An overview of chiral perturbation theory calculations in the mesonic sector at the two loop level is given. Discussed in some detail are the partially quenched case relevant for lattice QCD, the general fitting procedures and ππ, πK scattering as well as the determination of Vus and K13 decays

Cholestasis is a major complication in sepsis although the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of P-selectin and leukocyte recruitment in endotoxemia- associated cholestasis. C57BL/6 mice were challenged intraperitoneally with endotoxin ( 0.4 mg/ kg), and 6 h later the common bile duct was cannulated for determination of bile flow and biliary excret

We conducted pooled and meta-analyses of the association of the calpain-10 gene (CAPN10) polymorphisms SNP-43, Indel-19 and SNP-63 individually and as haplotypes with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 3237 patients and 2935 controls of European ancestry. In the pooled analyses, the common SNP-43*G allele was associated with modest but statistically significant increased risk of T2D (odds ratio (OR) = 1.11

Objective: To evaluate the effect of compression hosiery during standing work. Design: An open study, comparing symptoms and plethysmographic findings before and after treatment. Setting: University hospital, vascular surgery. Subjects: Forty-eight female volunteers with a standing profession. Methods: Visual analogue scale to evaluate symptoms and foot volumetry to study venous function before an

Objective. To test the hypothesis that oral creatine supplements with exercise are more effective than exercise alone in improving muscle function in patients with established dermatomyositis or polymyositis receiving chronic medical therapies who are clinically weak yet stable. Methods. In a 6-month, 2-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, patients were randomized to receive oral cre

The lifetimes of three short-lived levels belonging to the 4f(9) 6p configuration and of two long-lived levels of the 4f(9) 5d configuration of Dy iii have been measured for the first time using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence techniques. They are in good agreement with theoretical values calculated within the framework of a pseudo-relativistic configuration interaction approximation. Usi

In this study a plate-fin type Compact Heat Exchanger (CHE) is considered for optimization. The optimization method uses a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to search, combine and optimize structure sizes of the CHE. The minimum total volume or/and total annual cost of the CHE are taken as objective functions in the GA, respectively. The geometries of the fins are fixed while three shape parameters are varie

BACKGROUND: After a myocardial infarction (MI), many patients and their partners experience problems with marital and sexual life. METHODS: A Swedish national survey was carried out to obtain knowledge on the information provided by cardiac health care professionals on the subject of sexual function and coexistence after an MI. It consisted of a questionnaire that was designed, tested, and sent to

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of meniscal damage on the development of frequent knee pain, aching, or stiffness in middle-aged and older adults. METHODS: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study is a prospective study of 3,026 individuals 50 years of age or older who have or are at high risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (OA). We investigated knees at baseline and at 15 months. Case knees (n =

A follow-up study was performed to investigate the stability of IQ measures in a group of dyslexic teenagers and young adults. Earlier research had shown contradictory results. The 65 subjects, 12 years old on the average at first test, were retested after a mean interval of six and a half years. There was a significant relative decrease in verbal IQ (VIQ), which was interpreted as either an effec

The present paper argues that there is both a positive and a negative form of perfectionism, and that they can be differentiated in terms of acceptance. The basic argument is that there is nothing unhealthy or dysfunctional about the striving for perfection as such—perfectionism, however, becomes dysfunctional when this striving for perfection turns into a demand for perfection, defined as an inab

Previous reports have demonstrated that extracts of the plant Uncaria tomentosa inhibit tumor cell proliferation and inflammatory responses. We have confirmed that C-Med 100®, a hot water extract of this plant, inhibits tumor cell proliferation albeit with variable efficiency. We extend these findings by showing that this extract also inhibits proliferation of normal mouse T and B lymphocytes and

Antimuscarinic drugs are generally thought to exert their therapeutic action on detrusor overactivity by reducing the ability of the detrusor muscle to contract. We review currently available published data to establish whether there is any evidence to support this contention. Using a PubMed data search, only 14 original articles (including two abstracts) were found that contained cystometric data

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) include a large group of structurally related enzymes that belong to at least seven related gene families (PDEs 1-7) that differ in their primary structure, affinity for cAMP and cGMP, response to specific effectors, sensitivity to specific inhibitors, and regulatory mechanism. One characteristic of PDE3s involves their phosphorylation and activation in response to insuli

We report a clear correspondence between changes in the Curie temperature and carrier density upon annealing in epitaxially grown (Ga,Mn)As layers with thicknesses in the range between 5 and 20 nm. The changes are dependent on the layer thickness, indicating that the (Ga,Mn)As-GaAs interface has importance for the physical properties of the (Ga,Mn)As layer. The magnetoresistance shows additional f

We have used Doppler-free polarization spectroscopy, intermodulated fluorescence and intermodulated optogalvanic spectroscopy for measuring isotope shifts in 6 Ne lines connecting the 2p53s and 2p53p configurations. The measurements were performed on two different hollow cathodes. For the 5852, 5882, 5945, 5976, 6143 and 6164 A lines the 22Ne-20Ne isotope shift was found to be 2300(15), 1740(2), 1

The clinical spectrum of Trichomonas vaginalis infection varies from asymptomatic to mild, moderate or severe vaginitis. Nitric oxide and other reactive nitrogen radicals produced by immune effector cells are important cytotoxic and cytostatic mediators against several microorganisms including parasites. In the present study, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and reactive nitrogen intermediat