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Exacerbations are the key drivers in the costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The objective was to examine the costs of COPD exacerbations in relation to differing degrees of severity of exacerbations and of COPD. We identified 202 subjects with COPD, defined according to the BTS and ERS criteria. Exacerbations were divided into mild (self-managed), mild/moderate (telephone conta
Lipid A (a hexaacylated 1,4' bisphosphate) is a potent immune stimulant for TLR4/MD-2. Upon lipid A ligation, the TLR4/MD-2 complex dimerizes and initiates signal transduction. Historically, studies also suggested the existence of TLR4/MD-2-independent LPS signaling. In this article, we define the role of TLR4 and MD-2 in LPS signaling by using genome-wide expression profiling in TLR4- and MD-2-de
The increasing demand for solid biofuels, such as logging residue fuels, has highlighted the importance of considering that, in contrast to fossil fuels, biofuels are produced in dynamic ecosystems. The environmental effects of changes in management policy, whether positive and negative, are not obvious. For example, calculations of the carbon budget in single forest stands show that the carbon ba
Popular Abstract in Swedish Personer som drabbas av hjärtstopp riskerar grava hjärnskador p.g.a. brist på blodflöde till hjärnan. Patienterna blir ofta långvarigt medvetslösa och vårdas på intensiv¬vårdsavdelning i respirator. Risken för hjärnskada kan minskas med kyl¬behandling. Under kylbehandlingen, cirka 1.5 dygn, får patienten sederande och ev. muskelavslappnande medicin för att minska ”huttrAbstract Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is the only treatment available to reduce neurological sequels for unconscious patients following cardiac arrest (CA). TH requires sedation and muscular relaxation, obscuring the clinical neurological examination for estimation of prognosis, and clinical decision making. Continuous amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) has been used to predict outcome in neonates
Background: Despite virtually identical DNA sequences between the sexes, sexual dimorphism is a widespread phenomenon in nature. To a large extent the systematic differences between the sexes must therefore arise from processes involving gene regulation. In accordance, sexual dimorphism in gene expression is common and extensive. Genes with sexually dimorphic regulation are known to evolve rapidly
Objectives - In patients with large middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarcts, maximum brain swelling leading to cerebral herniation and death usually occurs 25 days after onset of stroke. The study aimed at exploring the pattern of compounds related to cerebral energy metabolism in infarcted brain tissue. Methods - Forty-four patients with malignant MCA infarcts were included after decision to perfor
The influence of adding poly(acrylic acids) of two different chain lengths (PAA(25) and PAA(6000)) on the phase behaviour of the amphiphilic triblock copolymer Pluronic (R) P104 (P104 = (EO)(27)(PO)(61)(EO)(27), where EO = ethylene oxide, PO = propylene oxide) in H2O was investigated. The resulting phase equilibria and structures were investigated by visual inspection, using crossed polarizers, an
We review approaches to predicting carbon and nitrogen allocation in forest models in terms of their underlying assumptions and their resulting strengths and limitations. Empirical and allometric methods are easily developed and computationally efficient, but lack the power of evolution-based approaches to explain and predict multifaceted effects of environmental variability and climate change. In
Popular Abstract in Swedish Östrogen är ett av de viktigaste/ mest studerade kvinnliga könshormonerna som styr utvecklingen av våra fortplantningsorgan och deras reproduktionsförmåga. Östrogen påverkar dessutom många av kroppens andra organ, bland annat hjärnan, skelettet, och hjärt-kärlsystemet. Mängden östrogen som finns i kroppen varierar vanligtvis under menstruationscykeln och med kvinnans ålEstrogen effects are mediated either through genomic action involving the classical estrogen receptors, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and beta (ERß), which function as transcription factors in the nucleus, or through rapid non-genomic action via receptors associated with plasma membrane. Recently, a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family was ascribed estrogen receptor properties and propo
Background: SoPIP2;1 constitutes one of the major integral proteins in spinach leaf plasma membranes and belongs to the aquaporin family. SoPIP2;1 is a highly permeable and selective water channel that has been successfully overexpressed and purified with high yields. In order to optimize reconstitution of the purified protein into biomimetic systems, we have here for the first time characterized
Permafrost in peatlands of subarctic Sweden is presently thawing at accelerated rates, which raises questions about the destiny of stored carbon and nutrients and impacts on adjacent freshwater ecosystems. In this study we use peat and lake sediment records from the Stordalen palsa mire in northern Sweden to address the late Holocene (5,000 cal BP-present) development of the mire as well as relate
Background: The orally active quinoline-3-carboxamide tasquinimod [ABR-215050; CAS number 254964-60-8), which currently is in a phase II-clinical trial in patients against metastatic prostate cancer, exhibits anti-tumor activity via inhibition of tumor angiogenesis in human and rodent tumors. To further explore the mode of action of tasquinimod, in vitro and in vivo experiments with gene microarra
A carbon nanotube forest provides a unique non-stick surface for nanomanipulation, as the nanostructuring of the surface allows micro- and nanoscale objects to be easily removed after first being deposited via a liquid dispersion. A common problem for smooth surfaces is the strong initial stiction caused by adhesion forces after deposition onto the surface. In this work, carbon nanotube forests fa
Popular Abstract in Swedish Vi har undersökt hur och varför streptokocker orsakar sjukdom. Vi började med att undersöka hur proteiner på bakterieytan interagerar med det så kallade kontaktsystemet, som är en del av immunförsvaret och blodlevringen. Vi fann att det bildades en inflammatorisk signalmolekyl och ett bakteriedödande proteinfragment men bakteriens ytproteiner skyddade mot det. Att bakteThis thesis explores streptococcal virulence from both mechanistic and evolutionary perspectives, where the mechanistic studies focus on interactions with the human coagulation system. We describe interactions between streptococcal surface proteins and components of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation and the kallikrein-kinin system in human plasma, as well as to how these surface proteins are pr
Background: Poor mental health is a major issue worldwide and causality is complex. For diseases with multifactorial background synergistic effects of person-and place-factors can potentially be preventive. Nature is suggested as one such positive place-factor. In this cohort study we tested the effect of defined green qualities (Serene, Space, Wild, Culture, Lush) in the environment at baseline o
Amplification of 8p12-p11 is relatively common in breast cancer and several genes within the region have been suggested to affect breast tumor progression. The aim of the study was to map the amplified 8p12-p11 region in a large set of breast tumors in an effort to identify the genetic driver and to explore its impact on tumor progression and prognosis. Copy number alterations (CNAs) were mapped i
Peatland soils store substantial amounts of organic matter (OM). During peat formation, easily decomposable OM is preferentially lost and more recalcitrant moieties accumulate. In a peat profile, OM quality thus scales with depth. Drainage and ongoing climate change poses the risk of rapid OM loss when formerly anoxic peat layers oxidize. During peat decomposition, deeper, more recalcitrant peat i
Elater ferrugineus is a saproxylic click beetle inhabiting old deciduous trees in Europe. It is threatened throughout its area of distribution due to habitat loss. No efficient monitoring method has been available for this species, but observed attraction of females to (R)-(+)-γ-decalactone, which is a male-produced sex pheromone of its prey, the scarab beetle Osmoderma eremita, has led to the dev
Experimental work in turbid media has shown that transillumination images can be significantly improved by limiting light collection to a subset of photons which are minimally distorted by scattering. The literature details numerous schemes (commonly termed ballistic imaging), most often based on time-gating and/or spatially filtering the detected light. However, due to the complex nature of the d
