Filetype
The aim of this thesis was to evaluate risk factors for bone fragility and fractures in postmenopausal women in a long-term perspective. The study period spanned from the age of 48 to age 82 and is thus unique in its length. The studied sample was homogeneous and consisted of 390 north European women from a population-based cohort. At the start of the study, general health and lifestyle parameters
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease where improperly cleared apoptotic cells and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) induce an autoimmune response. Complement is crucial to prevent SLE by tailoring immune responses and opsonizing dead cells but may also induce inflammation and tissue damage once the disease is initiated. Complement C1q binds to apoptotic cells and ensures
The North Atlantic region has experienced significant climate fluctuations during the Holocene. It has been shown that these fluctuations affected the terrestrial environment in Iceland, including its glaciers and ice caps. However, the full Holocene development of Icelandic glaciers, including the large Vatnajökull ice cap and its outlet glaciers, is not fully known. In this thesis, a sediment se
Radiotherapy (RT) after mastectomy has been part of the treatment for early breast cancer since the 1940s. The treatment reduces the risk of loco-regional recurrences, but implies risk of late side effects that can begin decades after RT. Aims of the thesis were: - To analyse the long term effects of postmastectomy radiotherapy and systemic treatment for 1100 stage II breast cancer patients in t
To investigate clinical features of celiac disease (CD) and their association with risk factors for CD in a genetic risk birth cohort.
The goal of this study was to determine whether age at introduction to gluten was associated with risk for celiac disease (CD) in genetically predisposed children.
Immotile-cilia syndrome is characterized by severe respiratory distress from early infancy, and also often by situs inversus. The first description of the disease was based on just four persons, but reasons were given to suggest that the disorder may not be exceedingly rare. The purpose of the present study was to estimate just how rare or how common it is and to evaluate its association with situ
The aim of the study was to investigate the resting levels of novel cardiovascular biomarkers in common types of noncardiac syncope.
Although it is known that the islet expression of glucagon receptors is increased in type 2 diabetes, its implication for beta-cell function is not known.
Haemophilia A is a sex-linked disorder characterised chiefly by recurrent, spontaneous joint and muscle bleedings resulting from deficiency of factor VIII (FVIII). Recurrent joint bleeds result in haemophilic arthropathy. Unless treated with factor replacement therapy, many patients with severe haemophilia become disabled. The first clinical evidence favouring prophylaxis originated from the studi
The most critical safety barrier in a nuclear power plant, the concrete containment, is prestressed by hundreds of tendons, both horizontally and vertically. The main purpose of the containment is to prevent radioactive discharge to the environment in the case of a serious internal accident. Due to creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation of the prestressing steel, tendon forces decrease wit
The signaling mechanisms controlling organ damage in the pancreas in severe acute pancreatitis (AP) remain elusive. Herein, we examined the role of farnesyltransferase signaling in AP.
