The association of statins with markers of inflammation, vasoconstriction, and coagulation was evaluated in 325 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm with respect to statin treatment or not. Variables evaluated included routine laboratory markers, lipids, homocysteine, endothelin-1, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9, and activated protein C-protein C inhibitor (APC-PCI) complex. Statin-tr

PURPOSE: To study midterm changes in aortic aneurysm morphology after endovascular aneurysm repair. METHODS: Of 94 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) treated with endografts between November 1993 and August 1998, 84 were available for follow-up. Patients were evaluated preoperatively by spiral computed tomography (CT) and aortography; in follow-up, spiral CT scanning was performed at

It has been suggested that tryptophan 563 is sandwiched between residues R562 and A532 in Bruton's agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinase (Btk). Mutations of the surrounding residues have been shown to cause X-linked agammaglobulinemia. Substitutions R562P and A582V were noticed to have impaired kinase activity. However, based on Western blot analysis, the mutant proteins were expressed at normal leve

It was recently proposed to use variational functionals based on manybody perturbation theory for the calculation of the total energies of many-electron systems. The accuracy of such functionals depends on the degree of sophistication of the underlying perturbation expansions. The energy functionals are variational in the sense that they can be evaluated at rather crude approximations to their ind

Toxoplasma gondii infection can lead to life-threatening systemic disease in the immunocompromised individual and in the developing fetus. Despite intensive investigation in animal models of toxoplasmosis, the processes leading to systemic dissemination remain poorly characterized. In the present study, in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) was applied to the Toxoplasma mouse model to study the dy

Disturbed haemostasis is a central finding in severe Streptococcus pyogenes infection. In particular, microthrombi are found both at the local site of infection and at distant sites. Platelets are responsible for maintaining vascular function and haemostasis. We report here that M1 protein of S. pyogenes triggers immune-mediated platelet activation and thrombus formation. M1 protein is released fr

A study of local thermal insulation materials in Algeria. The materials studied were foamed concrete and woodwool slabs.

Measures of the proliferative activity of tumor cells have prognostic value in patients with node-negative breast cancer. We studied 367 women in southern Sweden who had undergone surgical resection for such cancer. Tumor specimens were analyzed with DNA flow cytometry in order to estimate both the DNA content (ploidy) and the fraction of cells in the synthetic phase of the cell cycle (S phase). T

We investigate properties of commutative subrings and ideals in non-commutative algebraic crossed products for actions by arbitrary groups. A description of the commutant of the coefficient subring in the crossed product ring is given. Conditions for commutativity and maximal commutativity of the commutant of the coefficient subring are provided in terms of the action as well as in terms of the in

The visualization of surface reactions on the atomic scale provides direct insight into the microscopic reaction steps taking place in a catalytic reaction at a (model) catalyst's surface. Employing the technique of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we investigated the CO oxidation reaction over the RuO2(110) and RuO2(100) surfaces. For both surfaces the protruding bridging O atoms are imaged i

In the molecular interplay between pathogenic microorganisms and their host, proteolytic mechanisms are believed to play a crucial role. Here we find that the important human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus) expresses a surface protein with high affinity (Ka = 2.0 x 10(8) M-1) for alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2M), the dominating proteinase inhibitor of human plasma. The immuno

Lipolysis is an important metabolic pathway controlling energy homeostasis through degradation of triglycerides stored in lipid droplets and release of fatty acids. Lipid droplets of mammalian cells are coated with one or more members of the PAT protein family, which serve important functions in regulating lipolysis. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms by which PAT family members, perilip

A general, dynamic model describing the drying mechanisms of paper has been developed. The model includes shrinkage and predicts temperature, moisture, and pressure profiles. It has been evaluated against steady-state as well as dynamic measurements oil a multicylinder paper dryer. The results revealed critical sections where low web strength and maximum gas pressure Occur. Measurements of the out

Recent research has emphasized the importance of terrestrial ecosystems in the global biogeochemical cycle of silica (Si). The production, retention, and dissolution of amorphous silica of biological origin in soils and vegetation effectively control terrestrial Si fluxes. However, surprisingly little is known about the role of wetlands in these processes. Wetlands are known hotspots for both nitr

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different perfusion pressures on edema formation during cold flush perfusion with the 2 most commonly used preservation solutions in clinical lung transplantation: Euro-Collins and Perfadex solutions. Methods: Isolated rat and porcine lungs were perfused for 3 minutes at 4 degrees C to 8 degrees C at a pressure of either 10, 15 or

For a class of unbounded operators, a deformation of a Bott projection is used to construct an integer-valued invariant measuring deviation of the non-commutative deformations from the commutative originals, and its interpretation in terms of K-theory of C*-algebras is given. Calculation of this invariant for specific important classes of unbounded operators is also presented.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an autosomal dominant disorder, caused by an expansion of a CTG triplet repeat in the DMPK gene. The aims of the present study were to classify a cohort of children with DM1, to describe their neuropsychiatric problems and cognitive level, to estimate the size of the CTG expansion, and to correlate the molecular findings with the neuropsychiatric problems. Fifty-