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The aim the thesis work was to study the human cystatins C, E/M, F, G, H and I both in vivo and in vitro. A mouse devoid of cystatin C was used for the cystatin C studies. The levels of cystatins C, E/M and F were measured in pleural effusion samples of patients with various lung disorders. Cystatin F protein and RNA levels were measured in the human haematopoietic cell line U937 as well as in cel

The origin and evolution of the thin and thick disks in the Galaxy have been studied by means of detailed stellar abundances. High-resolution spectra of 102 F and G dwarf stars have been obtained with the spectrographs on the ESO 3.6-m and ESO 1.5-m telescopes on La Silla (Chile), the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal (Chile), and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) on La Palma (Canary Islands,

Purpose: To compare the visualization of small ischemic brain lesions using diffusion using diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI and conventional imaging, with special regard to diagnostic efficiency. Imaging features of lesions of different ages, diagnostic limitations and technical principles were also investigated. Methods: All studies were performed with the same 1.5 T MR scanner. In the first study t

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are believed to be remains of germ-line infections that have become fixed in the population. They are involved in pathophysiological conditions, in mechanisms leading to infection protection, and directly in the physiology of the organism by participating in the regulation of cellular gene expression. It has been estimated that human ERVs (HERVs) make up about 0.6% o

In stabilising extracapsular hip fractures, the Medoff sliding plate (MSP) differs from other screw-plates by its compression capacity along the femoral shaft (uniaxial dynamization). Additional compression along the neck of femur can be achieved by primary release of the lag screw (biaxial dynamization). 244 consecutive inter- and subtrochanteric fractures in 243 elderly patients were fixed with

The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is increasing. The risk of rupture is related to diameter. However, rupture may occur also in small AAA. To evaluate the size of an aneurysm when related to the predicted normal aortic diameter might be a better predictor of risk. AAA:s, range 40-55 mm were studied in relation to gender. No difference in AAA diameter was found. However, body surfac

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic potentials of four different biochemical markers, serum cobalamin, blood folate, plasma homocysteine and serum methylmalonic acid for diagnosis of cobalamin/folate deficiency in a psychogeriatric population. The second aim was to investigate the relationship between these markers and various clinical and functional parameters of the nervous syst

The aim of this thesis was to characterise the biological functions of the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin H (SEH). Superantigens are highly immunostimulatory proteins, which crosslink T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs). SEH is included in a family of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) produced by certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The three-dimensional fold of SEH was dete

The course of prostate cancer varies greatly, and additional prognostic markers are needed. Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains protein 1 (LRIG1) is an endogenous inhibitor of growth factor signaling and a proposed tumor suppressor. Publicly available gene expression datasets indicate that LRIG1 may be overexpressed in prostate cancer. In our study, the expression of LRIG1 protein

CandidatusNeoehrlichia mikurensis is the tick-borne agent of neoehrlichiosis, an infectious disease that primarily affects immunocompromised patients. So far, the genetic variability of Neoehrlichia has been studied only by comparing 16S rRNA gene and groEL operon sequences. We describe the development and use of a multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) protocol to characterize the genetic diversity

We used allozymes to investigate the structure of genetic variation in populations of the perennial herb Silene nutans at local (Denmark), regional (Nordic area) and wide (over a 19A degrees latitudinal gradient) geographic scales in north-western Europe. New data from Denmark were combined with data from previously studied Fennoscandian and western populations. We related patterns of nuclear vari

The bacterial surface can be thought of as the interface where pathogenic bacteria encounter the human host. Interactions between bacterial surface proteins and human proteins are important determinants of the eventual outcome of infection. A bacterial protein, Protein F1, that binds the human plasma and connective tissue protein fibronectin, was found to reduce the virulence of Streptococcus pyog

Intracellular Ca²⁺ is a key regulator of vascular contractility, and thereby of blood perfusion and pressure. Ca²⁺ signals are essential also for cell migration, proliferation and regulation of numerous enzymes. Besides producing vascular contraction smooth muscle cells may also modulate to a synthetic phenotype and proliferate as an initial stage in the atherosclerotic proce

Glucocorticosteroids (GCS) are potent anti-inflammatory drugs, probably due to inhibitory effects on cytokine production. However, a small number of asthma patients seem GCS-resistant. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-2(IL-2) and IL-4, produced during allergic airway inflammation have been proposed to induce the resistance to GCS. IL-2 and IL-4 also induce GCS resistance in mononucl

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the role of growth factors and the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) system in human endometrial angiogenesis. Growth factors as well as progesterone increased expression of the main inhibitor of uPA (PAI-1) in primary cultures of endometrial stromal cells. EGF, TGF-beta1 and bFGF increased gene transcription whereas progesterone increased mRNA stabili

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death and disability in the western world. Its clinical complications include acute myocardial infarction, sudden death and stroke. Thirty to 40 % of all ischemic strokes are caused by a carotid stenosis. The acute clinical event is triggered by an occluding thrombosis and even more frequently by embolization. Besides the degree of stenosis, the structure of

The triggering mechanism in myocardial infarction (MI) and unstable angina involves coronary thrombus formation following plaque rupture. Coagulation is initiated by tissue factor that activates factor VII (FVII), and is inhibited by protein C and its co-factor protein S. Resistance to activated protein C (APC resistance) is a common risk factor for venous thrombosis caused by a mutation in the ge