Nearly all mammalian cells express a set of genes known as clock genes. These regulate the circadian rhythm of cellular processes by means of negative and positive autoregulatory feedback loops of transcription and translation. Recent genomewide association studies have demonstrated an association between a polymorphism near the circadian clock gene CRY2 and elevated fasting glucose. To determine

Objectives Lymphotoxin beta (LTB) has been found to be upregulated in salivary glands of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). An animal model of pSS also showed ablation of the lymphoid organisation and a marked improvement in salivary gland function on blocking the LTB receptor pathway. This study aimed to investigate whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the lymphotoxin alp

Objective: Dietary linoleic acid, an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is metabolised to arachidonic acid, a component of colonocyte membranes. Metabolites of arachidonic acid have pro-inflammatory properties and are increased in the mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. The aim of this investigation was to conduct the first prospective cohort study investigating if a high dietary intake of li

Breast cancer is the most common tumour form and the second leading cause of death in solid tumours in women in the Western world. Despite improvements in the treatment, a considerable number of patients will relapse and die from their breast cancer. At the same time, a substantial number of patients will be over-treated, as they would have been cured by surgery and radiotherapy alone. In the meta

Cross-cultural translation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is a lengthy process, often performed professionally. Cognitive interviewing assesses patient comprehension of PROMs. The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of cognitive interviewing to assess translations and compare professional (full) with non-professional (simplified) translation processes.METHODS:A full protocol use

Objective: To examine whether blood pressure over 24 h differed between postmenopausal women receiving and not receiving hormone replacement therapy. Methods: One group of hormone replacement postmenopausal women (n = 32) and one group of non-hormone replacement (n = 32) postmenopausal women underwent non-invasive 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. They were randomly selected among the 200

Stored-product moths cause large economic damage in food-processing industries and storage facilities. Control of indoor pests is currently dealt with locally, and control strategies seldom include different mills or cooperative industries in joint efforts to reduce infestations. In colder climates where conditions hinder flight dispersal of stored-product moths, we hypothesize that human transpor

Background: Acetyl Coenzyme A carboxylase beta (ACACB) is the rate-limiting enzyme in fatty acid oxidation, and continuous fatty acid oxidation in Acacb knock-out mice increases insulin sensitivity. Systematic human studies have not been performed to evaluate whether ACACB variants regulate gene expression and insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle and adipose tissues. We sought to determine wheth

Whilst innate B1-B cells are atheroprotective, adaptive B2-B cells are considered pro-atherogenic. Different subsets of B regulatory cells (B-reg) have been described. In experimental arthritis and lupus-like disease, B-reg are contained within the CD21(hi)CD23(hi)CD24(hi) B cell pool The existence and role of B-reg in vascular disease is not known. We sought to investigate the existence, identity

Background: Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is expressed predominantly in adipose tissue, where it plays an important role in catecholamine-stimulated hydrolysis of stored lipids, thus mobilizing fatty acids. HSL exhibits broad substrate specificity and besides acylglycerides it hydrolyzes cholesteryl esters, retinyl esters and lipoidal esters. Despite its role in fatty acid mobilization, HSL null

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a condition of high blood glucose levels due to insulin resistance and defective insulin secretion. Impaired insulin secretion plays a major role in the pathophysiology of T2D, it is mainly attributed to beta cell function i.e. failure to secrete insulin or reduced beta cell mass. The exocytotic process is crucial for beta cell function and its dysregulation leads to impai

Background: The natriuretic peptides play an important role in salt homeostasis and blood pressure regulation. It has been suggested that obesity promotes a relative natriuretic peptide deficiency, but this has been a variable finding in prior studies and the cause is unknown. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the association between obesity and natriuretic peptide levels and evaluate the

This thesis examines the relationship between measures of renal function and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with hypertension (the NORDIL study) and in the healthy population (Malmö Diet and Cancer Study, MDC) and whether antihypertensive treatment response and the risk of CVD is affected by genetic variation of a regulator of the renal amiloroide sensitive sodium channel (NORDIL). In st

Background. Nurse managers act under constant pressure to develop strategies in response to professional challenges within a changing and restructured health care system. When such environmental stress is present, they need access to sufficient psychosocial recourses. Aim. The study aimed to investigate whether nurse managers' professional networks, psychosocial work conditions, job support, soci

Objective To describe the views of people, 65 years and over, receiving continuous public care and service, on prioritization and resource allocation in health care, in relation to gender, age, housing, health-related quality of life (QoL) and degree of activities of daily living (ADL) dependency. Background How older people receiving continuous public care and service view prioritization and res