Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype autoimmune disease where genes regulated by type I interferon (IFN) are over-expressed and contribute to the disease pathogenesis. Because signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) plays a key role in the type I IFN receptor signaling, we performed a candidate gene study of a comprehensive set of single nucleotide polymorphism (S

In skeletal muscle hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) has long been accepted to be the principal enzyme responsible for lipolysis of intramyocellular triacylglycerol (IMTG) during contractions. However, this notion is based on in vitro lipase activity data, which may not reflect the in vivo lipolytic activity. We investigated lipolysis of IMTG in soleus muscles electrically stimulated to contract ex v

Background: Asthma genetics has been extensively studied and many genes have been associated with the development or severity of this disease. In contrast, the genetic basis of allergic rhinitis (AR) has not been evaluated as extensively. It is well known that asthma is closely related with AR since a large proportion of individuals with asthma also present symptoms of AR, and patients with AR hav

In birds, fat accumulation before and during migration has been shown to be endogenously controlled and tuned by, among other factors, the Earth's magnetic field. However, our knowledge about the influence of the geomagnetic field on the fuelling in migrating birds is still limited to just a few nocturnally migrating passerine species. In order to study if variations of the magnetic field can also

The move towards fire performance-based design in building and transport regulations has led to an increased use of fire models. This increased use of these models and the evolution of different regulations have put higher demands on the predictive capability of fire models. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of different activities relating to the validation and verification of comp

Abstract in UndeterminedOver the last decade a great deal of research attention has been paid to the Internet as a potential vehicle for civic and/or political engagement among young people. Many of these analyses have been looking (or perhaps hoping) for a simple cause-and-effect relationship. Young people seem uninterested in traditional forms of politics, but they are very interested in Interne

Type-2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex disease characterized by insulin resistance in target tissues and impaired insulin release from pancreatic beta cells. As central tissue of glucose homeostasis, the pancreatic islet continues to be an important focus of research to understand the pathophysiology of the disease. The increased access to human pancreatic islets has resulted in improved knowledge of

Objective The interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interleukin 21 (IL-21) locus at chromosome 4q27 has been associated with several autoimmune diseases, and both genes are related to immune system functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the IL-2/IL-21 locus in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Patients and methods The case control study included 4493 SSc Caucasian patients and 5856 healthy contro

Inom ramen för det svenska forskningsprojektet Taktik och metodik vid brand i undermarksanläggningar har ett enkelt planeringsverktyg utvecklats som bl a erbjuder stöd till beslutsfattare involverade i planeringen av räddningsinsatser i väg- och järnvägstunnlar. Verktyget, som har utvecklats vid Lunds universitet, heter TuFT och är en förkortning av Tunnel Fire Tools. TuFT kan beskrivas som ett my

Background: Repeat prescribing used in long-term pharmacotherapy is often associated with inadequate patient medication, including non-adherence. In this paper we explore patients' drug refill adherence with repeat prescriptions and relate refill data to patient age and gender, type of prescriber, type of prescribed drug, and reimbursement level. Methods: During one week of 2002, copies of 3636 re

BACKGROUND: The issue of inequalities in health has generated much discussion and socioeconomic status is considered an important variable in studies of health. It is frequently used in epidemiological studies, either as a possible risk factor or a confounder and the aim of this study was to analyse the relation between socioeconomic status and risk of disability pension. METHODS: Five complete bi

Objective: Lactobacilli are often considered to be beneficial or non-pathogenic to man, with small numbers of human infections being reported, including septicemia and infective endocarditis. To verify the safety of Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 9843 (=strain 299v) administration, we used a well-known endocarditis animal model. Design: Experimental study using Sprague-Dawley rats. Setting: Universit

Wetland creation aiming at a simultaneous increase in nutrient retention and species diversity in agricultural landscapes has recently become applied as a catchment-scale compensation measure for past wetland losses. Here, we evaluate if, and to what extend, dual-purpose wetlands benefit local and regional diversity of agricultural landscapes. We analysed composition and alpha, beta, and gamma div

Background: The quantification of the relationships between walking and health requires that walking is measured accurately. We correlated different measures of step accumulation to body size, overall physical activity level, and glucose regulation. Methods: Participants were 25 men and 25 women American Indians without diabetes (Age: 20-34 years) in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. We assessed steps/day du

Objective. Hexaminolevulinate (HAL) is an optical imaging agent used with fluorescence cystoscopy (FC) for the detection of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Guidelines from the European Association of Urology (EAU) and a recent, more detailed European expert consensus statement agree that HAL-FC has a role in improving detection of NMIBC and provide recommendations on situations for its