Sökresultat

The Icelandic highlands are one of the few places left in Europe where tourists can experience pristine wilderness. During the past decades the highlands have, however, witnessed a rapid expansion in natural resource exploitation. This study attempts to evaluate the pristine condition of Icelandic wilderness by testing different methods of identifying and analysing wilderness with respect to natur

As regulations regarding energy use and emissions of CO2 equivalents in buildings become more stringent, the need for more accurate tools and improved methods for predicting these parameters in building performance simulations increases. In the first part of this project, a probabilistic method was applied to the transient energy calculations and evaluated using a case study of a single-family dweAs regulations regarding energy use and emissions of CO2 equivalents in buildings become more stringent, the need for more accurate tools and improved methods for predicting these parameters in building performance simulations increases. In the first part of this project, a probabilistic method was developed and applied to the transient energy calculations and evaluated using a single-family dwell

Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the role of ‘contagion’, or social transmission, in risk of suicidal behaviour (SB) among siblings. Methods: We followed Swedish sibling pairs until one of them (S1; N = 111,848) was registered for a suicide attempt or completion. We tested the effect of geographic proximity between siblings on risk of a first SB registration of S1's sibling (S2). To

Several large-scale genome-wide association studies have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genomic region of A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin type 1 repeats (ADAMTS)-7 and associations to coronary artery disease. Experimental studies have provided evidence for a functional role of ADAMTS-7 in both injury-induced vascular neointima formation and development of

Endothelial dysfunction and haemostatic imbalance are believed to be important aetiological factors in the development of acute coronary syndromes. Thrombomodulin (TM) is an integral membrane protein crucial for normal endothelial function and activation of the protein C anticoagulant pathway. We have investigated the importance of a common C/T dimorphism in the TM gene (nucleotide 1418) for devel

Aim This study investigated the effects of skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding attainment, duration and infant growth in preterm infants, as this has not been sufficiently explored. Methods A prospective longitudinal study on Kangaroo mother care was carried out, comprising 104 infants with a gestational age of 28 + 0 to 33 + 6 and followed up to one year of corrected age. Parents and staff reco

AIMS: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a cardinal sign of autonomic dysfunction and a common co-morbidity in heart failure (HF). The role of autonomic dysfunction in the development of structural cardiac anomalies in HF patients has not been sufficiently explored. We aimed to assess relations between orthostatic blood pressure (BP) responses during active standing and echocardiographic changes in a

BACKGROUND: Triage is widely used in the emergency department (ED) in order to identify the patient's level of urgency and often based on the patient's chief complaint and vital signs. Age has been shown to be independently associated with short term mortality following an ED visit. However, the most commonly used ED triage tools do not include age as an independent core variable. The aim of this

Background and purpose: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is an osteogenic hormone associated with chronic kidney disease and is an emerging risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases. The association of FGF23 with stroke is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of FGF23 with incident intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: This was a nested case–control study o

Introduction: Dysfunction of immunoglobulins (Igs) has been detected in association with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and in newly diagnosed epilepsy patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of clinical features and the current or past use of AEDs on serum Ig concentrations in a well-examined group of patients with refractory epilepsy. Patients and methods: Using a nephelometric me

In this article, we explore why solidarity has not worked according to expectation in EU migration and asylum law, and why it is unlikely to work in the future. First, we explore discourses of burden-sharing and solidarity in EU law from the 1990s up to the Lisbon treaty in 2009 to identify emergent path dependencies. This period saw the introduction of primary law provisions on solidarity, such a

Lactoferrin plays an important role in the defense against infections, including herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis. We studied the impact of three single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human lactoferrin gene on the susceptibility to HSV infections of the eye and the severity of such infections. Lactoferrin gene polymorphisms were determined by PCR combined with restriction fragment length anal

Psoriasis is a type-1 T cell-mediated, chronic inflammatory disease. Since interleukin (IL)-12p70 promotes the development of type-1 T cells, we investigated whether psoriasis is associated with an increased production of this cyctokine by blood cells. Results revealed that the production of IL-12p70 by cells of psoriasis patients stimulated by 1 and 10 ng per mL, but not 100 ng per mL of lipopoly

We performed an exome-wide association analysis in 1393 late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) cases and 8141 controls from the CHARGE consortium. We found that a rare variant (P155L) in TM2D3 was enriched in Icelanders (~0.5% versus <0.05% in other European populations). In 433 LOAD cases and 3903 controls from the Icelandic AGES sub-study, P155L was associated with increased risk and earlier onse

Aim: To define the genomic distribution and function of DNA methylation changes during human adipogenesis. Methods: We isolated adipocyte-derived stem cells from 13 individuals and analyzed genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression in cultured adipocyte-derived stem cells and mature adipocytes. Results: We observed altered DNA methylation of 11,947 CpG sites and altered expression of 11,830

Background: Two atopic patients suffering from severe allergy difficult to handle by conventional medication were given Xolair despite an IgE level <30 kU/l. Methods: Increasing dosages were given and monitored by clinical evaluation and CD-sens to clinically relevant allergens. The patients' IgE antibody fractions were 11-14%. Results: Xolair dosages extrapolated from a recommended dose for IgE o

GOAL: To clarify whether disturbances in the autonomic nervous system, reflected in abnormal cardiovascular reflexes, could explain symptoms of impaired heat regulation in patients with intestinal pseudo-obstruction. BACKGROUND: Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a clinical syndrome characterized by diffuse, unspecific gastrointestinal symptoms due to damage to the enteric nervous system or