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BACKGROUND: Valid assessments of health-related Quality of Life (HRQL) are increasingly important in chronic, incurable conditions, such as chronic heart failure (CHF). AIMS: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) in hospitalized patients with decompensated CHF. METHOD AND RESULTS: The KCCQ and SF-36 were administered to

Sequential serum samples from four plasma donors (designated A, B, C, and D) at a Chinese blood bank with hepatitis C transmission problems were studied from 1994 to 1997. The samples were examined for antibodies to HCV, for HCV viremia by PCR and HCV genotyping. Co- and superinfections were studied by direct sequencing of the 5'-NCR, core, and HVR-1 regions, using low and high genotype-specific p

We propose a comprehensive protocol for the performance assessment of photon migration instruments. The protocol has been developed within the European Thematic Network MEDPHOT (optical methods for medical diagnosis and monitoring of diseases) and is based on five criteria: accuracy, linearity, noise, stability, and reproducibility. This protocol was applied to a total of 8 instruments with a set

Plants from a population of Scabiosa canescens, a locally rare species with a narrow ecological amplitude, were raised under uniform growth conditions to examine the phenotypic effects of one generation selfing and outcrossing. Particular attention was given to direct components of fitness (seedling biomass, rosette leaf number, head number, flower number per head), but two morphological character

We present a fast algorithm for the calculation of elastostatic fields in locally isotropic composites. The method uses an integral equation approach due to Sherman, combined with the fast multipole method and an adaptive quadrature technique. Accurate solutions can be obtained with inclusions of arbitrary shape at a cost roughly proportional to the number of points needed to resolve the interface

Abstract in UndeterminedThe amount of fat of a bird is a fundamental metric commonly used by avian biologists in studies of migration, winter energy management and condition. The methods used for estimating fat content range from simply measuring body mass and subtracting the estimated lean mass, visual scoring of subcutaneous fat deposits, to destructive extraction using a Soxhlet apparatus. We u

AIMS: To determine the basal pharmacokinetics, lung uptake and plasma cortisol suppression for two commonly prescribed inhaled corticosteroids. METHODS: Twenty-one subjects (13 healthy and 8 mild asthmatic patients) received fluticasone propionate via a chlorofluorocarbon-propelled pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) (healthy subjects only) and Diskus and budesonide via Turbuhaler, 1000 microg

PURPOSE: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is reported to reduce the frequency of seizures in children and adults without causing serious side effects. However, clinical observation of swallowing difficulties in 2 children treated with VNS made further investigation necessary. METHODS: Seven patients aged 4-18 years and treated with VNS for 6-14 months were investigated with videoradiography during ba

A powerful alternative to glucose oxidase as anode material in implantable biofuel cells is presented: Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) from the ascomycete Myriococcum thermophilum (MtCDH) catalyzes the electrochemical oxidation of glucose, lactose, and cellobiose over a broad pH range. Current densities of more than 1 mA . cm(-2) can be reached when MtCDH is wired to an Os redox polymer in the pres

We report on the realization of a quantum dot in a modulation doped InGaAs/InP heterostructure by electron beam lithography and chemical wet etching. Using etched trench defined in-plane gates and a local top gate, the tunneling barriers, electron density, and electrostatic potential of the dot can be tuned. Electrical measurements reveal clear Coulomb blockade behavior of the electron transport t

1 The grass Festuca ovina is an important constituent of the species-rich 'alvar' grasslands on the Baltic island of Oland. Levels of allozyme polymorphism are high and variation is known to be correlated with habitat variation (soil moisture, pH and depth). 2 A 9-year field experiment on species diversity provided replicate plots (in three sites) that had been subjected to six different experimen

Radiography of the epididymis, vas deferens and vesicle was formed in 72 subjects admitted for sterility. The technique employed, its indications, and the results achieved are discussed. Several examples are presented.

In six healthy volunteers we have estimated the pharmacokinetic parameters of the anti factor Xa (AXa) and anti factor IIa (AIIa) activities of a LMW heparin, Logiparin. For the AXa the following parameters were estimated in a 1-compartment model (mean and 95% confidence limits in brackets): elimination half life 82 minutes (60-127 min), absorption half life (s.c. inj.) 200 minutes (137-368 min),

For the first time, ortho- and meta-halo-substituted anilines were successfully condensed with formaldehyde to dihalo-substituted analogues of Trögers base. By using paraformaldehyde and TFA, yields of 2-85% of these potential supramolecular building blocks were obtained. Even the inconceivable achievement of condensing anilines unsubstituted in para-position to analogues of Trögers base was succe

Stabilization of beta-catenin by inhibition of its phosphorylation is characteristic of an activation of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway and is associated with various human carcinomas. It contrasts to an as yet incompletely characterized action of an alternative noncanonical Wnt signaling pathway on neoplastic transformation. The aim of the present study was to test the effects o

A lab-on-a-chip device that enables positioning of single or small ensembles of cells on an aperture in close proximity to a mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) modified sensing electrode has been developed and characterized. The microchip was used for the detection of Ca(2+)-dependent quantal catecholamine exocytosis from single as well as small assemblies of rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. The frequ

Monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8; approved symbol SLC16A2) facilitates cellular uptake and efflux of 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3). Mutations in MCT8 arc associated with severe psychomotor retardation, high serum T3 and low 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3) levels. Here we report three novel MCT8 mutations. Two subjects with the F501 del mutation have mild psychomotor retardation with slightly elev