| 1. |
- Augulyte, Lijana, et al.
(författare)
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Multivariate analysis of a biologically activated carbon (BAC) system and its efficiency for removing PAHs and aliphatic hydrocarbons from wastewater polluted with petroleum products
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Hazardous Materials. - : Elsevier. - 0304-3894 .- 1873-3336. ; 170:1, s. 103-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The efficiency of a biologically activated carbon system for treating wastewater polluted with petroleum products was examined and the effects of process parameters on its efficacy were evaluated. In each experiment 17 alkylated and 19 non-alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs, C10-C40) were extracted using semipermeable membrane devices from wastewater before and after treatment. The acquired data during experiments were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). The treatment system robustly removed dissolved PAHs across the studied ranges of the process parameters, providing overall removal efficiencies of 96.9-99.7% for the sum of 36 PAHs. However, the major contributor to their removal was sorption rather than biodegradation, and despite the general efficiency of the process there was up to a 9-fold range in the sums of quantified PAHs in the effluents between experiments. Combinations of long process contact time (24 h) with high temperature (24 degrees C) and moderate oxygen concentration (6-7mg O2 L-1) resulted in good removal of bioavailable PAHs. The removal of TPHs was more dependent on biological activities during the wastewater treatment, and consequently more dependent on the process parameters. In addition, small but significant proportions of PAHs were volatilized and released during the wastewater treatment.
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| 2. |
- Blessborn, Daniel
(författare)
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Development of Analytical Methods for the Determination of Antimalarials in Biological Fluids
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this thesis was to develop analytical methods for measuring antimalarial drugs in biological fluids. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used for the enrichment and purification of the drugs. Automatic extraction procedures using a SPE robot were developed to reduce the workload for the analyst and to minimize variations in the extraction procedure. Liquid chromatography (LC) with either UV or mass spectrometric (MS) detection was used to determine sample concentrations. Determination of Pyronaridine in whole blood utilised a weak cation exchanger to extract Pyronaridine from blood. To improve LC separation between Pyronaridine and the internal standard, ion-pairing was utilized. For the simultaneous quantification of the highly lipophilic Atovaquone and the strong basic drug Proguanil with metabolites, a novel mixed mode solid phase extraction column was used. It combines the properties of a carboxylic acid (CBA) column and a non-polar octyl-silica (C8) column to extract the compounds from plasma; it also required a gradient LC separation. Stability is an important factor when developing new methods. A new approach was used to evaluate the stability of Amodiaquine in blood and plasma. This included the use of a stability marker, a stable compound which was added together with Amodiaquine when preparing the stability samples. This eliminated between-run variations and variations associated with preparation of new stock solutions. Lumefantrine (LF) is one of the active components in a new drug combination recommended by the World Health Organization as a replacement for older drugs which have lost their effect. The first of the two methods described for this compound is the determination of LF and a possible metabolite in plasma with a calibration range suitable for pharmacokinetic studies. In the second method, a capillary sampling technique is used where the blood is dried on a sampling paper and sent to the laboratory where the extraction and determination of LF concentrations take place. This method facilitates sample collection and will enable drug efficacy studies conducted in rural settings. To monitor a current change in treatment policy and self medication, a screening assay was developed. Its purpose is to be a complement to interviewing patients about their previous medication (in the previous few weeks) and to detect some of the more common drugs which might have been used.
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| 3. |
- Göransson, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Quantification of normal cell fraction and copy number neutral LOH in clinical lung cancer samples using SNP array data
- 2009
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Ingår i: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 4:6, s. e6057-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Technologies based on DNA microarrays have the potential to provide detailed information on genomic aberrations in tumor cells. In practice a major obstacle for quantitative detection of aberrations is the heterogeneity of clinical tumor tissue. Since tumor tissue invariably contains genetically normal stromal cells, this may lead to a failure to detect aberrations in the tumor cells. PRINCIPAL FINDING: Using SNP array data from 44 non-small cell lung cancer samples we have developed a bioinformatic algorithm that accurately models the fractions of normal and tumor cells in clinical tumor samples. The proportion of normal cells in combination with SNP array data can be used to detect and quantify copy number neutral loss-of-heterozygosity (CNNLOH) in the tumor cells both in crude tumor tissue and in samples enriched for tumor cells by laser capture microdissection. CONCLUSION: Genome-wide quantitative analysis of CNNLOH using the CNNLOH Quantifier method can help to identify recurrent aberrations contributing to tumor development in clinical tumor samples. In addition, SNP-array based analysis of CNNLOH may become important for detection of aberrations that can be used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.
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| 4. |
- Högberg, Ronny, 1977-
(författare)
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Motstånd och konformitet : Om manliga yrkeselevers liv och identitetsskapande i relation till kärnämnena
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denna studie bygger på en fältstudie i två klasser på gymnasieskolans Byggprogram. Intresset är riktat mot hur ett antal ungdomar, vilka samtliga är pojkar och i varierande grad är ointresserade av så kallade teoretiska studier, förhåller sig till kärnämnena. Mer precist är syftet att analysera deras förhållningssätt till kärnämnena som en del av deras identitetsskapande i relation till dessa ämnen. I studien ses skolan och klassrummet som en social arena där mycket annat än formell undervisning pågår och är relevant för ungdomar när de befinner sig i skolan. Den teoretiska förankringen för studien består i ett interaktionistiskt perspektiv på identitet, bland annat influerat av Richard Jenkins. Därutöver utgörs den av ett genus- och klassperspektiv, samt motståndsteoretiska utgångspunkter. Metodologiskt ansluter sig studien till den etnografiska traditionen. Data som analyseras är observationsdata, intervjudata och inspelade samtal mellan eleverna. Analysen visar bland annat att ungdomarna använder sitt kommande yrke och sitt ointresse för skolarbete i teoretisk tappning som utgångspunkter när de pratar om sin utbildning, olika ämnen eller sitt agerande i relation till skolarbetet. Analysen visar också att ungdomarna både är konforma och oppositionella gentemot kärnämnena. De anpassar sig efter skolans makt att bedöma deras studieinsatser, men gör bl.a. motstånd mot den ordning lärare söker åstadkomma och den tristess och påfrestning som de menar att kärnämnena medför. Till sina konsekvenser innebär denna form av motkultur ett identitetsskapande som avviker från ideal som låg bakom införandet av kärnämnena, vilket innebär ett motstånd mot en statlig påverkan på deras liv, så som denna påverkan kommer till uttryck genom utbildningssystemet. Mot bakgrund av deras kombination av motstånd och konformitet tolkas deras förhållningssätt till kärnämnena emellertid som motsträvighet än som ett renodlat motstånd.
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| 7. |
- Wallinder, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Haemostatic markers in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and the impact of aneurysm size
- 2009
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Ingår i: Thrombosis Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0049-3848 .- 1879-2472. ; 124:4, s. 423-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a common condition with high mortality when rupturing. However, the condition is also associated with nonaneurysmal cardiovascular mortality. A possible contributing mechanism for the thrombosis related cardiovascular mortality is an imbalance between the activation of the coagulation system and the fibrinolytic system. The aim of the present study was to investigate haemostatic markers in patients with nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm with special regard to the influence of aneurysm size and smoking habits. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with infrarenal aortic aneurysm and forty-one controls without aneurysm matched by age, gender and smoking habits were studied. Thrombin-antithrombin (TAT), prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F 1+2)--markers of thrombin generation, and von Willebrand factor antigen (vWFag)--considered as a reliable marker of endothelial dysfunction--were measured. Plasma levels of tissue plasminogen activator antigen (tPAag), and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) were measured as markers of fibrinolytic activity. D-dimer, a marker of fibrin turnover, was also measured. RESULTS: There were significantly higher levels of TAT and D-dimer in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. The highest level of TAT and D-dimer were detected in patients with large compared to small AAA. CONCLUSIONS: The present data indicate a state of activated coagulation in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm which is dependent by aneurysm size. The activated coagulation in AAA patients could contribute to an increased cardiovascular risk in patients also with small AAA. The possible impact of secondary prevention apart from smoking cessation has to be further evaluated and is maybe as important as finding patients at risk of rupture.
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| 8. |
- Wallinder, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine balance in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and the impact of aneurysm size
- 2009
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Ingår i: Vascular and endovascular surgery. - : SAGE Publications. - 1538-5744 .- 1938-9116. ; 43:3, s. 258-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a common condition with high mortality due to rupture; however, the condition also is associated with nonaneurysmal cardiovascular mortality. A possible contributing mechanism for the cardiovascular mortality is an imbalance between the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory systemic response. In the present study, 78 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and 41 controls without aneurysm matched by age, gender and smoking habits were investigated. Cytokines such as interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were measured in plasma. There was significantly higher level of interleukin-6 in patients with AAA compared to controls. The interleukin-6/ interleukin-10 ratio was highest in patients with large compared to small abdominal aortic aneurysm. In conclusion, the present data indicate a proinflammatory response and a proinflammatory to antiinflammatory imbalance in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm which is dependent by aneurysm size.
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| 9. |
- Augulyte, Lijana, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical and Ecotoxicological Assessment of Selected Biologically Activated Sorbents for Treating Wastewater Polluted with Petroleum Products with Special Emphasis on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
- 2008
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Ingår i: Water, Air and Soil Pollution. - : Springer. - 0049-6979 .- 1573-2932. ; 195:1-4, s. 243-256
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A chemical and ecotoxicological assessment of treatment of wastewater that had been polluted with petroleum products using only Activated Sludge (AS) and four biologically activated sorbents (BASs), consisting of activated sludge plus: coal-based activated carbon (-C1), coconut shell-based activated carbon (-C2), zeolite (-Z), and anthracite (-A) were conducted. The efficiency and robustness of the four wastewater treatment systems were evaluated by calculating the reduced total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contents and the acute ecotoxicity of the effluents. The chemical analysis showed that the combined treatment systems were very effective for reducing the total petroleum hydrocarbon and readily bioavailable PAH contents. The most efficient systems were the BAS-C1 and -C2, which removed 60–88% and 99.5–99.6% of TPH and PAH, respectively. The activated sludge-only treatment was the least effective for purifying the wastewater. Chemical oxygen demand was reduced by >90% by all carbon-based BASs (BAS-C1, BAS-C2 and BAS-A). Shifts in the relative composition of the individual PAHs were identified in samples taken before and after treatment. Algal and bacterial bioassays showed that the toxicities of effluents following treatment by all four systems (except AS for algae) were reduced by more than 80% and 90%, respectively. However, crustacean tests indicated that the carbon-based BASs reduced the toxicity [V tox(50)] only by 19–67%. Our results indicated that the combination of sorption and biodegradation processes have great potential in the treatment of petroleum products polluted wastewater and is less sensitive for inhibitors of the biological process than treatments in which activated sludge alone is used. The assessment of chemical and ecotoxicological endpoints provided valuable information, but contrasting results for one of the assays indicates that further analysis on the capacity of the different treatment systems is warranted.
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| 10. |
- Bergqvist, David, et al.
(författare)
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Abdominal aortic aneurysm--to screen or not to screen
- 2008
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Ingår i: European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. - : Elsevier BV. - 1078-5884 .- 1532-2165. ; 35:1, s. 13-18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the ten WHO criteria for a screening program to be started, screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm is analyzed. Most of the criteria are fulfilled concerning the 65-year old male population, whereas concerning females we need more knowledge. Still the aneurysmal diameter is the most important factor to select patients for treatment meaning that many aneurysms are treated where rupture should never have occurred. Research projects giving more information on pathophysiological processes behind expansion and rupture should have priority.
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