The capacity of regenerating nerve fibres to grow through a perforated silicon chip was tested using the silicone chamber model for nerve regeneration. The chips were fabricated as circular membranes, 4 mm in diameter, thickness 60 microns, with a perforated area, 2 mm in diameter, in the centre. Three types of chips were fabricated utilizing anisotropic etching. The chips were glued with silicone

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

Samples from the Boda Limestone and immediately overlying strata at Osmundsberget in de Siljan region have produced an excellent Hirnantian isotope excursion (HICE) curve, in which the excursion interval is about 22 m thick and the HICE reaches maximum delta C-13 values of between +5 parts per thousand and +6 parts per thousand. Both the HA and HB stratigraphic unconformities are recognized in the

The aim of this study was to optimize the use of BMD measurements in case finding strategies. The use of clinical risk factors with and without BMD was explored in a random sample of the Sheffield female population greater than or equal to75 years of age. The use of clinical risk factors alone could identify women well above or well below a threshold of fracture risk. BMD assessment can be confine

The prevalence of swallowing impairment increases with age and is a major health care problem in the elderly. It has been assumed that age-related changes in nerves and muscles hamper muscle strength and coordination of swallowing. However, it is unclear what impairment is related to primary aging and what is the consequence of diseases prevalent in the elderly (secondary aging). In order to quant

Major efforts to develop antibody microarray technology to enable global proteome analysis to be performed in a facile manner are under way. In this process, the design and the properties of the substrate will play crucial roles. In the present study, we have developed novel, highly biocompatible solid supports for microarrays, using adsorbed recombinant human single-framework antibody fragments a

The local structure of Cd(II) surface complexes adsorbed onto manganite (gamma-MnOOH) has been investigated by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Adsorption experiments were carried out within the pH range 7.4-9.8 and with surface coverage from 2.2 to 8.9 mu mol/m(2). Quantitative analysis of the EXAFS spectra shows little difference in the local coordination environmen

The sorption behavior of three benzyl alcohol derivatives with different hydrophobicities into sonicated and extruded DODAC dispersions has been studied using NMR spectroscopy and NMR diffusometry. We show that there is an increased sorption into a sonicated dispersion below the phase-transition temperature (Tm) as compared to an extruded dispersion. This may be explained by the incomplete lipid c

This article studies the role of dispersion of atrial refractoriness (DAR) in the genesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). A 20-polar Halo catheter or a 40-polar basket catheter was placed in the right atrium and a 10-polar catheter in the coronary sinus in 21 patients with paroxysmal AF. Bipolar electrograms during AF were recorded from 7 to 16 sites in both atria. As control, electrograms during AF

Objective To compare the quality of life (QoL) in men after radical cystectomy who had either a continent cutaneous diversion or orthotopic bladder substitution. Patients and methods Eighty men with at least 6 months of follow-up and with no signs of recurrent disease after radical cystectomy for bladder carcinoma, and who had either a continent cutaneous diversion or orthotopic bladder substituti

We examined the selective consequences of variation in behaviour and endocrine physiology in two female throat-colour morphs of the lizard, Uta stansburiana in the wild. Female morphs differed in home-range distribution patterns and corticosterone levels in relation to the density and frequency of their female neighbours. Levels of plasma corticosterone of yellow-throated females increased with in

The N terminus of the human MUC2 mucin (amino acids 1-1397) has been expressed as a recombinant tagged protein in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The intracellular form was found to be an endoglycosidase H-sensitive monomer, whereas the secreted form was an oligomer that gave monomers upon disulfide bond reduction. The secreted MUC2 N terminus contained a trypsin-resistant core fragment. Edman sequen

Quasistatic propagation of a short edge crack, located within one grain of a bcc material has been studied using a discrete dislocation technique. The geometry is modelled by distributed dislocation dipole elements and the plasticity by discrete dislocations. The crack is assumed to grow through a single shear mechanism due to nucleation and annihilation of dislocations along preferred slip planes

Resource sharing in heterogeneous environments has been shown to increase growth and survival of clonal plants. In addition, plants in harsh climates have been suggested to have higher levels of resource sharing than plants in milder climates. We experimentally investigated the level of resource sharing in plants from garden and forest habitats from two regions with contrasting climates. The clona

OBJECTIVE: to explore Sudanese midwives' motives for and perceptions and experiences of re-infibulation after birth and to elucidate its context and determinants. DESIGN: triangulation of methods, using observational techniques and open-ended interviews. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: two government hospitals in Khartoum/Omdurman, Sudan, for the observations and in-depth interviews with 17 midwives. FI