the rate-limiting enzyme in glycogen synthesis. Skeletal muscle and liver are the major depots of glycogen. The present studies were undertaken to isolate and c
This thesis explores in-group bias control. It is well-known that people tend to have extra liking for people they identify themselves with. An extra positive in-group attitude may cause discrimination, even in the absence of any negative attitudes towards the out-group. At the same time are many people motivated to behave and present themselves as unbiased. We study whether people attempt to cont
Transportation fuels from renewable resources such as ethanol are one of the alternatives to ensure energy security and decrease the net emission of carbon dioxide. First-generation ethanol production from sugar- and starch-based raw materials (1G) is today well established in many countries, and the focus of research has thus shifted to the development and demonstration of the production of secon
Purified bacterial cell wall components peptidoglycan and teichoic acid were isolated from staphylococcal species S. aureus and/or S. epidermidis and tested for their ability to induce cytokine release from plastic-adherent human monocytes. Both cell wall components dose-dependently induced TNF-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 release, peptidoglycan being more potent than teichoic acid.
The aim of this study was to evaluate MRI with contrast enhanced MR angiography (MRI/CE MRA) as imaging method before and after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). A 1.5 T scanner was used for all examinations. In this prospective study 26 consecutive patients were included. Follow-up was performed between February 1995 and May 2002 (median follow-up; 36 months, range 8-84 mon
The pro-inflammatory mediator, Leukotriene D4 (LTD4) is a product of arachidonic acid cascade and has been implicated in asthma and inflammatory bowel diseases. Prolonged inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis increases the risk for the development of cancer and the factors that induce the chronic immune response remain uncertain. In this context, in the present study, we examined if expo
The efficacy of surgery, physiotherapy or a cervical collar in the treatment of chronic cervicobrachial pain of radicular origin was evaluated in a prospective, randomised study comprising 81 patients of both sexes, 28-64 years of age, referred for possible neurosurgical treatment. After neurological and radiological examination and giving their informed consent, they were randomised to one of the
The South American golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) was intentionally introduced to aquacultures in South East Asia to produce snails for human consumption, but the aquatic snails soon escaped and started to consume large amounts of rice seedlings. The aim of this thesis was to quantify the effects of this invasive herbivore on aquatic plants in natural wetlands since previous research h
Chronic atrial fibrillation (CAF), with a prevalence progressively increasing with age, is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias in man and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have shown that, in animals as well as in man, experimental atrial fibrillation is based on different types and dimensions of intra-atrial electrical re-entry. However, there is a lack of
The main objective of this thesis is to study the response and development of permanent deformation in unbound granular materials, theoretically and experimentally. A testing box technique is used here to more closely simulate the behaviour of unbound aggregates subjected to external vertical loading. A small box device (800×800×800 mm) is employed to test both the response and permanent deforma
This thesis deals with the combination of electrochromatography and molecular imprinting technology. Electrochromatography is characterised by high separation efficiency, simple instrumentation, and minute consumption of sample. As a novel approach to obtain unique selectivity in capillary electrochromatographic systems molecularly imprinted matrices were used. Molecular imprinting technology repr
This thesis deals with optical spectroscopy and imaging of complex and strongly scattering turbid media. Focus is mainly placed on three topics, being i) diffuse optical spectroscopy of choroidal tumors, ii) gas spectroscopy in scattering materials using the GASMAS (gas in scattering media absorption spectroscopy) technique, and iii) luminescence diffuse optical imaging and tomography of tissues.
Inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain is mostly mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors. These receptors are involved in both phasic inhibition (point-to-point inhibition, synaptic transmission) and tonic inhibition (diffuse form of inhibition, brain homeostasis). In this thesis the functional and pharmacological properties of GABAA receptors expressed in brain slices or i
Using an animal model, the thesis explores how the initial ventilation of the lungs, and surfactant therapy, should best be managed after premature birth. Material and measurements: The studies were made in newborn lambs delivered by cesarean section. Spread of exogenous surfactant was analysed by mixing it with technetium-labelled macroaggregated human serum albumin and imaging the radioactivity
In clinical situations with raised intracranial pressure (ICP) and impending insufficient cerebral blood flow (ischaemia), bedside information about energy metabolism in the brain would be helpful. Microdialysis is a technique that makes it possible to monitor the interstitial concentrations of various compounds in an organ. Intracerebral microdialysis with bedside analysis of metabolites related
The aim was to explore possible areas and sources that could inform the care for people with dementia. These were the people with dementia themselves, nurses reflective discussions about caring, nurse-patient interaction together with information from close family members, and the previous personality and sense of coherence of people with dementia in relation to behaviour during the disease as rel
