| 1. |
- Friederich-Persson, Malou, et al.
(författare)
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Increased kidney metabolism as a pathway to kidney tissue hypoxia and damage : effects of triiodothyronine and dinitrophenol in normoglycemic rats.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. - New York, NY : Springer-Verlag New York. - 0065-2598 .- 2214-8019. - 9781461474111 - 9781461472568 ; 789, s. 9-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intrarenal tissue hypoxia is an acknowledged common pathway to end-stage renal disease in clinically common conditions associated with development of chronic kidney disease, such as diabetes and hypertension. In diabetic kidneys, increased oxygen metabolism mediated by mitochondrial uncoupling results in decreased kidney oxygen tension (PO2) and contributes to the development of diabetic nephropathy. The present study investigated whether increased intrarenal oxygen metabolism per se can cause intrarenal tissue hypoxia and kidney damage, independently of confounding factors such as hyperglycemia and oxidative stress. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were untreated or treated with either triiodothyronine (T3, 10 g/kg bw/day, subcutaneously for 10 days) or the mitochondria uncoupler dinitrophenol (DNP, 30 mg/kg bw/day, oral gavage for 14 days), after which in vivo kidney function was evaluated in terms of glomerular filtration rate (GFR, inulin clearance), renal blood flow (RBF, Transonic, PAH clearance), cortical PO2 (Clark-type electrodes), kidney oxygen consumption (QO2), and proteinuria. Administration of both T3 and DNP increased kidney QO2 and decreased PO2 which resulted in proteinuria. However, GFR and RBF were unaltered by either treatment. The present study demonstrates that increased kidney metabolism per se can cause intrarenal tissue hypoxia which results in proteinuria. Increased kidney QO2 and concomitantly reduced PO2 may therefore be a mechanism for the development of chronic kidney disease and progression to end-stage renal disease.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Palsdottir, Anna Maria, et al.
(författare)
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The Journey of Recovery and Empowerment Embraced by Nature - Clients' Perspectives on Nature-Based Rehabilitation in Relation to the Role of the Natural Environment
- 2014
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Ingår i: International journal of environmental research and public health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 11, s. 7094-7115
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents findings from real life situations, a longitudinal single case study on the role of natural environments in nature-based rehabilitation (NBR) for individuals with stress-related mental disorders, at the Alnarp Rehabilitation Garden in Sweden. A sample of 43 former clients voluntarily participated in semi-structured interview, and the data were analyzed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three main superordinate themes were identified as the three phases of NBR-Prelude, Recuperating and Empowerment-explaining and illuminating the role of the natural environments in each phase. An explanatory model of NBR in this context is presented including the three phases of NBR, IRP supportive occupations and a pyramid of supporting environments. A new component of supportive environments was identified and herby named, Social quietness, an important component facilitating personal and intimate engagement with the natural environments.
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| 4. |
- Ruiz-Pavon, Lorena, et al.
(författare)
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Functionally important amino acids in the Arabidopsis thylakoid phosphate transporter: Homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis
- 2010
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Ingår i: Biochemistry. - : American Chemical Society. - 0006-2960 .- 1520-4995. ; 49:30, s. 6430-6439
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The anion transporter 1 (ANTR1) from Arabidopsis thaliana, homologous to the mammalian members of the solute carrier 17 (SLC17) family, is located in the chloroplast thylakoid membrane. When expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli, ANTR1 mediates a Na+-dependent active transport of inorganic phosphate (Pi). The aim of this study was to identify amino acid residues involved in Pi binding and translocation by ANTR1 and in the Na+ dependence of its activity. A three-dimensional structural model of ANTR1 was constructed using the crystal structure of glycerol 3-phosphate/phosphate antiporter from E. coli as a template. Based on this model and multiple sequence alignments, five highly conserved residues in plant ANTRs and mammalian SLC17 homologues have been selected for site-directed mutagenesis, namely, Arg-120, Ser-124, and Arg-201 inside the putative translocation pathway and Arg-228 and Asp-382 exposed at the cytoplasmic surface of the protein. The activities of the wild-type and mutant proteins have been analyzed using expression in E. coli and radioactive Pi transport assays and compared with bacterial cells carrying an empty plasmid. The results from Pi- and Na+-dependent kinetics indicate the following: (i) Arg-120 and Arg-201 may be important for binding and translocation of the substrate; (ii) Ser-124 may function as a transient binding site for Na+ ions in close proximity to the periplasmic side; (iii) Arg-228 and Asp-382 may participate in interactions associated with protein conformational changes required for full transport activity. Functional characterization of ANTR1 should provide useful insights into the function of other plant and mammalian SLC17 homologous transporters.
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| 5. |
- Ruiz-Pavon, L, et al.
(författare)
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Modeling and Mutational analysis of Anion transporter 1 protein of Arabidopsis thaliana
- 2010
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Ingår i: The FEBS Journal. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1742-464X .- 1742-4658. ; 277:Suppl. 1, s. 231-231
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The thylakoid anion transporter 1 (ANTR1) from Arabidopsisthaliana, has been characterized as a Na-dependent Pi transporter when expressed in E. coli (1), but no data is yet available for the protein structure and amino acids involved in transport of Pi. In this study a three-dimensional structural model of ANTR1 was constructed in silico using the crystal structure of glycerol-3- phosphate/phosphate antiporter from E. coli as a template. Based on Multiple Sequence Alignments (MSAs) with other plant ANT- Rs and mammalian SLC17 homologues, five highly conserved amino acids involved in Pi transport have been identified, namely Arg-120, Ser-124 and Arg-201 inside the putative translocation pathway, Arg-228 and Asp-382 exposed at the cytoplasmic sur- face of the protein. The activity of the protein as a Na-dependent Pi transporter in the wild type and mutants was analyzed by het- erologous expression and uptake of radioactive Pi into E. coli cells. Substitution of the three Arg (120, 201 and 228) for Glu residues and of Asp-382 for an Asn residue resulted in an inac- tive ANTR1 transporter. All other mutants had sufficient activity to allow measurement of kinetic parameters, attesting that the mutated proteins were functional. Based on our results, we pro- pose that Arg-201 is a critical residue for substrate binding and translocation, whereas Ser-124 may function as periplasmic gate- way for Na+ ions. Residue Arg-120 plays an important role in Pi binding and associated conformational changes, and finally that Arg-228 and Asp-382 only weakly participate in interactions allowing conformational changes to occur at the cytoplasmic sur-face of the transporter.
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| 6. |
- Bremdal, Patrik, 1980-
(författare)
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Riksdagens kontroll av regeringsmakten
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- With power comes responsibility, which requires both information about actions taken by those in power, and mechanisms for effective accountability. The possibility for the elected representatives to review and take action against the government and its exercise of power is central in our constitution. In this thesis the author demonstrates the opportunities that members of parliament have at their disposal to control and to hold government accountable. These are interpellations, questions, the review of the Committee on the Constitution, specific debates, the vote of confidence, and the prosecution of ministers. Together they form a system of rules that constitutes the basis for parliamentary control of power in and also for this thesis.In this thesis the author discuss the role and function of the parliamentary control of power in Sweden. It is important to consider all forms such control in order to optimize the performance of the control system as a whole. It is also important to see the linkage between control and democratic and constitutional values in order to understand its role and significance. One aim of this thesis is to analyze the parliamentary review of government with a partly new approach. The author place the discussion within a theoretical framwork of accountability and thereby put the mecanisms of control in context. This creates a deeper understanding of the power of control and its function and significance.The author want to bring a principled and theoretical dimension into the analysis of both the various elements that make up the Riksdag's control power, and the whole that these elements cronstitutes. A systematic model is constructed to enhance the understanding of the Riksdags’s direct control of governmental power. The analysis of the individual institutions of control also aims to create a more realistic pictures of those institutions.
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| 7. |
- Burguillos Garcia, Miguel, et al.
(författare)
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Caspase signalling controls microglia activation and neurotoxicity.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 472, s. 214-319
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Activation of microglia and inflammation-mediated neurotoxicity are suggested to play a decisive role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders. Activated microglia release pro-inflammatory factors that may be neurotoxic. Here we show that the orderly activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3/7, known executioners of apoptotic cell death, regulate microglia activation through a protein kinase C (PKC)-δ-dependent pathway. We find that stimulation of microglia with various inflammogens activates caspase-8 and caspase-3/7 in microglia without triggering cell death in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown or chemical inhibition of each of these caspases hindered microglia activation and consequently reduced neurotoxicity. We observe that these caspases are activated in microglia in the ventral mesencephalon of Parkinson's disease (PD) and the frontal cortex of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Taken together, we show that caspase-8 and caspase-3/7 are involved in regulating microglia activation. We conclude that inhibition of these caspases could be neuroprotective by targeting the microglia rather than the neurons themselves.
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| 8. |
- Coria, Jessica, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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The progress of GHG markets : opportunities and risks
- 2010
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The climate negotiations at the COP15 in December 2009 did not produce a new international treaty with binding emissions commitments but the Copenhagen Accord for dealing with post-2012 climate change. Given the current climate negotiation process it is unlikely that we will see a global climate agreement soon on a global cap between all Convention members participating in a single carbon market. We may be more likely to see a stepwise process moving towards this scenario, most likely involving linkages between different national policy programs when it comes to mitigation as well as offsetting emissions. In such a process countries will offer commitments based on their domestic abilities, preferences and policies, norms and institutions. National and sub-national policies are thus likely to be the de-facto building blocks of nations' abilities to make and fulfill international commitments. However, also with multilateral mitigation programs without binding commitments, carbon markets will be needed as well as international authorities that support measurement, reporting and verification rules and the international registries. Such markets will necessarily be complicated and temporary in a world without an overarching binding agreement. There will be numerous tradeoffs between different kinds of second-best arrangements. The purpose of this report is to build knowledge about the effects of the development of regional and international carbon markets and the auxiliary technology agreements that might be needed. Among the topics we address are: the evolution and integration of carbon markets, the impacts of policy and technology cost uncertainty on the cost of meeting targets through a carbon market mechanism, the effect of banking, price floors and ceilings, institutional constraints and technological change in the further development of carbon markets and their links to other environmental policy instruments, and the potential of REDD-plus to encourage sustainable forest development and climate mitigation.
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| 9. |
- Ekesbo, Rickard, et al.
(författare)
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Lack of adherence to hypertension treatment guidelines among GPs in southern Sweden-A case report- based survey
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Family Practice. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2296. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: General practitioners (GPs) often fail to correctly adhere to guidelines for the treatment of hypertension. The reasons for this are unclear, but could be related to lack of knowledge in assessing individual patients' cardiovascular disease risk. Our aim was to investigate how GPs in southern Sweden adhere to clinical guidelines for the treatment of hypertension when major cardiovascular risk factors are taken into consideration. Method: A questionnaire with five genuine cases of hypertension with different cardiovascular risk profiles was sent to a random sample of GPs in southern Sweden (n = 109) in order to investigate the attitude towards blood pressure (BP) treatment when major cardiovascular risk factors were present. Results: In general, GPs who responded tended to focus on the absolute target BP rather than assessing the entire cardiovascular risk factor profile. Thus, cases with the highest risk of cardiovascular disease were not treated accordingly. However, there was also a tendency to overtreat the lowest risk individuals. Furthermore, the BP levels for initiating pharmacological treatment varied widely (systolic BP 140-210 mmHg). ACE inhibitors (70%) were the most common first choice of pharmacological treatment. Conclusion: In this study, GPs in Southern Sweden were suggesting, for different cases, either under- or overtreatment in relation to current guidelines for treatment of hypertension. On reason may be that they failed to correctly assess individual cardiovascular risk factor profiles. Key points: Despite international and national clinical guidelines on the treatment of hypertension, general practitioners often fail to correctly assess the cardiovascular risk for patients in a clinical setting. Most GPs use target blood pressure levels but do not consider other cardiovascular risk factors. Both under- and overtreatment of high and low cardiovascular risk groups were seen in this study.
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| 10. |
- Erlöv, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Automatic Measurements of Diameter, Distension and Intima Media Thickness of the Aorta in Premature Rabbit Pups Using B-Mode Images.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-5629. ; 40:2, s. 371-377
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To improve cardiovascular research, there is a growing need for arterial characterization in small animals. We developed a method, ARTIC (arterial characterization) for measuring lumen diameter, distension and intima media thickness (IMT). In this study ARTIC was used to automatically characterize the aorta of premature rabbit pups. Automatic measurements were compared with manual measurements, both performed by three observers. Diameter was 769 ± 140 μm (manual) and 766 ± 142 μm (automatic), distension was 35 ± 15 μm (manual) and 40 ± 12 μm (automatic) and IMT was 84 ± 11 μm (manual) and 88 ± 8 μm (automatic) (mean ± standard deviation). The variation in the measured diameter, distension and IMT ranged from 1.1% to 26.0% (manual) and from 1.0% to 9.0% (automatic). The intra-class correlation coefficient ranged from 33.0% to 99.3% (manual) and from 76.9% to 99.6% (automatic). The evaluation revealed that it is feasible to use ARTIC on B-mode images of arteries with small dimensions, which makes it a useful tool for arterial characterization in small animals.
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