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- Andersson, Marcus, 1975, et al.
(author)
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Quartz crystal microbalance-with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) for real time measurements of blood coagulation density and immune complement activation on artificial surfaces
- 2005
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In: Biosensors & Bioelectronics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0956-5663. ; 21:1, s. 79-86
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A recently developed variant of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) called QCM-with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) allows simultaneous and simple measurements of changes in adsorbed mass as well as the viscoelastic property (D-factor) of deposited protein layers on the sensor surface. We have taken the QCM-D technology a step further and demonstrated its advantages in the study of protein assembly as a consequence of surface induced immune complement activation, or contact activated blood coagulation. In the present study we have continued our QCM-D investigations of surface assembly of fibrin clot formation and complement activation and incubated differently modified quartz sensor surfaces in blood plasma and sera. Polymer surfaces used were spin-coated polyethylene, poly(ethylene terephtalate), poly(methylmetacrylate) and poly(dimethylsiloxane). Also used were sputtered titanium and heparin grafted surfaces. In this investigation we found that we could describe the surface induced coagulation with four independent parameters: (1) Time of onset of coagulation, (2) fibrin deposition rate, (3) total frequency shift at stable plateau, and (4) fibrin clot density. The most important finding was that the blood plasma clot density can be assessed with the use of D determinations and that the clot density varied significantly with the chemical composition of the surface. However, the D-factor did not give any new analytical information about the possible complement activation mechanisms. Nevertheless, the QCM-D was found to be a reliable tool for the analysis of surface induced complement activation. We also compared the QCM-D technique with traditional enzyme immuno assay (EIA) measurements of soluble products from the surface activation of the complement and coagulation systems. We found that the results from EIA and QCM-D measurements corresponded well for the complement activation but not for the coagulation, probably due to the biological complexity of the coagulation system.
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| 3. |
- Larsson, Pär, et al.
(author)
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The complete genome sequence of Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia
- 2005
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 37:2, s. 153-159
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Francisella tularensis is one of the most infectious human pathogens known. In the past, both the former Soviet Union and the US had programs to develop weapons containing the bacterium. We report the complete genome sequence of a highly virulent isolate of F. tularensis (1,892,819 bp). The sequence uncovers previously uncharacterized genes encoding type IV pili, a surface polysaccharide and iron-acquisition systems. Several virulence-associated genes were located in a putative pathogenicity island, which was duplicated in the genome. More than 10% of the putative coding sequences contained insertion-deletion or substitution mutations and seemed to be deteriorating. The genome is rich in IS elements, including IS630 Tc-1 mariner family transposons, which are not expected in a prokaryote. We used a computational method for predicting metabolic pathways and found an unexpectedly high proportion of disrupted pathways, explaining the fastidious nutritional requirements of the bacterium. The loss of biosynthetic pathways indicates that F. tularensis is an obligate host-dependent bacterium in its natural life cycle. Our results have implications for our understanding of how highly virulent human pathogens evolve and will expedite strategies to combat them.
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| 6. |
- Aalberg, Laura, et al.
(author)
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Development of a harmonised method for the profiling of amphetamines : I. Synthesis of standards and compilation of analytical data
- 2005
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In: Forensic Science International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0379-0738 .- 1872-6283. ; 149:2-3, s. 219-229
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Reference material was synthesised for 21 substances that are frequently present as synthetic impurities, i.e. by-products, in illicitly produced amphetamine. Each of these substances is a typical by-product for at least one of the three approaches most often used to synthesise amphetamine, namely, the Leuckart, the reductive amination of benzyl methyl ketone, and the nitrostyrene routes. A large body of data on the substances was recorded, including the following: mass spectra, ultraviolet spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra, infrared spectra in gas phase, and 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra. © 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- Ahmed, R K S, et al.
(author)
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Antigen-specific beta-chemokine production and CD8(+) T-cell noncytotoxic antiviral activity in HIV-2-infected individuals
- 2005
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 1365-3083 .- 0300-9475. ; 61:1, s. 63-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human immunodeficiency virus-2 (HIV-2) is less pathogenic than HIV-1, and the disease progression in HIV-2-infected individuals seems to be similar to that seen in HIV-1-infected long-term nonprogressors. Cell-mediated immune responses and the production of noncytotoxic CD8(+) T-cell antiviral factors (CAF) and beta-chemokines have been correlated to protection against HIV-1 and associated with asymptomatic infection and slower disease progression. We investigated the antigen-induced beta-chemokine production in HIV-2-infected patients living in Sweden and in Guinea-Bissau. We also compared in vitro CD8(+) T-cell-mediated noncytotoxic antiviral activity against beta-chemokine-sensitive R5 virus (HIV-1(Bal)) and beta-chemokine-insensitive X4 virus (HIV-1(IIIB)) in HIV-2-infected patients with that in HIV-1-infected patients. HIV-2-specific beta-chemokine production was demonstrated in a majority of the HIV-2-infected subjects. CD8(+) T cells of both HIV-1 and HIV-2-infected individuals suppressed R5 virus replication in vitro in a similar manner, while the inhibition of X4 virus replication seemed to be more frequent and of a higher magnitude among HIV-2-infected patients compared to HIV-1-infected subjects. Taken together, our results indicate that the production of CD8(+) T-cell noncytotoxic antiviral factors may contribute to the low transmission of the virus and slower disease progression in HIV-2-infected patients.
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| 8. |
- Andersson Cederholm, Erika, et al.
(author)
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Tjänstens triad: Från ömsesidig harmoni till dialektisk spänning i tjänstemöten
- 2005
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In: Servicemötet - Multidisciplinära öppningar. - 9147075988 ; , s. 47-63
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Models of service encounters are often fraught by reductionism, describing business relationships as mathematical combinations of dyadic constellations. Metaphors of ideal social relationships (marriages or friendships) are highlighted to stress normative aspects of equal, balanced and long-term business partnerships. However, these approaches are limited in their analytical sensitivity, as they cannot address the complexity of multipart relationships, where meanings, roles and relationships are continuously constructed and reconstructed. In order to understand the ambivalent quality of business interactions, this article analyses the corporate travel market by applying Georg Simmel’s depiction of the triad as a specific social form. Triadic constellations and more complex service networks involve dialectic tensions, simultaneously exhibiting for example loyalty and disloyalty, trust and distrust, empowerment and disempowerment. It is argued that a qualitative methodology is more adequate approach to grasp such dynamic and contextual social realities, because (opposed to a quantitative approach) it is not confined to operate with mutually exclusive analytical categories.
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| 9. |
- Andersson, Gerhard, 1966-, et al.
(author)
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Hyperacusi - ett outforskat område. Kognitiv beteendeterapi kan lindra besvären vid ljudöverkänslighet, ett tillstånd med många frågetecken
- 2005
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In: Läkartidningen. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 44, s. 3210-3212
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hyperacusis innebär extrem känslighet för vardagens ljud är ett problem som drabbar cirka 8% av befolkningen. I svåra fall uppstår undvikande av många situationer samt en vana att skydda öronen med hörselskydd även i situationer där det inte behövs. Orsakerna till hyperacusis är till viss del kända, men många frågetecken kvarstår. För hyperacusis finns ingen dokumenterat botande behandling, men kognitiv beteendeterapi, samt eventuellt även tinnitus retraining therapy med brusgenerator, kan minska besvären,. Gott omhändertagande och en multidisciplinär utredning är att rekommendera i svåra fall. En av de viktigaste uppgifterna för framtida forskning är att kartlägga naturalförloppet vad gäller hyperacusis, då detta är i stort okänt. Det finns även ett stort behov av kontrollerade behandlingsstudier.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Gerhard, 1966-, et al.
(author)
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Treatment of tinnitus in the elderly : A controlled trial of cognitive behavior therapy
- 2005
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In: International Journal of Audiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1499-2027 .- 1708-8186. ; 44:11, s. 671-675
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in elderly people with tinnitus (<65 years). Thirty-seven patients were called in for a structured interview. Following exclusion, twenty-three participated in the trial. All participants underwent medical ear, nose, and throat (ENT) examination, audiometry, and tinnitus matchings. A randomized controlled design with a waiting list control group was used. A CBT treatment package was delivered in six weekly two hour group sessions. Outcome was measured using validated self-report inventories and daily diary ratings of annoyance, loudness and sleep quality for one week pre-treatment, post-treatment. A three month follow-up was included at which time all participants had received treatment, but in a shorter format for the control group. Results showed statistically significant reductions of tinnitus-related distress. Thus, CBT was better than no treatment, but the particular aspects of CBT that contributed to the effects can not be established. In conclusion, the findings give some support for the use of group CBT for elderly people with tinnitus. © 2005 British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society.
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