BACKGROUND:: Microvascular injury and epithelial barrier dysfunction are rate-limiting aspects in radiation enteropathy. This study examined the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signalling in radiation-induced colitis in an experimental model. METHODS:: The p38 MAPK inhibitor SB239063 was administered to mice immediately before exposure to 20 Gy radiation. Leucocyte- and pla

We present a compact, fast, and versatile fiber-optic probe system for real-time determination of tissue optical properties from spatially resolved continuous-wave diffuse reflectance measurements. The system collects one set of reflectance data from six source-detector distances at four arbitrary wavelengths with a maximum overall sampling rate of 100 Hz. Multivariate calibration techniques based

Structural equation modeling on questionnaire data showed that prejudice toward different target groups can be represented in terms of a general prejudice factor. Distinction of classical and modern prejudice only increased model fit marginally. In two separate samples (paper and pencil vs. Internet) several structural models of the relationship between key individual difference variables and prej

Background: Colour differences in photographs can be enhanced using a digital image-processing technique called LYYN. Objective: To investigate colour changes in the histamine wheal after skin prick tests (SPTs). Methods: Histamine SPTs were performed on the forearm of six medical students, and the reactions of the skin were photographed every 2 min for 30 min. Colour differences in the photograph

This longitudinal study used a multi-disciplinary approach and examined the relationship between psychosocial and health characteristics and the pattern of informal and formal support for non-institutionalized very old people. The data were derived from a single cohort of 80-year-old people living in Lund, Sweden who were followed over a 3-year period. In order to account for potential sample bias

A statistical approach to a posteriori blockmodeling for graphs is proposed. The model assumes that the vertices of the graph are partitioned into two unknown blocks and that the probability of an edge between two vertices depends only on the blocks to which they belong. Statistical procedures are derived for estimating the probabilities of edges and for predicting the block structure from observa

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of factors contributing to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes but unifying mechanisms have not been identified. Our aim was to study whether common variations in 17 genes previously associated with type 2 diabetes or components of the metabolic syndrome and variants in nine genes with inconsistent association with at le

A frequency-doubled laser diode system for generation of blue-UV light is described. The system is based on an external-cavity high-power laser diode with double feedback from the zeroth and the first orders of a diffraction grating. Light at 405 nm is generated in a single-pass configuration using periodically poled KTiOPO4. We show that the double grating feedback improves the second harmonic co

BACKGROUND: This study aims to present a novel method for using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to non-invasively quantify the variation in pulmonary blood volume throughout the cardiac cycle in humans. METHODS: 10 healthy volunteers (7 males, 3 female, age range 21-32 years) were studied. The blood flow in the pulmonary artery and all pulmonary veins was quantified during free breathing u

Monitoring Editor: Marianne Bronner-Fraser Morphogenesis of the Drosophila embryo is associated with dynamic rearrangement of the Actin cytoskeleton mediated by small GTPases of the Rho family. These GTPases act as molecular switches that are activated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors. One of these factors, DRhoGEF2, plays an important role in the constriction of Actin filaments during pole

What is known and objective: Interventions involving medication reconciliation and review by clinical pharmacists can reduce drug-related problems and improve therapeutic outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of routine admission medication reconciliation and inpatient medication review on emergency department (ED) revisits after discharge. Secondary outcomes included the

The aim was to investigate the construct validity and internal consistency of the Swedish version of the Consumer Emergency Care Satisfaction Scale. The sample comprised 157 persons from an emergency department and an observation ward. The results showed satisfactory reliability, and an explorative factor analysis revealed 3 factors: Caring, Teaching, and Clinical Competence. The Swedish version o

Correlations between heterozygosity and fitness are frequently found but rarely well understood. Fitness can be affected by single loci of large effect which correlate with neutral markers via linkage disequilibrium, or as a result of variation in genome-wide heterozygosity following inbreeding. We explored these alternatives in the common buzzard, a raptor species in which three colour morphs dif

It is widely believed that females have longer telomeres than males, although results from studies have been contradictory.

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) 5'-splice site SD3632 is used exclusively to produce late L1 mRNAs. We identified a 34-nt splicing inhibitory element located immediately upstream of HPV-16 late 5'-splice site SD3632. Two AUAGUA motifs located in these 34 nt inhibited SD3632. Two nucleotide substitutions in each of the HPV-16 specific AUAGUA motifs alleviated splicing inhibition and induced l

We present deep Very Large Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope observations of the nearest examples of Ca-rich 'gap' transients - rapidly evolving transient events, with a luminosity intermediate between novae and supernovae. These sources are frequently found at large galactocentric offsets, and their progenitors remain mysterious. Our observations find no convincing underlying quiescent sources

Er4NiCd crystallizes with the Gd4RhIn type structure, space group F (4) over bar 3m, a=1333.3 pm. The nickel atoms have trigonal prismatic rare earth coordination. Condensation of the NiEr6 prisms leads to a three-dimensional network which leaves voids that are filled by regular Cd-4 tetrahedra. Er4NiCd shows Curie-Weiss behavior above 50 K with T-N=5.9 K. At field strength of 4 kOe a metamagnetic

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by multiple autoantibodies and complement activation. Recent studies have suggested that anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) positivity may disappear over time in some SLE patients. Anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibody titers and complement levels may vary with time and immunosuppressive treatment, while the behavior of anti-extractable nuclear anti