all-trans-Retinoic acid, one of the hormonally active derivatives of vitamin A, occurs physiologically in plasma at a concentration below 10 nmol/l. The methods currently used for its quantification are based on HPLC, need about 1 ml of serum, are relatively laborious and thus not well suited for mass analysis. The affinity and specificity of retinoic acid receptors for all-trans-retinoic acid enc

Efficient upconversion luminescence is observed from CdTe nanoparticles in solution and precipitated as solids. In the solids, the upconversion luminescence spectrum is significantly red shifted relative to the photoluminescence spectrum, whereas in solution, there is very little spectral shift. The upconversion luminescence exhibits a near-quadratic laser power dependence, both at room temperatur

This article shows that language must be conceived of as a natural system that becomes structured through rhythmic driving forces. This gives weight to the hypothesis that rotatio¬nal dynamics is basic to the effects that selective textual movement patterns have on the evolution of texture, i.e. a text surface. The experimental procedure has been focused on the manipulation of text translation, as

Cross-sectional studies have associated obesity and other components of the so-called metabolic syndrome with low-grade inflammation. The temporal and causal relations of this association have not been fully explored. This study explored whether elevated levels of inflammation-sensitive plasma proteins (ISPs) (fibrinogen, orosomucoid, {alpha}1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, and ceruloplasmin) are assoc

Lipase production of 425 S. aureus strains isolated from patients with different clinical diagnoses and healthy carriers were measured by a specific method, using emulsified trioleoylglycerol substrate. Strains isolated from patients with septicemia showed significantly higher lipase activity than osteomyelitis strains (p = 0.011), impetigo strains (p = 0.002) and strains isolated from healthy rel

Energy correlations between gamma -ray transitions and the prompt proton decay line in Cu-58 were studied by means of the fusion-evaporation reaction Ca-40(Mg-24,1 alpha 1p1n) using the EUROBALL spectrometer coupled to ancillary detector devices. A lifetime of 0.06 < tau < 0.58 ps for the 8915 keV proton-decaying state in Cu-58 is deduced. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactions between amphiphilic alpha-helical human apolipoprotein CI (APO CI) adsorbed on hydrophilic and on hydrophobic surfaces were studied using an interferometric surface force apparatus in an effort to understand the surface conformation and the binding activity of this protein. We used mica as the hydrophilic substrate and polymerized octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTE)-covered mica as the hyd

We analyzed the cumulative revision rate in 1,474 patients (1,660 hips) operated on with a cemented Scan Hip Classic I prosthesis from November 1983 to January 1994 at Lund University Hospital. The revision rate was analyzed for 3 diagnoses--arthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and complication after a hip fracture--and for 2 head diameters--22 and 32 mm. Until January 1996, 36 hips were revised: 31 be

Review of John C. Whittaker. Flintknapping, Making and understanding stone tools.

Intestinal spirochetes (Brachyspira spp.) are causative agents of intestinal disorders in animals and humans. Phylogenetic analysis of cloned 16S rRNA genes from biopsies of the intestinal mucosa of the colon from two Swedish 60-years old adults without clinical symptoms revealed the presence of intestinal spirochetes. Seventeen clones from two individuals and 11 reference strains were analyzed an

Purpose Description of mucus on the corneal surface and in the precorneal tear film in keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). Methods In all, 24 patients with KCS examined with slit lamp and by non-contact photomicrography. Results Material interpreted as mucus seemed to exist in three varieties: one optically dense, light reflecting, and with definite forms ( fine threads, variously thick and long str

BACKGROUND: Recently, a -168A-->G polymorphism in the MHC class II transactivator gene (MHC2TA) was shown to be associated with increased susceptibility to myocardial infarction (MI). AIM: To confirm the association between the MHC2TA -168A-->G polymorphism and MI and to study its putative role for microalbuminuria, the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: