Filetype
Evidence on the association between dietary flavonoids and lignans and breast cancer (BC) risk is inconclusive, with the possible exception of isoflavones in Asian countries. Therefore, we investigated prospectively dietary total and subclasses of flavonoid and lignan intake and BC risk according to menopause and hormonal receptor status in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nu
Background Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease mainly characterised by focal mononuclear cell infiltration in the salivary and lacrimal glands, and by the symptoms xerostomia and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Germinal centre-like structures (GC) are found in the minor salivary glands of approximately 25% of patients. In this study, we aimed to assess genetic variation
Background: Renalase (gene name RNLS), a recently discovered enzyme with monoamine oxidase activity, is implicated in the degradation of catecholamines. Recent studies delineate a possible role of this enzyme in blood pressure (BP) maintenance and cardiac protection and two single nucleotide polymorphisms, RNLS rs2576178 A > G and rs2296545 C > G have been associated with hypertension. The latter
PURPOSE: To examine the impact of systematic medication reconciliations upon hospital admission and of a medication review while in hospital on the number of inappropriate medications and unscheduled drug-related hospital revisits in elderly patients. METHODS: This was a prospective, controlled study in 210 patients, aged 65 years or older, who were admitted to one of three internal medicine wards
Background. Uraemia increases oxidative stress, plasma titres of antibodies recognizing oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and development of atherosclerosis. Immunization with oxLDL prevents classical, non-uraemic atherosclerosis. We have investigated whether immunization with oxLDL might also prevent uraemia-induced atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE-/-) mice. Methods. ApoE
The aim of this thesis was to examine the importance of environmental, non-cognitive, and person-based variables for memory performance in old adults. Study I was conducted in cooperation with the Gerontology Research Centre and the Department of Psychology in Lund. The investigation included 69 people with an age-range from 55-94 years and examined if certain personality factors could explain th
Birds are generally capable of accurate orientation. In this thesis I present studies about the external cues and the ecological factors that influences bird orientation. A multitude of environmental cues are used to select and maintain a proper direction. These are visual cues, like the sun and the starry night sky, but other cues like the geomagnetic field, wind and odours also play important ro
Ischemic and traumatic brain damage are major causes of disability and death. While much effort has been spent to develop pharmacological treatments for these conditions, no neuroprotective drugs are in clinical use. Neuronal death following ischemia and trauma occurs in selected cell populations of the brain at various time points after the insult. It is believed that death of neurons are in part
During the past 15 years lung transplantation has been established as a therapeutic option for patients with end-stage pulmonary disease. The results have improved over time and some transplantation centers now show 1-year survival rates above 80%. The number of donors has remained relatively constant during later years but the demand is increasing resulting in longer waiting times and an increasi
Helicobacter pylori may cause gastritis, gastric/duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer. During infection, most H. pylori are found in the gastric mucus layer, but some are attached to, or have penetrated, epithelial cells. The aim of this study is to characterize the binding of H. pylori to gastric mucins and to investigate host changes that occur after inoculation. Results: H. pylori binds to mucins
The establishment of e-businesses has often been implemented from the inside of companies rather than from the customer perspective and the knowledge about customer needs from traditional businesses have been applied directly into new e-business systems. The overall objective of this study is to identify how to better understand customer needs and how to integrate these needs in order to create cu
The aim of this thesis was to evaluate long-term changes in bone mass and skeletal structure in the forearm in the peri- and postmenopausal period. 156 premenopausal women, at baseline aged 48 years, not taking medications and without disease processes known to interfere with bone metabolism, were followed through menopause by measurements of bone mass and skeletal structure at the cortical site o
Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP; also named ”amylin”) is a member of the calcitonin superfamily of peptides, displaying the closest structural relationship to the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). It is expressed in islet beta-cells and forms islet amyloid in type 2 diabetic patients. IAPP may restrain release and peripheral actions of insulin. Thus, IAPP has been implicated in
This study explores the interaction between living biological cells and semiconductor nanowires. Biological cells are highly complex and dynamic entities, every one of them with individual characteristics and a high degree of internal and external communication. They respond to and affect their external environment with a huge web of fine-tuned control systems. Traditional biochemical tools for
Neuroblastoma is a childhood tumor derived from primordial neural crest cells. The tumor cells exhibit a phenotype similar to that of developing neuroblasts, which indicates that the tumor arises due to perturbed differentiation of the sympathetic nervous system. It is well established that transcription factors control the steps leading to neuronal differentiation, and a number of basic helix-loo
