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Objective: This study was conducted to characterize the effects of vildagliptin on beta-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes and mild hyperglycemia. Design: A 52-wk double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study comparing vildagliptin (50 mg qd) and placebo was conducted in 306 patients with mild hyperglycemia (A1C = 6.2-7.5%). Plasma glucose and C-peptide levels were measured during sta
Environmental levels of airborne carcinogenic and related substances are comparatively better known than individual exposure and its determinants. We report on a personal monitoring program involving five Swedish urban populations. The aim of the program was to investigate personal exposure to benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The measurements were performed among 4
Background: To linguistically validate and culturally adapt the Evaluation of Daily Activity Questionnaire (EDAQ) for use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from Swedish to British English. The EDAQ is a patient reported outcome measure of daily activity ability. It includes 11 activity domains (Eating and Drinking; Personal Care; Dressing; Bathing; Cooking; Moving Indoors; House Cleaning; Laundry; Movi
A spectrophotometric assay for plasmin and plasminogen-derived activity in dairy products was optimised and extended to determine plasmin and plasminogen-derived activity in turbid samples of dairy products. The method was validated by assessing reproducibility, repeatability, level of detection and recovery of plasmin activity in different sample matrices. Plasmin activity in raw milk was not aff
Noncoding variants at human chromosome 9p21 near CDKN2A and CDKN2B are associated with type 2 diabetes(1-4), myocardial infarction(5-7), aneurysm(8), vertical cup disc ratio(9) and at least five cancers(10-16). Here we compare approaches to more comprehensively assess genetic variation in the region. We carried out targeted sequencing at high coverage in 47 individuals and compared the results to
Kuannersuit Glacier, a valley glacier on Disko Island in west Greenland, experienced a major surge from 1995 to 1998 where the glacier advanced 10.5 km and produced a similar to 65 m thick stacked sequence of debris-rich basal ice and meteoric glacier ice. The aim of this study is to describe the tectonic evolution of large englacial thrusts and the processes of basal ice formation using a multipr
Wood decay mechanisms in Agaricomycotina have been traditionally separated in two categories termed white and brown rot. Recently the accuracy of such a dichotomy has been questioned. Here, we present the genome sequences of the white-rot fungus Cylindrobasidium torrendii and the brown-rot fungus Fistulina hepatica both members of Agaricales, combining comparative genomics and wood decay experimen
Caterpillars of the mining micro-moth Phyllocnistis labyrinthella feed on leaves of aspen (Populus tremula) and are often parasitized by eulophid wasps. The parasitoids are a potential important cause of death for the miners. During 2009-2011 we collected mined leaves from an experimental stand of aspen trees in Västerbotten. Adults emerged from 17-35 percent of the mines and of these every second
Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) is associated with a precursor condition, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) of immunoglobulin-M (IgM) type. The etiology of these conditions is unknown. Recent studies at the population level have provided new data regarding familial aggregation of these disorders and other B-cell malignancies. Studies of familial clusters of WM have dem
Popular Abstract in Icelandic SUMMARY IN ICELANDIC Samantekt á íslensku Hlutfall eldra fólks í Evrópu sem og annars staðar í heiminum hefur aukist og þá sérstaklega þeirra sem eru 80 ára og eldri. Vegna hrumleika og langvinnra sjúkdóma er líklegt að þessi aldurshópur þarfnist aðstoðar frá hinu opinbera, m. a. vistunar á hjúkrunarheimilum. Því má ætla að á komandi árum muni hjúkrunarheimilin standThe overall aim of this thesis was to investigate trends over time in residents’ health status, functional profile and predictors of mortality at admission to Icelandic nursing homes and in addition to determine upper and lower thresholds for Minimum Data Set (MDS) Quality Indicators, to investigate the prevalence of quality indicators over time and their association with the health status and fun
Background: Prostate cancer metastasizes to regional lymph nodes and distant sites but the roles of lymphatic and hematogenous pathways in metastasis are not fully understood. Methods: We studied the roles of VEGF-C and VEGFR3 in prostate cancer metastasis by blocking VEGFR3 using intravenous adenovirus-delivered VEGFR3-Ig fusion protein (VEGFR3-Ig) and by ectopic expression of VEGF-C in PC-3 pros
Autonomic dysfunction is a well-known feature in neurodegenerative dementias, especially common in α-synucleinopathies like dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease with dementia. The most common symptoms are orthostatic hypotension, incontinence and constipation, but its relevance in clinical practice is poorly understood. There are no earlier studies addressing the influence of autonomi
Background: Climate change affects human health in various ways. Health planners and policy makers are increasingly addressing potential health impacts of climate change. Ethiopia is vulnerable to these impacts. Assessing students' knowledge, understanding and perception about the health impact of climate change may promote educational endeavors to increase awareness of health impacts linked to cl
Several studies on the use of erythropoietin (Epo) to treat anaemia in patients undergoing cancer treatment have shown adverse effects on tumour control and survival. Experimental studies indicate that this could be linked to an interaction with wound healing processes and not an effect on tumour cells per se. We have previously shown that erythropoietin in combination with surgical trauma stimula
The shear-induced transformations between oriented planar lamellae and a state of closely packed multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) in a lyotropic nonionic surfactant model system were studied by the combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and diffusometry with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). H-2 NMR imaging confirmed the discontinuous nature of the transition from onions to plan
The random phase approximation (RPA) monopole strength and the unperturbed particle-hole excitation strength are studied, in which the strength in the continuum is properly treated without discretizing unbound particle spectra. The model is the self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculation and the RPA Green's function method with Skyrme interactions. Numerical examples are the Ni isotopes, especially N
A Monte-Carlo simulation package has been developed to model the response of a detector system for ion identification used in conjunction with ion separators following nuclear reactions. The simulation is written predominantly using the GEANT4 framework but utilises the ion transport code MOCADI for accurate separator and reaction modelling. A novel MOCADI-GEANT4 interface has been developed to ut
The pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease is dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta neurons and accumulation of α-synuclein containing aggregates in the surviving neurons. The cause of cell death in Parkinson’s disease and the involvement of α-synuclein in the pathophysiology of the disease are unknown. Although other neuronal cell types exhibit α-synuclein pos
