Uppsala University

About: Uppsala University is a education organization based out in Uppsala, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 36485 authors who have published 107509 publications receiving 4220668 citations. The organization is also known as: Uppsala universitet & uu.se.

Two-year follow-up of amyloid deposition in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: Beta amyloid is one of the major histopathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. We recently reported in vivo imaging of amyloid in 16 Alzheimer patients, using the PET ligand N-methyl[11C]2-(4'-methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxy-benzothiazole (PIB). In the present study we rescanned these 16 Alzheimer patients after 2.0 +/- 0.5 years and have described the interval change in amyloid deposition and regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (rCMRGlc) at follow-up. Sixteen patients with Alzheimer's disease were re-examined by means of PET, using PIB and 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) after 2.0 +/- 0.5 years. The patients were all on cholinesterase inhibitor treatment and five also on treatment with the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist memantine. In order to estimate the accuracy of the PET PIB measurements, four additional Alzheimer patients underwent repeated examinations with PIB within 20 days (test-retest). Relative PIB retention in cortical regions differed by 3-7% in the test-retest study. No significant difference in PIB retention was observed between baseline and follow-up while a significant (P 3 (21.4 +/- 3.5 to 15.6 +/- 3.9, P < 0.01) (AD-progressive) while the rest of the patients were cognitively more stable (MMSE score = 25.6 +/- 3.1 to 25.9 +/- 3.7) (AD-stable) compared with baseline. A positive correlation (P = 0.001) was observed in the parietal cortex between Rey Auditory Verbal Learning (RAVL) test score and rCMRGlc at follow-up while a negative correlation (P = 0.018) was observed between RAVL test and PIB retention in the parietal at follow-up. Relatively stable PIB retention after 2 years of follow-up in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease suggests that amyloid deposition in the brain reaches a plateau by the early clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease and therefore may precede a decline in rCMRGlc and cognition. It appears that anti-amyloid therapies will need to induce a significant decrease in amyloid load in order for PIB PET images to detect a drug effect in Alzheimer patients. FDG imaging may be able to detect a stabilization of cerebral metabolism caused by therapy administered to patients with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Surface Characterization of Electrodes from High Power Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to study electrode samples obtained from 18650-type lithium-ion cells subjected to accelerated calendar-life testing at temperatures ranging from 25 to 70 C and at states-of-charge from 40 to 80%. The cells contained LiNi{sub 0.8}Co{sub 0.2}O{sub 2}-based positive electrodes (cathodes), graphite-based negative electrodes (anodes), and a 1 M LiPF{sub 6} ethylene carbonate:diethyl carbonate (1:1) electrolyte. The results from electrochemically treated samples showed surface film formation on both electrodes. The positive electrode laminate surfaces contained a mixture of organic species that included polycarbonates, and LiF, Li{sub x}PF{sub y}-type and Li{sub x}PF{sub y}O{sub z}-type compounds. The same surface compounds were observed regardless of test temperature, test duration, and state-of-charge. On the negative electrode laminates lithium alkyl carbonates (ROCO{sub 2}Li) and Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3} were found in addition to the above-mentioned compounds. Decomposition of lithium alkyl carbonates to Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3} occurred on negative electrodes stored at elevated temperature. Initial depth-profiling results suggest that the surface layer thickness is greater on positive electrode samples from cells stored at high temperature than on samples from cells stored at room temperature. This observation is significant because positive electrode impedance, and more specifically, charge-transfer resistance at the electrode/electrolytemore » interface, has been shown to be the main contributor to impedance rise in these cells.« less

Substituted benzimidazoles inhibit gastric acid secretion by blocking (H + + K + ) ATPase

Abstract: Studies both in vivo and in vitro have shown that substituted benzimidazoles inhibit the stimulation of acid secretion produced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP and histamine. Furthermore, the results differ from those produced by H2 antagonists and anticholinergic agents in that the inhibition is not competitive, and the site of action is intracellular and peripheral to that of dibutyryl cyclic AMP. To investigate the biochemical mechanism of action of substituted benzimidazoles, one such compound, H 149/94 (2-([2-(3-methyl)pyridyl-methyl]-sulphinyl)-5-methoxycarbonyl-6-methylbenzimidazol), has been tested either directly on an (H+ + K+)ATPase isolated from pig and human gastric mucosa or on the function of this enzyme in gastric glands isolated from rabbit and human gastric mucosa. (H+ + K+)ATPase, which has only been found at the secretory surface of the parietal cell, catalyses a one-to-one exchange of protons and potassium ions. It is possibly the proton pump within the gastric mucosa, and may thus be the terminal or one of the terminal steps of the acid secretory process. We show here that H 149/94 inhibits (H+ + K+)ATPase, which may explain its inhibitory action on acid secretion in vitro and in vivo. Because of the unique distribution and properties of the (H+ + K+)ATPase, the inhibitory action of H 149/94 on this enzyme may be a highly selective clinical means of suppressing the acid secretory process.

The Lorenz attractor exists

Abstract: We prove that the Lorenz equations support a strange attractor, as conjectured by Edward Lorenz in 1963. We also prove that the attractor is robust, i.e., it persists under small perturbations of the coefficients in the underlying differential equations. The proof is based on a combination of normal form theory and rigorous numerical computations.