The present study discusses the metabolism of ethanol in the human body from the ingestion of ethanol to the excretion of its break down products water and carbon dioxide. Ethanol is a small molecule, soluble in water as well as in organic solutions. It is quickly distributed to every section in the body, where it exerts a direct toxic effect on the cells. Ethanol cannot directly leave the body efficiently so it needs other metabolic pathways. The molecule is metabolized by oxidation, predominately in the liver.

The aim of the project was to study the effect of oral administration of glucose and leucin on the resynthesis of muscle glycogen after intense exercise in Standardbred trotters. In a crossover design, 11 Standardbred trotters performed a standardized exercise test on two occasions in order to deplete muscle glycogen. The exercise test comprised a warm up period, 7 repeated bouts of exercise on an uphill 500 m slope, and a recovery period. After the exercise test horses received: 1) a solution of glucose and leucine via a nasogastric tube at 0 minutes and at 240 minutes post exercise and a single bout of glucose at 120 minutes post exercise or 2) water (placebo) at 0, 120 and 240 minutes. Blood samples for measurement of glucose and insulin concentrations were collected at rest, when the horses returned to the stables directly after exercise and throughout the 6 hour recovery phase. During the first recovery hour, samples were collected every 15 minutes and then every 30 minutes over the next 5 hours.

The retrospective part of this study evaluates the susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolated from blood in critically ill foals in Sweden. The most commonly obtained bacteria were Actinobacillus spp. (38 %) and Escherichia coli (27 %). Trimethoprim-sulphonamide (TMS) had good efficacy against most gram negative bacteria with the exception of Klebsiella spp. Among 17 Escherichia coli isolates 94 % were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulphonamide whereas all 24 isolates of Actinobacillus spp.

This thesis has been performed at Clinical Chemistry at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. The purpose of the project was to investigate new and alternative ways to determinate synthetic cannabinoids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Currently, the possibilities to quantify synthetic cannabinoids are very limited. This can lead to an increased use of synthetic cannabinoids as the risk of detection is low, which may be known by drug users. The synthetic cannabinoids are sold mixed with different herbs and have varying names like Spice Gold, Spice Silver, K2, Smoke and Pot-pourri.The synthetic cannabinoids analyzed were JWH-018 and JWH-073, which are commonly found in seized Spice material.

Homocystein (Hcy) är en aminosyra som är starkt bunden till kroppens metabolism av metionin. När hcy tillbakabildas till metionin krävs närvaro av vitamin B12 och folat. Analys av hcy i Plasma (P-hcy) används vid misstanke om brist av någon av dessa vitaminer. Analysen kan utföras med ett antal olika metoder. I denna studie analyseras P-hcy immunologiskt med analysinstrumentet Immulite 2000 XPi (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc, Erlangen, Germany) och enzymatiskt med analysinstrumentet Cobas 6000 (Roche Diagnostics Scandinavia AB, Bromma, Sweden) med syfte att jämföra analysresultaten från de båda metoderna.

The system tungsten-oxygen has potential of being suitable for decorative coatings since ceramic coatings are often hard and wear resistant, and since modulations in oxygen content or incorporation of small ions could give bright colours. The aim of this report was to investigate the relationship between process parameters and  the properties of the films, with the wear resistance being of special interest.Samples with tungsten to oxygen ratios in the range of 100:0 to 25:75 at% were made using reactive sputter deposition, either with constant gas flow, or gas flow controlled by optical emission of the Plasma. The hysteresis of the system, which means that a certain gas flow will cause different pressure and/or target voltage depending on in what way the flow is reached, makes it interesting to control the process where the system makes the steep change from metallic tungsten to ceramic tungsten oxide. This is difficult and thus requires precise control equipment.The samples were analysed using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and an empirical wear test suitable for small components like cell phone cover for example, in order to characterize the structure, composition and wear resistance of the coatings. The results could be divided into three groups: (I) tungsten-like, with very low oxygen content; (II) mixed phase and (III) tungsten oxide like, with oxygen content close to 75 at%.

Lipider är en viktig energikälla och olösliga i vatten. De transporteras med hjälp av lipoproteiner ut till kroppens celler. Exempel på lipoproteiner är low density lipoproteins (LDL) och high density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL och HDL kan delas in i sju respektive tio subklasser beroende på storlek. Det har visat sig att en stor andel små LDL-partiklar i blodet ökar risken för hjärt- och kärlsjukdom.

At SLU, Divison of Reproduction, Dept of Clinical Science, there is an ongoing project on the development and evaluation of new methods for the assessment of stallion semen quality. This EEF-study, which is a part of that larger project, has focused on the effects on motility and fertility of stallion semen of two different extenders and selection. Both an objective method and a subjective method for analysis have been used and compared in the study. The increase in the use of artificial insemination with cooled semen in Swedish horse breeding over the last decade is thought to play a part in declining foaling rates (Kareskoski et al, 2006, Kuisma et al, 2006). This calls for better evaluation methods of semen quality since cooling and transportation put higher demands on semen quality in order to maintain fertility (Aurich, 2005).

This article starts with a review of the literature regarding the normal reproductive physiology of the mare, normal luteolysis, different causes of prolonged luteal phase and theories behind these. The article also presents a study where it was examined if treatment with human choriongonadotropic hormone (hCG) during the luteal phase induces prolonged luteal phase in mares, thus preventing estrus. The study consisted of two parts: one intensive study of eight mares at the former Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at SLU, Uppsala, Sweden and one field study of seven mares at a stud farm 70 km north of Uppsala. The mares in the intensive study were divided in two groups: one with four mares that were injected with hCG in luteal phase when they had a follicle of minimum 30 mm and a second group with four mares that were injected with sodium chloride at the same time. These mares were examined with ultrasonography and blood samples.

Penicillin G (benzylpenicillin) is the most commonly used antimicrobial substance used in equine medicine today. Two forms of penicillin G are available for equine use; one form is the poorly soluble penicillin G procaine and the other is the very soluble sodium salt. Although penicillin has a wide safety margin and is considered to possess a good tolerance, reactions due to side effects are sometimes encountered, which commonly is named ?penicillin-shock?. The etiology behind penicillin shock in horses is not completely understood, but the most common reason is believed to be procaine toxicity.

Eutrophication of the Baltic Sea is a serious problem. A major contributing factor is diffuse losses of phosphorus (P) from agricultural land in surrounding countries. In order to estimate P losses, environmental monitoring of small agriculture-dominated catchments is being carried out in most of these countries. Evaluation of the risk of P leaching to waters is usually based on chemical tests originally developed to quantify the amount of soil P available for plant production. The tests are performed in different ways in the different countries and a number of different extraction agents are in use.

Syfte: Syftet var att granska det vetenskapliga underlaget och analysera om det fanns effekter av bl?b?rsintag p? Plasmaglukos (P-glukos), systoliskt blodtryck (SBP) och diastoliskt blodtryck (DBP) hos vuxna med normala niv?er av P-glukos, SBP och DBP. Metod: En systematisk litteraturs?kning gjordes i databaserna PubMed och Scopus d?r randomiserade kontrollerade studier efters?ktes. Inkluderad population var individer med normala P-glukosniv?er och blodtrycksniv?er samt utan funktionsneds?ttning eller diagnostiserad sjukdom. Interventionen var f?rska, alternativt frysta bl?b?r eller frystorkat bl?b?rspulver.

Hjärtsvikt är en vanlig orsak till ohälsa i Europa inklusive Sverige och har en prognos som liknar andra dödliga sjukdomar. Vanliga bakomliggande orsaker är kranskärlsjukdomar, diabetes och högt blodtryck. Hjärtsvikt karaktäriseras av att hjärtat inte kan pumpa runt blod i kroppens vävnader på ett tillfredsställande sätt och detta ger upphov till att Plasma läcker ut i omkringliggande vävnader. Symtomen varierar från lindriga till livshotande besvär beroende på var ödemen uppträder i kroppen. År 2007 vårdades cirka 218 000 personer för problem relaterade till hjärtsvikt i Sverige.

The development within the textile industry is always ongoing with development of new andbetter textiles, which often mean the use of non-natural materials like polyester. This doesn?t lineup with the work shared around the world against an improved environment, so the idea came touse a form of linen fibers instead of polyester as the reinforcing material together with cotton.The idea was to use flax, linen of low quality, which is seen as a waste product and garbage inthe production of high quality linen and flax seed oil. This flax of low quality needs to beseparated before it can be used in cotton spinning machines. Fireball 2 is just that, a process toseparate flax fibers through the treatment of a technique called electrohydraulic discharge.The thesis works goal is to evaluate the Fireball 2 process ability to separate flax fiber.

Tumörmarkörer är substanser som frisätts i kroppsvätskor från cancerceller. Markörerna används inom sjukvården för att upptäcka och följa upp maligna sjukdomar med analyser av markörerna i serum/Plasma. Tre av dessa är cancerantigenerna CA 125, CA 15-3 och CA 19-9. Syftet med studien var att verifiera analysmetoden för tumörmarkörerna CA 125, CA 15-3 och CA 19-9 på två Roche Cobas e411 instrument (instrument 1 och 2) inför införandet av dessa vid avdelningen för klinisk kemi och transfusionsmedicin, Lnadstinget Kalmar län. De av företaget rekommenderade cut-off värdena på Roche Cobas e411 (Roche Diagnostics) är för CA 125 <35 kU/l, för CA 15-3 ?25 kU/l och för CA 19-9 <27 kU/l.