BACKGROUND: It is not known why survival differs between men and women in oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present study evaluates differences in comorbidity between men and women, and tests the hypothesis that comorbidity contributes to sex-related differences in mortality in oxygen-dependent COPD. METHODS: National prospective study of patients aged 50 years or

Counterilluminating animals use ventral photogenic organs (photophores) to mimic the residual downwelling light and cloak their silhouette from upward-looking predators. To cope with variable conditions of pelagic light environments they typically adjust their luminescence intensity. Here, we found evidence that bioluminescent sharks instead emit a constant light output and move up and down in the

Rippling muscle disease (RMD) is a disorder that affects striated muscle and involves disturbances in calcium homeostasis. Malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS) is a potentially lethal disorder, characterized by extreme hypermetabolism and muscle rigidity/rhabdomyolysis during anesthesia with potent inhalational agents, in otherwise healthy individuals. The aim of this report was to search f

Popular Abstract in Swedish Surfplattor och mobiltelefoner med prestanda i klass med den hos stationära datorer för bara några år sedan är resultatet av den kontinuerliga hårdsatsning som i över 50 års tid stadigt lyckats göra den minsta elektronikkomponenten, transistorn, mindre, snabbare och mer strömsnål. Under senare år har det dock blivit svårare att förbättra prestandan enbart genom att minsThe background of this thesis is related to the steadily increasing demand of higher bandwidth and lower power consumption for transmitting data. The work aims at demonstrating how new types of structures, at the nanoscale, combined with what is referred to as exotic materials, can help benefit in electronics by lowering the consumed power, possibly by an order of magnitude, compared to the indust

Popular Abstract in Swedish En välfungerande andning med utbyte av syrgas och koldioxid mellan kroppen och omgivningen är en förutsättning för liv. För att detta gasutbyte ska fungera krävs bl. a. att ventilationen, dvs. in- och utflödet av luft i lungorna, står i balans med blodflödet genom lungorna. I lungorna tar blodet emot syrgas som behövs för att cellerna i kroppen ska fungera och samtidigtRespiration relies, among other things, on the balance between regional ventilation and perfusion in the lungs. There are many cardiopulmonary diseases, such as pulmonary embolism (PE), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and left heart failure (LHF), which can affect respiration negatively. The diagnosis of PE, COPD and LHF follows separate diagnostic pathways. However, the symptoms that

Objective. To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with different low-toxicity regimens post-transplantation. Methods. One hundred fifty-six patients were randomized to standard-dose cyclosporine A (CsA), mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroids or daclizumab induction, mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroids with a low dose of CsA, tacrolimus (Low-Tac), or sirolimus. S

Redan för några år sedan hittade Mikael Hagström och Jan Henriksson B. nidarosiensis på Gotland, men av flera anledningar har det tagit lite tid att få klarhet vad det var för art. Nedan beskriver de tillsammans med Ulf Arup hela historien om fynden på Gotland.

The brain is considered to be an immune privileged site, because the blood-brain barrier limits entry of blood borne cells and proteins into the central nervous system (CNS). As a result, the detection and clearance of invading microorganisms and senescent cells as well as surplus neurotransmitters, aged and glycated proteins, in order to maintain a healthy environment for neuronal and glial cells

The hypothesis that probiotic administration protects the gut surface and could delay progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type1 (HIV-1) infection to the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was proposed in 1995. Over the last five years, new studies have clarified the significance of HIV-1 infection of the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) for subsequent alterations in the microfl

Cell reprogramming technologies have enabled the generation of various specific cell types including neurons from readily accessible patient cells, such as skin fibroblasts, providing an intriguing novel cell source for autologous cell transplantation. However, cell transplantation faces several difficult hurdles such as cell production and purification, long-term survival, and functional integrat

Under senare år har det pågått en debatt om biodrivmedels klimatnytta, detta sedan studier visat att indirekt förändrad markanvändning kan leda till stora utsläpp av växthusgaser. Ökad produktion av biodrivmedel i ett land kan leda till att annan produktion trängs undan, vilket i förlängningen kan leda till omvandling av skogs- eller betesmark till jordbruksmark i andra länder; detta benämns ofta

Host defense peptides are key components of the innate immune system, providing multi-facetted responses to invading pathogens. Here, we describe that the peptide GKS26 (GKSRIQRLNILNAKFAFNLYRVLKDQ), corresponding to the A domain of heparin cofactor II (HCII), ameliorates experimental septic shock. The peptide displays antimicrobial effects through direct membrane disruption, also at physiological

Even enterprises with very advanced management systems seldom monitor efficiency of energy usage and materials flows within their processes and have, therefore, difficulty to effectively manage their resource efficiency. This paper is built upon experiences from a pilot implementation of a new tool for promotion of energy management and cleaner production, developed within the Energy Management an

This chapter explores homesickness of the Swedish colonial employees in the settlement of New Sweden and pays attention to the potential role of material culture in instigating feelings of longing. In the seventeenth century, in the age of wars fought far from home, colonial expansion and transoceanic resettlements, homesickness became a considerable social problem. In 1688, Johannes Hofer, a Swis

PURPOSE: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in flattening-filter free (FFF) beams. However, since the removal of the flattening filter will affect both the mean and the variance of the energy spectrum, current beam-quality specifiers may not be adequate for reference dosimetry in such beams. The purpose of this work was to investigate an alternative, more general beam-quality s