| 1. |
- Malmqvist, Ulf, et al.
(author)
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Female pig urethral tone is dependent on Rho guanosine triphosphatases and Rho-associated kinase.
- 2004
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In: Journal of Urology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 1527-3792 .- 0022-5347. ; 171:5, s. 1955-1958
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE: Circular smooth muscle of the urethra generates spontaneous myogenic tone of relevance for the maintenance of continence. We tested if Rho guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) and Rho-associated kinase (ROK) are involved in the generation of urethral tone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Small circular strips of female pig urethra were dissected out and mounted for recording isometric force. The effect of pharmacological agents known to modulate the activity of Rho GTPases or ROK was examined. The intracellular calcium concentration was measured using fura-2. RESULTS: Urethral tone was abolished by removing extracellular calcium or by adding the calcium antagonist felodipine. The decrease in force was closely related to a decrease in intracellular calcium concentration, indicating that tone depends on membrane associated mechanisms. Toxin B, which inactivates Rho GTPases, and Y 27632, which inhibits ROK, completely abolished tone in the female pig urethra. The latter effect occurred without any change in the intracellular calcium concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggests that urethral tone depends on activity in G-protein coupled pathways and inhibition of this activity is sufficient for urethral tone relaxation. Thus, to our knowledge a new pathway in the generation of urethral tone, which might be acted on by autonomic nerves during micturition, has been identified.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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Enhanced Ribosome and tRNA Contents in Escherichia coli Expressing a Truncated Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin Mutant Analyzed by Flow Field-Flow Fractionation
- 2003
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In: Biotechnology Letters. - 1573-6776. ; 25:18, s. 1499-1504
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ribosome and tRNA levels of Escherichia coli cells, transformed with a native or mutated Vitreoscilla hemoglobin genes (vhb), were investigated using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AFFFF). Mutagenesis of vhb by error-prone PCR was carried out to alter the growth behavior of microaerobically cultivated native VHb-expressing E. coli. A VHb mutant, pVMT1, was identified, which was able to reach a remarkably high final A600 of 15, the value of which being 160% higher than that of a VHb control carrying pVHb8 (A600 5.8). AFFFF revealed that cells expressing mutant vhbs showed up to a doubling in the number of active 70S ribosomes cell-1, an almost 3-fold increase in the number of tRNAs cell-1, and up to a 26% increase in the mass fraction of active 70S ribosomes.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Catrin, 1970-
(author)
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Tudelad trots allt : dualismens överlevnad i den svenska staten 1718-1987
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- On May 1, 1720 the Swedish Riksdag took a seemingly peripheral decision which would however prove to have great and enduring consequences for the organization of the country’s central state administration. The model adopted then is today often referred to as the ‘dualism’ of the Swedish state. In international comparison this dualism – expressed primarily in the organizational division between a set of quite small ministries and a large number of autonomous government agencies in combination with the constitutional prohibition of individual ministers to issue authoritative orders to the agencies – is probably unique.This dualism has been characterized as “one of the great mysteries of Swedish political life” and one aspect of this mysteriousness concerns its very longevity. The main research question of this thesis is why this model has been able to survive for such a long period despite the heavy and recurring critique that has been levelled at it. Through analyses of the public debate on the issue of the dualist character of the Swedish state during four selected periods (1809-1829, 1905-1920, 1963-1972 and 1983-1987) when the critical voices have been particularly loud and articulate, a systematic picture is provided of both the participants and the argument of the debates. It is shown that critics of dualism have blamed it for being “anti-democratic”, “antiquated”, and “a threat against the rule of law” while defenders of dualism have often portrayed it as “modern”, “effective”, and “a guarantee for the rule of law”.The answer to the main research question of why the political institution of dualism has persisted for so long may briefly be summarized in the statement that it has survived by changing. In theoretical terms the thesis is inspired by historical institutionalism, a tradition which has so far mostly contributed to our understanding of institutional stability. Recently, however, theoretical developments in historical institutionalism have rather aimed at an improved analysis of change. This thesis appropriates these new ideas, especially those developed by political scientist Kathleen Thelen, in the analysis of Swedish dualism. In particular the two concepts of institutional conversion and institutional layering are tested. In the thesis it is argued that the new analytical tools were indeed instrumental in understanding and explaining institutional change but also that further elaboration of them seems necessary. Using a both longitudinal and process-oriented approach focussing on the arguments of the actors this thesis has contributed to such an elaboration of the tools for the analysis of change within the tradition of historical institutionalism.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Andersson, I., et al.
(author)
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Human MxA Protein Inhibits the Replication of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus
- 2004
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In: Journal of Virology. - 0022-538X .- 1098-5514. ; 78:8, s. 4323-4329
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) belongs to the genus Nairovirus within the family Bunyaviridae and is the causative agent of severe hemorrhagic fever. Despite increasing knowledge about hemorrhagic fever viruses, the factors determining their pathogenicity are still poorly understood. The interferon-induced MxA protein has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on several members of the Bunyaviridae family, but the effect of MxA against CCHFV has not previously been studied. Here, we report that human MxA has antiviral activity against CCHFV. The yield of progeny virus in cells constitutively expressing MxA was reduced up to 1,000-fold compared with control cells, and accumulation of viral genomes was blocked. Confocal microscopy revealed that MxA colocalizes with the nucleocapsid protein (NP) of CCHFV in the perinuclear regions of infected cells. Furthermore, we found that MxA interacted with NP by using a coimmunoprecipitation assay. We also found that an amino acid substitution (E645R) within the C-terminal domain of MxA resulted in a loss of MxA antiviral activity and, concomitantly, in the capacity to interact with CCHFV NP. These results suggest that MxA, by interacting with a component of the nucleocapsid, prevents replication of CCHFV viral RNA and thereby inhibits the production of new infectious virus particles.
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| 8. |
- Andersson, Jan, 1965-
(author)
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Yttrandefrihetens dilemman : Debatten om hetspropaganda, mediekoncentration samt personlig integritet mellan 1940- och 2000-tal
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis focuses on different types of value conflicts that have been actualized by proposals of legislation on freedom of speech. The thesis analyses three different debates which each relate to a different type of value conflict. An important objective of the study is to discern what fundamental values underlie the concern for upholding freedom of speech in a democratic society. Those fundamental values have been formulated as three type-arguments: the argument from democracy, the argument from truth, and the argument from autonomy respectively. The first type of free speech dilemma is represented by the debate around a legal clause on the prohibition of racist hate speech. The second type of free speech dilemma is illustrated by the debate on the concentration of the Swedish media. The third type of dilemma concerns the conflict between the law against the spreading of information regarding the individual on the Internet, and the constitutional right of information. The findings of the thesis includes that the argument from democracy has been the most prominently invoked in the debates. However, most often the argument from democracy is used in a rather unprecise manner, and there occurs a quite frequent conflation of the concept of democracy with several other values considered important, e.g. the right not to be discriminated against. The prospects of finding a “unified” free speech theory in which all the type-arguments for free speech can be brought together does not seem good. The arguments for free speech are interdependent and can be ultimately assessed only in the context of a broader theory of the democratic system. Here it is argued that the theory of “deliberative democracy” in comparison with rival conceptions of democracy offers some valuable tools for a better interpretation of the conception of the right to free speech in a democratic system.
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| 9. |
- Andersson, Karl, 1972-
(author)
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Characterization of Biomolecular Interactions Using a Multivariate Approach
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis presents a novel bioinformatic methodology denoted the bio-chemometric approach. The methodology is designed for generation of detailed descriptions and predictions of biomolecular interactions. It is based on multivariate analysis of the sensitivity of a biomolecular interaction to multiple minor changes in the experimental conditions. In this work, either the chemical environment where the interaction takes place, or the molecular structure of one of the interacting molecules, was varied. The sensitivity of the interaction to the performed variations was presented as a vector called the sensitivity fingerprint. The bio-chemometric approach was tested on several biomolecular interactions. Useful descriptions of the interactions were obtained by measuring binding kinetics for each interaction in 12-20 different buffers and correlating buffer composition to binding kinetics. The obtained chemical sensitivity fingerprints were reproducible, significantly different and showed a weak correlation to binding site properties for the tested interactions. The results indicate that the fingerprints contained useful information about the binding site. The predictive ability of the bio-chemometric approach was tested on two different biomolecular interactions where one of the binding partners was slightly modified into multiple analogues by amino acid exchanges. In one example, interactions of 18 peptide analogues with an antibody gave data that could be used for accurate prediction of the dissociation rates of novel analogues. Reliable predictions of binding kinetics and affinity were also obtained for single domain camel antibody analogues binding to a protein antigen. By using the three-dimensional structure of camel antibodies and data obtained using the bio-chemometric approach, even the importance of non-exchanged amino acids for the binding could be estimated. The bio-chemometric approach can potentially improve the development of peptides and proteins for therapeutic and diagnostic use. It is suggested to be valid for general use in biochemistry.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Karl-Erik
(author)
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Alpha-adrenoceptors and benign prostatic hyperplasia: basic principles for treatment with alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists.
- 2002
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In: World Journal of Urology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1433-8726 .- 0724-4983. ; 19:6, s. 390-396
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The selective blockade of alpha1-adrenoceptors (ARs) is now a well-accepted and widely used treatment for patients presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and bladder outlet obstruction. The sites of action of the currently used alpha1-AR antagonists when relieving LUTS have not yet been established, but it seems clear that effects on prostatic as well as non-prostatic tissues are important. Alpha1-ARs in the bladder, urethra, and vas deferens, on ganglia and nerve terminals, and in the central nervous system (CNS) may all influence LUTS and the clinical effects of alpha1-AR antagonists. The relevance of alpha1-AR subtype selectivity for the clinical usefulness of existing drug therapy has still not been clarified, but it cannot be dismissed that blockading both alpha1A- and alpha1D-ARs is necessary for optimal clinical effect. Despite the above uncertainties, there seems to be a consensus that clinically available alpha1-AR antagonists provide a safe, effective and generally well-tolerated therapy for patients with LUTS.
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