Filetype
Molecular imprinting is a technique by which polymeric materials selective for a given target molecule can be created through a casting procedure. Functionalised monomers are added to a solution of molecular templates. Monomer-template complexes are formed and subsequently fixed through polymerisation, and following removal of the template species from the resultant molecularly imprinted polymer,
Colorectal cancer is one of our most common malignancies and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. About 1/3 of the tumors are located in the rectum. Treatment advances such as the introduction of the standardized surgical technique total mesorectal excision (TME), pre-operative radiotherapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy have reduced the previously high local recurrence rates and improv
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
Workers exposed to hand-held vibrating machines may risk developing a hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), a condition which can cause chronic impairment and disability. The aims of this thesis were 1) to obtain deeper insight and further knowledge of HAVS and the consequences for hand function, and aspects of quality of life (QoL); 2) to investigate the usefulness of clinical assessments in diagno
The cytostatic drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has been shown to affect both morphology and function of vascular endothelium. These effects could be part of the pathophysiology for 5-FU induced cardiotoxicity. The present thesis explores the mechanisms of this endothelial toxicity. In an animal model, treatment with thromboprophylactic doses of the low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) dalteparin could
This contribution deals with the topic of transnationalism as it has developed in the humanities in the last two decades. The starting point for the reflections is the author's experiences over the course of two research projects in the years 1996 to 2003. "Musik baut Brücken?" seeks to highlight some of the definitions and difficulties of "transnationalism" which have become obvious in several de
Type 2 Diabetes is a disorder that increases globally, but mainly in the western world. One of the hallmarks of Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance in the target tissues of insulin action (adipose tissue, liver and skeletal muscle). In addition, most patients with Type 2 diabetes are obese. Increased release of free fatty acids from the enlarged and/or dysfunctional adipose tissue is suggested t
In addition to proton-pumping complex I, the plant respiratory chain contains type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases. These extra enzymes do not pump protons and consequently do not contribute to the electrochemical proton gradient. Database screening of the Arabidopsis genome identified seven type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenase homologues of which two and four genes were closely related to potato (Solanum tube
This thesis deals with the development and evaluation of some different optical techniques for tissue characterization. The main aim has been to improve and evaluate such investigative techniques in in vivo studies. In this attempt a key issue has been to gain understanding in the underlying mechanisms of laser-based diagnostics of premalignant and malignant lesions and to evaluate methods
Pathogenic bacteria express a wide array of surface proteins that interact with the environment. Many of these proteins are believed to be important for the virulence. This thesis deals with the binding of immunoglobulins (Ig) and complement regulating proteins to certain bacterial surface proteins. Protein L from Peptostreptococcus magnus binds to Igk-light chains while protein A from Staphylococ
The purpose of the study was to develop an ultrasound (US) protocol for evaluating congenital clubfoot pathoanatomy before and during early treatment. By using 3 easily defined and reproducible US projections the talonavicular and the calcaneocuboid joints were assessed. Normal configurations of the relationships at these joints were obtained by investigating 54 healthy babies at the ages of 0, 4
People can become sensitive to the general structure of different parts of the environment, often without studying that general structure directly, but through being incidentally exposed to instances that conform to the structure. When such learning proceeds unintentionally and gives rise to knowledge that is difficult to verbalize it is often referred to as implicit learning. One of the most comm
Migration of leukocytes from the circulating blood into the extravascular tissue is a key component in inflammatory reactions. Leukocyte extravasation (rolling-activation-adhesion-transmigration) is strictly coordinated by adhesion molecules and chemokines expressed on cell surfaces and in tissues. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is pleiotrophic cytokine, which plays an important role in t
This work analyses several aspects of multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) for astronomy. The research ranges from fundamental and technical studies for present-day MCAO projects, to feasibility studies of high-order MCAO instruments for the extremely large telescopes (ELTs) of the future. The first part is an introductory exposition on atmospheric turbulence, adaptive optics (AO) and MCAO, esta
General characteristics and outcome was evaluated in 177 consecutive patients who underwent a major amputation in a defined population. Smoking and diabetes lowered the mean amputation age. Healing failure at six months was seen in 24% of transtibial and in 11% of transfemoral amputees. Preoperative absence of gangrene and hemoglobin >120 g/L increased the risk of healing failure. Six months after
Aims of the study The aims of this study using Gadodiamide injection were to investigate: · Whether Gadodiamide injection was comparable to Gd-DTPA for the enhancement of CNS lesions. · The contrast effect at different field strengths. · The effective time-window for the enhancement of blood-brain barrier damage. · The relations between the concentration of contrast agent and enhancement in p
"Men born in 1914" is a prospective cohort study on the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease. The study is run by the Department of Community Medicine, Lund University, Malmö. Five hundred men participated in the study when it started with a baseline examination in 1982/83. The men were then 68 years old. The psychological part of the study included tests of cognitive function and the serial Col
Immunotherapy is a new promising approach in cancer treatment. In the future, it will hopefully offer an alternative to existing brain tumors treatments, which are unable to cure. We have established an experimental, low immunogenic, brain tumor model in the rat. We have increased tumor cell immunogenicity with mutagen treatment or transfection of IFN-g. Mutagen treated glioma cells (tum-) could c
Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of a CAG repeat in the HD gene, that leads to dysfunction and death of striatal neurons. The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying HD are not known, but excitotoxicity and dopamine (DA) have been suggested to play a role. In this thesis, the effects of excitotoxicity and DA have been studied in striatal in vit
Chromosomal translocations commonly result in the production of fusion genes and the fusion genes are often tumor-type specific. In myxoid and round cell liposarcomas (MLS/RCLS), almost 95% of the cases carry a t(12;16)(q13;p11). In the remaining 5% of the MLS/RCLS tumors, another translocation and fusion gene can be found, i.e. the t(12;22)(q13;q12). These translocations fuse CHOP on chromosome 1
