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Neuroblastoma is a childhood tumor of the developing sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in children before one year of age. Although survival curves have improved for these patients during the past decades, the conventional regimen of neuroblastoma treatment has clearly reached a plateau of efficiency with regard to increasing the survival rates of h
Hormone refractory prostate cancer occurs when androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) fails to stop the growth of prostate cancer for any longer. Recent studies point towards a role for neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation in the development of hormone refractory disease. It has been hypothesized that NE-differentiated malignant tumor cells survive during ADT and promote development of androgen-indepen
Parkinson's disease and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) does not merely involve the dopamine (DA) system but also include non-dopaminergic systems such as glutamate and serotonin (5-HT). An aberrant glutamate transmission at the corticostriatal synapse, has been linked to LID. Pharmacological agents to glutamate receptors at this synapse, (of which some are already clinically tested), could preve
This thesis is about the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that represent rare cells residing in the bone marrow (BM) of adults. They are multipotent cells that have the capacity to differentiate to all mature cells of the blood system and have the capacity to self-renew, i.e. generate new HSCs. These cells have tremendous therapeutic potential to treat a variety of hematopoietic disor
All hematopoietic cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) residing in the bone marrow (BM). The classical model of hematopoietic lineage commitment, that has been the prevailing model for hematopoiesis, proposes that the first lineage commitment step of HSCs and progenitors results in a strict separation of myelopoiesis and lymphopoiesis. However, an alternative model has already been
Diabetes is a disease characterized by insufficient capacity to regulate the blood glucose level. In insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple daily injections of insulin have to be administered. In-between scheduled visits to the care provider, the patient has to manage the glucose control independently. Insulin dosing is a non-trivial task and many patients find it difficult. This is reflected in the
Decisions in the treatment of bladder cancer today are based on clinical and pathological risk variables such as tumor stage and tumor grade. The importance of these conventional risk variables is well documented since more than 10 years, and they are used routinely in the clinics. Over the last ten years, cancer research has seen a gradual transition towards personalized medicine, i.e. the exploi
The aim of this thesis was to develop and make a quality assessment of a tool, which includes a questionnaire and a dialogue process that could be useful for workplace health promotion from a salutogenic point of view. The studies have been performed within two health care organizations between 2005 and 2009, together with hospital staff. Two questionnaire studies were conducted (n=446 n=505, resp
Psychological distress or physical strain lead to reduced blood flow in the intestine since other organs are prioritised. One aim of this thesis was to investigate how ischemia followed by reperfusion affects the large intestine and the enteric nervous system (ENS). To do so an experimental ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) model was set up using rat large intestine. In order to study how the ENS reacts
The influence of added colloidal particles on the phase behaviour of a polymer solution was investigated. Binary, quasi-binary and mixed polymer solutions were used in the study, where at least one of the polymers had an affinity for the surfaces of the colloidal particles. Experimentally, silica and polystyrene latex particles were used as colloidal particles. Theoretical calculations have been p
This thesis emanates from considerations about the inter-regional variation of the sales of antidepressive drugs, and how general practitioners may contribute to that variation. The thesis comprises two data collections utilized for five separate studies. The first data set emerges from interviews with seventeen general practitioners and is used for papers I and II. The first paper reports on gene
The aim of the thesis is to investigate experiences of and ways of relating to environmental issues and towards their profession among a group of graduates in environmentla science. The respondents were either in the end of or had completed an educational program in Environmental sciences with a social science perspective offered at Malmö University. Those who hade completed the program have recen
The local deposition, pharmacokinetics, and systemic activity of inhaled and intranasal glucocorticosteroids in different formulations and devices(ICSs) has been investigated. After nasal administration of the ICS budesonide (Bud), the systemic availability (F) was found to be significantly higher from an aqueous pump spray and from the powder inhaler Turbuhaler, than from a pressurized metered do
The kidneys play a pivotal role in the adaptive physiology of the pregnant woman, presenting some changes at term similar to the changes found in preeclampsia – a state of increased risk of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. The aim of these investigations was to explore possible similarities in blood pressure regulation, renal function and structure in normal term and preeclamptic pregna
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
The investigations presented in this thesis have evaluated different strategies to prevent thrombosis in an experimental model of deep arterial injury in rats. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is often used to prevent thrombosis in microvascular surgery and in other vascular interventions, but a major drawback of UFH is increased bleeding. In the first paper the low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) da
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is still the leading cause of mortality in the surgical intensive care unit. The effect on among others endothelial barrier permeability, reticuloendothelial function, organ function and protease-antiprotease activities was studied following a variety of challenges, especially over-activation of macrophages induced by intraperitoneal administration of zym
According to the theory of sexual selection, traits can evolve because they confer a mating advantage in competition with members from the same sex. In animals, sexual selection is considered as an important evolutionary force. In this thesis I have investigated the potential for sexual selection in plants. I have concentrated on the phase of reproduction that occurs after pollinators have deposit
In this thesis, semiconductor nanowires are studied from the point of view of growth and electrical properties. The growth of nanowires is done by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE), an ultra-high vacuum technique allowing a precise control of precursor deposition and low growth rates. In conventional epitaxy, growth is usually two or three- dimensional, depending on growth conditions and material combin
This study investigated the pathogenesis of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). (1) The relative roles of lipopolysaccharide and Shiga-like toxin-2 were studied in a mouse model of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection. Both factors were found to be important for the virulence of the strain and contributed in an additive manner. The mouse model mimicked cert
