Traditionally, most funding is made available when a disaster occurs. Disaster re-sponse is the implementation of what humanitarian actors did (or didn't do) in pre-paredness for any intervention. Based on a case study of a logistics change in the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Society, this paper discusses how more funding of preparedness can radically improve the speed and qu

Arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (LO)-1 has been implicated in allergic inflammation and asthma. The overall effect of 15-LO in allergic inflammation in vivo is, however, unclear. This study investigates systemic allergen sensitization and local allergic airway inflammation and remodeling in mice lacking the murine 12/15-LO, the ortholog to human 15-LO-1. Upon systemic sensitization with intraperitone

The directional stability of the crack path during wedging of a strip is investigated, using finite element methods. Linearly elastic material and plane conditions are considered. No dynamic effects are included. Stable crack growth in the direction of maximum mode I stress intensity factor at the tip of the crack is assumed. It is found that directional stability seems to prevail if the thickness

Haemophilus influenzae protein E (PE) is a 16 kDa adhesin that induces a pro-inflammatory immune response in lung epithelial cells. The active epithelial binding region comprising amino acids PE 84-108 also interferes with complement-mediated bacterial killing by capturing vitronectin (Vn) that prevents complement deposition and formation of the membrane attack complex (MAC). Here, the interaction

When using virtual-reality paradigms to study animal behaviour, careful attention must be paid to how the animal's actions are detected. This is particularly relevant in closed-loop experiments where the animal interacts with a stimulus. Many different sensor types have been used to measure aspects of behaviour, and although some sensors may be more accurate than others, few studies have examined

PURPOSE: For primary melanomas, tumor thickness, mitotic rate and ulceration are well-laid cornerstones of prognostication. However, a molecular exposition of melanoma aggressiveness is critically missing. We recently uncovered a four-class structure in metastatic melanoma that predicts outcome and informs biology. This raises the possibility that a molecular structure exists even in the early st

The aim was to investigate the relationship between creativity and hemispheric asymmetry, as measured by regional cerebral blood ¯ow (rCBF). Two groups, each consisting of 12 healthy male subjects, who got either very high or low scores on a creativity test, were pre-selected for the rCBF investigation. rCBF was measured during rest and three verbal tasks: automatic speech (Auto), word ¯uency (FAS

Functional coagulation analyses like Sonoclot and thromboelastography have not been evaluated during perioperative autotransfusion. We have prospectively studied three different transfusion regimes in 45 patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. Blood losses were replaced either with heterologous erythrocyte concentrate (group I), intra- and postoperative autotransfusion of blood salvaged with c

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify genetic aberrations contributing to clinical aggressiveness of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Samples from 48 MPNSTs and 10 neurofibromas were collected from 51 patients with (n = 31) or without (n = 20) neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Genome-wide DNA copy number changes were assessed by chromosomal and ar

BACKGROUND: We previously observed that allergen-exposed mice exhibit remodeling of large bronchial-associated blood vessels. The aim of the study was to examine whether vascular remodeling occurs also in vessels where a spill-over effect of bronchial remodeling molecules is less likely. METHODS: We used an established mouse model of allergic airway inflammation, where an allergic airway inflammat

Association of nanoparticles with blood coagulation proteins may influence the natural balance between pro-and anticoagulant pathways. We investigated whether polystyrene nanoparticles, when added to human plasma, affected the generation of thrombin in plasma. Amine-modified nanoparticles were found to decrease the thrombin formation due to binding of factor VII and IX to the nanoparticles, which

In this paper we address the tracking problem for a class of non-holonomic chained-form control systems. We present a simple solution for both the state feedback and the dynamic output feedback problem. The proposed controllers are linear and render the tracking error dynamics globally 𝒦-exponentially stable. We also deal with both control problems under input saturation. Application of t

We monitored gastrin release in response to locally applied candidate messengers in intact conscious rats. Earlier studies have been performed on anaesthetized animals, isolated pieces of antrum, or purified preparations of gastrin cells. In this study we created an experimental situation to resemble physiological conditions, using reverse microdialysis to administer regulatory peptides and amines

Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy has the potential to eradicate micrometastases within the irradiated field but has not resulted in survival improvements in randomized studies. This illustrates the need for systemic therapy. Chemotherapy, mainly with anthracyclines, platinum compounds, and taxanes, renders high response rates although this unfortunately translates in only modest improvements in progre

AIMS: The aims of this study were primarily to investigate the prevalence, severity and impact on daily life of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) in a clinical sample of stroke patients and secondly to identify factors associated with LUTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, hospital based survey whereby stroke patients were invited by letter to complete The Danish Prostatic Symp

Increasing awareness of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its impact on public health revives interest in identification of noninvasive markers of predisposition to AF and ECG-based risk stratification. P-wave duration is generally accepted as the most reliable noninvasive marker of atrial conduction, and its prolongation has been associated with history of AF. However, patients with paroxysmal AF with

Summary Approximately 10% of the patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have detectable serum levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 autoantibodies (GADA). These patients usually progress to insulin dependency within a few years, and are classified as being latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). A decrease in the frequency of peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells has been repor

Bile duct obstruction is associated with hepatic accumulation of leukocytes and liver injury. Emerging data suggest that platelets may play an important role in tissue damage and inflammation. Herein, we characterized the platelet response in cholestatic liver injury and evaluated the role of Rho-kinase signaling. For this purpose, C57BL/6 mice were treated with the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 (1

Violence against women is an increasing global phenomenon. Little is known about violence against foreign-born women, despite a possible increased concentration of risk factors in this group.