| 1. |
- Aalto, K, et al.
(författare)
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Nerve growth factor in serum of children with systemic lupus erythematosus is correlated with disease activity
- 2002
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Ingår i: Cytokine. - : ACADEMIC PRESS LTD ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 1043-4666 .- 1096-0023. ; 20:3, s. 136-139
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic factor, which is expressed both in the nervous system and in peripheral organs. NGF is also present in mast cells, and in B- and T-lymphocytes, and may play a role in the immune cell development and differentiation. Various cytokines have been shown to affect NGF expression, and NGF is elevated in inflammation and in some autoimmune diseases. Here we have studied NGF concentrations in serum of pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using a two-site enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We have further correlated the levels of NGF to the inflammatory state of the disease. The mean value of serum NGF in SLE patients was significantly increased compared with controls (3346 vs 627 pg/ml). There was a correlation between the activity of SLE and the levels of NGF. The results show that NGF is elevated in childhood SLE and that the levels are correlated with disease activity. The present results suggest that NGF may play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE and may have a prognostic value in evaluating the course of the disease and in outlining the medication. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Aardal-Eriksson, Elisabeth
(författare)
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Salivary cortisol and posttraumatic stress reactions : methodological and applied studies before and after trauma
- 2002
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The field of psychotraumatology has its roots in ancient history. During the past decades, the surveillance of the psychobiological background of reactions to and consequences of traumatic stress has made great progress and the complexity of the human stress response system stands out. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity, modulated by various neuroimmunological substances, seems to play a major role in the stress response. However, there are still inconsistencies in explanations of relationships between biological and psychological changes following traumatic stress. Moreover, the matter of predictive factors for the development of posttraumatic morbidity is still in a speculative phase.The aims of the present thesis were to further develop a commercial serum cortisol radioimmunoassay (RIA) for determination of cortisol in saliva and to test its reliability, specificity and sensitivity as a biochemical assay. The saliva sampling procedures and sample storage stability were also to be tested. Further issues were to investigate determinations of salivary cortisol and serum prolactin in relation to selfratings of posttraumatic psychological distress and general psychological health. Possible predictive and concurrent validity of salivary cortisol as a biochemical marker for posttraumatic psychological distress were to be tested.Cortisol is present in saliva mainly in non-protein form, representing the free, biologically active fraction of the total plasma cortisol concentration. In a first phase of the present thesis, the commercial serum cortisol RIA was modified for determination of cortisol in saliva. The relation between salivary and serum cortisol concentrations was tested. Reference ranges at 8 AM and 10 PM for the salivary cortisol assay were established from 195 healthy subjects. Salivary cortisol concentrations were tested in relation to serum cortisol in estimating adrenocortical function during endocrine dynamic function tests in 37 patients and 13 healthy controls. In testing salivary cortisol as a marker for stress for fieldwork use, a screening study was performed on 66 male rescue workers. Salivary cortisol at 8 AM and 10 PM and serum prolactin were determined and general psychological health and posttraumatic psychological distress were estimated with the self-rating scales General Health Questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale and Posttraumatic Symptom Scale. These scales were used in the second phase of the thesis. Three applied follow-up studies were performed with sampling of salivary cortisol and self-ratings: (a) a study of 31 UN-soldiers five days, two and nine months after a mine accident; (b) a study of 145 UN-soldiers before, at return, and two and six month after a six month mission. (c) a study of 101 UN-soldiers six and twelve months after a six month mission with severe combat exposure.The results from the present thesis indicate that the modified method of salivary cortisol determination possesses sufficient precision, accuracy, sample storage stability and procedural advantages for laboratory, clinical and field application. Moreover, it possesses moderate predictive information and moderate to high concurrent validity as a biochemical marker for posttraumatic psychological distress.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Aardal-Eriksson, Elisabeth, et al.
(författare)
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Salivary cortisol, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and general health in the acute phase and during 9-month follow-up
- 2001
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Ingår i: Biological Psychiatry. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 50:12, s. 986-993
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Because traumatic events are unpredictable, there are few studies of psychobiological states immediately following such events. Our study aimed to determine the relation of salivary cortisol to psychologic distress immediately after a traumatic event and then during follow-up.Methods: Measurement of morning and evening salivary cortisol and ratings of psychologic distress (using the Impact of Events Scale [IES], the Post Traumatic Symptom Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire) were performed with 31 United Nations soldiers at three time points—5 days and 2 and 9 months—following a mine accident in Lebanon.Results: Five days after the accident, 15 subjects reported substantial posttraumatic distress according to the IES, as well as significantly lower morning and higher evening cortisol levels compared with the low-impact group. Within 9 months, the posttraumatic distress of the high-impact group was reduced, accompanied by an increase in morning and a decrease in evening cortisol levels. There were significant relationships between evening cortisol and all rating scales at the first and third time points.Conclusions: Subclinical posttraumatic stress following an adverse event can be measured biologically via salivary cortisol levels soon after the event.
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| 5. |
- Aasmundtveit, K.E., et al.
(författare)
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Structural anisotropy of poly(alkylthiophene) films
- 2000
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 33:8, s. 3120-3127
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The structural anisotropy of various poly(alkylthiophene) films have been studied by X-ray diffraction, using both conventional methods and synchrotron radiation at grazing incidence. Solution-cast films orient with the side chains preferably normal to the film surface, whereas spin-cast films of nonstereoregular material orient with both the main and the side chains in the film plane. For thick (10-50 µm) solution-cast films, the degree of orientation depends strongly on the solvent used for casting, and on the stereoregularity of the polymer, films of stereoregular materials being more oriented than those of nonregular materials. The most oriented nonregular films are those cast from mixtures of chloroform and tetrahydrofuran. Thin (50-500 nm) solution-cast films are more oriented than the thicker ones, and the effects of different stereoregularity or different casting solvents are small. For spin-cast films, the degree of orientation is independent of substrate and solvent. Spin-cast films of stereoregular material have two different phases: One with the side chains normal to the substrate, and another where they are parallel to the substrate. The diffraction peaks of spin-cast poly(octylthiophene) narrow considerably upon heating.
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| 6. |
- Aasmundtveit, K.E., et al.
(författare)
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Structural aspects of electrochemical doping and dedoping of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)
- 2000
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Ingår i: Synthetic metals. - 0379-6779 .- 1879-3290. ; 113:1, s. 93-97
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrochemical dedoping and redoping of p-toluene sulfonate doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) has been studied with in situ grazing incidence diffraction with water used as an electrolyte. The diffraction peak positions and integrated intensities do not change significantly during doping and dedoping, while the peak widths increase upon dedoping and decrease upon doping. This implies that the lattice parameters and the relative positions of the polymer chains and the p-toluene sulfonate ions remain unchanged, the redox processes being carried out by the motion of smaller ions between the polymer and the electrolyte, and that the structural order decreases upon dedoping and increases upon doping in a reversible manner.
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| 7. |
- Aasmundtveit, K.E., et al.
(författare)
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Structural ordering in phenyl-substituted polythiophenes
- 2000
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 33:15, s. 5481-5489
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Various substituted poly(phenylthiophene)s have been studied by X-ray diffraction. They are semicrystalline, with very different degrees of crystallinity. Those with para-substituted phenyl groups have a low degree of crystallinity, whereas those with ortho-substituted phenyl groups are more crystalline. The most crystalline materials in this study have two equally long substituents on the phenyl ring, one at the ortho position and the other at the ortho or meta position on the opposite side of the phenyl ring. Poly(3-(2,5-dioctylphenyl)thiophene) (PDOPT) was most thoroughly studied, and a structural model is proposed. The structure of PDOPT is quite different from previously studied substituted polythiophenes in that the octyl side chains are directed normal to the thiophene planes. In this way, the conjugated polymer chains are kept separated from each other. Solution-cast and spin-cast PDOPT films are anisotropic, with the octyl side chains oriented normal to the film surface in both cases. This is contrary to the situation for poly(3-alkylthiophene)s, where solution-cast and spin-cast films orient in different ways.
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| 8. |
- Abadei, S., et al.
(författare)
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Microwave properties of tunable capacitors basee on magnetron sputtered ferroelectric Na0.5K0.5NbO3 film on low and high resistivity silicon substrates
- 2001
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Ingår i: Integrated Ferroelectrics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1058-4587 .- 1607-8489. ; 39:1-4, s. 359-366
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this work, small signal DC voltage dependent dielectric permittivity, loss tangent, and tuneability of magnetron sputtered epitaxial Na0.5K0.5NO3 films are studied experimentally. (100)-oriented Na0.5K0.5NbO3 films are deposited onto SiO2-buffered CMOS grade low resistivity (p = 10-20 cm) and high resistivity (p = 15-45 kcm) silicon substrates. Planar capacitors with 2 or 4 m gaps between electrodes have been fabricated on top of ferroelectric films. These devices have been characterized in the frequency range 1.0 MHz to 50 GHz at temperatures 30 - 300K. Na0.5K0.5NbO3/SiO2/Si structures on high resistivity silicon substrate exhibit C-V performances typical for Metal-Insulator- Semiconductor (MIS) capacitors. At low frequencies, f 1.0 GHz, the large tuneability and large losses are associated with the MIS structure, while at higher microwave frequencies the tuneability is mainly associated with the ferroelectric, film. At 1.0 MHz and room temperature, the tuneability of Na0.5K0.5NbO3/SiO2/Si structures more than 90%, reducing to 10-15 % at 50 GHz. The losses decrease with increasing the DC bias and frequency. A Q-factor more than 15 at 50 GHz is observed. The dielectric permittivity of the Na0.5K0.5NbO3 film is in the range 50-150 at frequencies 0.045-50 GHz. On low resistivity substrate the performance of Na0.5K0.5NbO3 films is completely screened by the high losses in silicon, and the tuneability is negligible. © 2001 Taylor and Francis.
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| 9. |
- Abdiu, Avni, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Thioredoxin blood level increases after severe burn injury
- 2000
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Ingår i: Antioxidants and Redox Signaling. - 1523-0864 .- 1557-7716. ; 2:4, s. 707-716
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have investigated the thioredoxin (TRX) levels in severely burned patients and the possible origin of TRX, based on the recent understanding that TRX is a potent antioxidant with cytoprotective functions. Serum and plasma samples from burns patients and healthy blood donors were collected during the first 10 post-bum days and analyzed in a sandwich TRX enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The TRX levels found were correlated to a panel of blood tests. The presence of TRX in platelets was investigated by immunoelectron microscopy and Western blotting. TRX serum levels of the severely burned patients showed a significant increase, with a mean serum TRX concentration on the day of injury of 76.5 ▒ 19.5 ng/ml (mean ▒ SD) and on post-burn day one 122.6 ▒ 66.9 ng/ml, compared to control blood donor levels of 22.7 ▒ 12.2 ng/ml (p = 0.0041 and 0.0117, respectively). A second peak of increase was found on post-burn days 7 to 9 with a four- to five-fold rise in concentration compared to controls. TRX elevation correlated well with increased platelet (p = 0.007) and leukocyte counts (p = 0.002). We also demonstrated by immunoelectron microscopy and Western blotting the presence of TRX in platelets. In conclusion, our demonstration of TRX release in burn injuries indicates that the TRX system is involved in a rapid antioxidant defense, coagulation processes, cell growth, and control of the extracellular peroxide tone intimately linked to cytoprotection and wound healing in burns. One of the cell types that delivers TRX promptly and efficiently into the blood may be the platelet.
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| 10. |
- Aberg, D, et al.
(författare)
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Implantation temperature dependent deep level defects in 4H-SiC
- 2001
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Ingår i: Materials Science Forum, Vols. 353-356. ; , s. 443-446
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deep level transient spectroscopy spectra of the near Z-defect region (150-350K) were investigated for B implanted samples of low doses (10(8)-10(9) cm(-2)). For 300 degreesC implantation, a level at an energy of 0.41 eV below the conduction hand edge was found, referred to as the S-level. The S-center was shown to form in both implanted and electron irradiated 4H-SiC, either after room temperature (R.T.) implantation followed by mild heat treatments or lung R.T. storage (several months) or after 200-300 degreesC implantations/irradiations. The S-center was found to anneal out at temperatures above 250 degreesC.
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