The pro-inflammatory mediator, Leukotriene D4 (LTD4) is a product of arachidonic acid cascade and has been implicated in asthma and inflammatory bowel diseases. Prolonged inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis increases the risk for the development of cancer and the factors that induce the chronic immune response remain uncertain. In this context, in the present study, we examined if expo

The university programmes are basically nationally based, developed from the historical needs of specific need of a society. The Bologna process is challenging the educational market mainly at post-graduate level. The exchange of students is still limited to a reduced number of curious and ambitious persons, many with a high interest for cultural exchange – the ‘exotic dimension’. Individual caree

Median micturition volume decreased early after partial outlet obstruction, 24 hrs total obstruction and hemidenervation. Degeneration release of transmitter may explain this, assuming that bladder wall distension causes nerve degeneration. Micturition pressure decreased simultaneously in the partially denervated and 24 hrs obstructed groups, probably due to the reduced number of functionally inta

Almost all northern forest tree species live in symbioses with ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF). The trees allocate up to half of the photoassimilated carbon (C) through the roots to EMF. In return EMF deliver nutrients from both inorganic and organic sources in the soil, as well as water. Most of the nutrients trees need are assimilated through EMF, which thus play a potentially important role in reta

Purified bacterial cell wall components peptidoglycan and teichoic acid were isolated from staphylococcal species S. aureus and/or S. epidermidis and tested for their ability to induce cytokine release from plastic-adherent human monocytes. Both cell wall components dose-dependently induced TNF-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 release, peptidoglycan being more potent than teichoic acid.

There is little knowledge about the circulatory effects of dopamine in hypothermia. Induced hypothermia has been shown to improve outcome in various settings. Hypothermia is also used for preservation of organs that are harvested for transplantation. We evaluated lungs that were topically cooled for 6 hours in non-heart-beating donor pigs by transplanting them into recipient pigs and observing the

Over the last decades the ongoing work in the fields of Lab-on-a-Chip and Micro-Total-Analysis-Systems has led to the discovery of new or improved ways to handle and analyse small volumes of biofluids and complex biosuspensions. The benefits of working on the microscale include: miniaturization of the analysis systems with less need for large sample volumes; temporal and spatial control of suspend

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most common human infections, and febrile UTI with bacteremia the most severe form. The relation between bacteria and host decides disease severity. The dominating uropathogen is Escherichia coli (E. coli). P fimbriae are the virulence factor of E. coli most clearly associated to severe disease. P fimbriated E. coli predominated in bacteremic febrile UT

The main objective of this thesis is to study the response and development of permanent deformation in unbound granular materials, theoretically and experimentally. A testing box technique is used here to more closely simulate the behaviour of unbound aggregates subjected to external vertical loading. A small box device (800×800×800 mm) is employed to test both the response and permanent deforma

This thesis deals with the combination of electrochromatography and molecular imprinting technology. Electrochromatography is characterised by high separation efficiency, simple instrumentation, and minute consumption of sample. As a novel approach to obtain unique selectivity in capillary electrochromatographic systems molecularly imprinted matrices were used. Molecular imprinting technology repr

Polymorphisms associated with prostate cancer include those in three genes encoding major secretory products of the prostate: KLK2 (encoding kallikrein-related peptidase 2; hK2), KLK3 (encoding prostate-specific antigen; PSA), and MSMB (encoding beta-microseminoprotein). PSA and hK2, members of the kallikrein family, are elevated in sera of men with prostate cancer. In a comprehensive analysis tha

It is uncertain whether the incidence of stroke is increased in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and whether COPD is associated with all subtypes of stroke (i.e. ischemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage and subarachnoid haemorrhage). We evaluated the association between COPD and incidence of stroke in a nation-wide cohort study. All individuals between 40 and 84 years

AIMS: Red cell distribution width (RDW) has been associated with cardiovascular disease, but the relation to heart failure (HF) is unclear. We investigated the association between RDW and incidence of first hospitalization due to HF in a population-based cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: Red cell distribution width was measured in 26 784 subjects (aged 45-73 years, 61% women), without history of myocar

Inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain is mostly mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors. These receptors are involved in both phasic inhibition (point-to-point inhibition, synaptic transmission) and tonic inhibition (diffuse form of inhibition, brain homeostasis). In this thesis the functional and pharmacological properties of GABAA receptors expressed in brain slices or i

The aim was to evaluate first trimester nuchal translucency (NT) measurement for detection and risk assessment of fetal malformations and fetal loss. 39 572 pregnant women were randomised to either a routine ultrasound scan at 12-14 weeks including NT measurement or to a routine scan at 18-20 weeks. Prenatal diagnosis of major congenital heart malformations was compared between the two groups. In