Simultaneous videoradiography and solid-state manometry (videomanometry) were performed in 8 patients (4 women, 4 men; age range = 46-81 years, mean age = 70 years) with pharyngeal dysfunction in order to disclose any changes in intrabolus pressure during swallowing maneuvers. Five of the patients had severe pharyngeal dysfunction with frequent misdirected swallows. Three of the patients had moder

Purpose Evaluation of primary tumor-, treatment-, and patient-related factors predicting relapse pattern, risk, and survival after relapse with the aim to design a risk-adapted, tumor- directed surveillance program for patients with localized rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Patients and Methods One thousand one hundred sixty-four patients with nonmetastatic RMS achieved complete remission at the end of mu

This paper provides a description of a cost-benefit analysis applied to determine the cost effectiveness, or otherwise, of nine management strategies potentially applicable to forests contaminated with Cs-137. Th management strategies were considered singly and in a number of likely combinations. A management strategy was considered to be cost-effective if it resulted in a lower overall monetary d

The main pathology underlying disease symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive degeneration of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons. No effective disease-modifying treatment currently exists. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effects and it enhances dopaminergic function in animal models of PD. These findings raise the possibil

The level structure of Nd-140(80) has been established up to spin 48 by in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy using the Zr-96(Ca-48, 4n) reaction. High-fold gamma-ray coincidences were measured with the EUROBALL spectrometer. Twelve new rotational bands have been discovered at high spins, showing the change from a spherical single-particle behaviour at low spins to a deformed regime with stable triaxiali

Little has been published about specific problems that may occur during long-distance transports of newborn cardiac patients. During a 4-year period after centralization of pediatric heart surgery in Sweden, 286 transports were prospectively investigated. A majority (77.3%) of the transports were carried out by nonspecialized teams. Ten severe adverse events, including the death of 1 infant, occur

By tailoring the boundary of a narrow semiconductor channel to break its symmetry, we have realized a type of nanometer-scale nonlinear device, which we refer to as self-switching device (SSD). An applied voltage V not only changes the potential profile along the channel direction, but also either widens or narrows the effective channel depending on the sign of V. This results in a diode-like char

OBJECTIVES To assess the value of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics in predicting survival and relate this to the baseline variables in men with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). METHODS The data from 417 men with HRPC were included in a. logistic regression model that included hemoglobin, PSA, alkaline phosphatase, Soloway score, and performance status pain analgesic sc

Measurements in Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV of jet correlations for a trigger hadron at intermediate transverse momentum (p(T,trig)) with associated mesons or baryons at lower p(T,assoc) indicate strong modification of the away-side jet. The ratio of jet-associated baryons to mesons increases with centrality and p(T,assoc). For the most central collisions, the ratio is similar to th

The near-field characteristics of a turbulent jet with moderate swirl generated by a fully developed, axially rotating pipe flow are investigated with LDV, time-resolved stereoscopic PIV measurements, as well as with large-eddy simulations. Large-scale vortical structures in either double, triple or even quadruple-helix configuration are found at the pipe exit but rapidly break down or amalgamate

Musculoskeletal conditions are an increasingly common problem across the globe due to increased longevity and increased exposure to risk factors such as obesity and lack of physical activity. The increase is predicted to be greatest in developing countries, and there is thus an urgent need for the implementation of strategies and policies that will prevent and control these conditions. The ideal i

In recent work, the concentration index has been widely used as a measure of income-related health inequality. The purpose of this note is to illustrate two different methods for decomposing the overall health concentration index using data collected from a Short Form (SF-36) survey of the general Australian population conducted in 1995. For simplicity, we focus on the physical functioning scale o

A method for purification of recombinant apolipoprotein A1 in aqueous two-phase systems has been studied. A mutant of apolipoprotein A-I, the Milano variant, was expressed in E. coli. Phase systems containing ethylene oxide (EO)-propylene oxide (PO) random copolymers have been used. These polymers are thermoseparating and have the ability to separate into one water-rich and one polymer-rich phase

The influence of the reaction conditions on the enantioselectivity of reactions catalysed by lipases or hydroxynitrile leases (HNLs) in organic solvents was investigated. The lipases catalysed kinetic resolution of chiral secondary alcohol, or chiral carboxylic acids and the HNLs catalysed asymmetric addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes. The temperature effects on enantioselectivity, were stu

Biodegradable supermacroporous PHEMA cryogels were produced by combining two cross-linkers, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and a newly developed disulfide water soluble crosslinker, N,N'-bis(methacryloyl)-L-cystine. The biodegradable PHEMA cryogels were prepared with gel fraction yields up to 70% and were characterized by highly interconnected pores of micrometer size and good mechanical stabili

The spread of cancer cells to regional lymph nodes through the lymphatic system is the first step in the dissemination of breast cancer. In several human cancers including those of the breast and prostate, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) is associated with lymph node metastasis. Our study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of VEGF-C on metastasis of poorly invasi

Environmental factors are thought to play a major role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. Because the use of ethanol is widespread, we assessed the role of ethanol intake on the propensity to develop chronic arthritis. Collagen type II-immunized mice were given water or water containing 10% (vol/vol) ethanol or its metabolite acetaldehyde. Their development of arthritis was assessed, as w