Regleringen av olika typer av eutanasi och assisterat döende i Nederländerna och Sverige har redogjorts för och sedan jämförts. Respektive reglering har sedan analyserats i förhållande till för ämnet relevanta etiska teorier för att avgöra huruvida de kan anses ge uttryck för olika etiska synsätt. Aktiv eutanasi, d.v.s. avsiktligt förkortande av en annan människas liv, är bara tillåtet i Nederlä

Sammanfattning: Den svenska narkotikapolitikens utvecklingen har under lång tid hindrats av en brist på debatt och vetenskaplighet. På den internationella arenan börjar man se viss förändring i debattklimatet. Cannabis har legaliserat i två delstater i USA och i Köpenhamn föreslås en försöksverksamhet med legal försäljning av cannabis. Den svenska regeringen är oroad över denna utveckling med en m

The influence of trauma (acute pancreatitis) or total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on pancreatic islet hormone secretion in relation to islet expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was investigated. Acute pancreatitis resulted in an impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) which was found to be parallelled by a marked expression of iNOS and an exaggerated NO production in t

TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which binds to two cell surface receptors, TNF-R55 and TNF-R75. The receptors undergo proteolytic cleavage and release a fragment (soluble TNF-receptors or TNF-Binding Protein), TNF-R55-BP and TNF-R75-BP. Soluble TNF-receptors are able to bind and inactivate TNF. The release of soluble TNF-receptors was measured with ELISA. TNF binding cap

Total hip replacement (THR) is a common procedure, generally performed in elderly persons. Previous studies indicated that the use of isoxazolyl penicillins could induce a transient post-operative renal dysfunction in these patients. By measuring urinary levels of markers for glomerular (albumin, IgG) and tubular (protein HC) function we studied the influence of systemic cloxacillin, the gentamic

Cell-signalling via cytokines modulates the local response to surgical trauma, directs the immunologic response and initiates the healing process. Surgical trauma induces a systemic cytokine response and a down-regulation of the antigen presentation capacity of monocytes (HLA-DR expression), which is associated with a poor prognosis if pronounced. The aims with the studies in this thesis were to i

The gastrointestinal tract has two opposing functions; to effectively absorb nutrients and to act as a safety barrier against hazardous substances in the environment. After birth these functions develops gradually. The present thesis focuses on how the intestinal permeability and pancreatic secretion changes during ontogenic development of the pig, with some methodological aspects on manipulations

Ferrochelatase catalyses the terminal step in heme biosynthesis by inserting a ferrous ion into protoporphyrin IX. The reaction mechanism has in this thesis been studied by mainly crystallographic methods. The structure of ferrochelatase from Bacillus subtilis co-crystallized with N-methyl mesoporphyrin allowed for the first time a characterization of the active site of the enzyme. The structure

Malaria is a serious disease that causes around 800 000 deaths per year. Current malaria control efforts are hampered by the widespread resistance to common antimalarial drugs, such as the 4-aminoquinoline derivative called chloroquine. Previous research has shown that specific modifications of chloroquine, including inclusion of organometallic fragments into the organic framework, can result in c

Thyroid hormones and breast cancer-prospective studies on incidence, mortality and prognostic factors The aim of this thesis was to investigate in a prospective design, thyroid hormones in relation to breast cancer risk, mortality and prognostic factors. The association between total triiodothyronine (T3) levels and breast cancer risk was studied in 2185 women with146 incident breast cancer case

I Sverige kallar vi ofta media för den fjärde statsmakten. Den makt som medierna besitter att granska makthavare, påverka opinion, förmedla information till medborgare är en väsentlig del i en fungerande demokrati. Konsolidering av denna makt kan få konsekvenser för demokratin genom en likriktning av opinionen, och ett minskat antal perspektiv representerade i rapporteringen. Hur detta kan motverk