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Almost all northern forest tree species live in symbioses with ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). The trees allocate up to half of the photoassimilated carbon (C) through the roots to EMF. In return EMF deliver nutrients from both inorganic and organic sources in the soil, as well as water. Most of the nutrients trees need are assimilated through EMF, which thus play a potentially important role in reta
There is little knowledge about the circulatory effects of dopamine in hypothermia. Induced hypothermia has been shown to improve outcome in various settings. Hypothermia is also used for preservation of organs that are harvested for transplantation. We evaluated lungs that were topically cooled for 6 hours in non-heart-beating donor pigs by transplanting them into recipient pigs and observing the
A new method, where a tendon segment – a tendon autograft – was used as graft material for peripheral nerve reconstruction, was developed. Defects, 10-15 mm long, in rat sciatic nerves were bridged by various modifications of tendons. A piece of an intact tendon and a tendon, that had been teased into a membrane and then rolled to form a loose “collagen roll”, supported axonal regeneration over a
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
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
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 varieties of prey phenotypes that have been revealed in nature are vast and many of these phenotypes are the result of the selective force that predators have had on prey traits in the past. Even within species and populations we see variations due to both differences in the selection forces they live under but also due to individual trait variation. In this thesis I investigate both the direc
Abstract is not available
Aggressive lymphoma is a rapidly growing tumour of lymphocyte origin, potentially curable with chemotherapy. In a trial by the Nordic Lymphoma Group, 405 patients with aggressive lymphoma were included, and randomised to receive either the standard chemotherapy regimen, CHOP, or a weekly multidrug regimen, MACOP-B. In this trial, MACOP-B was not superior in terms of response, failure-free or overa
The process of speciation is a cornerstone in evolutionary biology. In Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, he described how he imagined that a new species would evolve to fill an empty niche. This focus on ecology shifted with Mayr towards the importance of isolation, and for many decades the geographic modes of speciation were debated. Speciation in sympatry, i.e. without any isolation between the
The importance of early detection of brain changes during ageing has been recognised. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a method used for estimation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in clinical work and in research. The aim of thesis was to study CBF in demented and non-demented elderly persons with special reference to blood pressure changes. Elderly women with senile dementia of
Background and aimHypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in unconscious patients resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Many patients die after withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments (WLST), often due to a presumed poor prognosis. To minimise the risk of premature WLST, guidelines recommend using a multimodal prognostication. Head compute
Foundations of buildings and structures are laid with various methods, both deep and shallow foundations. Piling is the most common method of deep foundations while spread footings are often used in shallow foundations, especially in buildings with column frame. An alternative is to use a composite pile foundation where piles and spread footings or piles and a base slab are used to carry the loads
