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Objective: The insulin responsive adiponutrin (PNPLA3 or ADPN) gene shows association with obesity and in vitro adipocyte lipolysis. This study aimed to replicate the association between PNPLA3 variants and obesity, and to investigate their effect on insulin resistance and beta-cell function. Methods: rs738409 (Met148Ile) and rs2072907 (C to G) were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination as
Platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGFB) is necessary for normal cardiovascular development, but the relative importance of different cellular sources of PDGFB has not been established. Using Cre-lox techniques, we show here that genetic ablation of Pdgfb in endothelial cells leads to impaired recruitment of pericytes to blood vessels. The endothelium-restricted Pdgfb knockout mutants also develop
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of total plasma protein adducts (TPPA) of 2 sensitizing low-molecular-weight allergens, hexahydrophthalic anhydride (HHPA) and methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA), as biomarkers of long-term exposure. METHODS: Urine samples from occupationally exposed workers were analyzed for the levels of urinary metabolites of HHPA and MH
We studied host selection and exploitation, two crucial aspects of parasite ecology, in Achrysocharoides parasitoid wasps, which show remarkable host specificity and unusual offspring sex allocation. We estimated a molecular phylogeny of 15 Achrysocharoides species and compared this with host (plant and insect) phylogenies. This tri-trophic phylogenetic comparison provides no evidence for cospecia
The scope of this work is a new methodology to correct conventional near-infrared (NIR) data for scattering effects. The technique aims at measuring the absorption coefficient of the samples rather than the total attenuation measured in conventional NIR spectroscopy. The main advantage of this is that the absorption coefficient is independent of the path length of the light inside the sample and t
Background and purpose: The purpose of this work was a comparison of realistic IMRT plans based on the same CT-image data set and a common predefined set of dose objectives for the planning target volume and the organs at risk. This work was part of the larger European QUASIMODO IMRT verification project. Materials and methods: Eleven IMRT. plans were produced by nine different European groups, ea
The temporal confinement of high harmonic generation (HHG) via modulation of the polarization of the fundamental pulse is studied in both temporal and spectral domains. In the temporal domain, a collinear cross-correlation setup using a 40 fs IR pump for the HHG and a 9 fs IR pulse to probe the generated emission is used to measure the XUV pulse duration. The observed temporal confinement is found
The surface pressure–molecular area (–A) relationship for spread layers of the high molecular-weight glutenin subunit 1Dx5, a 58 kDa peptide derived from the central repetitive domain of the subunit, and an -gliadin fraction was measured by means of a surface film balance (Langmuir trough). The aqueous phase was a 10 mM acetate buffer, pH 4.0, either with or without 100 mM NaCl. Subunit 1Dx5 gener
Cytokines direct the differentiation of naive CD4(+) T cells into either IFN-gamma-producing T(h)1 cells or IL-4-producing T(h)2 cells. In this study, we analyzed the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1, STAT3 and STAT5 (together with STAT4 and STAT6), and the expression of the recently identified suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins, in differentiat
The present study involves the synthesis of sulfonated poly(3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane), sPTMPO, by end-capping the hydroxy-groups in the PTMPO with 1,4-butane sultone. A series of the polymer with different degrees of substitution was investigated. Furthermore, the subsequent use of the sulfonated PTMPO as the acidic component in proton conducting membranes was explored. The membranes were
The formation of acrylamide in potato crisps was fitted by empirical mathematical models. Potato slices were fried under the same experimental conditions for different times. Besides the content of precursors in the raw potato slices, acrylamide and water content in the potato crisps were quantified after predetermined times (2-6 min). The temperature developments in the surrounding oil and outer
A series of resonant Auger-electron spectra excited at selected photon energies across the O 1s -> Rydberg resonances in O-2 has been measured. Applying a spectator-electron shake relaxation model originally introduced for atomic resonant Auger-electron spectra, and using, to a large extent, the assignments for the core-excited resonances available from the literature, many of the observed spectat
Ro 25-1553 is a metabolically stable analogue of endogenous vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). This compound is a potent bronchodilator in vitro as well as in vivo. Moreover, Ro 25-1553 has been shown to be highly selective of the VPAC2 receptor. We assessed the effect of Ro 25-1553 on isolated human bronchi and pulmonary arteries in vitro. Macroscopically normal human airways and pulmonary
An increasing incidence of testicular cancer has been reported from several western countries during the last decades. According to current hypothesis testicular cancer is initiated during the foetal period and exposure to endocrine disruptors such as some persistent organic pollutants has been of concern. We have previously reported the results for concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB
U.S. studies have reported an increased risk of esophageal and some other cancers in dry cleaners exposed to tetrachloroethylene. We investigated whether the U.S. findings could be reproduced in the Nordic countries using a series of case-control studies nested in cohorts of laundry and dry-cleaning workers identified from the 1970 censuses in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Dry-cleaning wor
Popular Abstract in Swedish Kliniska och experimentella studier av kortisonallergi Kortisonämnen har använts sedan 1950 talets början för att behandla olika hudsjukdomar såsom eksem och psoriasis. Redan 1959 kom de första rapporterna om kontaktallergi mot hydrokortison, ett kroppseget kortisonämne. Senare studier har visat att 4–5 % av alla patienter som allergitestas med så kallat lapptest (epikuCorticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative substances that also can induce sensitization, mainly through skin contact. In a sensitized individual, it can be hard to disclose the contact allergy at patch testing because the anti-inflammatory effect may mask the allergic contact reaction. This is primarily seen when patch testing to potent corticosteroids is performed and the readi
Popular Abstract in Swedish Diabetes mellitus är en kronisk sjukdom som orsakas av en oförmåga att bilda och/eller känna av insulinets effekt i vävnaderna, vilket leder till förhöjda blodsockervärden. Diabetes som debuterar i unga år och där insulinproduktionen oftast är upphävd klassas som typ 1 diabetes. Typ 2 diabetes debuterar senare i livet och här finns olika grader av insulinproduktion kvarDiabetic retinopathy is a common complication to diabetes mellitus and is still a major cause of impaired vision in the Western world. The aim of the present study was to identify medical risk factors influencing the development and progression of retinopathy in type 1 diabetic patients, and to investigate the effects of laser treatment on visual acuity and glare. Although the development of sigh
Popular Abstract in Swedish Systemisk lupus erythematosus (SLE) är en autoimmun reumatisk systemsjukdom som drabbar flera av kroppens olika organsystem, såsom rörelseapparat, hud och inre organ. Vidare ses en mångfald störningar i kroppens immunsystem. Sjukdomen drabbar oftast kvinnor. Vad som orsakar SLE är ännu så länge ofullständigt klarlagt, men man vet att yttre faktorer (miljöfaktorer) samveSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease in which environmental factors interact with genetic factors in the development of the disease process and evolution of clinical manifestations. In this thesis both exogenous factors and host factors were investigated, as well as important immunopathological aspects including involvement of immune complex (IC), the complement syste
