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The response of soil microbial activity to climate warming has been predicted to have a large destabilising effect on the carbon cycle. However, the nature of this feedback remains poorly understood, especially in tropical ecosystems and across annual to decadal timescales. We studied the response of bacterial community growth to 2 and 11 years of altered temperature regimes, by translocating soil
Shiga toxin (Stx), the unique virulence factor released by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), associated with gastrointestinal infection and in severe cases hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Up until now, no effective therapies have been developed to control disease progression. In this thesis, four novel treatment strategies have been investigated targeting different aspects of EHEC pathog
The transcription factor SOX2 is a well-established and important stem cell marker. Its role in cancer biology remains unclear, but it has been proposed to also be a marker of cancer stem cells. We investigated the role of SOX2 protein expression in women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) to determine its potential prognostic and treatment predictive value. We constructed a tissue micr
The primary objective was to estimate serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity, reflecting total body cell proliferation rate including cancer cell proliferation, in women with loco regional inoperable or metastatic breast cancer participating in a prospective and randomized study. Secondary objectives were to analyze TK1 in relation to progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), therap
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between maximum oxygen uptake (VO2PEAK) and body fat in young children on a population-based level. Methods: Participants were 586 children (311 boys and 275 girls) aged 6.8 +/- 0.4 years, recruited from a population-based cohort. VO2PEAK was measured by indirect calorimetry during a maximal exercise test. Percent body fat (BF%) wa
The Italian Sarcoma Group and the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group designed a joint study to improve the prognosis for patients with Ewing's family tumors and synchronous metastatic disease limited to the lungs, or the pleura, or a single bone. The study was opened in 1999 and closed to the enrollment in 2008. The program consisted of intensive five-drug combination chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiothe
In neuroblastoma (NB) patients, minimal residual disease (MRD) can be detected by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) using NB-specific target genes, such as PHOX2B and TH. However, it is unknown whether the mRNA levels of these targets vary either during treatment or at relapse. If marker genes are not stably expressed, estimation of MRD levels in bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood will be hamper
Background: As a widely distributed and aerial migratory bird, the Common Swift (Apus apus) flies over a wide geographic range in Eurasia and Africa during migration. Although some studies have revealed the migration routes and phenology of European populations, A. a. apus (from hereon the nominate apus), the route used by its East Asian counterpart A. a. pekinensis (from hereon pekinensis) remain
The current paper presents the results of behavioural observations in a field experiment with automated shuttles in Oslo, Norway. Video observations were conducted at five fixed locations along a challenging 1.2 km automated shuttle line with varying traffic conditions. Observed interactions between vulnerable road users and automated shuttles were coded using a predefined codebook, which allowed
Aim: To investigate the predictive ability of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) Motor Index, in children born extremely preterm (<27 gestational weeks) without cerebral palsy. Methods: Children from the EXPRESS study (all extremely preterm births in Sweden, 2004–2007) without neurosensory impairments assessed with Bayley-III at 2.5 years corrected age
The growing need for human-machine interfaces (HMIs) underscores the importance of sensory feedback, with electrical stimulation offering efficient interaction in various applications. While its sensory effects are extensively studied, investigations into the reaction time (RT) following transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate how stimulation parame
Cutibacterium acnes is one of the most abundant bacteria on the skin. Being exposed to oxygen and oxic stress, the secretion of the bacterial antioxidant protein RoxP ensures an endogenous antioxidant system for the preservation of skin health. To investigate the impact of the antioxidant RoxP on oxidation of the bacteria, wildtype and an isogenic roxp mutant were cultured in anaerobic and oxic co
Background: Congestion is associated with poor prognosis in cardiac amyloidosis (CA). The cardio-hepatic interaction and the prognostic impact of secondary liver affection by cardiac congestion in CA are poorly understood and require further characterisation. Methods: Participants of the amyloidosis cohort study AmyKoS at the Interdisciplinary Amyloidosis Centre of Northern Bavaria with proven tra
Substrate properties can affect the thermal balance of organisms, and the colored integument, alongside other factors, may influence heat transfer via differential absorption and reflection. Dark coloration may lead to higher heat absorption and could be advantageous when substrates are cool (and vice versa for bright coloration), but these effects are rarely investigated. Here, we examined the ef
THE LITTLE STINT Calidris minuta is an Arctic wader species that migrates through the Baltic Sea region towards wintering areas in North and West Africa and the Mediterranean region. We use a 75-year trapping series, comprising 4,791 Little Stints on autumn migration, from Ottenby Bird Observatory in Sweden to illustrate long-term trends in abundance, phenology, and morphometrics. Numbers of trapp
The transglucosylation reaction catalyzed by wild-type β-glucosidase CelB from hyperthermophilic Pyrococcus furiosus and active site mutants (M424K, F426Y, M424K/F426Y) was studied. The conversion of pentyl-β-glucoside to hexyl-β-glucoside in hexanol was used as a model transglucosylation reaction. Hydrolysis to glucose was a side reaction. The activity (rates of hydrolysis and transglucosylation)
Aims: Recently, drug-eluting balloons have received a guideline class IIa recommendation in the treatment of in-stent restenosis after bare metal stent implantation. It is not known if different balloons perform equally. Using a large real world registry, restenosis frequency was reported for two drug-eluting balloons. Methods and results: From April 2009 until September 2011, 1,129 patients w
Systolic tissue Doppler measurements (s') have been used to measure the velocity in myocardial motion and are a valuable tool for evaluating the systolic function of the left and right ventricles. Digestion of food is known to significantly alter hemodynamics and may therefore affect s'. The effect of food intake on s' parameters has not yet been studied. We assessed whether s' is affected by food
