Leukemic cells suffer from an impaired ability to differentiate due to inherited or acquired genetic lesions. These genetic changes can sometimes be bypassed with various compounds both in vitro, and, more rarely, in vivo, thus inducing terminal differentiation of the leukemic cells. Differentiation of both leukemic and normal hematopoietic cells is believed to be intimately coupled to cell cycle

This thesis focuses on the pedagogue as a social being and how she or he experiences the social life in preschools and schools in Tallsten. In 1996, the child-care and education authorities in Tallsten introduced a new manner of thinking and working based on the communicative pedagogy. The idea of communicative pedagogy was origanlly put forth by the Danish teacher Lars Rokkjaer. One of the goals

Optimal foraging and prey preference in top predators may affect population and community dynamics and structure. Also, optimal foraging and prey preference may shift with prevailing conditions, and therefore create changes in the effect of predation. In this thesis, I examine the effects of intraspecific interactions among northern pike on pike predatory behaviour, prey preference, and subsequent

The aim with this thesis was to investigate effects of vasoactive mediators on mucociliary activity and blood flow in rabbit and human experimental models. Mucociliary activity in vivo and ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in vitro were measured with photoelectric techniques. Blood flow was measured with laser Doppler flowmetry. Substance P (SP) and methacholine increased human nasal blood flow. Pretre

In this thesis, different optical methods utilising visible light for characterization of tissue have been developed and evaluated. The feasibility of many of these methods has been demonstrated in the laboratory or in animal experiments. However, the goal is naturally to develop methods useful in the clinic, and thus the emphasis in this thesis has been put on in vivo examinations. Raman spectro

Allocation, control, and management of natural resources are issues that absorb researchers within both the social and natural sciences. This study deals with such research questions as well as with one of the most fundamental issues in Economic History – namely institutional change. The plot is set around continuity and change of property rights institutions governing water resources. The setting

In a middle-aged population, it was recently shown that the stable vasopressin marker plasma copeptin (copeptin) predicts development of diabetes mellitus, diabetic heart disease and death. Here, it was hypothesised whether copeptin predicts a risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), and cardiovascular mortality in an older population.

Common genetic variations in the gene encoding transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) reveal the strongest association with type 2-diabetes known to date. These lead to impaired insulin production and output, but the mechanisms of disease remain incompletely known. In this issue of Diabetologia, two publications provide new insights into TCF7L2-dependent diabetes.

Inhibition of the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4), which cleaves and inactivates glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), is a glucose-lowering strategy in type 2 diabetes. Since DPP-4 is a ubiquitously distributed enzyme, we examined whether it is expressed in islets and whether an islet effect to inhibit DPP-4 may result in stimulated insulin secretion.

While impaired glucose tolerance diagnosed by the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is a common trait in obese individuals, less is known about changes in levels of other metabolites. The aim was to reveal the complex alterations in metabolite levels provoked by an OGTT and its perturbation in obese individuals.

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

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

GBV-C/HGV is a blood-borne virus related to the hepatitis C virus. We studied GBV-C/HGV infection in different populations, its transmission, and its association with liver disease. GBV-C/HGV viraemia was detected by PCR in 19/576 blood donors. Donors with normal and elevated ALT levels had similar rates of viraemia (1.6% vs. 4.1%; p = 0.20). Signs of resolved GBV-C/HGV infection (anti-E2 antibodi

The aim of this dissertation is to use intersectional analysis to investigate how gender is made in drug abuse treatment and to examine how the formation of gender interplays with the formation of sexuality, class and ethnicity. Central questions are: What gender(s) are to be shaped in druge abuse treatment? What happens to a gender perspective with emancipatory ambitions when it is incorporated i

This thesis explores in-group bias control. It is well-known that people tend to have extra liking for people they identify themselves with. An extra positive in-group attitude may cause discrimination, even in the absence of any negative attitudes towards the out-group. At the same time are many people motivated to behave and present themselves as unbiased. We study whether people attempt to cont

Baron Erland Nordenskiöld was born on July 19th, 1877. As a son of the great explorer Adolf Nordenskiöld he was predestined to follow the road of scientific pursuit. Moving from the field of the natural sciences to anthropology, Nordenskiöld took the chair as professor of "general and comparative ethnography" in the early 1920's. This position at the University of Gothenburg marked the beginning o