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Randomized studies of various support programs for spouses and children of alcoholics are few in the international literature. This thesis comprises two randomized controlled studies of intervention programs for two family groups: spouses living with an alcoholics partner (paper I and II) and university students who have grown up with at least one parents with alcohol problems (paper III and IV).
The worldwide prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly. Both disorders depend on genetic and environmental factors. The studies included in this thesis investigated the possible association of the FOXC2 and CAPN10 genes with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and related phenotypes. FOXC2 encodes a forkhead transcription factor, which was identified as a key regul
The significance of load modeling for voltage stability studies has been emphasized by several disturbances, which have taken place in the past years. They have shown that the loads in combination with other dynamics are among the main contributors of prolonged low voltage conditions, voltage instability and collapse in the power system. As a result of these disturbances new investigations have co
Popular Abstract in English Microbes are present everywhere in the environment and have quite an intimate relationship with humans. Much of our perception about microbes is as disease causing agents but on the other hand it is also the microbes that present cure for the disease. Besides using microbes for traditional applications, for example for providing antibiotics, production of fermented foodDemands for efficient, greener, economical and sustainable production of chemicals, materials and energy have led to development of industrial biotechnology as a key technology area to provide such products from bio-based raw materials from agricultural-, forestry- and related industrial residues and by-products. For the bio-based industry, it is essential to develop a number of building blocks or
Evaluation of the optic nerve head topography is one of the most important methods to diagnose and monitor patients with glaucoma. Until recently, optic nerve head topography has most often been judged by either ophthalmoscopy or from optic disc photographs. These methods are subjective and examiners do not have access to absolute measurements of the optic disc size and cup depth. The result of su
In the diet for young children, whole cow´s milk is the major contributor of calories, protein and saturated fat, but it supplies little iron and polyunsaturated fat. Although several recommendations exist for the composition of formula, recommendations for the composition of milk for young children are lacking. We investigated if milk with modified fat-, protein-, and iron content aimed at young
The purpose of the present thesis was to investigate Basic Body Awareness Therapy (Basic BAT) in psychiatric outpatient care and the BAS-H, an assessment method for analysing movements and movement behaviour. Important factors in the interaction, therapeutic relationship and working alliance between patient and physiotherapist (PT) were also explored. The results revealed the construct validity of
Life-threatening conditions from bacterial infections are a major clinical problem. During a severe infection, the host responds by a massive release of pro-inflammatory mediators together with a systemic activation of systems such as the coagulation, fibrinolytic, and complement systems. These events could result in the development of complications such as disseminated intravascular coagulation a
Molecular imprinting is a technique by which polymeric materials selective for a given target molecule can be created through a casting procedure. Functionalised monomers are added to a solution of molecular templates. Monomer-template complexes are formed and subsequently fixed through polymerisation, and following removal of the template species from the resultant molecularly imprinted polymer,
Colorectal cancer is one of our most common malignancies and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. About 1/3 of the tumors are located in the rectum. Treatment advances such as the introduction of the standardized surgical technique total mesorectal excision (TME), pre-operative radiotherapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy have reduced the previously high local recurrence rates and improv
The striatum is part of the telencephalon, the most anterior part of the vertebrate brain. From when it first can be identified, telencephalic morphology is highly complex and a wide range of mechanisms has been suggested to participate in its induction, patterning and neurogenesis. Sonic hedgehog (shh), a gene coding for a secreted protein has been suggested to be required for ventral telencephal
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
This thesis covers 12 years of experience in treating patients with congenital capillary malformations, so called port wine stains (PWS). The wide variation in treatment response to laser therapy has developed a profound need for the development of objective devises to measure treatment outcome, so that the maximum effectiveness of therapy can be achieved without unnecessary treatments. The purpos
Abstract The electrophysiological properties of insulin-secreting b-cells, glucagon-releasing a-cells and somatostation-producing d-cells in intact mouse pancreatic islets were investigated using the perforated patch whole-cell technique. It is demonstrated that it is possible to functionally identify the different cell types in situ. The ?-cells have a cell capacitance of 7.4 pF and differ from
The aim was to compare radiography of the tibiofemoral joint (TFJ) and the patellofemoral joint (PFJ), as well as bone scinigraphy with MR imaging in middle-aged individuals with chronic knee pain in the format of a prospective study of knee osteoarthritis. Individuals aged 35-54 years with chronic knee pain were identified. The prevalence of chronic knee pain was 15% (279/2000). Within this grou
Protein kinase C (PKC) is a serine/threonine kinase family with 10 identified isoforms. The contribution of PKC isoforms to cell growth and differentiation, with focus on neurite outgrowth, was investigated, using neuroblastoma and immortalised neural cells as model systems. In neuroblastoma cells one or several of the classical PKC isoforms are of importance for driving proliferation, protecting
ABSTRACT In humans, synthetic vascular grafts heal with a limited ingrowth of endothelium. This fact might be responsible for inferior performance of synthetic grafts compared with native artery.Endothelial cells can be autotransplanted (seeded) into the graft in an effort to improve graft function. The attachment of endothelial cells to different graft materials was investigated in vitro (I). In
The vascular wall is an active, elastic and integrated organ made up of cellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) components. It is not a static organ; the components dynamically change and reorganize in response to physiological and pathological stimuli. Vascular injury induces a complex healing process, analogous to generalised wound healing. Subsequent to the inflammatory response, proliferation
My thesis focuses on magnetic orientation in migratory birds, i.e. how they can perceive information from the Earth’s magnetic field and use it for orientation. To examine magnetoreception and the function of the light-dependent magnetic compass in birds, I performed behavioural orientation experiments with European robins, Erithacus rubecula, under different spectra and intensities of light. The
