| 1. |
- Carlbring, Per, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Applied relaxation : an experimental analogue study of therapist vs. computer administration
- 2007
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Ingår i: Computers in human behavior. - : Elsevier BV. - 0747-5632 .- 1873-7692. ; 23:1, s. 2-10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This experimental analog component study compared two ways of administrating relaxation, either via a computer or by a therapist. The second phase of applied relaxation was used, which is called "release-only relaxation". Sixty participants from a student population were randomized to one of three groups: computer-administered relaxation, therapist-administered relaxation, or a control group in which participants surfed on the Internet. Outcome was measures using psycho-physiological responses and self-report. Objective psychophysiological data and results on the subjective visual analogue scale suggest that there was no difference between the two forms of administration. Both experimental groups became significantly more relaxed than the control group that surfed on the Internet. Practical applications and future directions are discussed.
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| 2. |
- Kirilovas, Dmitrijus, et al.
(författare)
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Granulosa cell aromatase enzyme activity : Effects of follicular fluid from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, using aromatase conversion and [11C]vorozole-binding assays
- 2006
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Ingår i: Gynecological Endocrinology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0951-3590 .- 1473-0766. ; 22:12, s. 685-691
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The local regulation of ovarian aromatase enzyme in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was studied with aromatase conversion and [C-11]vorozole-binding assays to analyze aromatase activity, substrate-enzyme affinity and number of aromatase binding sites in non-cultured human granulosa cells (GC) incubated with different sources and preparations of follicular fluid (FF). Incubation with FF from women stimulated in in vitro fertilization cycles with follicle-stimulating hormone yielded higher conversion activity than with FF from healthy women and PCOS patients, paralleled with higher substrate affinity (lower K-d) than with FF from healthy women. In PCOS women, charcoal-pretreated FF yielded higher conversion, whereas the ether-pretreated FF yielded lower conversion activity, than with untreated PCOS FF. Both preparations of FF yielded higher affinity to substrate (lower Kd values) and the ether-pretreated FF a lower number of binding sites (B-max). It seems that steroids with the presence of proteins in PCOS FF reduced aromatase conversion activity through decreased substrate affinity, whereas FF preparations devoid of proteins reduced the aromatase conversion activity mainly through blocking of aromatase active sites. Identification of specific agents responsible for this rapid regulation of aromatase function might help to understand normal regulation of the menstrual cycle and supposed imbalances of inhibitors/activators in PCOS.
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| 3. |
- Uhlén, Mathias, et al.
(författare)
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A human protein atlas for normal and cancer tissues based on antibody proteomics
- 2005
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Ingår i: Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. - 1535-9476 .- 1535-9484. ; 4:12, s. 1920-1932
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antibody-based proteomics provides a powerful approach for the functional study of the human proteome involving the systematic generation of protein-specific affinity reagents. We used this strategy to construct a comprehensive, antibody-based protein atlas for expression and localization profiles in 48 normal human tissues and 20 different cancers. Here we report a new publicly available database containing, in the first version, similar to 400,000 high resolution images corresponding to more than 700 antibodies toward human proteins. Each image has been annotated by a certified pathologist to provide a knowledge base for functional studies and to allow queries about protein profiles in normal and disease tissues. Our results suggest it should be possible to extend this analysis to the majority of all human proteins thus providing a valuable tool for medical and biological research.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Irene, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Endothelial dysfunction in growth hormone transgenic mice
- 2006
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Ingår i: Clinical Science. - 0143-5221 .- 1470-8736. ; 110:2, s. 217-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Acromegaly [overproduction of GH (growth hormone)] is associated with cardiovascular disease. Transgenic mice overexpressing bGH (bovine GH) develop hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia and could be a model for cardiovascular disease in acromegaly. The aims of the present study were to investigate the effects of excess GH on vascular function and to test whether oxidative stress affects endothelial function in bGH transgenic mice. We studied the ACh (acetylcholine)-induced relaxation response in aortic and carotid rings of young (9-11 weeks) and aged (22-24 weeks) female bGH transgenic mice and littermate control mice, without and with the addition of a free radical scavenger {MnTBAP [Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoic acid)porphyrin chloride]}. We also measured mRNA levels of eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) and EC-SOD (extracellular superoxide dismutase). Intracellular superoxide anion production in the vascular wall was estimated using a dihydroethidium probe. Carotid arteries from bGH transgenic mice had an impaired ACh-induced relaxation response (young, 46 +/- 7% compared with 69 +/- 8%; aged, 52 +/- 5% compared with 80 +/- 3%; P < 0.05), whereas endothelial function in aorta was intact in young but impaired in aged bGH transgenic mice. Endothelial dysfunction was corrected by addition of MnTBAP in carotid arteries from young mice and in aortas from aged mice; however, MnTBAP did not correct endothelial dysfunction in carotid arteries from aged bGH transgenic mice. There was no difference in intracellular superoxide anion production between bGH transgenic mice and control mice, whereas mRNA expression of EC-SOD and eNOS was increased in aortas from young bGH transgenic mice compared with control mice (P < 0.05). We interpret these data to suggest that bGH overexpression is associated with a time- and vessel-specific deterioration in endothelial function, initially caused by increased oxidative stress and later by other alterations in vascular function.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Irene, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Increased atherosclerotic lesion area in apoE deficient mice overexpressing bovine growth hormone
- 2006
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9150. ; 188:2, s. 331-40
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human growth hormone (GH) excess is linked to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the effect of GH excess on atherosclerosis. We developed a new mouse model to assess the hypothesis that GH overexpression accelerates atherosclerotic lesion formation. apoE(-/-) mice were crossed with bovine GH (bGH) transgenic mice to yield apoE(-/-) mice overexpressing bGH (apoE(-/-)/bGH). The mice were fed either standard or Western diet. At 22 weeks, atherosclerotic lesion area of thoracic aorta was larger in apoE(-/-)/bGH mice compared with littermate apoE(-/-) mice fed either diet (standard: +161+/-50%, Western: +430+/-134%). Aortic sinus lesions were more severe in apoE(-/-)/bGH mice fed standard diet compared with littermate apoE(-/-) mice. apoE(-/-)/bGH mice had lower (VLDL+LDL)/HDL ratios compared with littermate apoE(-/-) mice, while systolic blood pressure was higher in apoE(-/-)/bGH mice, irrespective of diet. The levels of serum amyloid A and hepatic CRP mRNA were higher in apoE(-/-)/bGH mice than in littermate apoE(-/-) mice. In conclusion, this study shows that excess GH augments the development of atherosclerosis in apoE(-/-) mice. The mechanisms could be direct effects of GH on cellular processes in the vessel wall or the result of concomitant processes such as hypertension or a general inflammatory state.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Andren, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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FUD rörande gång- och cykelvägar : en beskrivning av VTI:s kompetens och resurser
- 2006
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The present report presents, partly, the collected VTI research on the "functional properties" of pedestrian and bicycle roads, and partly a survey of what has been done in this field outside of VTI. The term "functional property" has been interpreted in a broad sense, and basically everything connected with bicycle roads and bicycle traffic is included in the VTI literature review, which is the major part of the report. The operating environment analysis is made on the basis of the discussions from a seminar held at VTI, December 12, 2005, and complemented with literature reviews. The possibilities to build an instrumented vehicle for measuring bicycle roads, and the relevant properties of an evenness index, were discussed at the seminar. In the literature review, the research of VTI has been divided into five parts: traffic safety, maintenance and operation, mode choice, measurement of cycle flow, and the umbrella part "others". The research concerning traffic safety dominates, both at VTI and elsewhere. One of the conclusions from the project is that VTI should try to get funding to develop a measuring vehicle for cycleway surfaces. There is also a need to develop the unreliable methods used today (elastic tube and induction coil) to count bicycle traffic.
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| 8. |
- Andresen Bergström, Moa, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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A skin-like cytochrome P450 cocktail activates prohaptens to contact allergenic metabolites.
- 2007
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Ingår i: The Journal of investigative dermatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1523-1747 .- 0022-202X. ; 127:5, s. 1145-53
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Allergic contact dermatitis is a complex syndrome representing immunological responses to cutaneous exposure to protein-reactive chemicals. Although many contact sensitizers directly can elicit this disorder, others (prohaptens) require activation. Knowledge regarding the activating mechanisms remains limited, but one possibility is metabolic activation by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in the skin. We have, after quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR studies of the CYP content in 18 human skin samples, developed an enriched skin-like recombinant human (rh) CYP cocktail using CYP1A1, 1B1, 2B6, 2E1, and 3A5. To validate the rhCYP cocktail, a prohaptenic conjugated diene ((5R)-5-isopropenyl-2-methyl-1-methylene-2-cyclohexene) was investigated using: the skin-like rhCYP cocktail, a liver-like rhCYP cocktail, single rhCYP enzymes, liver microsomes, keratinocytes, and a dendritic cell (DC) assay. The diene was activated to sensitizing epoxides in all non-cell-based incubations including the skin-like rhCYP cocktail. An exocyclic epoxide metabolite ((7R)-7-isopropenyl-4-methyl-1-oxaspiro[2.5]oct-4-ene) was found to be mainly responsible for the allergenic activity of the diene. This epoxide also induced pronounced DC activation indicated by upregulation of IL-8. The skin-like rhCYP cocktail provides a simplified alternative to using skin tissue preparations in mechanistic studies of CYP-mediated skin metabolism of prohaptens and offers the future possibility of designing in vitro predictive assays for assessment of allergenic activity of prohaptens.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Bergström, Anna
(författare)
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Variation in car accident risk during winter
- 2006
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- At the beginning and end of a winter season, there is a greater risk of car accidents in ice and snow conditions than during mid-winter. This was found in this Swedish study where accident data for four winters was correlated to road condition data obtained through visual observations. The purpose of the study was to see how the car accident risk on ice and snow varies over the winter. To examine this, the winter season was divided into three periods: Early winter, Mid-winter, and Late winter. Accident rates were calculated for each period and the values for Early and Late winter were compared with the corresponding Mid-winter values. The accident rate (car accident risk) is here defined as the number of accidents divided by the vehicle mileage, where the accident data includes all the car accidents on Swedish state roads recorded by the police, during the winter seasons from 1993/94 through 1996/97, excluding collisions with wildlife. Accident rates were calculated for five different types of road condition assessed by the police: Dry bare ground, Moist or Wet bare ground, Packed snow or Thick ice, Black ice or Hoar-frost, and Loose snow or Slush, where the last three are ice and snow conditions. The vehicle mileage for each road condition was calculated on the basis of visual observations performed to monitor the road condition. The analyses show that icy and snowy road conditions constitute a greater risk during Early and Late winter periods than during Mid-winter. The reason for this could be that drivers are more likely to expect these kinds of road condition during Mid-winter than at the beginning and end of the winter season. Moreover, the accident risk is greater during Late winter than during Early winter, and the shorter the Early and Late winter period, the higher the risk.
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