| 1. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 2. |
- Feng, Yi, et al.
(författare)
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Hypothalamic neuroendocrine functions in rats with dihydrotestosterone-induced polycystic ovary syndrome: effects of low-frequency electro-acupuncture.
- 2009
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Ingår i: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 4:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adult female rats continuously exposed to androgens from prepuberty have reproductive and metabolic features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We investigated whether such exposure adversely affects estrous cyclicity and the expression and distribution of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), GnRH receptors, and corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the hypothalamus and whether the effects are mediated by the androgen receptor (AR). We also assessed the effect of low-frequency electro-acupuncture (EA) on those variables. At 21 days of age, rats were randomly divided into three groups (control, PCOS, and PCOS EA; n = 12/group) and implanted subcutaneously with 90-day continuous-release pellets containing vehicle or 5alpha-dihydrostestosterone (DHT). From age 70 days, PCOS EA rats received 2-Hz EA (evoking muscle twitches) five times/week for 4-5 weeks. Hypothalamic protein expression was measured by immunohistochemistry and western blot. DHT-treated rats were acyclic, but controls had regular estrous cycles. In PCOS rats, hypothalamic medial preoptic AR protein expression and the number of AR- and GnRH-immunoreactive cells were increased, but CRH was not affected; however, GnRH receptor expression was decreased in both the pituitary and hypothalamus. Low-frequency EA restored estrous cyclicity within 1 week and reduced the elevated hypothalamic GnRH and AR expression levels. EA did not affect GnRH receptor or CRH expression. Interestingly, nuclear AR co-localized with GnRH in the hypothalamus. Thus, rats with DHT-induced PCOS have disrupted estrous cyclicity and an increased number of hypothalamic cells expressing GnRH, most likely mediated by AR activation. Repeated low-frequency EA normalized estrous cyclicity and restored GnRH and AR protein expression. These results may help explain the beneficial neuroendocrine effects of low-frequency EA in women with PCOS.
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| 3. |
- Johansson, Daniella, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Pathways for Increased Use and Refining of Biomass in Swedish Energy-intensive Industry
- 2009
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Events in recent decades have placed climate change at the top of the political agenda. The European Union has assumed a vanguard role in global climate negotiations, pushing for ambitious international commitments. Furthermore, Sweden is positioning itself as a leader within the EU when it comes to setting the agenda for climate change. In Sweden, energy-intensive industries are responsible for a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions and their ability to switch to a renewable energy source could contribute significantly to the transition to a decarbonised economy.This study analyses the role of three energy-intensive industries with regard to increased refining and use of biomass and will also take a glimpse into the future in an attempt to gain further insight into what will affect future developments in this area. The study is limited to the pulp and paper industry, the iron and steel industry and the oil refining industry as well as the EU legislation that affects these industries. For each industry the operations of the following case companies, Södra, SSAB and Preem AB, are analysed specifically and for each company one or two selected plants exemplify the outcome of the implementation of different technologies. This interdisciplinary study combines a range of methods taken from engineering and social sciences.The industries studied all have different preconditions for transformations and the technological options available diverge to a large extent. There are many options for the pulp and paper industry compared to the iron and steel industry and the oil refining industry. The most likely technological option for this sector is to utilise internal resources for conversion to energy or material products and export of excess energy. Options for the steel producer SSAB include the substitution of part of the coke in the blast furnace with biomass or refined biomass products such as syngas and biomethane and forming an industrial symbiotic partnership. There are several options for the oil refining industry to substitute fossil feedstocks without the need to modify the existing infrastructure. One option is hydrotreatment of bio-oil into green diesel, which will be implemented at the Preem refinery in Gothenburg. However, green production of transportation fuels and substitution of coke in the blast furnace require large amounts of biomass and since biomass is a limited resource this is likely to act as a barrier to the development of these technologies.2Furthermore, it can be concluded that the companies studied could contribute significantly to the development of technologies that are in line with their core capabilities, while the development of technological options that require a change in their core capabilities is more limited. This discovery is further supported by the finding that the EU directives relevant to this report do not push industrial operators beyond efficiency measures along established technological lines. On the one hand, these legislative instruments, which are designed in the spirit of ecological modernisation, encourage the most cost-effective technologies and processes for the abatement of greenhouse gases relevant to each industry. On the other, they do not appear to be sufficient to raise the cost of carbon emissions and this contributes to a situation where incentives to make different biomass-based technologies economic are not present on the market. Over a longer time perspective none of the case companies believes that biomass will have increased significantly in the Swedish energy system by 2050. These case companies claim that biomass is too limited a resource and can only contribute in part to the necessary substitution of fossil fuels.
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| 4. |
- Maliqueo, Manuel, et al.
(författare)
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Continuous Administration of a P450 Aromatase Inhibitor Induces Polycystic Ovary Syndrome with a Metabolic and Endocrine Phenotype in Female Rats at Adult Age
- 2013
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Ingår i: Endocrinology. - : The Endocrine Society. - 0013-7227 .- 1945-7170. ; 154:1, s. 434-445
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studying the mechanisms for the complex pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) requires animal models with endocrine, reproductive, and metabolic features of the syndrome. Hyperandrogenism seems to be a central factor in PCOS, leading to anovulation and insulin resistance. In female rats, continuous administration of letrozole, a nonsteroidal inhibitor of P450 aromatase, at 400 mu g/d starting before puberty induces hyperandrogenemia and reproductive abnormalities similar to those in women with PCOS. However, despite high circulating testosterone levels, these rats do not develop metabolic abnormalities, perhaps because of their supraphysiological testosterone concentrations or because estrogen synthesis is completely blocked in insulin-sensitive tissues. To test the hypothesis that continuous administration of lower doses of letrozole starting before puberty would result in both metabolic and reproductive phenotypes of PCOS, we performed a 12-wk dose-response study. At 21 d of age, 46 female Wistar rats were divided into two letrozole groups (100 or 200 mu g/d) and a control group (placebo). Both letrozole doses resulted in increased body weight, inguinal fat accumulation, anovulation, larger ovaries with follicular atresia and multiples cysts, endogenous hyperandrogemia, and lower estrogen levels. Moreover, rats that received 200 mu g/d had insulin resistance and enlarged adipocytes in inguinal and mesenteric fat depots, increased circulating levels of LH, decreased levels of FSH, and increased ovarian expression of Cyp17a1 mRNA. Thus, continuous administration of letrozole, 200 mu g/d, to female rats for 90 d starting before puberty results in a PCOS model with reproductive and metabolic features of the syndrome. (Endocrinology 154: 434-445, 2013)
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| 5. |
- Benrick, Anna, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Enhanced insulin sensitivity and acute regulation of metabolic genes and signaling pathways after a single electrical or manual acupuncture session in female insulin-resistant rats.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Acta Diabetologica. - 0940-5429 .- 1432-5233. ; 51:6, s. 963-972
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: To compare the effect of a single session of acupuncture with either low-frequency electrical or manual stimulation on insulin sensitivity and molecular pathways in the insulin-resistant dihydrotestosterone-induced rat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) model. Both stimulations cause activation of afferent nerve fibers. In addition, electrical stimulation causes muscle contractions, enabling us to differentiate changes induced by activation of sensory afferents from contraction-induced changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Control and PCOS rats were divided into no-stimulation, manual-, and electrical stimulation groups and insulin sensitivity was measured by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. Manually stimulated needles were rotated 180° ten times every 5 min, or low-frequency electrical stimulation was applied to evoke muscle twitches for 45 min. Gene and protein expression were analyzed by real-time PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: The glucose infusion rate (GIR) was lower in PCOS rats than in controls. Electrical stimulation was superior to manual stimulation during treatment but both methods increased GIR to the same extent in the post-stimulation period. Electrical stimulation decreased mRNA expression of Adipor2, Adrb1, Fndc5, Erk2, and Tfam in soleus muscle and increased ovarian Adrb2 and Pdf. Manual stimulation decreased ovarian mRNA expression of Erk2 and Sdnd. Electrical stimulation increased phosphorylated ERK levels in soleus muscle. CONCLUSIONS: One acupuncture session with electrical stimulation improves insulin sensitivity and modulates skeletal muscle gene and protein expression more than manual stimulation. Although electrical stimulation is superior to manual in enhancing insulin sensitivity during stimulation, they are equally effective after stimulation indicating that it is activation of sensory afferents rather than muscle contraction per se leading to the observed changes.
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| 6. |
- Boström, Pontus, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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SNARE proteins mediate fusion between cytosolic lipid droplets and are implicated in insulin sensitivity.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Nature cell biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1465-7392 .- 1476-4679. ; 9:11, s. 1286-93
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The accumulation of cytosolic lipid droplets in muscle and liver cells has been linked to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Such droplets are formed as small structures that increase in size through fusion, a process that is dependent on intact microtubules and the motor protein dynein. Approximately 15% of all droplets are involved in fusion processes at a given time. Here, we show that lipid droplets are associated with proteins involved in fusion processes in the cell: NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor), alpha-SNAP (soluble NSF attachment protein) and the SNAREs (SNAP receptors), SNAP23 (synaptosomal-associated protein of 23 kDa), syntaxin-5 and VAMP4 (vesicle-associated membrane protein 4). Knockdown of the genes for SNAP23, syntaxin-5 or VAMP4, or microinjection of a dominant-negative mutant of alpha-SNAP, decreases the rate of fusion and the size of the lipid droplets. Thus, the SNARE system seems to have an important role in lipid droplet fusion. We also show that oleic acid treatment decreases the insulin sensitivity of heart muscle cells, and this sensitivity is completely restored by transfection with SNAP23. Thus, SNAP23 might be a link between insulin sensitivity and the inflow of fatty acids to the cell.
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| 7. |
- Carlund, Carina, et al.
(författare)
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An academic word list for Swedish - a support for language learners in higher education
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the SLTC 2012 workshop on NLP for CALL, Lund, 25th October, 2012. - : Linköping University Electronic Press. - 1650-3740. ; , s. 20-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The paper describes the ongoing development of compiling and introducing a Swedish academic word list (SAWL), inter alia intended to be used as a lexical resource in CALL-applications in relation to higher academic studies. When it comes to language acquisition, resources like these play an important part in instructed language learning. So far, no such resource exists for Swedish. The format of SAWL has been elaborated in collaboration with the Language Support Service at the University of Gothenburg. SAWL is compiled with methods from corpus linguistics inspired by research on English academic words (Coxhead 2002). Our work includes collection and syntactic annotation of learner corpora of Swedish academic texts from a wide range of university subjects within the Faculty of Arts. The corpora are freely accessible through Språkbanken. SAWL are designed with university students and language learners with Swedish or other linguistic backgrounds in mind. The word list and the corpora can be used for studies of one’s own or in classroom situations, as well as forming a component of computer computerbased language assessment and CALLrelated application platforms.
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| 8. |
- Feng, Yi, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of androgen and leptin on behavioral and cellular responses in female rats.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Hormones and behavior. - : Elsevier BV. - 1095-6867 .- 0018-506X. ; 60:4, s. 427-38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The causes of anxiety and depression in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remain elusive. To identify steps linking androgen signaling to the regulation of affective symptoms in vivo, we compared behavioral responses in female rats continuously exposed to DHT from puberty (a model of DHT-induced PCOS) and in rats exposed to DHT for 1week. Continuous and 1week of DHT exposure resulted in a general decrease in locomotor activity and time spent on the open arms in the elevated plus maze, indicating anxiety-like behavior. Rats with DHT-induced PCOS have increases in adiposity and circulating leptin levels accompanied by leptin resistance. One week of DHT exposure decreased androgen receptor (AR) expression in the hypothalamus and leptin synthesis and function in adipocytes; it also inhibited signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and attenuated leptin activity by increasing levels of soluble leptin receptor, a leptin-binding protein, in the hypothalamus. This may affect the androgen-induced anxiety-related behavior in female rats. In conclusion, our results highlight the central role of androgens in behavioral function in female rats and suggest that androgens directly regulate the AR by decreasing its hypothalamic expression. Androgens also increase leptin synthesis in adipocytes, which drives central leptin signaling, and may regulate anxiety-related behaviors. Elucidating mechanisms by which androgens modulate female anxiety-like behavior may uncover useful approaches for treating women with PCOS who have symptoms of anxiety.
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| 9. |
- Feng, Yi, et al.
(författare)
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Electrical and manual acupuncture stimulation affect oestrous cyclicity and neuroendocrine function in an 5α-dihydrotestosterone-induced rat polycystic ovary syndrome model.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Experimental physiology. - : Wiley. - 1469-445X .- 0958-0670. ; 97:5, s. 651-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Both low-frequency electro-acupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture improve menstrual frequency and decrease circulating androgens in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We sought to determine whether low-frequency EA is more effective than manual stimulation in regulating disturbed oestrous cyclicity in rats with PCOS induced by 5α-dihydrotestosterone. To identify the central mechanisms of the effects of stimulation, we assessed hypothalamic mRNA expression of molecules that regulate reproductive and neuroendocrine function. From age 70 days, rats received 2 Hz EA or manual stimulation with the needles five times per week for 4-5 weeks; untreated rats served as control animals. Specific hypothalamic nuclei were obtained by laser microdissection, and mRNA expression was measured with TaqMan low-density arrays. Untreated rats were acyclic. During the last 2 weeks of treatment, seven of eight (88%) rats in the EA group had epithelial keratinocytes, demonstrating oestrous cycle change (P = 0.034 versus control rats). In the manual group, five of eight (62%) rats had oestrous cycle changes (n.s. versus control animals). The mRNA expression of the opioid receptors Oprk1 and Oprm1 in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus was lower in the EA group than in untreated control rats. The mRNA expression of the steroid hormone receptors Esr2, Pgr and Kiss1r was lower in the manual group than in the control animals. In rats with 5α-dihydrotestosterone-induced PCOS, low-frequency EA restored disturbed oestrous cyclicity but did not differ from the manual stimulation group, although electrical stimulation lowered serum testosterone in responders, those with restored oestrus cyclicity, and differed from both control animals and the manual stimulation group. Thus, EA cannot in all aspects be considered superior to manual stimulation. The effects of low-frequency EA may be mediated by central opioid receptors, while manual stimulation may involve regulation of steroid hormone/peptide receptors.
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| 10. |
- Johansson, Julia, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Acupuncture for ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.
- 2013
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Ingår i: American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism. - : American Physiological Society. - 0193-1849 .- 1522-1555. ; 304:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Acupuncture has been demonstrated to improve menstrual frequency and to decrease circulating testosterone in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Our aim was to investigate whether acupuncture affects ovulation frequency and to understand the underlying mechanisms of any such effect by analyzing luteinizing hormone (LH) and sex steroid secretion in women with PCOS. This prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted between June 2009 and September 2010. Thirty-two women with PCOS were randomized to receive either acupuncture in combination with manual and low-frequency electrical stimulation or to meetings with a physical therapist twice a week for 10-13 weeks. Main outcome measures were changes in LH secretion patterns from baseline to after 10-13 weeks of treatment and ovulation frequency during the treatment period. Secondary outcomes were changes in the secretion of sex steroids, anti-Müllerian hormone, inhibin B, and serum cortisol. Ovulation frequency during treatment was higher in the acupuncture group compared with the control group. After 10-13 weeks of intervention, circulating levels of estrone, estrone sulfate, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, androstenedione, testosterone, free-testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androsterone glucuronide, androstane-3α, 17β-diol-3glucuronide, and androstane-3α, 17β-diol-17glucuronide decreased within the acupuncture group and were significantly lower than in the control group for all of these except androstenedione. We conclude that repeated acupuncture treatments resulted in higher ovulation frequency in lean/overweight women with PCOS and were more effective than just meeting with the therapist. Ovarian and adrenal sex steroid serum levels were reduced with no effect on LH secretion.
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