Vaspin, resistin, retinol-binding protein-4, interleukin-1α and interleukin-6 in patient with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseas

Background and rational. Data on newer adipokines and interleukins in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are inconclusive. The primary aim of this study was the evaluation of serum vaspin, resistin, retinol-binding protein (RBP)-4, inter-leukin (IL)-1α and IL-6 levels in NAFLD patients compared to matched controls, and their association with disease severity.Material and methods. Twenty-nine consecutively enrolled NAFLD patients with histologically confirmed nonalcoholic simple steatosis (SS; n = 15) or steatohepatitis (NASH; n = 14) and 25 matched controls without NAFLD were recruited. Serum vaspin, resistin, RBP-4, IL-1α and IL-6 and biochemical tests were measured.Results. Serum vaspin levels were lower and IL-6 levels higher in NASH patients than controls, but similar between controls and SS patients, or NASH and SS patients (vaspin, controls: 728.5 ± 39.3; SS: 634.6 ± 63.7; NASH: 531.5 ± 52.0 pg/mL; p for trend 0.028; IL-6, controls: 1.5 ± 0.2; SS: 2.5 ± 0.6; NASH: 3.0 ± 0.6 pg/mL; p for trend 0.032). However, after adjustment for body mass index or waist circumference, both vaspin and IL-6 did not remain significantly different between groups. Resistin, RBP-4 and IL-1α were not statistically different between groups. None of the selected adipokines or interleukins could independently differentiate NAFLD from SS, or patients with more severe from less severe histological lesions.Conclusion. Lower circulating vaspin, but higher IL-6 levels were observed in NASH patients than controls, whereas resistin, RBP-4 and IL-1α levels were similar between groups. However, these differences did not remain robust after adjustment for body mass index or waist circumference

Design för Additiv Tillverkning – En metodik.

Additive manufacturing (AM), sometimes called 3D-printing is a group of manufacturing technologies that build up a product using a layer by layer technique and provides new ways of manufacturing parts and products. The Company in this thesis wants to make AM a tool in their manufacturing toolbox. When introducing this manufacturing method, new processes and methods have to be developed. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a methodology that will help the designers when identifying parts that should be manufactured using AM. The development of this methodology has followed the principles of service design which is a holistic interdisciplinary approach where methods from different disciplines are combined to create benefits to the end user experience. Before the development process, a large background study was performed to gather detailed information within the area of AM. The methodology concept was then developed through five iterative cycles where methods such as interviews, trigger material, questionnaire, case study and stakeholder mapping were used. The thesis resulted in an AM handbook with information regarding the technology and a five step methodology for choosing when and why to use AM as a manufacturing method. Step one is to identify the AM potential in a product which is based on complexity, customization and production volume. Step two is to specify requirements of the products, this can be surface finish, tolerances etc. The third step in the design methodology is part screening, which is the making of the final decision about if the product should be printed and if it can be printed. The fourth step is to choose an AM technology based on the requirements specified in step two by providing information about the technologies’ restrictions and possibilities. Step five in this methodology is the design of AM products and provides simple design guidelines. It has been shown that a dynamic task is best solved through working with dynamic methods, therefore service design approach is a flexible and good fit for this thesis. This design methodology is only a part of the AM-area and needs to be supplemented with other knowledge within the area. The first step after implementing this handbook is to investigate how the organization and business is affected when implementing AM.Additiv tillverkning (AM), även kallat 3D-printing, är benämningen på en grupp tillverkningstekniker där en produkt byggs lager för lager. Denna masteruppsats har utförts i samarbete med ett svenskt industriföretag som levererar lösningar inom tillverkningsindustrin, i rapporten kallat Företaget. Genom att utveckla nya designprocesser och metoder vill Företaget inkludera AM i sin tillverkningsstrategi. Syftet med detta masterexamensarbete var att utveckla en metodik för hur urval och utveckling av produkter anpassade för AM ska ske. Utvecklingen av metodiken följer principerna för tjänstedesign, vilket innebär ett holistiskt tvärvetenskapligt arbetssätt där metoder från olika discipliner kombineras för att skapa en positiv upplevelse för slutanvändaren. Innan utvecklingsprocessens start gjordes en stor bakgrundsstudie för att införskaffa kunskaper kring AM. Därefter utvecklades en metod genom fem iterativa cykler där metoder som intervjuer, triggermaterial, frågeformulär, fallstudier och stakeholdermapping användes. Masteruppsatsen resulterade i en handbok med information kring teknikerna och en metodik i fem steg för att välja när och varför AM bör användas som tillverkningsmetod. Första steget är att identifiera AM potentialen hos en produkt, vilket baseras på komplexitet, kundanpassning och produktionsvolym. I steg två ska produktkrav specificeras, exempel på sådana krav är ytfinhet och toleranser. Tredje steget i metoden handlar om en produkt-undersökning under vilken ett slutgiltigt beslut fattas angående om produkten kan och bör tillverkas. I fjärde steget sker valet av teknik baserat på de produktkrav som specificerats i steg två, genom att information ges angående teknikens möjligheter och begränsningar. Femte steget i metoden handlar om designen av AM produkter och förser konstruktören med enklare riktlinjer för designen. Utveckling av en metodik kräver ett dynamiskt arbetssätt och principerna inom service design visade sig passa bra för detta projekt. Det visade sig också att den resulterade metodik behöver kompletteras med information i framtiden. Det behövs även fastställas tydliga mål för AM i företaget och vilket syfte implementeringen av denna nya process innebä

Healthy Universities: current activity and future directions - findings and reflections from a national-level qualitative research study

This qualitative study used questionnaires to scope and explore ‘healthy universities’ activity taking place within English higher education institutions (HEIs). The findings revealed a wealth of health-related activity and confirmed growing interest in the healthy universities approach — reflecting an increasing recognition that investment for health within the sector will contribute not only to health targets but also to mainstream agendas such as staff and student recruitment, experience and retention; and institutional and societal productivity and sustainability. However, they also suggested that, while there is growing understanding of the need for a comprehensive whole system approach to improving health within higher education settings, there are a number of very real challenges — including a lack of rigorous evaluation, the difficulty of integrating health into a ‘non-health’ sector and the complexity of securing sustainable cultural change. Noting that health and well-being remain largely marginal to the core mission and organization of higher education, the article goes on to reflect on the wider implications for future research and policy at national and international levels. Within England, whereas there are Healthy Schools and Healthy Further Education Programmes, there is as yet no government-endorsed programme for universities. Similarly, at an international level, there has been no systematic investment in higher education mirroring the comprehensive and multifaceted Health Promoting Schools Programme. Key issues highlighted are: securing funding for evaluative research within and across HEIs to enable the development of a more robust evidence base for the approach; advocating for an English National Healthy Higher Education Programme that can help to build consistency across the entire spectrum of education; and exploring with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) the feasibility of developing an international programm