Interferon (IFN)-β exerts anti-inflammatory effects, coupled to remarkable neurological improvements in multiple sclerosis, a neuroinflammatory condition of the central nervous system. Analogously, it has been hypothesized that IFN-β, by limiting inflammation, decreases neuronal death and promotes functional recovery after stroke. However, the core actions of endogenous IFN-β signaling in stroke a

Abstract ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Repeated administration of antibody-based therapies such as radioimmunotherapy depends on preserved antigen expression in tumor lesions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the antigen expression in metastases observed after radioimmunotherapy differs from that of untreated primary tumors. FINDINGS: 30 of the 35 Brown Norway rats with syngeneic colon

Type 1 diabetes (TID) in children and particularly in teenagers and adults is strongly associated with autoreactivity to the Mr 65,000 isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65). Autoantibodies to GAD65 are common at the time of clinical diagnosis and may be present for years prior to the onset of hyperglycemia. GAD65 autoantibodies predict conversion to insulin dependence when present in pati

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of invasive bacterial infections in human newborns. A key GBS virulence factor is its capsular polysaccharide (CPS), displaying terminal sialic acid (Sia) residues which block deposition and activation of complement on the bacterial surface. We recently demonstrated that GBS Sia can bind human CD33-related Sia-recognizing immunoglobulin (Ig) superfami

With some of the highest biodiversity on the planet, the Mediterranean Biome is experiencing a conservation crisis driven by high human population density, development, and habitat fragmentation. While protected areas safeguard some critical habitat, economic realities require conservation efforts in human-dominated landscapes to maintain biodiversity in practice. As an essential component of food

Receding horizon control is a well established approach for control of systems with constraints and nonlinearities. Optimization over an infinite time-horizon, which is often computationally intractable, is therein replaced by a sequence of finite horizon problems. This paper provides a method to quantify the performance degradation that comes with this approximation. Results are provided for prob

Multi-proxy analysis was performed on a radiocarbon-dated core, collected from a relic oxbow lake in the Limpopo River-plain, Mozambique, with the aim to reconstruct paleo-environment and past flooding of the lower river system over the past c. 800 years. An additional objective was to evaluate and investigate the potential use of different proxies as recorders of paleo-flooding events and paleo-e

Biotechnology offers extensive possibilities to incorporate new traits into organisms. Genetically modified (GM) traits relevant for agro-ecosystems include traits such as pest resistance and herbicide tolerance in crop plants, increased growth rate in fish and livestock, and enhanced nitrogen-fixation capabilities of soil microbes. In this review, we evaluated the direct and indirect trait-specif

Background: The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of left ventricular systolic (LVSD) and diastolic (LVDD) dysfunction, and to test if BNP and urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) are related to LVSD, LVD and left ventricular mass (LVM) in asymptomatic type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: Presence of LVSD, LVDD and LVM, determined with echocardiography, was related to levels of BNP

Abstract in Undetermined Background: Measured or modeled levels of outdoor air pollution are being used as proxies for individual exposure in a growing number of epidemiological studies. We studied the accuracy of such approaches, in comparison with measured individual levels, and also combined modeled levels for each subject's workplace with the levels at their residence to investigate the influe

DNA methylation at CpG dinucleotides is modified in tumorigenesis with potential impact on transcriptional activity.

Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by the inability of the organism to autonomously regulate the blood glucose levels. It requires continuing medical care to prevent acute complications and to reduce the risk of long-term complications. Inadequate glucose control is associated with damage, dysfunction and failure of various organs. The management of the disease is non trivial

In this work three in vitro methods for the measurement of mucoadhesion have been compared: ellipsometry, tensile strength and rheology. The conditions used for the three methods have been as similar as possible. Six different polymers were investigated: sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), chitosan, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and two cross-linked polyacrylic acids,

Background: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has been proposed to play a detrimental role in stroke. We recently showed that MIF promotes neuronal death and aggravates neurological deficits during the first week after experimental stroke, in mice. Since MIF regulates tissue inflammation, we studied the putative role of MIF in post-stroke inflammation. Methods: We subjected C57BL/6 mice

Popular Abstract in Swedish Att bär är nyttigt är ett påstående som de flesta känner igen. På butikshyllorna trängs våra nordiska bär med exotiska ”superbär” som utlovar att göra oss friska. Men vilka hälsoeffekter kan egentligen uppnås genom att äta bär? Är vissa bär mer nyttiga än andra? Forskningsresultaten som presenteras i denna avhandling visar att lingon, svarta vinbär och blåbär kan motverThe increasing prevalence of obesity is a worldwide health problem closely linked to diet and lifestyle factors. Obesity is associated with increased risk of several metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. Hence, there is a great need to identify dietary strategies for the prevention of obesity and related diseases. This thesis invest

Sugarcane bagasse was subjected to steam pretreatment impregnated with hydrogen peroxide. Analyses were performed using 2(3) factorial designs and enzymatic hydrolysis was performed at two different solid concentrations and with washed and unwashed material to evaluate the importance of this step for obtaining high cellulose conversion. Similar cellulose conversion were obtained at different condi

A majority of the machining processes in the industry of today is performed using position-controlled machine tools, where conservative feed rates have to be used in order to avoid excessive process forces. By instead controlling the process forces, the feed rate, and consequently the material removal rate, can be maximized. In turn, this leads to decreased cycle times and cost savings. Furthermor

Mineralkvävegödsel är en av förutsättningarna för de höga skördenivåer som uppnåtts i det industrialiserade, moderna jordbruket. I Sverige finns idag ingen inhemsk produktion av mineralkvävegödsel, utan hela efterfrågan tillgodoses med import från utlandet. Produktionen är idag baserad på fossila resurser, vilka används både som råvara för produktionen och som energi för att driva processerna. Vi Mineral nitrogen fertilizer is one of the main reasons for the high yields in modern, industrial agriculture. There is currently no production of mineral nitrogen fertilizer in Sweden – the entire demand is met by imports from abroad. Global production is at present based on fossil resources, which are used both as raw materials for the production and as energy to fuel the process. We are thus dep