The relation of 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations to liver histopathology, seasonality and baseline characteristics in chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 2 or 3 infection

Background and objectives The hydroxylation to 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) occurs in the liver and the impact of liver disease on vitamin D is unclear. This study evaluated the relationship between vitamin D concentrations and hepatic histopathology, seasonality and patient characteristics in well-characterized patients having undergone a liver biopsy. Method 25(OH)D was measured post-hoc in pre-treatment serum from 331 North European patients with chronic HCV genotype 2 or 3 infection (NORDynamIC study). Liver biopsies were scored for fibrosis and inflammation according to the Ishak protocol, and graded for steatosis. Non-invasive markers of hepatic fibrosis as well as baseline viral and host characteristics, including genetic polymorphisms rs2228570, rs7975232, and rs10877012 were also evaluated. Results Mean 25(OH)D concentration was 59 ±23 nmol/L, with 41% having values <50 nmol/L and 6% were <30 nmol/L. 25(OH)D correlated with fibrosis (r = -0.10, p ≤0.05) in univariate but not in multivariate analyses. No association was observed between 25(OH)D and hepatic inflammation, but with steatosis in HCV genotype 2 infected patients. None of the genetic polymorphisms impacted on 25(OH)D levels or fibrosis. 25(OH)D levels were significantly inversely correlated to BMI (r = -0.19, p = 0.001), and was also associated with season and non-Caucasian ethnicity. Conclusion Fibrosis was not independently associated with 25(OH)D concentration and no association was seen with hepatic inflammation, but HCV genotype 2 infected patients with moderate-to-severe steatosis had lower 25(OH)D levels compared to those without steatosis. A high percentage had potential risk of 25(OH)D deficiency, and BMI, seasonality and ethnicity were independently associated with 25(OH)D as previously reported.publishedVersio

Kulturminnesvården och ortnamnen

Med bland annat uppräkning av ortnamn med ovanlig och rolig lydelse, sidan 36.</p

Words for heights and slopes in Daga härad : a study of the semantics of two groups of appellatives and place-name elements denoting terrain formations

When topographical generics such as backe, berg, slänt and stalp are treated in literature and dialect records, their lexical meaning is often given without details and precise semantic distinctions. It is indicated by 'synonyms' and by established agreement with other words within the same semantic field, rarely by contrasting definite differences between the words. This can easily give an impression of a synonymity among topographical generics which is out of proportion to the great number of words in use. The main aim of this dissertation is to establish the exact meaning of words for heights and slopes in their two functions, as appellatives and as place-name elements. The study also aims atillustrating the necessity of field work, its problems and possible sources of errors.Akademisk avhandling som för avläggande av filosofie doktorsexamen vid Stockholms universitet kommer att offentligt försvaras i hörsal 8, hus D, Frescati, torsdagen den 19 maj 1988 kl. 10.00.</p

Imaging vascular development in zebrafish (Danio Rerio)

Formation of a functional vascular network is a prerequisite for physiological organ function in vertebrates. Pathological vascularization furthermore plays a role in several human diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Understanding the mechanisms governing embryonic vascular development may give more insight into pathological vascularization. Vascular development has classically been subdivided into two subcategories: (1) vasculogenesis - the de novo creation of vessels from angioblast precursors and (2) angiogenesis - the creation of blood vessels from preexisting vessels. Although a large number of studies have been performed on vascular development, several biological mechanisms behind both angio- and vasculogenesis remain unresolved. The aim of Paper I was to analyze the role of Angiomotin-like protein 1 (AmotL1) in developmental angiogenesis. We showed that AmotL1 is an important mediator of endothelial cell junction formation in vivo. In Paper II, we show (in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro) that Shingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is a critical negative regulator of angiogenic sprouting. S1PR1 loss of function causes endothelial hypersprouting both in mouse and zebrafish, whereas activation inhibits sprouting and enhances cellular adhesion. This article shows how a blood borne signal (S1P) induces vascular stabilization via S1PR1, junctional VE-cadherin and inhibition of VEGFR2 signaling. In Paper III, individual cell tracking of precursors originating in the LPM confirmed that precursors migrate to the midline in two waves in accordance with cell identity. Arterial-venous specification appears to occur in the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM), whereupon sprinting (fast migrating) precursors migrate to dorsal positions at the midline – forming the dorsal aorta (DA). Although the bulk of asymmetrical divisions presumably occurs in the LPM, some hemangioblasts continue to divide asymmetrically at least once during axial vessel formation