Galectin-8 specificity to cells: from broad outside to fine inside

Glycobiology is the world of sugars: how they are made, what they look like, and what they do. Despite the importance of glycan structures in life, knowledge has been hampered due to their inherent complexity. Lectins are nature's way to decipher the intricate code held by glycans, which makes them important players in both normal and pathological physiology. A key to the understanding of lectins and their cellular effects lies in the basis of their carbohydrate specificity and the multivalent interactions occurring at a cell surface. Also in the design and synthesis of new drugs, either to be used as future tools in fruitful glycobiology experiments, or as effective therapeutics in the clinic, such information is very helpful. This thesis is aimed at investigating the fine specificity of the two carbohydrate recognition domains of a human lectin, galectin-8, and to relate this fine specificity with cell surface binding and induced cellular effects. In short, our experiments charted the individual ligand preference displayed by the two domains, in addition to explaining how the striking monovalent affinity for sialylated ?-galactosides, shown by the N-terminal domain, was achieved. Further, we showed that although cell surface binding of intact galectin-8 didn?t require the sialic acid binding ability of the N-terminal domain, intracellular targeting following endocytosis did

Identification and Classification of Diseases: Fundamental Problems in Medical Ontology and Epistemology

During the last three centuries there has been remarkable development in the area of the identification and classification of diseases. The taxonomic systems adopted in the 18th century by, for instance, Sauvages and Linnaeus bare no resemblance to the modern nomenclatures for pathological phenomena. The aim of this paper is to give a brief historical presentation, but also a critical analysis, of a number of crucial ideas and theories behind the construction of certain major disease classifications. My focus in the second half of the paper is on the most influential modern systems of classification, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) and the International Systematized Nomenclature of Human and Veterinary Medicine (SNOMED). The former is the official classification adopted by the World Health Organization and is used mainly for clinical and administrative purposes. The latter is a highly complex system of classification which has recently been developed for a variety of purposes (including medical research) and is meant to be read and handled by computers. ICD, although widely used all over the world, has salient and well-known logical deficiencies. SNOMED has been introduced partly to remedy these deficiencies. I conclude, however, that SNOMED, in spite of its sophisticated resources, cannot completely replace ICD. For many clinical and administrative purposes there is need of a relatively simple system that can be handled by the ordinary doctor and the ordinary health-care administrator

Isolation of bacteria-containing phagosomes by magnetic selection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a growing awareness of the importance of intracellular events in determining the outcome of infectious disease. To improve the understanding of such events, like phagosome maturation, we set out to develop a versatile technique for phagosome isolation that is rapid and widely applicable to different pathogens.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We developed two different protocols to isolate phagosomes containing dead or live bacteria modified with small magnetic particles, in conjunction with a synchronized phagocytosis protocol and nitrogen cavitation. For dead bacteria, we performed analysis of the phagosome samples by microscopy and immunoblot, and demonstrated the appearance of maturation markers on isolated phagosomes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have presented detailed protocols for phagosome isolation, which can be adapted for use with different cell types and prey. The versatility and simplicity of the approach allow better control of phagosome isolation, the parameters of which are critical in studies of host-bacteria interaction and phagosome maturation.</p

Förändrat inflytande för projektledaren vid övergång från traditionell till agil systemutveckling – ett projektledarperspektiv

För att kunna bemöta en föränderlig omgivning där krav och förutsättningar ständigt förändras blir det allt vanligare att företag som sysslar med mjukvaruutveckling väljer att börja hantera projekt enligt den agila principen. Att anamma ett nytt sätt att arbeta kräver en omställning av alla inblandade inte minst för projektledaren. I denna uppsats har vi valt att undersöka vilka hur problem och möjligheter det innebär för projektledaren när att gå från att styra ett projekt enligt traditionella principer att styra projektet med agila principer. Aspekter som även utrönas i studien är vilka ledarskapsegenskaper som är viktiga för projektledaren för att kunna främja ett agilt sätt att arbeta. I resultaten framgick det att beroende på flera faktorer fanns det olika typer av problem och möjligheter i samband med en övergång från traditionell till agil systemutveckling. Gällande projektledaren bör denne anamma ett mer coachande ledarskap och våga släppa ifrån sig kontrollen till sina projektmedlemmar för att inte hämma gruppen och den agila utvecklingsmetodiken

Selfoscillations of Suspended Carbon Nanotubes with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance under Voltage Bias

We theoretically investigate the electro-mechanics of a Suspended Carbon Nanotube with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance subjected to a homogeneous Magnetic Field and a constant Voltage Bias. We show that, (with the exception of a singular case), for a sufficiently high magnetic field the time-independent state of charge transport through the nanotube becomes unstable to selfexcitations of the mechanical vibration accompanied by oscialltions in the voltage drop and current across the nanotube.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Care of the older person and the value of human dignity

As the world population is rapidly aging, stakeholders must address the care of the elderly with great concern. Also, loss of dignity is often associated with aging due to dementia, mobility problems and diminished functional autonomy. However, dignity is a polysemic term that is deemed useless by some ethicists. To counter this claim, we propose four concepts to define it better and make use accurately of this notion. These are human dignity, dignity of identity, dignities of excellence and attributed dignities. Finally, we explain the importance of solicitude and human dignity in the care of the elderly. This will ensure the respect, friendship and dignity of the elderly in providing geriatric ethical care

On the relationship between individual and population health

The relationship between individual and population health is partially built on the broad dichotomization of medicine into clinical medicine and public health. Potential drawbacks of current views include seeing both individual and population health as absolute and independent concepts. I will argue that the relationship between individual and population health is largely relative and dynamic. Their interrelated dynamism derives from a causally defined life course perspective on health determination starting from an individual’s conception through growth, development and participation in the collective till death, all seen within the context of an adaptive society. Indeed, it will become clear that neither individual nor population health is identifiable or even definable without informative contextualization within the other. For instance, a person’s health cannot be seen in isolation but must be placed in the rich contextual web such as the socioeconomic circumstances and other health determinants of where they were conceived, born, bred, and how they shaped and were shaped by their environment and communities, especially given the prevailing population health exposures over their lifetime. We cannot discuss the “what” and “how much” of individual and population health until we know the cumulative trajectories of both, using appropriate causal language