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Background. There are large geographic differences in breast cancer risk but whether survival differs between low- and high-risk groups is less well-established. As the survival of cancer depends on the level of healthcare and awareness of disease risks, subtle differences in cancer biology cannot be revealed in international comparisons. Instead, comparison of diverse immigrant groups in a countr
Accessibility throughout society has been gaining interest on both international and national levels in order to meet the transportation needs of, for example, older people as pedestrians. The overall aim of this thesis is to examine the implementation process in municipal planning, and effects of measures taken, to achieve barrier-free outdoor environments the year round. Older peoples’ perceptio
This study evaluated the effects of retinal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury and pre-treatment with the potent and specific aldose reductase inhibitor fidarestat on apoptosis, aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase expression, sorbitol pathway intermediate concentrations, and oxidative-nitrosative stress. Female Wistar rats were pre-treated with either vehicle (N-methyl-D-elucamine) or fidare
Two design problems at different levels in the control hierarchy are considered; optimization of robust low-level controllers with constrained control signal activity and optimization of economical high-level polyethylene grade changes. As for the first design problem, a constraint on control signal activity due to measurement noise is presented and used when optimizing and comparing PI/PID contr
The primary productivity of a plant community can be modeled as the product of the amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) absorbed by the canopy and a light use efficiency factor, where the amount of absorbed PAR (APAR) is the product of the fractional absorption and the amount of incident PAR. By implementing a method, PARcalc, using atmospheric data from the Moderate Resolution Imag
Background: Smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco have a detrimental impact on general and oral health. The relationship to dental caries is however still unclear. As caries is a multi-factorial disease with clear life-style, socio-economic and socio-demographic gradients, the tobacco use may be a co-variable in this complex rather than a direct etiological factor. Our aim was to analyze the im
The tracking of small avian migrants has only recently become possible by the use of small light-level geolocators, allowing the reconstruction of whole migration routes, as well as timing and speed of migration and identification of wintering areas. Such information is crucial for evaluating theories about migration strategies and pinpointing critical areas for migrants of potential conservation
AimsTo determine whether antivirus and/or islet cell antibodies can be detected in healthy pregnant mothers without diabetes and/or their offspring at birth in two winter viral seasons. MethodsMaternal and cord blood sera from 107 healthy pregnant women were tested for islet cell autoantibodies using radioligand binding assays and for anti-rotavirus and anti-CoxB3 antibody using an enzyme-linked i
Andersson U, Henriksson E, Strom K, Alenfall J, Goransson O, Holm C. Rose hip exerts antidiabetic effects via a mechanism involving downregulation of the hepatic lipogenic program. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 300: E111-E121, 2011. First published October 19, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00268.2010.-The aim of this study was to investigate the metabolic effects of a dietary supplement of powdered ro
The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate and explore job satisfaction, strain and stress of conscience (SC) among nurse assistants (NAs) working in residential care for older people. The thesis had a descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational design and consisted of one paper where qualitative methodology was used and three where quantitative methodology was used. The qualitative study
Background: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is the earliest marker of disturbed mineral metabolism as renal function decreases. Its serum levels are associated with mortality in dialysis patients, persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD), and it is associated with atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction and left ventricular hypertrophy in the genera
BACKGROUND: Disturbances of the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion are associated with depression, coronary calcification, and higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.The primary aim of this study was to test the associations between midnight salivary cortisol (MSC), depression and HbA1c, and control for behavioural, environmental and intra individual factors with possible impact on cort
Background/Objectives: The hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF) is chronic lung inflammation. The severity of lung disease is closely correlated with immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels. Beyond its contribution to the bone health, the importance of vitamin D has not been fully recognized owing to the lack of human studies providing evidence of its benefit. In the context of the recently described immunomodu
Background: B-vitamins are essential for one-carbon metabolism and have been linked to colorectal cancer. Although associations with folate have frequently been studied, studies on other plasma vitamins B2, B6, and B12 and colorectal cancer are scarce or inconclusive. Methods: We carried out a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, includ
Background: Most studies assessing health effects of neighborhood characteristics either use self-reports or objective assessments of the environment, the latter often based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS). While objective measures require detailed landscape data, self-assessments may yield confounded results. In this study we demonstrate how self-assessments of green neighborhood enviro
Although much attention in recent years has been devoted to methane (CH4) emissions from northern wetlands, measurement based data sets providing full annual budgets are still limited in number. This study was designed to help fill the gap of year-round measurements of CH4 emissions from subarctic mires. We report continuous eddy correlation CH4 flux measurements made during 2006 and 2007 over the
Aims/hypothesis High-energy breakfast and reduced-energy dinner (Bdiet) significantly reduces postprandial glycaemia in obese non-diabetic individuals. Our objective was to test whether this meal schedule reduces postprandial hyperglycaemia (PPHG) in patients with type 2 diabetes by enhancing incretin and insulin levels when compared with high-energy dinner and reduced-energy breakfast (Ddiet). Me
