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Leukocyte recruitment is a rate-limiting step in endotoxemic liver injury. Leukocyte extravasation is a multistep process, supported by multiple combinations of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors. This thesis examined the mechanisms of activation, adhesion and extravascular infiltration of leukocytes in endotoxin-induced liver injury. It was found that leukocyte adhesion in postsinusoidal
The polarization pattern of skylight offers many animals a reference for visual compass orientation. In those cases when this optical compass is identified, the receptors involved are often confined to a small part of an eye built predominantly for other visual tasks. This thesis reports the discovery of a unique compass organ in the spider Drassodes cupreus, where a pair of specialised secondary
The different steps in the dissolution process of polydisperse polymers in water have been studied. To that end, poly(ethylene oxide), dextran and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose tablets varying widely in polydispersity have been produced by mixing low molecular weight and high molecular weight samples in different proportions. The individual release of the low and high molecular weight fractions ha
Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. The disease primarily involves lachrymal and salivary glands, leading to dryness of the eyes and mouth, but a wide spectrum of exocrine and non-exocrine disease manifestations may be seen. A characteristic property of primary SS is the production of autoantibodies directed against intracellular, often DNA/RNA-modi
This thesis aims at investigating computer use at work from a more holistic work content perspective by also studying non-computer work content, in contrast to the previous approach in occupational health research that focused almost solely on computer work content. It was argued here that non-computer work content has also become significant to the overall work situation for computer users. This
Blood loss in major arthroplasty may be abundant and often necessitates blood transfusions. These may transmit disease and entail an immunological burden to the recipient. After trauma and surgery, the fibrinolytic system reacts with a short period of increased activity, followed by a fibrinolytic shut-down. In this thesis we investigated the impact of the early fibrinolytic activation on blood
Nitric oxide (NO) is important in the control of blood pressure and organ perfusion. In septic shock, NO produced by inducible NO-synthase (NOS) has been claimed to mediate pathological vasodilation and cell injury, while NO produced by constitutive NOS may be protective in counteracting hypoperfusion and organ injury. This thesis comprises studies on the effects of inhaled NO on pulmonary functio
Microvascular permeability is important for exchange of fluids and proteins in health and in disease. Permeability increases in critical illness, such as during sepsis/SIRS and after trauma, and may be affected by drugs. Increased permeability causes oedema and hypovolaemia. Hypovolaemia is treated with fluids, and their efficacy is determined by their intravascular retention, also influenced by t
The kinetics and mechanism for interactions of the anticancer active platinum(II) complexes cis-[PtCl2(NH3)2)], cis-[PtCl2(NH3)(c-C6H11NH2)], and trans-[PtCl2-(NH3)(quinoline)] with DNA have been studied using a combination of HPLC, circular dichroism (CD), UV/vis spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Reactions of the monoaqua forms (charge = +1) of these complexes with single
Migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMC) are important events in the development of atherosclerosis and restenosis following angioplastic surgery. It is important to gain further knowledge about the mechanisms regulating SMC form and function in order to understand the underlying disease process. In this thesis I have used cultured rat aortic SMC and analysed how these cells respon
The presence of procolipase and enterostatin in the rat gastrointestinal tract has been investigated. Procolipase was identified, using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, in exocrine cells of the pancreas as well as in chief cells of the fundus region of the stomach. Enterostatin is the activation peptide of procolipase and it has been found to act as a satiety signal for fat. Using a
The relationship between the HgMn and Am classes of chemically peculiar stars has been investigated primarily by observing abundances of heavy elements, including Pr, Nd, Hg, Tl and Bi. The main objective of the investigation has been to gather observational evidence to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms producing the abundance anomalies of these stars, and to establish the relations
Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) is a new technique to study cartilage glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content. The negatively charged contrast agent Gd-DTPA2-, injected intravenously, distributes in the cartilage inversely to the likewise negatively charged GAG. The GAG concentration is reflected by the MRI parameter T1 and the Gd-DTPA2- concentration by the MRI parameter R1 (R1=1/T
Capillary electrophoresis is characterised by high separation efficiency, applicability to a wide range of compounds, small sample and solvent consumption and simple instrumentation. To improve sensitivity using on-line absorbance detectors, which are hampered by the short optical path length, sample volumes in the microlitre range were concentrated to nanolitre volumes either off-line or on-line.
This work demonstrates the determination of absolute stellar radial velocities from geometrical principles, i.e. using astrometry. Such `astrometric radial velocities' are obtained independently of spectroscopic information. While spectroscopic radial velocities are affected by line shifts from astrophysical processes on the stellar surfaces, by gravitational redshift and various other effects, as
In order to identify integral and peripheral proteins associated with the plasma membrane (PM), highly purified Arabidopsis PMs were analyzed by mass spectrometry. In total, 238 putative PM proteins were identified, of which 114 were predicted to have transmembrane domains or to be PM-anchored. Identified proteins were involved in transport, signal transduction, membrane trafficking and stress res
ABSTRACT Streptococci constitute a heterogeneous group of Gram-positive bacteria, divided into different serological groups on the basis of antigenic differences in a cell wall-associated carbohydrate. This thesis describes related surface proteins expressed by bacteria in two of these groups, the group B streptococcus (GBS) and the group A streptococcus (GAS). GBS is an encapsulated bacterium th
Information about extracellular proteolytic activity is transduced to the cell by a transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor subfamily. These receptors are activated by proteolytic cleavage in the extracellular amino-terminal domain and are thus termed proteinase-activated receptors (PARs). The second member of this subfamily, PAR-2, is activated by trypsin-like proteinases, however the physiologi
Chiral building blocks are important molecules for synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Biocatalysis has gained in relevance over traditional organic methods for synthesis of chiral compounds, as reactions can be performed at high enantio-selectivity and purity with environmentally friendly, simple, and cheap methods. The aim of the present study was to explore the feasibility of using
