The introduction of nasal glucocorticosteroids, more than 30 years ago, represents the most important therapeutic progress in rhinitis management since the introduction of the first generation of antihistamines. Our knowledge of the mode of action of glucocorticosteroids in the nose has improved as the airway mucous membrane of the nose is easily accessible for investigation. However, the exact me

Haemophilia is a rare and potentially life-threatening disease. In Sweden, with a population of approximately 8.5 million, about 350 people suffer from the more severe forms of haemophilia or von Willebrand disease. Meticulous management is important if the patients are to be spared chronic disability and serious treatment complications. The disease is lifelong and affects psychosocial aspects of

Protein S is an anticoagulant protein that circulates in plasma in complex with C4b-binding protein; (C4BP) or in free form. Deficiency of protein S increases the risk of venous thrombosis. Measurement of free protein S, as compared to total levels, has been shown to be superior for prediction of protein S deficiency. We studied the effects of different handling protocols for an immuno- and a liga

In this book, Stephen Hetherington attacks what he thinks are two "dogmas" of epistemology. One he calls "epistemic absolutism" which amounts to the claim that knowledge is absolute: you can be with or without it, but once you have it, it is not possible to have more or less. The other is "justificationalism" which is the view that some sort of (internalist of externalist) justification is necessa

Species previously assigned to the Xanthoria ulophyllodes group are separated from Xanthoria based on presence of simple rhizines, long bacilliform spermatia, strongly glutinised cell walls and sphaerical lumina in paraplectenchymatous tissue of upper cortex and thalline margin, unoriented prosoplectenchymatous tissue in the exciple, and predominance of a secondary metabolite syndrome with high pr

Theoretical advances and short-term experimental studies have furthered our understanding of how ecosystems respond to perturbation. However, there are few well-replicated experimental studies that allow an assessment of long-term responses. Results from a controlled, large-scale field experiment in a subalpine grassland near Interlaken, Switzerland, show that 2-4 years of liming (Ca: 40 g center

Effective communication is of crucial importance for the development of effective social organisations. Deficient communication combined with rapid technological and social changes appears to lead to both ecological and psychological imbalance. An increasing number of environmental groups are working for ecological improvements, but young people seem to find it increasingly difficult to master the

Wastewater treatment plant operators encounter complex operational problems related to the activated sludge process and usually respond to these by applying their own intuition and by taking advantage of what they have learnt from past experiences of similar problems. However, previous process experiences are not easy to integrate in numerical control, and new tools must be developed to enable re-

This study seeks to advance the understanding of board empowerment in small companies. Predictions based on agency and resource dependency theories were used to examine how contingency factors correlate with board empowerment, in this study conceptualized as a larger number of board members, a higher representation of outside directors, and separate CEO and board chair positions. Statistical analy

A population of cerebrovascular nerve fibers have recently been found to store serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT). There is reason to assume that these 5-HT-containing fibers have a sympathetic rather than an intracerebral origin. This was further elucidated in the present study in which the uptake mechanisms of 5-HT and noradrenaline (NA) were characterized and compared in rat pial arteries by

Reduction of energy use in buildings is fundamental for sustainable development. A computer program for the prediction of energy use in buildings was assessed by comparisons with the energy performance of existing buildings. The program was then used to evaluate the energy saving characteristics of concrete such as air tightness and heat capacity. The impacts on global environmental aspects and li

Objective: To investigate the potential of acetic acid supplementation as a means of lowering the glycaemic index (GI) of a bread meal, and to evaluate the possible dose - response effect on postprandial glycaemia, insulinaemia and satiety. Subjects and setting: In all, 12 healthy volunteers participated and the tests were performed at Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Lund University, Sweden.

A control diet without supplemental fat and four diets containing 8% of coconut oil, rapeseed oil, fish oil or sunflower oil were fed to lactating sows in order to investigate the lipid absorption capacity of their progeny in terms of pancreatic enzyme activity, hormonal regulation, and bile salt concentration. In addition, the effect of age was studied during the four week suckling period, and du

Hyperplasia of middle-ear mucosa (MEM) during otitis media (OM) is thought to be partially mediated by the actions of growth factors and their receptors. The intracellular pathway leading from the small G-protein Ras to the extracellular regulated kinases (Erks) often links growth factor stimulation to cellular proliferation. This study assessed whether this pathway is involved in MEM hyperplasia