Wound botulism is a growing problem among injecting drug users. The condition is often difficult to diagnose, with laboratory confirmation in only 50% of the cases. Here we present a real-time PCR-based method for the diagnosis of wound botulism caused by Clostridium botulinum. The assay includes an internal amplification control which is amplified simultaneously with the genes encoding neurotoxin

This article is based on an analysis of Lund University that took place during the summer and autumn of 2004 (available for download at www.iiiee.lu.se, click library and publications). The university had experienced a loss of momentum in their progress regarding environmental issues. The purpose of the study was to identify barriers to including sustainability-related content throughout Lund Univ

In colostrum collected 0-80 h postpartum the contents of immunoglobulins (Igs), transforming growth factor beta-2 (TGF-beta2), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth hormone (GH) were analysed. Colostrum initially contained 90 mg mL(-1) IgG1, 2.8 mg mL(-1) IgG2, 1.6 mg mL(-1) IgA, 4.5 mg mL(-1) IgM, and these concentrations declined by 92%, 87%, 93% and 84%, respectively, in the samples c

As part of the restoration of biodiversity on former agricultural land there has been focused on methods to enhance the rate of transition from agricultural land towards natural grasslands or forest ecosystems. Management practices such as sowing seed mixtures and inoculating soil of later successional stages have been used. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a managed plant com

Early diagnosis of atherosclerosis is essential as many of the risk factors are life-style dependent. We suggest a new method to measure minute roughness of the size of micrometers of the arterial wall. The method was evaluated using three silicone phantoms sized 13 fun, 23 itm and 33 pm, respectively. The mean of the measured heights of the phantoms were 8.1 mu m (SD 0.0), 23.3 mu m (SD 0.2) and

Binding properties of staphylococcal protein A (SpA) to different human immunoglobulins have been investigated. In this analysis, intact SpA as well as SpA-derived fragments containing one to five IgG-binding domains of different compositions, were used. The affinity binding constants of the different proteins to human polyclonal IgG, IgA, IgM and F(ab')2-fragments as well as their binding capacit

The four-year visual outcome was retrospectively studied in patients with older-onset diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy in need of laser treatment. Visual acuity in 53 patients examined by ophthalmologists who referred the patients for an evaluation of retinopathy before laser treatment, was compared to that of 47 patients examined by ophthalmologists who also performed the photocoagulati

BACKGROUND: Although abundant data are available regarding the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B or C virus (HBV, HCV) among both blood donors and patients with liver diseases, corresponding data for the general population are scarce. Accordingly, this study was designed to investigate the prevalence and clinical spectrum of HBV and HCV in a general Swedish middle-aged urban population. METHODS: D

Distributions of event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum and mean transverse energy near mid-rapidity have been measured in Au+Au collisions at roots(NN)=130 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. By comparing the distributions to what is expected for statistically independent particle emission, the magnitude of nonstatistical fluctuations in mean transverse momentum is de

OBJECTIVES: Cord entanglement is a severe complication in monoamniotic multiple pregnancies. Three cases were reviewed to determine how early ultrasound diagnosis might improve counselling and management. METHODS: In two monoamniotic twin and one dichorionic diamniotic triplet pregnancies, cord entanglement was detected between 10 and 18 gestational weeks by color Doppler and pulsed Doppler veloci

Nocturnal bees, wasps and ants have considerably larger ocelli than their diurnal relatives, suggesting an active role in vision at night. In a first step to understanding what this role might be, the morphology and physiological optics of ocelli were investigated in three tropical rainforest species – the nocturnal sweat bee Megalopta genalis, the nocturnal paper wasp Apoica pallens and the diurn

In this study, a dilute mixture of volatile organic compounds in aqueous solution was separated by means of hydrophobic pervaporation, using three different poly(octylmethyl siloxane) membranes of various thicknesses. The permeabilities were determined for homologous series of compounds from the chemical groups of alcohols, esters, and aldehydes, and they were then related to some characteristic p