Vectors based on lentivirus backbones have revolutionized our ability to transfer Genesinto many cell types. Lentiviral vectors integrate into the chromatin of target cells and do not transfer any viral Genes causing vector replication. Both of these features arecommonly used in gene therapy and have been used clinically in individuals sufferingfrom cancer, infections and genetic diseases. It has been discovered that T-cells can be genetically modified to be used as effective weapons against cancer: therefore virus mustbe produced to deliver the gene of interest into the T-cells. In this project, lentiviralvectors have been produced to transfer the gene coding for a chimeric antigen receptor(CAR) which is directed to CD19 on B-cells.

Proliferative enteropathy is a group of disease conditions in pigs where the disease may vary from subclinical to critical with bloody loose feces. The etiological agent is the obligate intracellular bacteria Lawsonia intracellularis. L. intracellularis infects enterocytes from jejunum to colon. The bacteria is taken into cells and start to replicate and cause a massive proliferation of immature enterocytes.

Bakgrund: Ryggsmärta är ett vanligt förekommande problem i dagens samhälle. Den lumbala segmentella instabiliteten anses vara en signifikant orsak till kroniska ländryggssmärtor. Instabilitet innebär ofta hypermobilitet i någon rörelseriktning, men inte nödvändigtvis i alla plan. I kombination med dysfunktion och den onormala belastning själva leden och dess omgivande strukturer utsätts för, orsakar instabiliteten ofta smärta på grund av störd proprioception. Det är väl känt att svaghet och nedsatt muskulär kontroll i den djupa ryggmuskulaturen är vanligt hos patienter med ländryggssmärta.

The dairy cow?s ability to resume estrus after calving and to conceive is affected by their metabolic status after calving. For high yielding cows there is a high risk that the feed intake will not be sufficient to cope with the increased energy demands after calving, and the cow will end up in a state of negative energy balance. Energy balance can be measured in various ways, for example by body condition score or by plasma concentration of several metabolic hormones and metabolites. After calving, endocrine pathways stimulate tissue mobilization; insulin signaling is blocked, the concentration of insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) and leptin decreases, and the concentration of growth hormone (GH) increases.

Involuntary childlessness is a big problem around the world. One way to solve the problem is to receive oocytes or semen from a donor. In Sweden, semen donation has been regulated by law since 1985 and oocyte donation since 2003. The aim of this study was to investigate what motivations women and men in Sweden have to donate gametes, if they feel any ambivalence to donate, and to compare if there is any difference in motivation and ambivalence between women and men. Motivation was measured with eight statements based on previous results and clinical experience.

Gene technology has become more and more attractive in plant breeding during the last twenty years. This is probably because it can readily improve the existing commercial cultivars that have only one or a few drawbacks by modifying one or a few Genes without changing the main genetic constitution. In this regard, gene technology is more effective than conventional breeding.The aim of this project was to analyze the fruit quality of the non-transgenic apple scion ?Jonagold? grafted on non-transgenic and rolB-transgenic apple rootstocks. The rootstocks used were M9-rolB1, M9-rolB2, M26-rolB and non-transgenic controls M9 and M26.

Oxochlorates are anions with a partially naturally occurrence in nature but are also spread by human activities, including the paper industry. These compounds are harmful to both nature and humans, which makes it necessary to find a good way for their degradation. There are two different kinds of bacteria that can use oxochlorates as electron acceptors in their metabolism, bacteria that break down perchlorate and bacteria that break down both perchlorate and chlorate. A bacterium that can break down chlorate under anaerobic conditions is Ideonella dechloratans which holds the Genes for chlorite dismutase and chlorate reductase which are enzymes for the degradation of chlorate. Gene expression and enzyme activity of chlorite dismutase are induced under anaerobic conditions, which makes it interesting to find out how this regulation functions in order to better exploit these bacteria in biological wastewater treatment.

The genus Campylobacter is globally recognised as the leading bacterial cause of human foodborne gastroenteritis. Every year around 8000 Swedes are infected by Campylobacter. Most people are infected by thermotolerant Campylobacter species, commonly C. jejuni and C. coli.

Coastal sediments are important carbon sinks, storing organic matter and thereby helping to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, they can also act as carbon sources if the deposited organic matter decomposes rapidly, contributing to increased greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Rapid decomposition partly depends on the degradability of the material itself. In this literature review, I examine which coastal plant species dominate different locations along the Swedish coast, based on coverage data from the ClimScape project (www.climscape.se). For the most dominant species, I investigated the type of organic matter they may contribute to the sediments and based on those results I qualitatively assessed which sites that may function as carbon sinks or sources.

The city is complex, multi-faceted and fascinating. The same can be said about the rooms of the city. The experience of the rooms of the city can be described in as many ways as there are individuals. The question concerned in this essay is How can you describe the rooms of the city as a phenomenon and how can you describe the experience of these rooms in general? The concepts city and room are widely understood and neither of them has a description that can be used in all situations.

Mast cells have for a long time been known to accumulate around tumors (Maltby et al., 2009). Studies show that they may be important and sometimes essential in tumor angioGenesis, tumor growth and metastasis of tumors (Soucek, et al., 2007; Xiang et al., 2010). In an expression array study (Wensman et al, submitted manuscript) performed on mouse mast cells exposed to tumor conditioned medium, the gene 4-1BB was among the most up-regulated Genes compared to control medium. 4-1BB codes for a membrane receptor protein of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily and has been shown to be important in T cell regulation in tumor diseases. This study was performed to investigate if human mast cells up-regulate 4-1BB when they get exposed to tumor conditioned medium.

The increased frequency of reported Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) is of great concern to small animal healthcare due to limited options of antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this literature study is to investigate 1) characteristics and classification of S. pseudintermedius, 2) resistance mechanisms and emergence of MRSP, 3) risk factors for selection of MRSP, and 4) clonal distribution around the world. S. pseudintermedius is a skin and mucosal commensal in healthy dogs and cats, but can cause infections, including pyoderma. Beta-lactam antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth by binding to the penicillin binding protein (PBP), a vital enzyme in the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall.

The worldwide industrial demand of energy, often in form of fossil fuel, is continuously growing and at the same time these resources are coming to an end (Hamamre, 2013). The interest and focus in renewable sources are then more important than ever and plants are suggested to be a good alternative for production of raw material for industrial purposes (Nilsson et al., 1998). But the world is also facing an increasing world population which also increase the nutritional needs, plants therefore need to be suitable for both industrial and nutritional purposes. To achieve this, common plants need to be improved but it also need new potential crops to be developed and introduced (Carlsson et al., 2009). Modern technology like gene engineering is an important tool to achieve these challenges (Carlsson et al., 2011). This work focused on analyzes and evaluation of different transgenic lines of field pepperweed (Lepidium campestre L.).

The search for antibiotic compounds from the natural environment has been going on for seven decades, ever since penicillin entered the market and antibiotic treatments became routine. The evolutionary pressure put on the pathogenic microorganisms induced a rapid spreading of naturally occurring resistance Genes, leaving only the option of finding new antibiotics to treat the resistant pathogens. Microorganisms have been extensively mined for their biosynthetic abilities to produce biologically active compounds. To date, more than 23 000 microbial natural products have been discovered. The Actinomycetales are ubiquitous bacteria that have been used for antibiotic discovery for more than half a century, and over 10 000 natural products have been identified from the order.

Particular to the cat among our pets is its´ unique nutritional needs and metabolism. The cat cannot produce some nutrients by themselves and must get them through their diet. This means that the cat quickly can suffer from various diseases unless the nutritional needs are covered. In those cases where man is completely in control of the cat?s diet, the right knowledge is crucial for the cat?s wellbeing.