AIM: We aimed to find out if abnormal left atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD) is a sign of myocardial dysfunction, even in patients with normal left ventricular (LV) regional wall motion (RWM). METHODS: We prospectively performed echocardiography in 1350 consecutive patients referred to our echocardiography laboratory. Left AVPD and LV RWM were evaluated in all patients. We prospectively s

Among the diverse kinds of intercellular, plaque-bearing, cadherin-containing junctions, desmosomes (maculae adhaerentes) represent a major type characterized by the presence of specific transmembrane glycoproteins, i.e. desmosomal cadherins of the desmoglein and desmocollin categories, and the cytoplasmic plaque proteins, desmoplakin I and plakoglobin. Recent studies, however, have shown that the

In this longitudinal, prospective, and population-based study (n = 1044), seven BTMs were assessed before and after trauma in 113 elderly women (85 with fractures). Markers were not altered in the immediate postfracture period but were clearly elevated during fracture repair. Recent fracture should thus be taken into account when markers are used in clinical practice.

Background Viral vectors have been used in several different settings for the delivery of small hairpin (sh) RNAs. However, most vectors have utilized ubiquitously-expressing polymerase (pol) III promoters to drive expression of the hairpin as a result Of the Strict requirement for precise transcriptional initiation and termination. Recently, pol 11 promoters have been used to construct vectors fo

We used radiostereometric analysis to compare wear rates between uncemented porous sockets and cemented all-polyethylene sockets in a series of 102 hips randomised for either a Harris-Galante or a Charnley cup. Wear was evaluated in 95 hips at a mean of five years (2 to 7). All hips had a cemented, 22 mm head mono-bloc Charnley stem. The mean annual wear rate was 0.09 mm in the Charnley sockets an

The purpose of this study was to describe the everyday activities and social contacts among older deaf sign language users, and to investigate relationships between these phenomena and the health and well-being within this group. The study population comprised deaf sign language users, 65 years or older, in Sweden. Data collection was based on interviews in sign language, including open-ended ques

We discuss an experimental investigation of Raman scattering spectroscopy in the vicinity of a simulated reacting liquid fuel spray. Spray flames are known to produce interference from droplet elastic scattering, laser-induced fluorescence, and laser-induced incandescence of soot. The goal in this work is to evaluate various experimental approaches to this challenging problem. We evaluate Raman sc

Positive patch test reactions to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) are common. PPD is used in oxidative hair dyes and is also present in dark henna temporary 'tattoos'. Cross-sensitization to other contact allergens may occur. Because subjects sensitized to PPD are at risk of clinically severe reactions upon hair dyeing, there is a need for 'current' prevalence data on PPD sensitization. To compare PPD pat

Objectives: A potential role in cancer biology is suggested for YKL-40 (CHI3L1, HC gp-39). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of serum YKL-40 (sYKL-40) in multiple myeloma (MM) and to examine YKL-40 expression in malignant plasma cells (MM PCs). Methods: sYKL-40 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 82 patients with newly diagnosed MM. YKL-40 expres

A new, fast, and automated sample pretreatment technique for determination of lipophilic organic compounds in aqueous samples has been developed and applied to the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in environmental river water. It is based on miniaturized microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction coupled on-line to gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection. The he

Considering the frequent use of mobile phones, we have directed attention to possible implications on cognitive functions. In this study we investigated in a rat model the long-term effects of protracted exposure to Global System for Mobile Communication-900 MHz (GSM-900) radiation. Out of a total of 56 rats, 32 were exposed for 2 h each week for 55 weeks to radio-frequency electromagnetic radiati

Background Treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with interferon beta is only partly effective, and new more effective and safe strategies are needed. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of oral methylprednisolone as an add-on therapy to subcutaneous interferon beta-1a to reduce the yearly relapse rate in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Methods NORMIMS (NORdic tr

This paper describes an architecture of a connected-cluster labeling algorithm for binary images based on contour tracing with feature extraction. The implementation is intended as a hardware accelerator in a self contained real-time digital surveillance system. The algorithm has lower memory requirements compared to other labeling techniques and can guarantee labeling of a predefined number of cl

Rhizoplaca Zopf is a genus characterized by an umbilicate thallus with an upper and a lower cortex, as well as a cupulate hypothecium. It has been considered to be related to Lecanora Ach., the type genus of the Lecanoraceae and, in particular, to the lobate species of this genus. The phylogeny of Rhizoplaca, the monotypic Arctopeltis thuleana Poelt, and a number of representatives of different gr

We have recently reported that a polymorphism in the cell division cycle (CDC2) gene, designated Ex6 + 7I/D, is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The CDC2 gene is located on chromosome 10q21.1 close to the marker D10S1225 linked to AD. Active cdc2 accumulates in neurons containing neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), a process that can precede the formation of NFT. Therefore, CDC2 is a promising

Objective. To examine whether there is an association between country of birth in first-generation immigrants and first hospitalization for a rheumatic disease, and to study whether any such association remains in second-generation immigrants. Methods. In this followup study, the Swedish MigMed database at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm was used to identify all primary hospital diagnoses of

Purpose. To compare health-related quality of life (HRQL) and-pain symptoms in patients with PD with a matched control group. To our knowledge, controlled studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients within this area are rare. Scope. Fifty-seven patients and 95 controls took part in a self-administered questionnaire study. The instruments were the SF-36, visual analogue scales, pain drawing and pa