Hepatitis E virus, HEV, is a frequent causative agent behind, especially waterborne, infections in developing countries such as India. However, during the last years the number of non-travel-associated infections in industrialised countries, for example US, Germany and Sweden, has increased. The symptoms vary from mild with nausea to icterus and it can even be lethal. There are four different genotypes of HEV and many studies consider HEV infection to be a zoonosis. Scientists have by using phylogenetic analyses found great genetic similarity between strains isolated from humans, pigs and food, such as pork and liver, especially among viruses belonging to genotype 3.

The RECK gene is a relatively new discovered gene with important implications for cancer research. The research has been primarily concentrated on the human gene with the ultimate aim to identify the invasive characteristics. Up regulated RECK is linked to significantly prolonged survival rates in patients with severe forms of malignancies. RECK is normally expressed in all cells of the body and has an important role in the balance between destructive and constructive features of the extracellular matrix. The RECK protein is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that inhibit matrix metalloproteinases which has the function of breaking down the ECM. There is a significant correlation between RECK gene expression and the formation of new vessels, presumably via the mediation of VEGF which is an important and powerful inducer of angiogenesis.

The aim of this study was to find possible relations between behaviour and physiology for puppies during different parts of a puppy test. This work deals mainly with the physiological part of the study. Thirtysix puppies, från five litters, were tested in a behaviour test where heart rate was measured and saliva samples were collected before and after each part in the test. Saliva and urine samples were analyzed for corisol concentration as an indicatior of stress. The tests were performed during two consecutive days in the breeders' home when the puppies were seven weeks old. In addition, heart rate and cortisol levels were also measured in the bitch since we were interested in finding out if there were any relations between physiological levels in bitches and puppies.

Sjuksköterskor har flera arbetsuppgifter som innebär en möjlig kontakt med patienters blod och risk för en blodsmitta. Enligt föreskrifter från Arbetsstyrelsen ska handskar användas av vårdpersonal för att förebygga smitta. Trots dessa föreskrifter varierar användningen av handskar bland sjuksköterskor. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka sjuksköterskors attityder till att använda handskar i vården där risk för blodsmitta kan förekomma. En empirisk studie med kvalitativ ansats genomfördes.

Every year about 30000 people have a stroke. It is caused by either a bleeding or a blood clot, and depending on where the damage is, the patient can get different types of difficulties following after the stroke. About 40 % of all stroke patients sufferfrom some kind of speech and/or communication difficulty, like aphasia or dysarthria. As hospital staff it´s important to know how to communicate with these people, to get a deeper understanding regards their needs.Aim:The aim of this study is to out of a patient's perspectivedescribeexperiences ofcommunication difficulties that can follow after a stroke.Method:A content analysis with a qualitative approach was used to analyse five autobiographies.Results:The result showed in what way stroke patients experienced their communication difficulties, and how they felt about the hospital staffs treatment related to their communication difficulties. During the analysis two major themes emerged: suffering and wellbeing.

Bakgrund: Denna litteraturstudie handlar om avnavling och när det är optimalt att avnavla det fullgångna friska barnet. Avnavling har länge varit ett diskuterat ämne bland obstetriker, barnmorskor och föräldrar. Föreliggande studie ska bidra till att öka barnmorskans och övrig vårdpersonals medvetenhet om när avnavling bör ske och när det är fördelaktigt för barnet att avnavlas. Rekommendationen är att friska fullgångna barn avnavlas sent om inte situationen kräver en tidig avnavling eller att föräldrarna önskar tidig avnavling pga. donation till biobanken.

The objectives of this study was to examine the prevalence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a family of British Shorthaircats to determine the mode of inheritance and to investigate if the disease was associated with a mutation in myosin binding proteinC (MyBPC3). The family comprised 28 cats, seven male and 21 females. The cats underwent a physical examination, including cardiac auscultation, and an ultrasound examination. Blood was collected for DNA- analysis. The blodsamples were sent in a buffer solution to Kathryn Meurs, Washington State University, USA for analysis, where the genes coding for MyBPC, Troponin I and T were characterized using microsequencing technique. Out of the 28 cats, 8 were diagnosed with HCM, 2 were diagnosed with congenital heart disease but had no evidence of HCM.

Abstract      Background: Stroke, caused by a blood clot or a bleeding in the brain, is one of the large endemic diseases in Sweden. The symptoms are very individual and depend on where the stroke is located. The nurse is a key person due to the importance to individualize the rehabilitation of the patient. The consequences after a stroke are not only visible functions reductions but also cognitive and practical problems. Stroke often leads to extensive changes in life, and individuals who get a stroke have to adjust their daily life. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe individuals? experiences of changes in daily life, one year or more after a stroke. Method: An inductive, qualitative approach was used.

Hypertoni är vanligt förekommande i dagens samhälle och anses därför ha blivit en folksjukdom. Uppskattningsvis har 1,8 miljoner av Sveriges vuxna befolkning hypertoni. Hypertoni står för cirka 13 procent av den totala dödligheten i världen, och ses som en riskfaktor till ett stort antal hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar. Idag finns det internationella riktlinjer för vård av hypertoni i bland annat England och USA. Dock saknas det specifika svenska riktlinjer för vård av hypertoni.

There is a need for correct and adequate pain assessment in horses. Methadone is used in pain management in horses but the full pharmacokinetic picture of methadone is not yet known. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a behaviour protocol and suggest a reliable recording method for use in a larger research project with an aim to potentially correlate behaviours to concentration of methadone in blood. In this study two coldblooded trotters were given methadone intravenously with doses of 0.1 mg/kg for horse 1 and 0.2 mg/kg for horse 2. The horses were videotaped pre and post methadone administration.

The development of quantitative, real-time PCR (qPCR) combined with the mapping of the canine genome opens new possibilities in veterinary medicine. This method provides a quick and accurate quantification of the expression of a specific gene at a given point in time and thereby also information of how the gene expression for a certain protein is influenced by various conditions and diseases. One possible area of application is identifying bio markers for cancer. Recently the protein serglycin (the core protein of an intracellular proteoglycan) was found to act as a selective marker for the disease acute myeloid leukemia in humans (Niemann et al, 2007). Serglycin is produced by most hematopoietic cells, although mast cells account for the largest amount of serglycin.

Transportation of pigs might be a welfare problem. Stress during and after transportation can negatively affect the meat quality or cause carcass damages, which leads to major economic losses every year. The transportation chain can be divided into several stages; loading, transport and unloading. This literature review focuses on unloading of pigs from a transport. When arriving at an abattoir pigs can be fatigued and need to be as smoothly unloaded as possible.

Kardiovaskulära sjukdomar och hypertoni blir allt mer vanligt i västvärlden. Trots livsstilsrekommendationer ökar antalet insjuknanden i hjärt-kärlsjukdomar, vilket har blivit en av de vanligaste dödsorsakerna i Sverige. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att undersöka om flavanol i kosten kan användas blodtryckssänkande samt att klargöra om flavanol påverkar den kardiovaskulära ohälsan. Metoden som användes var en litteraturstudie av redan publicerade vetenskapliga artiklar inom ämnet. Flertalet studier visar på att flavanol har en blodtryckssänkande likväl som andra positiva effekter.

Abstract ?The Vampire from past to present?. This essay studies and compares the early historical Vampire as it is presented in some of the Western Europe countries, primarily Greece, but also Romania and how their descriptions of the Vampire have inspired the portrait of vampires in modern films and literature. The essay aims to answer the questions:How has the historical, traditional, European Vampire developed through the centuries into the modern Vampire of today? Which original facts and perceptions about the Vampire from a Christian and pre-Christian point of view can be observed in the modern Vampire, as it is presented in the chosen films and furthermore, can any new ideas be observed in the films?By studying Vampire literature and poems throughout the centuries, a very interesting picture appears.

Several factors affect the heifer´s growth and development, the newborn calf´s feeding of co-lostrum during its first hours of life is one important factor. The colostrum contains higher amount of immunoglobulins and insulin growth factors compared to matured milk. A high intake of immunoglobulins from colostrum results in a high blood concentration of immuno-globulins until the age of eight months. This leads to a lower incidence of diseases that can affect the growth and development negatively. Diarrhea is the most common disease in calves younger than 30 days.