IL-22 affects smooth muscle cell phenotype and plaque formation in apolipoprotein E knockout mice.

IL-22 is a recently discovered cytokine that belongs to the family of IL-10 related cytokines. It is produced by activated T-cells and innate lymphoid cells and has been suggested to be involved in tissue repair. As both inflammation and repair play important roles in atherosclerosis we investigated if IL-22 deficiency influences the disease process in Apoe(-/-) mice

VEGF receptor 2/-3 heterodimers detected in situ by proximity ligation on angiogenic sprouts

Peer reviewe

Increased Inflammation in Atherosclerotic Lesions of Diabetic Akita-LDLr

Background. Diabetes is associated with increased cardiovascular disease, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. One proposed mechanism is that diabetes aggravates atherosclerosis by enhancing plaque inflammation. The Akita mouse has recently been adopted as a relevant model for microvascular complications of diabetes. Here we investigate the development of atherosclerosis and inflammation in vessels of Akita mice on LDLr−/− background. Methods and Results. Akita-LDLr−/− and LDLr−/− mice were fed high-fat diet from 6 to 24 weeks of age. Blood glucose levels were higher in both male and female Akita-LDLr−/− mice (137% and 70%, resp.). Male Akita-LDLr−/− mice had markedly increased plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels, a three-fold increase in atherosclerosis, and enhanced accumulation of macrophages and T-cells in plaques. In contrast, female Akita-LDLr−/− mice demonstrated a modest 29% increase in plasma cholesterol and no significant increase in triglycerides, atherosclerosis, or inflammatory cells in lesions. Male Akita-LDLr−/− mice had increased levels of plasma IL-1β compared to nondiabetic mice, whereas no such difference was seen between female diabetic and nondiabetic mice. Conclusion. Akita-LDLr−/− mice display considerable gender differences in the development of diabetic atherosclerosis. In addition, the increased atherosclerosis in male Akita-LDLr−/− mice is associated with an increase in inflammatory cells in lesions

Transcriptional profiling of breast cancer metastases identifies liver metastasis-selective genes associated with adverse outcome in luminal A primary breast cancer.

The complete molecular basis of the organ-specificity of metastasis is elusive. This study aimed to provide an independent characterization of the transcriptional landscape of breast cancer metastases with the specific objective to identify liver metastasis-selective genes of prognostic importance following primary tumor diagnosis

”att vara utomhus är natur” : En studie om elevers natursyn och upplevelser av naturen ur ett etniskt perspektiv

Syftet med det här arbetet var att undersöka elevers natursyn och upplevelser ur ett etniskt perspektiv. Detta gjordes genom att jag lät elever på en skola i Småland göra en teckning om vad natur var för dem. Därefter intervjuade jag fyra elever med utländska föräldrar och fyra elever med svenska föräldrar. Eleverna var mellan 6 och 10 år gamla. Intervjuerna och teckningarna visade ingen skillnad i natursyn och upplevelser av naturen beroende på om eleverna hade utländska eller svenska föräldrar. Däremot visade intervjuerna större skillnad i natursyn och upplevelser av naturen beroende på hur gamla eleverna var. Resultatet av studien skulle kunna förklaras med svenskars kärlek till naturen som tydligt syns i undersökningar, i vår historia samt i styrdokumenten i skolan

The language, an image of the culture : Integration of foreign-born coworkers to the swedish worklife

Studien syftar till att undersöka huruvida tillverkande företag introducerar och integrerar utrikesfödda medarbetare i det svenska arbetslivet. Studien tillämpade en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och undersökte ansvariga chefer, HR-, samt utrikesfödda medarbetares upplevelser av introduktions- och integrationsprocessen, detta gjordes på företaget LKAB.  Resultatet visade att ökandet av mångfalden ibland beror på att täcka kompetensluckor och är därmed inte inriktat som ett mål för att öka den etniska mångfalden. Vidare visade resultatet att LKAB:s generella introduktionsprocess är i behov av utveckling för att kunna anpassas efter individens behov. Till sist framkom det att organisationskulturen kan hjälpa individer att bli integrerade, men att språkbarriärer kan försvåra denna integration

The language, an image of the culture : Integration of foreign-born coworkers to the swedish worklife

Studien syftar till att undersöka huruvida tillverkande företag introducerar och integrerar utrikesfödda medarbetare i det svenska arbetslivet. Studien tillämpade en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och undersökte ansvariga chefer, HR-, samt utrikesfödda medarbetares upplevelser av introduktions- och integrationsprocessen, detta gjordes på företaget LKAB.  Resultatet visade att ökandet av mångfalden ibland beror på att täcka kompetensluckor och är därmed inte inriktat som ett mål för att öka den etniska mångfalden. Vidare visade resultatet att LKAB:s generella introduktionsprocess är i behov av utveckling för att kunna anpassas efter individens behov. Till sist framkom det att organisationskulturen kan hjälpa individer att bli integrerade, men att språkbarriärer kan försvåra denna integration

Effects of simvastatin on circulating autoantibodies to oxidized LDL antigens : relation with immune stimulation markers

Statins exert a number of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in vitro. However, the immunomodulatory effects in vivo are less clarified. In the present study, we investigated whether simvastatin treatment changed the levels of autoantibodies against specific oxidized LDL (oxLDL) antigens as well as their association with leukocyte activation markers. Eighty volunteers with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia were randomized to either simvastatin 40 mg or placebo for 6 weeks. Autoantibodies against apo B peptide antigens, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 in plasma were determined by ELISA. Subsets of circulating B and T cells were studied by flow cytometry. Simvastatin significantly reduced CRP by 26%, whereas IL-6 remained unchanged. Levels of IgG against the apo B peptide P-240 (amino acids 3586-3605) increased by 16% (p = 0.03) in the simvastatin group whereas autoantibody levels to other apo B peptides did not change. At baseline and after 6 weeks, the P-240 IgG levels were significantly correlated with the number of CD57+CD28 - CD8+T cells but not to other lymphocyte subsets or inflammatory markers. The P-240 IgG levels after 6 weeks simvastatin therapy was strongly correlated to the relative increase in CD57+CD28 - CD8+T cells (p = 0.003). Simvastatin treatment induced an increase in autoantibodies against an oxLDL antigen. The effect was related to an expansion of a CD8+T cell subset and may involve an immunostimulation by simvastatin

Comparison of communication skills between medical students admitted after interviews or on academic merits

Abstract Background Selection of the best medical students among applicants is debated and many different methods are used. Academic merits predict good academic performance, but students admitted by other pathways need not be less successful. The aim of this study, was to compare communication skills between students admitted to medical school through interviews or on academic merits, respectively. Methods A retrospective cohort study. Communication skills at a surgical OSCE in 2008 were assessed independently by two observers using an evaluative rating scale. Correlations, t-tests and multivariate analyses by logistic regressions were employed. Academic merits were defined as upper secondary school grade point average (GPA) or scores from the Swedish Scholastic Assessment Test (SweSAT). Results The risk of showing unsatisfactory communicative performance was significantly lower among the students selected by interviews (OR 0.32, CI95 0.12-0.83), compared to those selected on the basis of academic merits. However, there was no significant difference in communication skills scores between the different admission groups; neither did the proportion of high performers differ. No difference in the result of the written examination was seen between groups. Conclusions Our results confirm previous experience from many medical schools that students selected in different ways achieve comparable results during the clinical semesters. However, selection through interview seems to reduce the number of students who demonstrate inferior communication skills at 4th year of medical school.</p