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Industrial biotechnology has been defined as the use and application of biotechnology for the sustainable processing and production of chemicals, materials and fuels. It makes use of biocatalysts such as microbial communities, whole-cell microorganisms or purified enzymes. Although biocatalysts are considered advantageous, since they operate under mild conditions regarding temperature and pH and e

This licentiate thesis in industrial design concerns the challenge and opportunity to meet the demographic changes and the future senior market. The aim is to explore how various user-centered design methods can be combined, modified and practiced to create conditions for the design of totally new or improved products. Design is understood as a process to develop solutions with the starting point

Recent alcohol consumption is all established risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or the upper aero-digestive tract. In contrast, the role or lifetime exposure to alcohol with regard to risk of SCC is not well established. Historical data oil alcohol use are available in 271,253 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). During 2,330,381 pers

Introduction Aggrecanase cleavage at the (392)Glu-(393)Ala bond in the interglobular domain (IGD) of aggrecan, releasing N-terminal (393)ARGS fragments, is an early key event in arthritis and joint injuries. Here, we use a quantitative immunoassay of aggrecan ARGS neoepitope fragments in human synovial fluid to determine if this cleavage-site specific method better identifies joint pathology than

The association of L-type Ca(2+) channels to the secretory granules and its functional significance to secretion was investigated in mouse pancreatic B cells. Nonstationary fluctuation analysis showed that the B cell is equipped with <500 alpha1(C) L-type Ca(2+) channels, corresponding to a Ca(2+) channel density of 0.9 channels per microm(2). Analysis of the kinetics of exocytosis during voltage-

Axonal injury is a hallmark of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Following central nervous system injury, axons regenerate poorly, in part due to the presence of molecules associated with myelin that inhibit axonal outgrowth, including myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG). The involvement of MAG in neurobehavioral deficits and tissue loss following experi

Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an abnormal CAG repeat expansion within exon 1 of the huntingtin gene HTT. While several genetic modifiers, distinct from the Huntington's disease locus itself, have been identified as being linked to the clinical expression and progression of Huntington's disease, the exact molecular mechanisms driving its pathogenic cascade and clini

Objectives To study regional cerebral blood perfusion with power Doppler ultrasound (PDU) imaging in appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) fetuses and those with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) at different hemodynamic stages of fetal deterioration. Methods Brain blood perfusion was studied with PDU imaging, and the fractional moving blood volume (FMB V) was estimated in 56 growth-restricte

Context: The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, vildagliptin, inhibits glucagon secretion at hyperglycemia but appears to enhance glucagon counterregulation during hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes.Objective:The objective of the investigation was to study whether vildagliptin also improves α-cell function in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Patients and Methods: The study was a single-center, double-blind, ra

Background: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and a decreased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, little is known about the risk of EAC and ESCC related to other metabolic risk factors. We aimed to examine the risk of EAC and ESCC in relation to metabolic risk factors, separately and combined in a prospective cohort study. Metho

OBJECTIVE - We assessed the association between A1C and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in an observational study of patients with type 1 diabetes followed for 5 years. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - A total of 7,454 patients were studied from the Swedish National Diabetes Register (aged 20-65 years, diabetes duration 1-35 years, followed from 2002 to 2007). RESULTS - Hazard ratios (HRs) for fatal/n

Background. In metastatic colorectal cancer, mutation testing for KRAS exon 2 is widely implemented to select patients with wild-type tumors for treatment with the monocloncal anti-EGFR antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab. The added predictive value of additional biomarkers in the RAS-RAF-MAPK and PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathways in colorectal cancer is uncertain, which led us to systematically review the

Background: Blood lead concentrations (B-Pb) were measured in 3 879 Swedish school children during the period 1978-2007. The objective was to study the effect of the proximity to lead sources based on the children's home and school location. Methods: The children's home address and school location were geocoded and their proximity to a lead smelter and major roads was calculated using geographical

Objectives To describe the clinical and ultrasound characteristics of granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) of the ovary, and to define the ultrasound appearance of GCTs based on pattern recognition. Methods Databases of four gynecological ultrasound centers were searched to identify patients with histologically proven GCTs who had undergone a standard preoperative ultrasound examination. Results A total o

Background: Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and semi-automatic right ventricular delineation has been proposed as an appropriate method for right ventricle (RV) evaluation. We aimed to examine how manual correction of semi-automatic delineation influences the accuracy of 3DE for RV volumes and function in a clinical adult setting using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) as the reference met

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have emerged as a powerful approach for identifying susceptibility loci associated with polygenetic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, it is still a daunting task to prioritize single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from GWAS for further replication in different population. Several recent studies have shown that genetic var

Background: Recent reviews conclude an association between traffic-related pollution and incidence of asthma in children, but not all studies agree. Studies have almost exclusively relied on parental-reported symptoms or parental-reported diagnoses of asthma and wheeze. Our aim was to investigate if traffic exposure is associated with higher incidence of early onset asthma, using registry-based ou

Background and purpose - Treatment of Dupuytren's contracture (DC) with collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) consists of injection followed by finger manipulation. We used a modified method, injecting a higher dose than recommended on the label into several parts of the cord, which allows treatment of multiple joint contractures in 1 session and may increase efficacy. We studied the occurren

Aims To evaluate premature mortality and causes of death from young adulthood to middle age in a cohort of drug users followed during almost four decades Design Follow-up study of a consecutive cohort of patients with drug abuse/dependence. Methods A cohort of 561 drug abusers, admitted to a detoxification and short-term rehabilitation unit 1970–1978 was followed to December 31st, 2006. Standard