Background: Although case-control studies have identified numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with prostate cancer, the clinical role of these SNPs remains unclear. Objective: Evaluate previously identified SNPs for association with prostate cancer and accuracy in predicting prostate cancer in a large prospective population-based cohort of unscreened men. Design, setting, an

Background: Dietary supplement use is increasing, but there are few comparable data on supplement intakes and how they affect the nutrition and health of European consumers. The aim of this study was to describe the use of dietary supplements in subsamples of the 10 countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: Specific questions on di

The inclusive photoproduction of D* mesons and of D*-tagged dijets is investigated with the H1 detector at the ep collider HERA. The kinematic region covers small photon virtualities Q(2) < 2 GeV2 and photon-proton centre-of-mass energies of 100< W-gamma p < 285 GeV. Inclusive D* meson differential cross sections are measured for central rapidities vertical bar eta(D*)vertical bar < 1.5 and transv

Pathogenic mycobacteria reside in, and are in turn controlled by, macrophages. However, emerging data suggest that neutrophils also play a critical role in innate immunity to tuberculosis, presumably by their different antibacterial granule proteins. In this study, we purified neutrophil azurophil and specific granules and systematically analyzed the antimycobacterial activity of some purified azu

Pathogenic microbes acquire the human plasma protein plasminogen to their surface. In this article, we characterize binding of this important coagulation regulator to the respiratory pathogen nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae and identify the Haemophilus surface protein E (PE) as a new plasminogen-binding protein. Plasminogen binds dose dependently to intact bacteria and to purified PE. The plasm

We study how the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are affected by various choices during the setup, e.g., the starting velocities, the solvation, the location of protons, the conformation of His, Asn, and Gln residues, the protonation and titration of His residues, and the treatment of alternative conformations. We estimate the binding affinity of ligands to four proteins calculated

Internationally comparable quality assurance of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA detection and typing methods is essential for evaluation of HPV vaccines and effective monitoring and implementation of HPV vaccination programs. Therefore, the World Health Organisation (WHO) HPV Laboratory Network (LabNet) designed an international proficiency study. Following announcement at the WHO website, respondi

The aim of this thesis was to analyze the genetic and epigenetic characteristics of pediatric high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HeH ALL), the most common type of childhood malignancy. The three original articles presented in this thesis have addressed three major questions regarding HeH ALL: what are the genetic characteristics of the most common structural abnormality – dup(1q)? Are

Zircon in five samples of variably comminuted, melted, and hydrothermally altered orthogneiss from the Maniitsoq structure of southern West Greenland yield a weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 3000.9 +/- 1.9Ma (ion probe data, n=37). The age data constitute a rare example of pervasive and nearly complete isotopic resetting of zircon during a regional hydrothermal event. Many zircon grains are homoge

This thesis is based on four projects with the overall aim to investigate vitamin K-dependent protein S functions in relation to its structure. The anticoagulant functions of protein S can be divided in three: 1) cofactor for activated protein C (APC), 2) cofactor for tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and 3) APC and TFPI-independent anticoagulant functions. Microparticles might be shed from

Experiments with the new recoil separator, Transactinide Separator and Chemistry Apparatus (TASCA), at the GSI were performed by using beams of Ca-48 to irradiate targets of Pb206-208, which led to the production of No252-254 isotopes. These studies allowed for evaluation of the performance of TASCA when coupled to a new detector and electronics system. By following these studies, the isotopes of

According to our study, based on interviews with households in a residential area in Sweden, uncertainty is a cultural barrier to improved recycling. Four causes of uncertainty are identified. Firstly, professional categories not matching cultural categories—people easily discriminate between certain categories (e.g., materials such as plastic and paper) but not between others (e.g., packaging and

Abstract in Spanish A pesar de que el mercado laboral sueco ha permanecido relativamente intacto durante la crisis económica en los últimos seis años, la integración de personas con capacidad laboral reducida a causa de discapacidades es significativamente menor que la de otros grupos sociales. La legislación sueca sobre discapacidad y trabajo cubre varios aspectos en medidas de integración, antidEven though the Swedish labour market has been more or less intact during the financial crisis in the past six years, persons with reduced working capacity due to disabilities are significantly less integrated in the labour market than other groups in society. Swedish legislation on disability and work provides for a number of different aspects of integrative measures, anti-discrimination and prov

The issue of strengthening local research capacity in Africa is again high on the health and development agenda. The latest initiative comes from the Wellcome Trust. But when it comes to capacity development, one of the chief obstacles that health sectors in the region must confront is the migration of health professionals to countries that offer more lucrative opportunities, like those in western

Arid and semiarid Middle Eastern countries generally, and Syria in particular, face serious water shortage problems and challenges with water sustainability. Climate change, population growth, and economic development play a major role in decreasing available water resources per capita. This, in turn, has great impact on domestic, agricultural, and industrial water use. In this study, marginal and

The relation between mission, religious conversion and identity construction is the subject of my paper. On a concrete level, I discuss the Catholic mission and conversions in Scandinavia from the middle of nineteenth century to the present time. Up to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the Catholic Church strongly emphasised its claim to be the only true Church, and as a consequence, all non-C

A high intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs), has been associated with reduced levels of blood pressure (BP). Their antihypertensive action may be due to the reduction of the ω-6/ω-3 ratio and the resulting competitive effect of ω-3 as compared to arachidonic acid (an ω-6 PUFA) as a substrate of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes involved in the production of vasoactive mediators

It has been suggested that intake of fatty fish may protect against both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Hypotheses rest on the high marine omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid+docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA) and vitamin D contents, with possible beneficial effects on immune function and glucose metabolism. Our aim was to investigate, for the first time, fatty fish consumption in relation to the ri

Analysis of in situ and satellite data shows evidence of different regional snow cover responses to the widespread warming and increasing winter precipitation that has characterized the Arctic climate for the past 40-50 years. The largest and most rapid decreases in snow water equivalent (SWE) and snow cover duration (SCD) are observed over maritime regions of the Arctic with the highest precipita