Water-dispersible silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs) are desirable for applications in biological techniques. A simplified method to synthesize such particles is reported here. The resulting Si-NPs are water-dispersible and luminescent. Under the excitation of UV light, the Si-NPs emit strong red light with a peak maximum at 606 nm and a quantum yield of 6%. They are highly stable, and remain so over

The essential Cdc13 protein is part of the trimeric CST complex that confers genome stability by binding to and protecting yeast telomeres. In this issue of Structure, Mason and colleagues characterize an OB fold domain of Cdc13 (named OB2) and propose that homo-dimerization of OB2 is required for proper assembly of the CST complex and telomere maintenance.

To estimate the prevalence of extrauterine pelvic lesions at transvaginal ultrasound examination of gynecologically asymptomatic women of fertile age and to compare this prevalence between women with spontaneous menstrual cycles, those using combined oral contraceptive pills (COC) or a gestagen intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD).

Infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with MLL rearrangements (MLL-R) represents a distinct leukemia with a poor prognosis. To define its mutational landscape, we performed whole-genome, exome, RNA and targeted DNA sequencing on 65 infants (47 MLL-R and 18 non-MLL-R cases) and 20 older children (MLL-R cases) with leukemia. Our data show that infant MLL-R ALL has one of the lowest frequencies o

The cerebellum is classically considered to be mainly involved in motor processing, but studies have suggested several other functions, including pain processing. Calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neuropeptide involved in migraine pathology, where there is elevated release of CGRP during migraine attacks and CGRP receptor antagonists have antimigraine efficacy. In the present study, we e

Background: Terra preta do indio or 'dark earth' soils formed as a result of a long-term addition of organic matter by indigenous peoples in Amazonia. Aims: Here we report on the first study of productivity, allocation and carbon cycling from a terra preta plot in eastern Amazonia (Caxiuana, Para, Brazil), and contrast its dynamics with a nearby plot on infertile soil (ferralsols). Methods: We det

To examine whether increasing fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels were associated with worsening left ventricular (LV) diastolic function, independently of LV mass index (LVMI) in elderly, otherwise healthy subjects.

Background Point-of-care C-reactive protein (POCCRP) is a biomarker of inflammation that offers clinicians a rapid POC test to guide antibiotic prescribing decisions for acute cough and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). However, evidence that POCCRP is cost-effective is limited, particularly outside experimental settings. Aim To assess the cost-effectiveness of POCCRP as a diagnostic tool

Recent reforms in Swedish primary care have involved choice of provider for the population combined with freedom of establishment and privatisation of providers. This study focus to what extent individuals feel they have exercised a choice of provider, why they exercise choice and where they search for information, based on a population survey in three Swedish counties. The design of the study ena

Determining climate change feedbacks from tropical rainforests requires an understanding of how carbon gain through photosynthesis and loss through respiration will be altered. One of the key changes that tropical rainforests may experience under future climate change scenarios is reduced soil moisture availability. In this study we examine if and how both leaf photosynthesis and leaf dark respira

Background: Postoperative radiotherapy decreases the risk for local and improves overall survival in women with breast cancer. We have limited information on radiotherapy-induced symptoms 10-17 years after therapy. Material and methods: Between 1997 and 1997, women with lymph node-negative breast cancer were randomised in a Swedish multi-institutional trial to breast conserving surgery with or wit

This 26-wk observational study in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Sweden investigated the safety and efficacy of insulin detemir (IDet) in newly diagnosed (ND) patients and those with established diabetes (ED) switching to IDet. A total of 159 patients initiated IDet as part of basal-bolus therapy, 59 in the ND stratum (mean age 9.7 yr) and 97 in the ED stratum (mean age 12.

Oncogenic c-Kit mutations have been shown to display ligand-independent receptor activation and cell proliferation. A substitution of aspartate to valine at amino acid 816 (D816V) is one of the most commonly found oncogenic c-Kit mutations and is found in >90% of cases of mastocytosis and less commonly in germ-cell tumors, core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia and mucosal melanomas. The mecha

Ultrafast optical spectroscopy techniques are often employed to gain information about samples that are liquid at room temperature and frozen at cryogenic temperatures. However, the measurements suffer from the presence of unwanted, non-resonant signals originating in the sample cell walls. Most of these artifacts can be avoided in the measurements performed at room temperature by using liquid jet

BACKGROUND: Dopamine depletion of the striatum is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease. The loss of dopamine upregulates GAD67 expression in the striatal projection neurons and causes other changes in the activity of the basal ganglia circuit. METHODS: To normalize the GAD67 expression in the striatum after dopamine depletion we developed several lentiviral vectors that express RNAi directe