| 1. |
- Adolfsson, Jonatan, et al.
(författare)
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The upgrade of the ALICE TPC with GEMs and continuous readout
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 16:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The upgrade of the ALICE TPC will allow the experiment to cope with the high interaction rates foreseen for the forthcoming Run 3 and Run 4 at the CERN LHC. In this article, we describe the design of new readout chambers and front-end electronics, which are driven by the goals of the experiment. Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors arranged in stacks containing four GEMs each, and continuous readout electronics based on the SAMPA chip, an ALICE development, are replacing the previous elements. The construction of these new elements, together with their associated quality control procedures, is explained in detail. Finally, the readout chamber and front-end electronics cards replacement, together with the commissioning of the detector prior to installation in the experimental cavern, are presented. After a nine-year period of R&D, construction, and assembly, the upgrade of the TPC was completed in 2020. © 2021 CERN for the benefit of the Alice collaboration..
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| 2. |
- Aleksejeva, Olga, et al.
(författare)
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Autotolerant ceruloplasmin based biocathodes for implanted biological power sources
- 2021
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Ingår i: Bioelectrochemistry. - : Elsevier. - 1567-5394 .- 1878-562X. ; 140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-performance autotolerant bioelectrodes should be ideally suited to design implantable bioelectronic devices. Because of its high redox potential and ability to reduce oxygen directly to water, human ceruloplasmin, HCp, the only blue multicopper oxidase present in human plasma, appears to be the ultimate biocatalyst for oxygen biosensors and also biocathodes in biological power sources. In comparison to fungal and plant blue multicopper oxidases, e.g. Myrothecium verrucaria bilirubin oxidase and Rhus vernicifera laccase, respectively, the inflammatory response to HCp in human blood is significantly reduced. Partial purification of HCp allowed to preserve the native conformation of the enzyme and its biocatalytic activity. Therefore, electrochemical studies were carried out with the partially purified enzyme immobilised on nanostructured graphite electrodes at physiological pH and temperature. Amperometric investigations revealed low reductive current densities, i.e. about 1.65 µA cm−2 in oxygenated electrolyte and in the absence of any mediator, demonstrating nevertheless direct electron transfer based O2 bioelectroreduction by HCp for the first time. The reductive current density obtained in the mediated system was about 12 µA cm−2. Even though the inflammatory response of HCp is diminished in human blood, inadequate bioelectrocatalytic performance hinders its use as a cathodic bioelement in a biofuel cell.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Berkestedt, Ingrid, et al.
(författare)
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Elevated Plasma Levels of Antimicrobial Polypeptides in Patients with Severe Sepsis.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Innate Immunity. - : S. Karger AG. - 1662-811X .- 1662-8128. ; 2:5, s. 478-482
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We wanted to investigate if plasma levels of antimicrobial polypeptides (AMPs) are increased in severe sepsis and if they correlate with severity and mortality. Samples were collected from 31 sepsis patients at the intensive care unit. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and 90-day mortality were registered, and inflammatory markers and AMP levels were measured by ELISA. A median SOFA score (13) and cardiovascular SOFA score (3) indicated multiorgan failure with severe circulatory derangement, and elevated cytokine levels indicated inflammatory activation. Levels of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein, heparin-binding protein, alpha-defensins and lactoferrin but not LL-37 were elevated in sepsis patients compared with controls. Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein levels correlated with mortality, with lower levels in survivors. Levels of all AMPs, except LL-37, positively correlated with the cardiovascular SOFA score. In conclusion, levels of several AMPs are increased in sepsis and correlate with circulatory derangement. This probably reflects neutrophil activation as part of an innate immune response.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Dawson, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of experimental tooth clenching on the release of β-endorphin
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of oral & facial pain and headache. - : Quintessence. - 2333-0384 .- 2333-0376. ; 28:2, s. 159-164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: To investigate the association between experimental tooth clenching and the release of β-endorphin in patients with myofascial temporomandibular disorders (M-TMD) and healthy subjects. METHODS: Fifteen M-TMD patients and 15 healthy subjects were included and assigned an experimental tooth-clenching task. Venous blood was collected and pain intensity was noted on a visual analog scale. The masseter pressure pain threshold (PPT) was assessed 2 hours before the clenching task and immediately after. A mixed-model analysis of variance was used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Significant main effects for time and group were observed for pain intensity and PPT, with significantly lower mean values of pain intensity (P < .001) and PPT (P < .01) after the clenching task compared with baseline. M-TMD patients had significantly higher pain intensity (P < .001) and significantly lower PPT (P < .05) than healthy subjects. No significant time or group effects were observed for the level of β-endorphin. Neither pain intensity nor PPT correlated significantly with β-endorphin levels. CONCLUSION: This experimental tooth-clenching task was not associated with significant alterations in β-endorphin levels over time, but with mechanical hyperalgesia and low to moderate levels of pain in healthy subjects and M-TMD patients, respectively. More research is required to understand the role of the β-endorphinergic system in the etiology of M-TMD
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| 7. |
- Ericson, Dan, et al.
(författare)
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Salivary IgA response to probiotic bacteria and mutans streptococci after the use of chewing gum containing Lactobacillus reuteri
- 2013
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Ingår i: Pathogens and Disease. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 2049-632X. ; 68:3, s. 82-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated whether ingestion of probiotic bacteria could influence salivary IgA levels, specific anti-mutans streptococci IgA levels and specific antibodies towards the ingested probiotic bacterium. The study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, where the test group (n = 11) received twice daily chewing of gum containing Lactobacillus reuteri (2 9 108 CFU per dose) and the control group (n = 12) received placebo. Resting saliva was collected before and after 12 weeks of treatment and 4 weeks after end of treatment. Total salivary IgA concentrations were measured by ELISA. Specific IgA reactivity was determined using a whole-cell ELISA. Results were expressed as % IgA per protein in saliva. The level of total IgA% per protein increased significantly between pretreatment levels (13.5%) and follow-up treatment levels (14.4%) within the test group only (P < 0.05). No changes were seen in the control group during the trial. The level of probiotic-reactive antibodies decreased significantly between pre- and post-treatment samples (from 12.2% to 9.0%, P < 0.05) in the test group. Similarly, the level of specific mutans streptococci antibodies decreased significantly between pre- and post-treatment samples (P < 0.05) in the test group only (for Streptococcus mutans from 20.1% to 15.0%; for Streptococcus sobrinus from 7.4% to 5.3%). Ingestion of probiotic bacteria might influence the adaptive immune response of the host.
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| 8. |
- Grubb, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Production of an amino acid sequence-specific antiserum against human amyloid A (AA) and serum amyloid A (SAA) protein
- 1987
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - 0036-5513. ; 47:6, s. 619-626
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The hydrophilic nonapeptide Ser-Asp-Ala-Arg-Glu-Asn-Ile-Gln-Arg, identical with residues 59-67 of human amyloid protein A (AA) and serum amyloid protein A (SAA), was covalently bound via its carboxyl-terminal end to the carrier-protein keyhole limpet haemocyanin. The complex was injected subcutaneously into ten rabbits. All rabbits produced antisera which, unabsorbed, were specific for AA and SAA. The antisera and their isolated peptide specific antibodies were performance-tested and found to be excellent for demonstration of AA and SAA in immunoblotting and immunohistochemical techniques but unsuitable for immunoprecipitation. Since it is difficult to produce AA- and SAA-specific antisera by procedures earlier described and commercial supplies of good such reagents are unavailable, the easy production of sequence-specific such antisera will facilitate more extended studies of the corresponding antigens for diagnostic and scientific purposes.
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| 9. |
- Gudmundsson, Petri, et al.
(författare)
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Head to head comparisons of two modalities of perfusion adenosine stress echocardiography with simultaneous SPECT
- 2009
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Ingår i: Cardiovascular Ultrasound. - : BioMed Central. - 1476-7120. ; 7:19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Real-time perfusion (RTP) contrast echocardiography can be used during adenosine stress echocardiography (ASE) to evaluate myocardial ischemia. We compared two different types of RTP power modulation techniques, angiomode (AM) and high-resolution grayscale (HR), with 99mTc-tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for the detection of myocardial ischemia. Methods: Patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), admitted to SPECT, were prospectively invited to participate. Patients underwent RTP imaging (SONOS 5500) using AM and HR during Sonovue® infusion, before and throughout the adenosine stress, also used for SPECT. Analysis of myocardial perfusion and wall motion by RTP-ASE were done for AM and HR at different time points, blinded to one another and to SPECT. Each segment was attributed to one of the three main coronary vessel areas of interest. Results: In 50 patients, 150 coronary areas were analyzed by SPECT and RTP-ASE AM and HR. SPECT showed evidence of ischemia in 13 out of 50 patients. There was no significant difference between AM and HR in detecting ischemia (p = 0.08). The agreement for AM and HR, compared to SPECT, was 93% and 96%, with Kappa values of 0.67 and 0.75, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There was no significant difference between AM and HR in correctly detecting myocardial ischemia as judged by SPECT. This suggests that different types of RTP modalities give comparable data during RTP-ASE in patients with known or suspected CAD.
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