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In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 363 patients with untreated multiple myeloma were randomized to receive either melphalan-prednisone and thalidomide (MPT) or melphalan-prednisone and placebo (MP). The dose of melphalan was 0.25 mg/kg and prednisone was 100 mg given daily for 4 days every 6 weeks until plateau phase. The dose of thalidomide/placebo was escalated to 400 mg daily until
This paper proposes a new model for computing value-at-risk forecasts. The model is fully nonparametric and easy to implement. Further, it incorporates information about the market's perceived uncertainty about the future. The forward-looking information is obtained from the option market via the Chicago Board Options Exchange's implied volatility index (VIX). Using S&P 500 data from 1990 to 2
Laws of nature concern the natural properties of things. Newton’s law of gravity states that the gravitational force between objects is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their distance; Coulomb’s law states a similar functional dependency between charged particles. Each of these properties confers a power to act as specified by the function of
L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia is a major problem in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Today there are few anti-dyskinetic treatments available for the patients, and all of them have major limitations. Recent findings have revealed an important role of the serotonin system in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. In the parkinsonian brain, serotonin axon terminals can compensate for the dopamine loss by conve
Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV co-infections place an immense burden on health care systems and pose particular diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Infection with HIV is the most powerful known risk factor predisposing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and progression to active disease, which increases the risk of latent TB reactivation 20-fold. TB is also the most common cause of AIDS-relate
The complement system consists of more than 40 proteins that participate in the inflammatory response and in pathogen killing. Complement inhibitors are necessary to avoid the excessive consumption and activation of this system on host cells. Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by spirochetes from the genus Leptospira. Pathogenic leptospires are able to escape from complement activation b
Severely disturbed habitats such as military training grounds, gravel pits and sand pits contribute to the species diversity of the agricultural landscape in Europe. They host a number of red-listed species not found elsewhere, illustrating that many plant species are threatened by extinction due to too little soil disturbance. Implementing a suitable disturbance regime is therefore crucial to ens
This article analyses the enabling and restraining conditions of local peace organisations in Israel and Palestine. It utilises the analytical notion of peace gaps to accentuate the interplay between local and elite levels. It also highlights the discrepancies when it comes to expectations of peace, the ability to communicate peace discourses, and the power to influence and build wider domestic pe
Previous studies of mid-Ordovician limestone in Sweden have shown that over a stratigraphic interval representing a few million years there is a two orders-of-magnitude enrichment in fossil L-chondritic meteorites (empty set = 1-21 cm) and sediment-dispersed extraterrestrial chromite (EC) grains (>63 mu m). This has been interpreted as a dramatic increase in the flux of L-chondritic matter to Eart
The ALICE measurement of K_{S}^{0} and Λ production at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76 TeV is presented. The transverse momentum (p_{T}) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the p_{T} range from 0.4 GeV/c (0.6 GeV/c for Λ) to 12 GeV/c. The p_{T} dependence of the Λ/K_{S}^{0} ratios exhibits maxima in the vicinity of 3 GeV/c, and the positions of
Acidification and N-deposition are continuous processes that alter the composition of plant communities. We investigated vegetation transitions in sandy grasslands and tested two hypotheses: (1) a shift from vegetation dominated by Koeleria glauca to one dominated by Corynephorus canescens is due to acidification and (2) a shift from vegetation dominated by K. glauca to one dominated by Arrhenathe
Purpose: To review and summarize the available literature on the effect of preservatives on the eye, to provide practical guidance for the clinical assessment of the ocular surface in glaucoma patients, and to define patient populations that might benefit from preservative-free topical intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering agents. Methods: This manuscript is based on a combination of a literature re
Insulin is a major autoantigen in islet autoimmunity and progression to type 1 diabetes. It has been suggested that the insulin B-chain may be critical to insulin autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes. INS-IGF2 consists of the preproinsulin signal peptide, the insulin B-chain and eight amino acids of the C-peptide in addition to 138 amino acids from the IGF2 gene. We aimed to determine 1) expression of
The recently introduced Gas in Scattering Media Absorption Spectroscopy (GASMAS) technique provides novel possibilities for analysis in biophotonics. Free gas in pores or cavities is monitored with narrow-band laser radiation, which can discern the gas absorptive imprints which are typically several orders of magnitude more narrow than the features of the surrounding tissue through which the diffu
To evaluate the influence of ranibizumab on the multifocal electroretinogram (Mf-ERG), full-field electroretinogram (Ff-ERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in diabetic eyes (n = 20) with macular oedema.
Vacuum chambers coated with nonevaporable getter (NEG) materials have been used in straight sections of synchrotron light sources for the past 10 years. The MAX II storage ring, where four NEG-coated insertion device vacuum chambers and three NEG-coated dipole vacuum chambers have been installed, is the first synchrotron light source to also use NEG-coated dipole vacuum chambers. In connection wit
PURPOSE: The tardigrade Richtersius coronifer has previously been shown to tolerate very high doses of low linear energy transfer (low-LET) radiation (gamma rays). The purpose of this study was to extend our knowledge on radiation tolerance in this species by investigating the dose-response to high-LET radiation in terms of protons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dehydrated tardigrades of the species R. c
The ALICE experiment at the LHC has studied J/psi production at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV through its electron pair decay on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity L-int = 5.6 nb(-1). The fraction of J/psi from the decay of long-lived beauty hadrons was determined for J/psi candidates with transverse momentum p(t) > 1,3 GeV/c and rapidity vertical bar y verti
Protein biomarker discovery and validation in current omics era are vital for healthcare professionals to improve diagnosis, detect cancers at an early stage, identify the likelihood of cancer recurrence, stratify stages with differential survival outcomes, and monitor therapeutic responses. The success of such biomarkers would have a huge impact on how we improve the diagnosis and treatment of pa
