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The aim of the present thesis was to define and evaluate a strategy for identification of children who are at risk of developing progressive renal lesions after acute pyelonephritis. Tc-DMSA renal scintigraphy is widely accepted as the most sensitive method for detecting parenchymal lesions and diagnosing acute pyelonephritis. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation standards were elaborated to i

We have studied protein motions with nanosecond time-resolved crystallography. The release of carbon monoxide from its complex with myoglobin (MbCO) was triggered by nanosecond laser pulses. X-ray data were collected with time delays ranging from 4 ns to 1.9 ms using the Laue method, at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble. For the first time point, X-ray pulses of 150 ps durati

In this study simultaneous videoradiography and intraluminal manometry (videomanometry) have been used in combination in three studies to analyze how different therapeutic strategies affect the physiology of swallowing in healthy volunteers and in patients with pharyngeal dysfunction. Analyses of healthy volunteers showed few significant measurable effects on the pharyngeal swallow. Some decreased

P2 receptors mediate the actions of the extracellular nucleotides ATP, ADP, UTP and UDP regulating several physiological responses including cardiac function, vascular tone, smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation, platelet aggregation, and the release of endothelial factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mRNA and protein expression of P2 receptors in human SMCs, endothelial c

Eicosanoids are known to be involved in many different aspects of eukaryotic physiology and pathology. Notably, over the past 10 years much attention has been given to cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) due to its involvement in colorectal cancer. Less is known about the other major branch of arachidonic acid metabolism, namely the lipoxygenases (LO). The cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are a family of met

Structure- property relationships and thickening mechanism in aqueous solution of two hydrophobically modified polymers (HM-P) with different architecture have been investigated. The two polymers, hydrophobically modified ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose (HM-EHEC) and hydrophobically modified polyethylene glycol (HM-PEG), are commonly used as associative thickeners in the paint industry. The strength

Sepsis and subsequent multiple organ failure remain the major cause of mortality in intensive care units. Leukocyte-mediated tissue damage is a key feature in septic lung injury. Accumulating data suggest that platelets play a role in inflammation and tissue injury. However, the role of platelets in sepsis-induced leukocyte recruitment and lung edema formation in abdominal sepsis is not demonstrat

The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish water bodies in the world and is suffering extensive environmental issues caused by eutrophication and warming climate. A halocline in the water column divides more saline bottom water fed by inflows through the narrow connection with the North Sea from the surface waters and inhibiting exchange of oxygen between the two water masses. With the nutrient

This thesis deals with the problem of interpreting test scores. The intention has been to explore and elucidate the effects of trait anxiety on test scores that have been obtained in applied research settings. Paper I showed that different relationships between personality traits and cognitive functioning emerged in a group of men with solvent induced chronic toxic encephalopathy (TE; N=57) compa

The problem which the present study discusses is modernity. The study interprets modernity’s cultural and anthropological dispositions as historical appearances. Consequently, it is situated at the intersection of cultural sociology and historical anthropology. The aim is to generate insight and understanding rather than a coherent theory. The key element consists of combination and variation of c

Different aspects of porphyrin proteins have been studied with theoretical methods. For example, we have studied: - The importance of hydrogen bonds for the discrimination between carbon monoxide and molecular oxygen by myoglobin, the oxygen carrier in muscles, modelling the active site both in vacuum and in the protein matrix - The inner-sphere reorganisation energy during electron transfer for

Ferrochelatase catalyses the synthesis of heme by inserting Fe(II) into protoporphyrin IX. The structure of ferrochelatase from yeast has been determined (2.4 Å). The structure is homodimeric with each of the monomer made up of two Rossmann type domains with an active-site cleft between them. Metal binding studies with Co(II) and Cd(II) ions reveal the metal binding residues as being the His-Glu

An increase in the plasma level of creatine kinase MB (CKMB) has long been used to indicate acute myocardial infarction (AMI). For optimal treatment an early diagnosis is important. An increase in the ratio between the two isoforms of CKMB is seen much earlier than an increase in the total level of CKMB. One possible method for separating these isoforms could be weak affinity chromatography (WAC).

From 1990 to 1998, estimations of the effective dose from external as well as internal irradiation from 137Cs and 134Cs were carried out for inhabitants in rural villages in the Bryansk region, Russia, highly contaminated due to the Chernobyl accident in 1986. The villages were situated about 180 km from the Chernobyl power plant and the deposition of 137Cs was in the range 0.9-2.7 MBq m-2. Yearly

Acute liver failure is accompanied by a high rate of bacterial septic complications. High portal level of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can lead to a pronounced secretion by Kupffer cells of pro-inflammatory mediators which have been shown to be early and important mediators of liver injury. Pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is complex; involving environmental, genetic, microbial, and im

In this project, the potential of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy in studies of microcirculation and haemodynamics was evaluated. The spatial and temporal characteristics of human pulsatile brain-tissue movements in healthy individuals, relevant for the understanding of the cerebrospinal-fluid (CSF) circulation and the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus, were thoroughly investigated. A

Calreticulin (CRT) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-located protein involved in quality control of newly synthesized proteins as well as in calcium homeostasis of the cell. Most of what is known about CRT arises from studies of mammalian systems. However, using a Arabidopsis thaliana CRT gene expressed in mouse fibroblasts deficient of endogenous CRT, the wild type phenotype could be rescued with

The polyamines, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, are essential for all forms of life. The polyamine biosynthetic pathway has been shown to be a potential target for drugs against various trypanosomal parasitic diseases. The two main enzymes in the biosynthesis of polyamines are ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC). ODC catalyzes the first step of pol

Studies have found that depressive states in old age that do not fulfil the criteria for major depression are clinically important depressive states. These depressive states are common in primary care patients. Therefore, studies of late-life depression from a primary care perspective are needed. A depressive rating scale, Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), was used in a community survey in 1