Soil and groundwater contamination is an increasingly recognised threat to public health and the environment around the globe. New types of contaminants continue to emerge, and awareness of their threat, continues to develop. Many countries have national clean-up programs with priority lists of the most hazardous contaminated sites. Investigation and remediation of these sites, however, take a lon

Urinary incontinence classification is based on symptomatology, presuming that each symptom originates in a separate pathophysiology and demands its unique therapy. Women often present a mixture of symptoms inconsistent with urodynamic diagnosis, especially regarding urgency. Treatment of stress incontinence often relieves urge symptoms indicating a common pathophysiology. Our aims were to investi

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) are conditions caused by thrombus formation with activation of the coagulation system. The plasma concentration of the complex between activated protein C (APC) and protein C inhibitor (PCI), APC–PCI complex is increased in such states. We have devised an immunofluorometric assay employing a catcher antibody (M36) that recognizes a

The goal of biomarker discovery is to identify disease defining molecules, which could be used to improve early detection and/or to predict survival and response to treatment. This thesis is about the transcription factor SOX11, a protein discovered in the context of mantle cell lymphoma in 2008, which shows great potential to be used as a clinical relevant biomarker. The aim of this thesis is to

A risk for premature atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular mortality has been reported in adult patients suffering from growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and receiving conventional hormone substitution without growth hormone (GH) replacement. GHD patients are resistant to insulin, which is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. Insulin resistance can develop from an unfavourabl

The diagnosis of S. aureus infections is most often based on culture of the organism from various body sites. However, cultures could be false negative due to e.g. previous antibiotic therapy, and in some situations cultures are difficult to obtain. Antibody assays against various S. aureus antigens have been proposed as a way to diagnose S. aureus bacteremia, as well as to distinguish between unc

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

Treating the correlated behaviour of multiple particles is challenging for both theory and experiment. This thesis reports on a variety of experimental investigations aiming to advance the understanding of fundamental processes in atoms and molecules: double ionization, isomerization and dissociation. The emphasis lies on ultra-fast processes, where multiple electrons interact or nuclei move so ra

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

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

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

In the present thesis, genetic abnormalities in pancreatic cancer were studied, with special emphasis on alterations of components involved in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFB) signaling pathway. In the first study, fluorescence in situ hybridization and cytogenetic analyses revealed aberrations of chromosome 18 in all 13 pancreatic carcinoma cell lines studied, in particular frequent bre

Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative substances that also can induce sensitization, mainly through skin contact. In a sensitized individual, it can be hard to disclose the contact allergy at patch testing because the anti-inflammatory effect may mask the allergic contact reaction. This is primarily seen when patch testing to potent corticosteroids is performed and the readi

Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication to diabetes mellitus and is still a major cause of impaired vision in the Western world. The aim of the present study was to identify medical risk factors influencing the development and progression of retinopathy in type 1 diabetic patients, and to investigate the effects of laser treatment on visual acuity and glare. Although the development of sigh

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is a key enzyme in fatty acid mobilization. It is acutely regulated by extracellular signals via reversible phosphorylation. In the recent past, the focus of type 2 diabetes research has moved towards the lipid component. Lipids interfere with glucose homeostasis in a multitude of ways; they can decrease insulin sensitivity of tissues and cause β-cell dysfunction. Co

Parasites are ubiquitous and can cause significant fitness reductions to their hosts. Therefore, selection for the evolution of host resistance should be strong. However, resistance may be costly and should be traded-off against other fitness related traits. Parasites could therefore have a significant impact on the evolution of fitness related characters of their hosts. It has been suggested that

Increasing [K+]o is intimately coupled to progressive ischemia and reduced CBF. In isolated cerebral and mesenteric arteries, it was found that significant differences in the vascular responses to [K+]o exist. Among the species studied, human cerebral arteries were the most sensitive artery to increasing [K+]o. Rabbit basilar arteries, denuded from the endothelium, showed increased sensitivity to