Oxytocin is a hormone which plays a crucial role in many reproductive and behavioural functions. It affects many organs and the classical peripheral targets are the mammary glands during lactation and uterus during labour. Oxytocin Receptors have recently been described in a variety of normal tissues and primary cell cultures, but also in neoplastic tissues and established neoplastic cell lines, as breast cancer cell lines. The signalling pathways and biological effects of the oxytocin/oxytocin receptor system seem to depend on species, type of tissue, physiological versus neoplastic state and receptor location within the cell membrane.The aim of this project was to find out if the cell proliferation in the canine mammary carcinoma cell line CMT-U27 was affected upon stimulation of oxytocin, and to investigate the presence of oxytocin Receptors in these cells. The cell proliferation was examined by using an ELISA-kit, where the absorbance measured is relative to the amount of living cells.

ABSTRACTA defect implantation process is the major reason for unexplained infertility. Estrogen andprogesterone are steroid hormones preparing the endometrium for implantation. They mediatetheir effect through their Receptors: estrogen receptor alpha and beta and progesteronereceptor A and B, respectively. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), which is also important forimplantation, mediates its effect through LIF receptor and the coreceptor, gp130, and is downregulated by suppressors of cytokine signaling 1. The aim of the study was to compare thelevels of the steroid hormone Receptors and LIF related factors in the endometrium of twogroups of women with the diagnosis unexplained infertility: one that became pregnant afterassisted reproduction and one that did not become pregnant.

Fibroblast growth factors are signaling peptides that controls important cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, adhesion and survival. Through binding to different types of Receptors on the cell surface, these peptides can have different effect on the target cell. Which effect that is achieved depends on many factors. Thus, each of the 24 known FGFs different biological responses. The FGF Receptors (FGFR 1-4) initiates different intracellular pathways which in turn leads to different biological responses.

The presence of cystic ovarian follicles represents an important ovarian dysfunction and is a major cause of reproductive failure in dairy cattle. A cystic ovarian follicle is a persistent follicular-like structure on one or both of the ovaries. It is at least 2,5cm in diameter and it has to persist for at least ten days while a corpus luteum is missing. There are two kinds of cystic ovarian follicles, those who have a progesterone production and those who have not. A clear definition for this condition is lacking, probably because the heterogeneity of the clinical signs and the complexity of the disorder.

Denna studie undersöker hur stressfaktorer påverkar kroppen vid dykning i gruva. Undersökningen genomfördes under en helgs intensivt dykande, för att bestämma lungkapacitet, pulsnivå samt eventuell vätske- och viktförlust hos dykarna. Testerna bestod av vägning, spirometritester och pulsmätningar. Testpersonerna dök mellan ett till tre dyk under helgen. Två av det totala antalet dyk var på 74 meters djup, resterande dyk genomfördes på 36 meters djup.

This thesis raises the problem with acid mine drainage around the closed mine Finngruvan.The purpose of the investigation was to compare metal content in surface water in the areaand its catchments between year 2010 and 2003, also to make calculation of specific runoffand metal load, furthermore determine the recipients in the area. Surface water samplingwhere preformed at the same place as 2003 and also at a few other places of interest. Adigital elevation file were used in GIS to calculate the area of the watersheds in the region,observations in the field where also made. The collected data were used to make comparisons,calculations and conclusions. The result showed that the surface water 2010 had somewhatlower metal concentrations.

Phytoestrogens are secondary metabolites produced by plants. Among the plants that make phytoestrogens are soya, red clover and some types of grass. The name phytoestrogen is a collective term for compounds such as genistein, daidzein, biochanin A and formononetin. These compounds are similar to oestradiol-17? in their chemical structure.

I denna studie har förekomst av progesteronreceptorer i olika typer av primära juvertumörer undersökts med hjälp av immunohistokemi. Dessutom har tumörceller från carcinomcellinjen CMT-U27 odlats i olika cellodlingsmedium och exponerats för olika testsubstanser som binder till progesteronreceptorn (progesteron och RU486/mifepristone). Cellernas receptoruttryck och progesteroninnehåll utvärderades med hjälp av ELISA och tumörcellernas viabilitet analyserades med Colorimetric Cell Viability Test. Av resultaten framgår att samtliga undersökta primära juvertumörer uttryckte progesteronreceptorer. De odlade cellerna hade högre cellviabilitet när de odlades utan fetalt bovint serum (FBS). Efter exponering med progesteron minskade tumörcellernas uttryck av progesteronreceptorer, vilket hämmades av mifepristone.

Syndecan-1 is a cell surface proteoglycan which participates in cell adhesion, differentiation, motility, morphogenesis and intracellular signaling. The two glycosaminoglycans heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are covalently attached to the ectodomain of syndecan-1 via a tetra saccharide linkage sequence. However, the ectodomain can be modified having only one or neither of the glycosaminglycans attached. The glycosaminoglycans are capable of binding ligands such as fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and support activation of Receptors. The ectodomain is proteolytically cleaved from the cell surface by metalloproteinases in a process known as shedding.

Picropodophyllin (PPP) is an analogue of the anti tumour lignan podophyllotoxin with the unique ability to selectively inhibit the receptor of Insulin like growth factor 1(IGF-1). IGF-1 is believed to play an important part in development of the endometrium facing implantation. With PPP treated mice, studies can be made to measure gene expression from tissue of both treated and untreated mice to compare the role of IGF-1 regarding ovulation, implantation and receptivity. The aim of this study was to analyze gene expression of some steroid hormone Receptors and cytokines in ovaries from mice treated with PPP. In this study, seven mice were treated with PPP at different times and tissue was collected.

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.

This master thesis is made of two parts. The first part concerns the method and results ofdesigning a motion control system for a piece of research-equipment called BIRGIT. Theequipment is made to be used for research on eyemovements. In the second part, a computermodel of a part of the balance organ in the inner-ear is developed. The work has been done atthe Bernadotte laboratory at S:t Erik Eye Hospital.The equipment the control system is made for is a so-called rotationchair.

Iron deficiency is one of the most frequent micronutrient deficiencies around the world. Low iron bioavailability simultaneously with a high iron requirement is a high risk factor for developing iron deficiency. Probiotics are microorganisms that confer a health benefit on the host. Prebiotics are oligosaccharides which provide a health benefit on the host due to a positive modulation of the microflora in the gut. The aim of this paper is to evaluate if there is a connection between pro-and/or prebiotics and iron bioavailability.

This article presents a survey of male dogs treated with the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist deslorelin (Suprelorin®, Virbac) at three animal clinics in central Sweden. Filled-in questionnaires from 110 dogs were received. The paper also includes a review of existing litterature concerning reproduction in male dogs, focusing on endocrinology, the effects of gonadectomy and the GnRH agonist deslorelin. Continuous treatment with deslorelin produces infertility in male dogs. The pituitary is initially stimulated by deslorelin leading to a rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion. As a consequence the testosterone levels also increase temporarily.

Sahlgrenska AcademyAt University of GothenburgDepartment of internal medicine and clinical nutritionAbstractTitle: D for depression: Does vitamin D supplementation have apalliative effect on depressive symptoms? ? A systematic reviewAuthor: Emelie Nacksten and Lua Ferreira RangelSupervisor: Fredrik BertzExaminer: Ingrid LarssonProgramme: Dietician study programme, 180/240 ECTSType of paper: Examination paper, 15 hpDate: May 22th, 2013BackgroundDepression is one of the major diseases in the world and is ranked by the WHO as the leading causeof disability. Several studies suggest that there is a correlation between low s-25(OH)D levels and theoccurrence of depression. Current research has found enzymes required for synthesis of the active formof vitamin D and its Receptors (VDR) in the brain. The potential role of the vitaminas a neuroactive steroid has resulted in an increased interest in investigating the role of vitamin D in thetreatment of depression.ObjectiveStudy the scientific evidence to determine if vitamin D supplementation can relieve depressive symptomsin adults.Search strategyThe literature search was conducted in the databases Scopus, Pubmed, Cochrane and PsychInfo.