Filtyp
The aim of this thesis was to develop and test the feasibility of a dietary record routine, where nursing staff assess the patient’s food and fluid intake based on standardised portion sizes and household measurements. The energy intake (EI) was studied with a dietary record in 61 geriatric patients. During the 6-month follow-up 11 patients died and an EI below median (1378 kcal) was associated w
Studies of the long-lived anthropogenic radionuclides 99Tc, 237Np, 239Pu and 240Pu were performed in marine and terrestrial areas contaminated by different accidental and controlled releases of radioactive materials. The three main sources discussed in this thesis are nuclear weapons tests, nuclear reprocessing plants and the Chernobyl accident. Results are mainly based on measurements of environm
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive form of B-cell lymphoma (BCL) with poor clinical outcome. In this thesis, which is based upon five original papers, different approaches have been used to pinpoint and investigate molecular events that promote MCL tumor growth, progression or resistance to treatment. The aim has been to identify novel targets with the potential to eradicate malignant cel
Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression is associated with various pathophysiological conditions in the lower urinary tract. The aims of this thesis have been to investigate the regulation of iNOS in bladder smooth muscle cells and the consequences on neuromuscular regulation, cell growth and differentiation. Primary cultures of rat bladder smooth muscle cells (BSMC) expressed iNOS mRNA
Many microorganisms have developed mechanisms to protect themselves against attack from the complement system of the host. One possible mechanism for a microorganism to evade complement attack is to bind a human complement regulator, which may allow the microorganism to down-regulate complement activation. This thesis describes studies of such interactions between human C4b-binding protein (C4BP),
The word sustainability is more and more frequently used within the field of chemistry and in many other fields. Green or sustainable chemistry was introduced during the 90 ́s as a field of chemistry where the environmental and health impacts of processes and products are evaluated and improved. Within analytical chemistry the awareness of sustainability has also increased, which has resulted in o
Pancreatic cancer includes multiple histologic subtypes that show large differences in their clinical and biological characteristics. Despite this diversity, more than 85% of the neoplasms in the organ are malignant ductal adenocarcinomas, which are the focus of the present thesis. At the genetic level this tumor type is characterized by highly rearranged karyotypes, resulting in a large number of
It is of vital importance to understand the systems for iron metabolism and this thesis contributes to this by providing insights into the structure and function of the acquisition and homeostasis of iron. The two proteins that have been primarily investigated are a ferric reductase from Arabidopsis thaliana called FRO2 and a mitochondrial iron chaperone from Saccharomyces cerevisiae called fratax
The calcium ion (Ca2+) is essential for all plant and animal life. One important function of Ca2+ is as a second messenger in the responses of the cell to environmental and hormonal signals as well as in some intrinsic developmental processes. The intracellular concentration of Ca2+ must be strictly regulated, since a high concentration of free cytosolic Ca2+ is toxic. All eukaryotic cells carry c
Congestive heart failure is accompanied with increased circulatory levels of several vasoregulatory neurotransmitters and hormones which affect the outcome of this disease. In this thesis the blood levels of several vasoactive peptides in humans with congestive heart failure and their effects on the vasculature by the use of an animal model of heart failure were studied. Patients with congestive
My thesis shows that enchytraeids and naidids are sensitive to various forms of environmental stress, which in combination with the wide distribution of both families make them highly suitable for use in risk assessment and soil monitoring. Enchytraeids were subject to chemical stress under both laboratory and field conditions. In laboratory experiments enchytraeids reacted to chemical stress with
The aim of this thesis was to explore some of the important links between waterfowl and the biota in shallow eutrophic lakes in temperate areas. Waterfowl depend on macroinvertebrates as sources of protein and calcium, which are essential for egg production and growth. Macroinvertebrates in turn depend on submerged vegetation for food and shelter. Increased density of vegetation thus leads to incr
Cholecystokinin (CCK) is known to exert secretory and trophic effects on the pancreas. Its release from the intestinal mucosa is regulated by pancresic proteases in the small intestine. However, knowledge about the type of responding exocrine cells and the time course of events during stimulation with CCK is lacking. Further, the role of CCK in the regulation of growth in other digestive organs is
This thesis explores models and algorithms in geostatistics and gene mapping. The first part deals with the use of computationally effective lattice models for inference of data with a continuous spatial index. The fundamental idea is to approximate a Gaussian field with a Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) on a lattice, and then to conduct a bilinear interpolation of this at non-lattice location
The extracellular matrix plays an integral role in tissue remodeling and development and it defines the different mechanical properties of a variety of connective tissues. Its complexity in composition and the details in organization has only been partly elucidated. This thesis focuses on collagen VI and the mutual interactions of a number of matrix proteins that lie within close proximity. Collag
Migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMC) are important events in the development of atherosclerosis and restenosis following angioplastic surgery. It is important to gain further knowledge about the mechanisms regulating SMC form and function in order to understand the underlying disease process. In this thesis I have used cultured rat aortic SMC and analysed how these cells respon
The presence of procolipase and enterostatin in the rat gastrointestinal tract has been investigated. Procolipase was identified, using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, in exocrine cells of the pancreas as well as in chief cells of the fundus region of the stomach. Enterostatin is the activation peptide of procolipase and it has been found to act as a satiety signal for fat. Using a
