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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
To assess parents' opinions about their participation in the longitudinal, multicenter study - The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) consortium.
Anticoagulation treatment is effective in preventing both death and recurrence in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), but at the same time confers a substantial risk of bleeding complications. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of and predictors for bleeding complications in VTE patients on warfarin with high treatment quality. In total 13,859 patients on warfarin for VTE betwee
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.
Health care expenditures have increased rapidly in most OECD-countries, and several reforms have been considered for the improvement of cost-containment in the health care sector. Physicians in particular have been recognized to have considerable impact on health care expenditures and as a result they have become increasingly involved in budgetary control with the hope of a more efficient use of r
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
