Background: Animal and epidemiologic data indicate that exposure to persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) may disrupt the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) and the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes. We have assessed whether the POP-biomarkers 2,2'4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-ethene (p,p'-DDE) affect thyrotropin (TSH), thyroid hormo

Measurements of dust coupled to the Jovian magnetosphere have been obtained with the dust detector on board the Galileo spacecraft. We report on data obtained during the first four orbits about Jupiter that had flybys of the Galilean satellites: Ganymede (orbits 1 and 2), Callisto (orbit 3), and Europa (orbit 4). The most prominent features observed are highly time variable dust streams recorded t

Objectives The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for cardiovascular malformation. Methods In a case-referent study prospectively collected data were obtained from original medical records. The study included 277 woman who had infants with a severe cardiac defect, and for each case two referents (medical records study) were included. Data on parental age, maternal reproductive history,

A novel method, free flow acoustophoresis (FFA), capable of continuous separation of mixed particle suspensions into multiple outlet fractions is presented. Acoustic forces are utilized to separate particles based on their size and density. The method is shown to be suitable for both biological and nonbiological suspended particles. The microfluidic separation chips were fabricated using conventio

The expression, distribution, origin, projections, chemical coding and functions of cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) in the gastro-intestinal tract are reviewed. CART is extensively expressed in the enteric nervous system. Except from being a possible modulator of NO induced intestinal relaxation CART does not seem to play any pivotal role in intestinal motility. Accumulating ev

This study explored nurses' narrations about and reflections on caring for patients with severe dementia and their interpretation of the meaning for patients as revealed in clinical supervision sessions. The encounters between patient and nurse could confirm or threaten the patient's identity as a person or the nurse's identity as a person and a professional. Nurses searched for the meaning of the

We consider the separable nonlinear and strictly convex single-commodity network flow problem (SSCNFP). We develop a computational scheme for generating a primal feasible solution from any Lagrangian dual vector; this is referred to as "early primal recovery". It is motivated by the desire to obtain a primal feasible vector before convergence of a Lagrangian scheme; such a vector is not available

Eosinophil degranulation is a characteristic feature of asthma and allergic rhinitis. However, degranulated eosinophils have not been convincingly demonstrated in the common mouse models of these airway diseases. This study uses eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) histochemistry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis to assess eosinophil degranulation in the airways of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensiti

Background The long-term outcome of anorexia nervosa is insufficiently researched. Aims To study prospectively the long-term outcome and prognostic factors in a representative sample of people with teenage-onset anorexia nervosa. Method Fifty-one people with anorexia nervosa, recruited by community screening and with a mean age at onset of 14 years were compared with 51 matched comparison individu

A Swedish/Norwegian head and neck cancer study was designed to assess prospectively the levels of mental distress and psychiatric morbidity in a heterogeneous sample of newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients. A total of 357 patients were included. The mean age was 63 years, and 72% were males. The patients were asked to answer the HAD scale (the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale) six ti

Müller cells are essential in creating and maintaining intricate neuroretinal architecture. The functions of this important glial cell are not limited to mere support of the retinal neurons, but also include interaction in synaptic transmission and activation in response to retinal insult. In this study, we have examined Müller cell morphology and degree of activation in embryonic full-thickness r

Aim To critically review the status of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) using the best available scientific studies as there is a prevailing view that this species is globally endangered and its marine ecosystem functions compromised. Location Ogasawara (Japan), Hawaii (USA), Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Florida (USA), Tortuguero (Costa Rica). Methods We compiled seasonal nesting activity

The influence of temperature on cost and energy consumption during nanofiltration has been evaluated. The effect of temperature on pressure drop, fouling, concentration polarisation and changes in the membrane performance were evaluated experimentally and theoretically. Nanofiltration experiments using pure solutions and wastewater from the meat industry were performed at 25 and 55 °C with an Alfa

Carbon dioxide and methane fluxes were measured at a tundra site near Chokurdakh, in the lowlands of the Indigirka river in north-east Siberia. This site is one of the few stations on Russian tundra and it is different from most other tundra flux stations in its continentality. A suite of methods was applied to determine the fluxes of NEE, GPP, R-eco and methane, including eddy covariance, chamber

The branching plane associated with the conical intersection controlling the photochemical Z -> E isomerization reaction of rhodopsin has been mapped using a CASPT2//CASSCF/ AMBER quantum mechanics-molecular mechanics method. The nature of the derivative coupling and gradient difference vectors spanning the branching plane has been investigated, showing that the conical intersection is not only as

The microbial communities and photosynthetic capacity of cryoconite holes on the Midre Lovénbreen Glacier at 79°N in Spitzbergen (Svalbard Archipelago) were investigated in July/August 2000 and July 2001. The constituents of the microbial assemblages were more abundant in material on the cryoconite bottoms than in the overlying water. Bacterial concentrations ranged from 1.00 to 4.502104 ml-1 in t