Treatment with melphalan-prednisone-thalidomide improves the outcome of patients with multiple myeloma and is now considered a standard of care for patients not eligible for transplantation. However, this treatment is a major source of morbidity. A meta-analysis of data from individual patients (n=1680) in six randomized trials was performed, comparing the effects of melphalan-prednisone-thalidomi

Inom hälso- och sjukvården i Sverige implementeras ständigt nya styrmodeller. Många av dessa ger dock inte avsett resultat. I kapitlet diskuteras varför och hur styrmodeller omtolkas där kvalitetssäkring används som illustrativt exempel.

In this technical note we introduce a multivariable extension of a recently proposed model reduction algorithm for linear time-invariant systems. Reduced models are found by solving a convex. optimization problem with Linear Matrix Inequality constraints given a state space model or frequency samples of a model. In order to illustrate the method we apply it to a large-scale model of a deformable m

It has been suggested that transcriptional upregulation of cerebral artery contractile endothelin (ETB) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT1B) receptors play an important role in the development of late cerebral ischemia and increased vasoconstriction after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) may reduce cerebr

It is increasingly recognized that what makes a theory interesting and influential is that it challenges our assumptions in some significant way. However, established ways for arriving at research questions mean spotting or constructing gaps in existing theories rather than challenging their assumptions. We propose problematization as a methodology for identifying and challenging assumptions under

Refined mineral oil, intended for various technical applications, was enriched with carotenoids by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction using the oil itself as cosolvent. It was envisioned that the carotenoids could function as renewable oil additives, adding chemical functionality to the end product such as enhanced resistance to oxidation. In order to investigate such possible antioxidant act

Background: Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine, which is rapidly upregulated in the brain after injury. TNF-alpha acts by binding to its receptors, TNF-R1 (p55) and TNF-R2 (p75), on the cell surface. The aim of this study was first to investigate if there is altered expression of TNF-alpha and TNF-alpha receptors in cerebral artery walls following g

Fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the epidemiological evidence is inconclusive. The aim of this study is to examine the prospective association of FVI with T2D and conduct an updated meta-analysis. In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-InterAct (EPIC-InterAct) prospective case-cohort study nested within eight European countries, a re

Plasminogen-activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 is an important inhibitor of the plasminogen/plasmin system. PAI-1 levels are influenced by the 4G/5G polymorphism in the PAI-1 promoter. We investigated the relationship between the PAI-1 polymorphism and VTE recurrence, and its possible modification by factor V Leiden (FVL) and prothrombin (PTM) mutations. Patients (n=1,069) from the Malmö Thrombophilia St

In 1967, the first reported filovirus hemorrhagic fever outbreak took place in Germany and the former Yugoslavia. The causative agent that was identified during this outbreak, Marburg virus, is one of the most deadly human pathogens. This article provides a comprehensive overview of our current knowledge about Marburg virus disease ranging from ecology to pathogenesis and molecular biology.

Computing smoothing distributions, the distributions of one or more states conditional on past, present, and future observations is a recurring problem when operating on general hidden Markov models. The aim of this paper is to provide a foundation of particle-based approximation of such distributions and to analyze, in a common unifying framework, different schemes producing such approximations.

Christer Karlegärds personliga skildring av Sverige under andra världskriget, postumt utgiven och redigerad av Ulf Zander.

A well-founded decision needs to take into account as much information from a sample as possible. In gamma spectrometry, the number of photons and their energy are the two quantities readily accessible to the physicist and both should be used in order to increase the power of a statistical test. While the problem of counts of pulses has been much studied the problem of spectral distribution of pul

Popular Abstract in Swedish SAMMANFATTNING PÅ SVENSKA Systemisk Lupus Erytematosus (SLE) är en kronisk inflammatorisk system sjukdom. Sjukdomen yttrar sig med stor variation, både avseende vilka organ områden och med vilken intensitet olika organ kan bli engagerade. Genom åren har prognosen för sjukdomen i sig dramatiskt förbättrats, genom att alla typer av organ manifestationer kan behandlas. SeSystemic Lupus Erythematosus is an autoimmune disease with a wide range of disease manifestations with respect to severity and magnitude of organ involvement. An increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population causes both morbidity and mortality in SLE patients. Consequently prevention, early detection and treatment of arteriosclerotic manifestations are of high

During asthma exacerbations, increased airway inflammation may impair the effects of beta(2)-adrenoceptor (beta(2)AR) agonists. It is unclear whether this impairment is prevented by inhaled glucocorticoids (GCs). We have investigated the relaxation of carbachol-contracted mouse tracheal segments to the beta(2)AR agonists formoterol, terbutaline, and salmeterol. The segments were pre-exposed for 4

Purpose: To test various ways of combining creatinine and cystatin C in equations to predict glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Material and methods: Performance of the following expressions to predict GFR was compared with measured GFR (iohexol clearance, mL/min/1.73 m(2)) in 857 patients: (i) Lund-Malmo creatinine equation, (ii) Grubb cystatin C equation, (iii) arithmetic mean of (1) and (2), (iv

A fluvial sequence near Cave Stream (north of Castle Hill Village, central Canterbury), New Zealand, contains organically-preserved plant macrofossils (cuticles). The almost ubiquitous presence of Araucariaceae macrofossils in the lower part of the section and their stratigraphic disappearance roughly coincident with the appearance of the angiosperm leaf Dryandra comptoniaefolia and conifer taxa o