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Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. T

The role of pacing in vasovagal syncope (VVS) is considered from a physiological basis. Most VVS patients lose consciousness due to hypotension before severe bradycardia/asystole occurs. Patients that benefit from dual-chamber pacing are typically older with highly symptomatic, late-onset, frequent and severe syncope with short/no prodrome and documented severe cardioinhibition. Tilt-testing is of

Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are two gasotransmitters that are produced in the human body and have a key role in many of the physiological activities of the various organ systems. Decreased NO bioavailability and deficiency of H2S are involved in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and its complications. Restoration of NO levels have favorable metabolic effects in diabetes. The

The somatotype is a useful method in the analysis of body morphology but no study has identified genetic variants associated with its components. The aim of this study is o replicate the association of 21 SNPs with obesity and to explore their association with the somatotype components, in a sample from the Basque Country (Spain). A case-control study was performed in 472 adults from 18 to 79 year

In this thesis, two questions are answered: What is burnout?, and What causes burnout? Essentialist conceptions of burnout are criticized and burnout is regarded as a syndrome in the sense of a practice concept, not possible to delineate exactly. Practice concepts are compared to social constructions. From the syndrome idea, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), is chosen as an operationalization o

Improving electrical efficiency has been proposed as the most convenient means of reducing, e.g. CO₂ emission from power plants. Increasing fuel utilization through combined heat and power generation is another useful measure for emission reduction. Trigeneration technology for the production of heat, power and cooling is an interesting alternative for further improvement of fuel utiliz

Josef Bexell as soul-carer Josef Bexell (1815–1897), Lutheran rector of Långaryd in the diocese of Växjö, was widely known as a soul-carer, both in public and in private. His sermons were not only heard in Church, but circulated and read in private, and questions from his private soul-care were answered in public preaching. The private soul-care was performed both in private encounters and in lett

Hypoglycaemia is an acute complication to insulin-treatment in type 1 diabetes mellitus, which affects many physiological parameters, deteriorates the cognitive function, and may lead to death. The aim of this thesis was to study nerve function, cognitive function and cerebral blood flow during and after hypoglycaemia in healthy subjects and to study certain aspects of a fall in blood glucose in p

Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder presenting with chorea, dementia and extensive striatal neuronal death. The mechanism through which the widely expressed mutant huntingtin mediates striatal neurotoxicity is unknown. Excitotoxicity, i.e. calcium-dependent cell death induced by activation of NMDA receptors, has been hypothesized to play an important role in HD. Ou

The major part of this thesis deals with the similarities and differences in some biophysical properties of apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) and the molecular variant apolipoprotein A-I_Milano (apo A-I_M), and the influence on lipid binding. A model compound partitioning study has also been performed. Methods that have been utilised are CD spectroscopy, calorimetry both isothermal

Antennal detection and central nervous integration of behaviourally relevant odours in scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) was investigated, using the two Japanese scarabs Anomala cuprea and Phyllopertha diversa (Rutelinae), and the Central African fruit chafer Pachnoda marginata (Cetoniinae) as model species. Electrophysiological single cell recordings in A. cuprea and P. diversa character

When a person becomes critically ill, injured and/or undergoes major surgery and requires intensive care, a complex dilemma can arise. The condition of the illness, the specific caring situation and the environment lead to significant changes and effects in the senses and perceptional abilities. Under these conditions some patients can develop symptoms of the Intensive Care Unit syndrome/delirium.

Calcium homeostasis after thyroid surgery was studied during the immediate postoperative period and after one year. One day after hemithyroidectomy ionised calcium decreased whereas basal PTH did not change. EDTA stimulated maximal and total PTH secretion and set-point decreased on postoperative day 1 and normalised on day 7. One year after hemithyroidectomy (n=10) total calcium and 1.25(OH)2D3 de

This paper is a component of a three-year empirical study of gaming moms undertaken with the aim to modulate the conventional constructions of gamer identities and examine the contested status of gaming in everyday life. It presents samples of mothers in gaming discourse – from TV, Music-video, forums, and ads. Mothers have been largely invisible in popular gaming discourse or formulaically portra

The complement system is critically involved in defence against bacterial infection. C2 deficiency is, apart from mannan-binding lectin (MBL) deficiency, the most common homozygous complement deficiency among Caucasians. The classical pathway of complement activation is not functional in C2 deficiency and the condition is associated with invasive infections caused by the encapsulated bacteria Stre

Some aspects on the use of light for tissue characterization and treatment of malignant tumours are discussed within this thesis. The work presented aims at improving optical techniques for tissue characterization, especially to detect malignant and pre-malignant lesions. A knowledge on the interaction between light and tissue is of utmost importance to understand and improve the various technique

The anatomy, function and plasticity of the primary olfactory centre, the antennal lobe (AL), of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria was investigated using a number of neuroanatomical and neurophysiological methods. Anatomical characterisation of the AL in a number of orthopteran species made it possible to deduce a model concerning the evolution of microglomeruli. These neuropil structures, c

This thesis deals with single-electron tunneling in transistor-like devices in which the central electrode is either a metal nanoparticle (possibly ferromagnetic) or a molecular magnet. The investigated systems split into two different categories, depending on the size of the central island. The smaller islands, such as ultrasmall magnetic metal nanoparticles and Mn12 molecular magnets, are studie