Defensive coping (DefS), oxidative stress, inflammation, and related amino acids (phenylalanine [Phe] and tyrosine [Tyr]) have been implicated in cardiovascular disease. This study assessed whether inflammation, oxidative stress, changes in essential amino acids, and altered coping strategies are correlated with subclinical vascular changes in African (n = 82) and Caucasian (n = 100) men from the

Objective: To investigate whether the Multi-Biomarker Disease Activity (MBDA) score predicts optimal add-on treatment in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were inadequate responders to MTX (MTX-IRs). Methods: We analyzed data from 157 MTX-IRs (with a Disease Activity Score using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate [DAS28-ESR] >3.2) from the Swedish Pharmacotherapy (SWEFOT) trial who

The heterodimer HIF-1α (hypoxia inducible factor)/HIF-β (also known as ARNT-aryl hydrocarbon nuclear translocator) is a key mediator of cellular response to hypoxia. The interaction between these monomer units can be modified by the action of small molecules in the binding interface between their C-terminal heterodimerization (PasB) domains. Taking advantage of the presence of several cysteine res

Background: Electrodermal reactivity has been successfully used as indicator of interest, curiosity as well as depressive states. The measured reactivity depends on the quantity of sweat secreted by those eccrine sweat glands that are located in the hypodermis of palmar and plantar regions. Electrodermal hyporeactive individuals are those who show an unusual rapid habituation to identical non-sign

Objectives: We wanted to investigate the effects of postoperative pulmonary hypertension (PHpostop: mean pulmonary artery pressure [MPAP] ≥ 25 mmHg), diastolic pressure gradient (DPG), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and repeated hemodynamic measurements on long-term survival after heart transplantation (HT). Design: Eighty-nine patients who underwent HT at Skåne University Hospital in Lund i

Robust and efficient target-tracking algorithms embedded on moving platforms, are a requirement for many computer vision and robotic applications. However, deployment of a real-time system is challenging, even with the computational power of modern hardware. As inspiration, we look to biological lightweight solutions-lightweight and low-powered flying insects. For example, dragonflies pursue prey

A new perspective on the modelling of settling behaviour in water resource recovery facilities is introduced. The ultimate goal is to describe in a unified way the processes taking place both in primary settling tanks (PSTs) and secondary settling tanks (SSTs) for a more detailed operation and control. First, experimental evidence is provided, pointing out distributed particle properties (such as

Practitioners may face difficulties in the interpretation of fire codes since they often present so called "magic numbers", i.e. numbers available in the codes which are listed for providing the design of building fire safety, for which the derivation and justification are not explained. The present paper discusses the need for a transparent regulatory approach, in which legislators publicly justi

We live in a time of wireless technologies, robotics and small computers with very high computing power. This is mainly due to a large emphasis given towards the study of semiconductor materials which are the building blocks of today's electronic industry. One of the secrets behind creating faster computers is the ability to integrate more and more transistors on a small semiconductor chip. GordonThis thesis studies the role of interaction between charged particles for transport and optical properties in nanostructures. Simulations are provided for a quantitative description of the system dynamics probed by either current spectroscopy or light absorption. In the first part of the thesis (Part I) the basic theories are described and in the second part of the thesis (Part II) the papers list

How do joint measures of premorbid cognitive ability and familial cognitive aptitude (FCA) reflect risk for a diversity of psychiatric and substance use disorders? To address this question, we examined, using Cox models, the predictive effects of school achievement (SA) measured at age 16 and FCA—assessed from SA in siblings and cousins, and educational attainment in parents—on risk for 12 major p

Improved understanding of the disease mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes (T2D) is needed, and so are new treatments.A new T2D risk variant was recently identified in ADRA2A, which encodes the α2A-adrenergic receptor. The risk allele leads to receptor overexpression in β-cells that causes increased adrenergic signaling and impaired insulin secretion. We showed that the α2A-adrenergic receptor an

In recent years, there have been notable advances with the development of anticancer drugs including those targeting protein tyrosine kinases such as the c-Met receptor, which has been implicated in the development and progression of several cancers. However, despite such progress, drug resistance continues to be the single most important cause of cancer treatment failure, and understanding the me

This article discusses and analyzes mothering that crosses boundaries of care in spite of differences of nationality, culture and religion. Swedish missionary Alma Johansson was one of a remarkable number of women missionaries who volunteered as relief workers during the Armenian refugee crisis. These women missionaries were often seen as mothers who were ‘saving a whole generation’. The article s

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the world, and is an overreaction by the immune system due to pathogen invasion of the bloodstream. The interactions, particularly the protein interactions, between the host and pathogen are fundamental for the outcome of the disease. However, some of the protein interactions are unknown and those that are known have been studied as

Despite widespread research on the interaction rules that drive group-living behavior in animals, little is known about the spatial self-organization of individuals in heterospecific groups. This has led to significant challenges in teasing apart the various mechanisms thought to underpin multispecies groups. One potentially useful approach for gaining an understanding of this process is to identi

Objective to describe first-time fathers experiences of their prenatal preparation in relation to challenges met in the early parenthood period. Design a qualitative study was conducted and data was analysed with a phenomenographical approach. Setting and participants 15 first-time fathers were recruited from three postnatal units in southern Sweden and interviewed approximately one month after th

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which atheromatous plaques develop inside arteries, leading to reduced or obstructed blood flow that in turn may cause stroke and heart attack. Rose hip is the fruit of plants of the genus Rosa, belonging to the Rosaceae family, and it is rich in antioxidants with high amounts of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds. Several studies have shown that fruits, seeds and