Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) causes a variety of diseases, including acute pharyngitis, impetigo, rheumatic fever and the streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Moreover, S. pyogenes was responsible for the classical example of a nosocomial infection, the epidemics of puerperal fever (childbed fever) that caused the death of numerous women in earlier centuries. The most extensively

We created a computational optical model of spherical fish lenses that takes into account the effects of the peripheral layers that differ in cellular composition from the bulk of the lens. A constant refractive index, except for the lens capsule, in the outer about 6 % of lens radius made it possible to uniquely infer the refractive index gradient in more central layers from a known or desired lo

An investigation of the lifetime of the 3d(9)4s D-3(3) level along a part of the nickel-like isoelectronic sequence has been performed. The focus of this work has been to evaluate the importance of the hyperfine induced electric quadrupole channel of the 3d(10) S-1(0)-3d(9)4s D-3(3) transition for isotopes with nuclear spin. Comparisons between the magnetic octupole transition rate and the hyperfi

Few studies have presented three-dimensional car-driving postural information. This laboratory study investigated drivers' preferred postures, preferred interior dimensions and how they characterise their postures. The minimum-maximum intervals of preferred angles corresponded well with other experimental studies and were larger than intervals for comfort, strength and alertness defined on the bas

We examined the effects of main clause verb pragmatics and left-edge boundary tones on syntactic processing in Swedish embedded clauses, using listener judgments and Event-Related Potentials. When the syntactic structure did not match the expectation based on the occurrence of a left-edge boundary tone, the acceptance rate decreased significantly, and a biphasic positive effect with an early peak

The paper presents a fed-batch fermentation technique for bioreactors operating close to their maximum oxygen transfer capacity. The method combines the advantages of the probing feeding strategy and the temperature limited fed-batch technique. When the maximum oxygen transfer capacity of the reactor is reached, the temperature is decreased to lower the oxygen demand. To achieve a good control of

The objective of this study was to characterise anaerobic batch biodegradation of potato waste alone and when co-digested with sugar beet leaves. The effects of increasing concentration of potato waste expressed as percentage of total solids (TS) and the initial inoculum-to-substrate ratio (ISR) on methane yield and productivity were investigated. The ISRs studied were in the range 9.0-0.25 and in

Our aim was to evaluate the severity of liver disease resulting from chronic hepatitis C in haemophilia or von Willebrand disease and the efficacy of 6 months treatment with interferon alpha and ribavirin. Fifty-five liver biopsies were performed in 43 patients without any bleeding complications, as seen with ultrasound immediately after the biopsy and 48 h thereafter. Histological changes were mi

Associations between the glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL) and diseases are heterogeneous in epidemiological studies. Differences in assigning GI values to food items may contribute to this inconsistency. Our objective was to address methodological issues related to the use of current GI and GL values in epidemiological studies. We performed ecological comparison and correlation studies by

Athernsclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) may cause hypertension, progressive renal failure, and recurrent pulmonary edema. It typically occurs in high risk patients with coexistent vascular disease elsewhere. Most patients with ARAS are likely to die from coronary heart disease or stroke before end-stage renal failure occurs. Recent controlled trials have shown that most patients undergoing an

BACKGROUND: Sperm DNA integrity is an important factor in the prognosis of male fertility. In this study, we investigated intra-individual variation of sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) parameters in infertility patients undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). METHODS: Retrospective study of 282 consecutive patients referred for ART [intrauterine insemination (IUI), IVF or ICSI] w

Persistent organohalogen pollutants (POPs) have been suggested to be involved in changing the proportion of ejaculated Y-bearing sperm. The androgen receptor (AR), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor (AHRR) may modulate the effect of POPs with regard to previously observed sperm Y : X ratio changes. The objective of this study was to investigate whether sperm Y

We study the three-dimensional elasticity operator in a semi-infinite circular cylinder subject to free boundary conditions, in the case of zero Poisson ratio. We prove, adapting the method from I. Roitberg, D. G. Vasilʹev and T. Weidl [Quart. J. Mech. Appl. Math. 51 (1998), no. 1, 1--13; MR1610688 (98m:73041)], i.e., by first finding an invariant subspace for the elasticity operator such that the

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) and the Electrical Low-Pressure Impactor (ELPI) to study mass weighted particle size distributions. Unimodal and bimodal liquid test aerosols were produced to a small chamber. Simultaneous measurements were performed with an APS 3320, an APS 3321, an ELPI and a Dekati Low-Pressure Impactor (DLPI)

Determination of dissolved L-lactate in tomato paste and baby food samples using a SIRE-based (sensors based on injection of the recognition element) biosensor is reported. The measuring principle is based on the use of a small amount of enzyme, which is injected into an internal delivery flow system and held in direct spatial contact with the amperometric transducer by the use of a semipermeable

In a unifying way, the doorway mechanism explains spectral properties in a rich variety of open mesoscopic quantum systems, ranging from atoms to nuclei. A distinct state and a background of other states couple to each other which sensitively affects the strength function. The recently measured superscars in the barrier billiard provide an ideal model for an in-depth investigation of this mechanis

The human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) preadipocyte cell strain provides a unique and useful tool for studies of human adipocyte biology. The cells originate from an adipose tissue specimen of a patient with SGBS. They are neither transformed nor immortalized, and provide an almost unlimited source due to their ability to proliferate for up to 50 generations with retained capacity for adi

Objectives: To investigate the bactericidal activity of antiviral and anticancer nucleoside analogues against a variety of pathogenic bacteria and characterize the activating enzymes, deoxyribonucleoside kinases (dNKs). Methods: Several FDA-approved nucleoside analogue drugs were screened for their potential bactericidal activity against several clinical bacterial isolates and type strains. We ide

ATP-dependent priming of the secretory granules precedes Ca(2+)-regulated neuroendocrine secretion, but the exact nature of this reaction is not fully established in all secretory cell types. We have further investigated this reaction in the insulin-secreting pancreatic B-cell and demonstrate that granular acidification driven by a V-type H(+)-ATPase in the granular membrane is a decisive step in

Background The relationship between selenium and cancer involves many different aspects. These include the forms of selenium present in the diet and in the body, their functions and mechanisms of action, and methods employed in assessing an individual's selenium nutritional status-both in general, and in epidemiological studies of the risk of cancer in relation to diet, as well as in connection wi