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Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a potent vasoconstrictor that is implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension, heart failure and atherosclerosis. In this thesis, the efficacy and safety of Ang II receptor blockers (ARB) were evaluated. The vasomotor effects of Ang II in endothelium-denuded human coronary arteries were characterized by in vitro pharmacology and the Ang II receptor mRNA levels were qua

Many of society’s critical infrastructures, such as power supply, telecommunications, and transportation, have become increasingly interconnected. While this gives rise to increased efficiency, tighter connections also invites increased vulnerability and the risks of cascading failures. Moreover, at the same time as many of these vital systems have become increasingly dependent on one another, the

Basement membranes are sheet like structures underlying epithelial, endothelial, adipocytes, muscle and peripheral nerve cells. Laminins are an important family of basement membrane proteins implicated in various biological functions through their interactions with cell surface receptors. Laminins are trimers composed of a, b and g chains. Integrins, dystroglycan and other transmembrane glycoprote

This thesis examines associations between a number of epidemiological or biological markers of cancer risk and oxidative stress, in order to achieve a better understanding of how diet, lifestyle, and genetic factors contribute to the occurrence of oxidative stress. Data from the Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) cohort was used. The MDC study is a population-based cohort study which uses a detailed modi

Following the transection and repair of major nerve trunks in the forearm, the functional outcome is influenced by mechanisms in the peripheral, as well as in the central nervous system. In the present thesis the interest is focused on assessment of the outcome after nerve repair, central nervous factors influencing the outcome, and sense substitution to compensate for sensory loss. A new model in

Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming bacterium that causes antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and is responsible for hospital outbreaks of diarrhoea. In the first study, 173 consecutive isolates of C. difficile collected from 147 patients at Malmö University Hospital during 1995 were typed by AP-PCR to determine whether cross-transmission could explain the increased incidence of Clostridium diffi

During the last decade it has been discovered that around 2% of the soil-living prokaryotes belong to the domain Archaea. In many soils the most abundant archaeal group is the ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) that, in addition to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), preform the first and rate-limiting step in the nitrification process. The knowledge of factors that regulates the archaeal abundance and

Liver is the most common site of dissemination in colorectal cancer, and untreated liver metastases are associated with a poor prognosis. The main reason for trying to detect liver metastases early is that liver resection offers a chance for cure in selected patients. The sensitivity of alkaline phosphatases (ALP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), computed tomography (CT), CT with arterial contrast

T cell activation requires the combination of antigen in the context of MHC and costimulatory molecules to induce a functional immune response. For our studies, we primarily utilized superantigens (SAg) that bind MHC class II molecules as first signal. Mutations in the SAg MHC class II a-chain binding site reduced the number of responding T cells expressing particular TCR Vb chains, whereas mutati

Levels of ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280-320 nm) radiation reaching the Earth´s surface increase due to stratospheric ozone depletion. In this thesis the effect of enhanced UV-B radiation was studied on the atrazine-tolerant mutant Stallion, susceptible to photoinhibition, and the atrazine-sensitive cultivar Paroll of Brassica napus (oilseed rape). Photosynthetic parameters were studied with chlorophyll

The pro-inflammatory mediators leukotrienes have shown to be important players in the pathogenesis of diseases like asthma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients suffering from IBD have been found to have an increased risk of developing colon cancer. Since leukotrienes have been shown in increased concentrations in stools of IBD patients we hypothesise that LTD4 can play a role in the deve

Fluidised bed thermal gasification of biomass is an effective route that results in 100 % conversion of the fuel. In contrast to chemical, enzymatic or anaerobic methods of biomass treatment, the thermal conversion leaves no contaminated residue after the process. The product gas evolved within thermal conversion can be used in several applications such as: fuel for gas turbines, combustion engine

Laccase, the phenol oxidizing enzyme, was first described towards the end of the 19th century from the wound sap of the lacquer tree Rhus vernicifera. The enzyme has the widest distribution in nature among the multicopper oxidases. It catalyzes single electron transfer oxidation in the presence of molecular oxygen producing water as by-product. Based on these highly desired mild oxidising conditio

The ability of many pathogenic microorganisms to cause infection is dependent on their ability to evade attack by the complement system of the host. One mechanism by which microorganisms may avoid complement attack is to bind complement inhibitory molecules present in the host. This thesis describes studies of the complement inhibitor C4BP and of inter-actions between C4BP and the human pathogen

Seasonal Affective Disorder with depressive episodes during the autumn/winter seasons (winter depression) is common. Outpatients with winter depression were studied regarding temperament, psychopathology, social characteristics, psychosocial functioning and the neuropeptides corticotropin - releasing hormone (CRH) and neuropeptide Y (NPY), which are known to be involved in stress-regulation. The t

The method of microdialysis has been adapted for ocular use. It is a technique for monitoring concentrations of different molecules in a tissue in vivo. It is based on the principle of diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. The membrane is mounted on a soft plastic shaft, connected to an inlet and an outlet tube. The whole device, called microdialysis probe, was implanted into the vitreous bo

Biotechnological processes offer environmentally friendly and sometimes cost-effective alternatives to traditional chemical and mechanical methods. It is important to take advantages of the opportunities these processes provide to fulfil the demands and expectations of a future environmentally sustainable society. This work exploits the possibilities of applying biotechnological methods to allow r

Hepatitis B virus is a non-cytopathic virus with a small, circular, partially double-stranded DNA of 3.2 kb. It causes acute and chronic inflammatory liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Retesting of stored sera from an outbreak of acute hepatitis in 1969-72 allowed identification of 126 cases of acute hepatitis B. No chronic carriers expressing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) cou