Tubal factor infertility is often diagnosed without any documented history of pelvic inflammatory disease. Chlamydial infection is one of the most common causes of pelvic inflammatory disease and likely also of infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Oral contraceptives may alter the course of chlamydial infections which may mask the clinical expression of the disease. This paper considers a number of

We have developed a technique to image the near-field liquid core within an atomizing spray. To obtain high-fidelity images of the liquid core in such a spray has been very challenging up to this point. In this article, however, we describe the successful use of a time-gated ballistic imaging instrument to obtain high spatial resolution, single-shot images of the liquid core in an atomizing water

Attenuated total reflectance FTIR spectroscopy was used to characterize Al(III)-acetate complexation at 25 degrees C, in homogeneous aqueous solution and at the water-aluminum hydroxide interface. The data collected in aqueous solution, at [Al](tot) = 0.080 M, [OAc](tot) = 0.040 M, and pH < 4.3, indicate the presence of only one dominating complex which, by spectral analysis, is shown not to invol

Hemicelluloses constitute one of the most abundant renewable resources on earth. To increase their utilization, the isolation of hemicelluloses from industrial biomass side-streams would be beneficial. A method was investigated to isolate hemicelluloses from process water from a thermomechanical pulp mill. The method consists of three steps: removal of solids by microfiltration, preconcentration o

The relationship between framework design and language constructs are discussed for two reasons: firstly, designing frameworks requires the ability to give the framework designer precise control over aspects of the framework extensions; secondly, the framework constraints should be specified such that they are statically checkable. Four existing language constructs are discussed: generalized block

Compared to conventional color Doppler ultrasound imaging, the new color Doppler modality "color Doppler energy" (CDE) has improved the possibility of visualizing blood vessels having low blood-flow velocities, but appears to be influenced by the settings of the ultrasound instrument and motion artefacts. The aim of this methodological study was to evaluate the effects of the different factors on

By the incorporation of size-selected Au nano-particles in Ti Schottky contacts on silicon carbide, we could observe considerably lower the barrier height of the contacts. This result could be obtained for both n- and p-type Schottky contacts using current-voltage and capacitance voltage measurements. For n-type Schottky contacts, we observed reductions of 0.19-0.25 eV on 4H-SiC and 0.15-0.17 eV o

Investigating the electric field distribution around individual metallic nanoparticles is of significant importance for the understanding of the electromagnetic (EM) mechanism of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We report single gold-nanoparticle-enhanced Raman scattering of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by atomic force microscope (AFM) manipulation. The distance betwe

Background Screening for cervical cancer based on testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) increases the sensitivity of detection of high-grade (grade 2 or 3) cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, but whether this gain represents overdiagnosis or protection against future high-grade cervical epithelial neoplasia or cervical cancer is unknown. Methods In a population-based screening program in Sweden,

This study reports the findings of how district nurses (n = 23) and hospital nurses (n = 9) in cancer care experienced social support in immediate connection with demanding care situations, as well as the effect of systematic clinical supervision. The study is based on their own accounts. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that there is a great ne

The ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19) is located in the small (40S) subunit and is one of 79 ribosomal proteins. The gene encoding RPS19 is mutated in approximately 25% of patients with Diamond-Blackfan anemia, which is a rare congenital erythroblastopenia. Affected individuals present with decreased numbers or the absence of erythroid precursors in the bone marrow, and associated malformations of var

Fibrin gel structure has been shown to be dependent on the thrombin concentration as well as the rate of thrombin generation. Accordingly, factor VIII (FVIII)and FIX-deficient plasma (hemophilia A and B) form loose fibrin clots with high permeability constants. By adding rFVIIa in vitro to FVIII-deficient plasma containing platelets (frozen and thawed), the fibrin gel permeability constant normali

Confidentiality is a major determinant of the accessibility and acceptability of sexual and reproductive health care for adolescents. Previous research has revealed that Lithuanian adolescents lack confidence in guarantees of confidentiality in primary health care settings. This study aimed to assess the factors that affect general practitioners' decisions whether to respect confidentiality for Li

The clinical applicability of the revised McDonald diagnostic criteria of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) was assessed in 17 patients with a longstanding PPMS diagnosis (mean 15 years). All patients were re-evaluated with clinical examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and the spinal cord, extensive laboratory tests, and 12 patients underwent cerebrospinal fluid

Human activity often causes a decline in the local density of plant populations. Below some critical lower density, populations may suffer a progressive decline in reproductive success because of the difficulties associated with finding suitable mates. Therefore, to conserve endangered plant species it is necessary to understand in greater detail how changes in population density affect different

AIM: To study the interactions between human gastric carcinoma cell (HGCC) and human vascular endothelial cell (HVEC), and if the expression of sphingosine kinase (SPK) gene was involved in these interactions. METHODS: The specific inhibitor to SPK, dimethyl sphingosine (DMS), was added acting on HGCC and HVEC, then the cell proliferation was measured by MTT. The conditioned mediums (CMs) of HGCC

We have studied the mechanism of A- 769662, a new activator of AMP- activated protein kinase ( AMPK). Unlike other pharmacological activators, it directly activates native rat AMPK by mimicking both effects of AMP, i. e. allosteric activation and inhibition of dephosphorylation. We found that it has no effect on the isolated alpha subunit kinase domain, with or without the associated autoinhibitor