The two most common autoimmune endocrine diseases in children are autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Autoantibodies (ab) can be found several years before clinical diagnosis in both diseases. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of thyroid ab in children with IDDM and in children with allergic diseases; to study islet ab and t

The role of dietary fibre (DF) in disease prevention has been extensively investigated and prospective studies observed that increased DF intake decreased the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), reduced the risk of weight gain as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Also a diet characterized by low glycaemic index (GI) has been shown to reduce the risk of T2D and CVD. More recently, eviden

This thesis is concerned with a family of bacterial surface proteins expressed by different strains of the anaerobic Gram-positive, commensal and human pathogen Peptostreptococcus magnus. These proteins have been studied with respect to their role in virulence, function, structure, and evolution. Strains isolated from patients with vaginosis have previously been shown to be associated with express

After transient global cerebral ischemia, selected populations of neurons in the brain will die after a period of 2-3 days, a phenomenon termed delayed neuronal death. This is of clinical importance as delayed neuronal death has been found to occur in humans as well. The mechanism that kills a neuron 2-3 days after the initial insult is unclear, but transcriptional steps have been implicated. The

Recent studies indicate that experience dependent mechanisms shape the pain system during the development. In view of that painful stimuli are rare during development it is not clear how this is accomplished. In this thesis it is confirmed, using a battery of sensory deprivations in the rat, that the development of an essential component of the pain system, the nociceptive withdrawal reflexes (NWR

This thesis focuses on the study of thin-film sensor technologies, novel microfabrication technologies, and thin-film technology in general. The work discusses electrochemical sensors and mechanical sensor technologies as well as fabrication strategies for them. Also included are mechano-chemical studies of the vancomycin DAla (Bacteria membrane analogue motif ) binding reaction in different chemica

Temperature is one of the most fundamental parameters to be measured in many research disciplines. In combustion science, a thorough knowledge of temperature is essential for improving and optimizing combustion processes. Increasingly strict environmental legislation, greater demands for energy, and efforts to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels are forcing the combustion industry to obtain more a

The overall aim of this thesis was to gain further knowledge of the assessments, predictors of future sick leave and intervention with regard to early prevention of neck, shoulder and back disorders in nursing aides/assistant nurses working in the home-care service. In Paper I, 15 clinical tests on impairment level related to the low back, were examined for intra- and inter-rater reliability on 1

Predator-prey interactions are a primary structuring force in aquatic systems. A change in the predator-prey interactions may cause a change in the strength of trophic cascades and even resulting in ecosystem shifts. However, individual properties of predators and prey, as well as environmental conditions, may affect the relative strength of predator-prey interactions. In our studies we observed t

The effect of short time vibration exposure and tourniquet compression on nerve regeneration in rats was studied with special reference to cell activation. One of the hindlimbs was conditioned by either vibration exposure (5 hours / day - 5 consecutive days) or compression (150-300 mmHg for 30-120 minutes), which was followed by a recovery period of 0-7 days. Test crush lesions or a transplantatio

Carbon credits are used as an instrument for climate change mitigation. Each credit represents a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) equivalent of 1 ton of carbon dioxide. Crediting mechanisms and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol in particular have been important for the international efforts to limit GHG emissions and the engagement of developing countries in m

The structure, hydration, and dynamics of concentrated DNA-amphiphile complexes were investigated by small-angle X-ray diffraction, sorption calorimetry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. A concentrated, electroneutral, DNA-amphiphile complex can be formed by mixing charge-stoichiometric solutions. The effect is a strong association of DNA with the oppositely charged amphiphile resulting in the form

Objective: Most preschool children have suffered from at least one episode of acute otitis media (AOM) and/or secretory otitis media (SOM). Some children have frequent AOM episodes and/or prolonged and recurrent episodes of secretory otitis media (SOM). The long-term out-come and sequelae are not fully clarified. Subjects and methods: Out of a birth cohort followed to the age of 3 years, 12 child

The present thesis focuses on the vascular effects of antimicrobial peptides especially mechanisms involving the vasodilator nitric oxide (NO), which is released from the blood vessel wall during inflammatory conditions such as sepsis. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide stimulates the expression of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which increases the NO production in vascular tissues or cultured vascular s

This thesis investigates students' dialogue and collaboration when working in small groups in a netbased course. The aim is to describe and shed light on student's dialogue and collaboration in a computer-mediated communication working with a problem oriented task. Thus, the interest lies in student's engagement in the learning situation rather than on the learning outcomes. The research was carr

In the last decade diesel combustion has developed in a new direction. Research has been carried out trying to prolong the ignition delay and enhance fuel/air premixing to avoid diffusion combustion as well as lowering the combustion temperature through use of EGR. One of these new combustion concepts is Partially Premixed Combustion (PPC). PPC is aimed to provide combustion with low smoke and NOx

Normal tissue is tightly controlled to keep a balance between reproduction and elimination of cells. In cancer, these regulated processes are disrupted, resulting in uncontrolled cell growth. Regulation of RNA stability and turnover is important to maintain cellular homeostasis and can be controlled by various mechanisms. During stress, the cell can form cytoplasmic complexes of proteins and RNAs,