Exosomes, which are lipid bilayer membrane vesicles, have been implicated as carriers of biological macromolecules. In recent years, the functions of exosomes in the spreading of pathological conversion of proteins among neurons have drawn particular attention in Parkinson's disease research. Extracellular α-synuclein is proven to be associated with exosomes in vivo and in vitro. The contents of t

The immune responses to antigens from different stages of the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) life cycle were investigated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) to gain knowledge of EBV’s involvement in the etiology of systemic autoimmune diseases (SADs) and for an overview of the humoral immune responses against EBV. Inves

Aim: To evaluate the impact on parental stress of an individualised neonatal parent support programme. Method: A quasi-experimental design. Parents of preterm infants, at a level II NICU, were consecutively assigned to a control group (n = 130) and to an intervention group (n = 101). The programme focused on person-centred communication and consisted of four individual nurse–parent dialogues durin

Background: Following reversal of short periods of ureteral obstruction (UO), glomerular and tubular renal dysfunction recovers with time. Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects glomerular function; thus, the ability of diabetic kidneys to recover from UO may be impaired. This study investigated the effects of long-term DM on the recovery of glomerular and tubular function, as well as permeability of the

Background: Our aim was to study the association between the country of birth and incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in several immigrant groups in Sweden, using individuals born in Sweden or with Swedish-born parents as referents. Methods: A cohort study of first- and second-generation immigrants residing in Sweden between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2012 was performed. Outcomes were d

Context: The current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union includes three greening measures, which are partly intended to benefit farmland biodiversity. However, the relative biodiversity effects of the greening measures, including joint effects of landscape context, are not well understood. Objectives: We studied the effects of increasing crop diversity, proportions of production

There is limited research that evaluates occupational therapy and lifestyle interventions,especially for mental health service users. This thesis provides increased knowledge and understanding of the processes and factors that led to betterquality of everyday life, engagement in meaningful activities, and balance forparticipants who took part in the Balancing Everyday Life (BEL) intervention.BEL w

Metabolic syndrome and diabetes impact brain function and metabolism. While it is well established that rodents exposed to diets rich in saturated fat develop brain dysfunction, contrasting results abound in the literature, likely as result of exposure to different high-fat diet (HFD) compositions and for varied periods of time. In the present study, we investigated alterations of hippocampal-depe

PURPOSE: Determine the feasibility of 1 H-[13 C] MRS in the mouse hypothalamus using a 14.1T magnet.METHODS: We optimized the design of a 1 H-[13 C] surface coil to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of 1 H-[13 C] MRS in the mouse hypothalamus. With enhanced signal, 13 C accumulation in glucose metabolites was measured in a 8.7 µL voxel in the hypothalamus of 5 healthy mice during the continuous a

Diabetes affects the morphology and plasticity of the hippocampus, and leads to learning and memory deficits. Caffeine has been proposed to prevent memory impairment upon multiple chronic disorders with neurological involvement. We tested whether long-term caffeine consumption prevents type 2 diabetes (T2D)-induced spatial memory impairment and hippocampal alterations, including synaptic degenerat

From epidemiological studies it is known that diabetes patients display increased risk of developing dementia. Moreover, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are also accompanied by impaired glucose homeostasis and insulin signalling. Although there is plenty of evidence for a connection between insulin-resistant diabetes and AD, definitive linking mechanisms remain elusive. Cerebrova

Different presynaptic neuromodulation systems have been explored as possible targets to manage neurodegenerative diseases. However, most studies used young adult animals whereas neurodegenerative diseases are prevalent in the elderly. Thus, we now explored by Western blot analysis how the density of different presynaptic markers and receptors changes with aging in rat hippocampal synaptosomes (pur

In the hippocampus, impaired neurophysiology, compromised neurogenesis, and eventually apoptosis accompany cognitive deficits in insulinopenic (type-1) diabetes (T1D). The underlying pathological mechanisms remain to be defined. The hippocampus has a high density of the cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB(1)R), which has been shown to control several brain functions affected by diabetes, such as synap

Adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors are neuromodulatory systems that can control mnemonic behavior, which is modified by diabetes. Since the density of these adenosine receptors can change upon chronic noxious brain conditions, we now tested if the density of A(1) and A(2A) receptors was modified in the hippocampus of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The binding density of the selective A(1) r

Pridopidine is a small molecule in clinical development for the treatment of Huntington’s disease. It was recently found to have high binding affinity to the sigma-1 receptor, a chaperone protein involved in cellular defense mechanisms and neuroplasticity. Here, we have evaluated the neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects of pridopidine in a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion model

Diabetes is associated with decrements in cognitive function and with abnormalities in brain morphology. In addition, alterations of metabolism have been reported in the diabetic brain. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive technique that can be employed to determine the concentration of metabolites in a fully non-invasive manner under normal physiological conditions. The present

Cerebral glucose homeostasis is maintained by the equilibrium between glucose transport across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), which occurs through facilitative carriers, and glucose consumption mainly initiated by hexokinase phosphorylation. Glucose concentrations can be quantified non invasively by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and such measurements, through appropriate mathematic

The aim of the study was to identify changes in agricultural practices and periods of agricultural expansion and regression during the last 1,300 years in the South-Swedish Uplands. Sediments from the small lake of Skärpingsgölen (1.2 ha) were used to quantify land-cover at a local scale (c. 1 km radius) in 50-year intervals based on pollen analysis and the LOVE model (Local Vegetation Estimates).