The role of temporal changes and spatial variability in predation risk and prey's means of mitigating such risks is poorly understood in the context of potential threats of global climate change for migratory birds. Yet nest predation, for example, represents a primary source of reproductive mortality in birds. To assess risk birds must spend time prospecting potential breeding sites for cues or s

Recent research shows that adult speakers of verb- vs. satellite-framed languages (Talmy, 2000) express motion events in language-specific ways as reflected not only in speech (Slobin 2004) but also in gestures (Duncan 2005; Kita & McNeill 1992; Özyurek 2003). Although such findings suggest crosslinguistic differences in event representations, little is still known about their implications for

Sugammadex shows a dose-response relationship for reversal of neuromuscular block (NMB) during propofol anaesthesia. Sevoflurane, unlike propofol, can prolong the effect of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs), increasing recovery time. This open-label, randomized, dose-finding trial explored sugammadex dose-response relationships, safety, and pharmacokinetics when administered for reversal of mo

There are many situations where environmental authorities use a mix of environmental policy instruments, rather than one single instrument, to address environmental concerns. For example, one instrument may be used to reduce overall emissions of a pollutant while another is used to address environmental crises that arise when meteorological conditions affect the capability of the environment to as

The effect of grazing by large herbivores on the microbial community and the ecosystem functions they provide are relatively unknown in grassland systems. In this study, the impact of grazing upon the size, composition and activity of the soil microbial community was measured in field experiments in two coastal ecosystems: one salt marsh and one sand dune grassland. Bacterial, fungal and total mic

3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde (3HPA) is an important specialty chemical which can be produced from glycerol using resting cells of Lactobacillus reuteri. This biocatalytic route, however, suffers from substrate- and product-mediated loss of enzyme activity within 2 h of biotransformation. In order to overcome the inhibitory effects of 3HPA, complex formation with sodium bisulfite was investigated, opti

BACKGROUND: Multiple laboratory tests are used to diagnose and manage patients with diabetes mellitus. The quality of the scientific evidence supporting the use of these tests varies substantially. APPROACH: An expert committee compiled evidence-based recommendations for the use of laboratory testing for patients with diabetes. A new system was developed to grade the overall quality of the evidenc

A wealth of biospecimen samples are stored in modern globally distributed biobanks. Biomedical researchers worldwide need to be able to combine the available resources to improve the power of large-scale studies. A prerequisite for this effort is to be able to search and access phenotypic, clinical and other information about samples that are currently stored at biobanks in an integrated manner. H

We present an interactive, searchable expressed sequence tag database for the periwinkle snail Littorina saxatilis, an upcoming model species in evolutionary biology. The database is the result of a hybrid assembly between Sanger and 454 sequences, 1290 and 147 491 sequences respectively. Normalized and non-normalized cDNA was obtained from different ecotypes of L. saxatilis collected in the UK an

Objective: C-peptide is a main outcome measure in treatment trials of diabetes. C-peptide also has a role in the classification of diabetes, which is often difficult in adults and this is also increasingly recognised in adolescents and elders. Aim: We aimed to describe the levels of C-peptide in relation to age and body mass index (BMI) in a large population-based cohort of adults with newly diagn

The rationale of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of infliximab (IFX) treatment in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to determine whether IFX dose reduction and interval extension sustains the treatment effect. Nineteen patients were included and treated with IFX 5mg/kg every 6 weeks for 56 weeks. All patients concomitantly received MTX with median dose 7.5mg/weekly. During the s

AIM: Clinical studies have suggested a role for dietary glycaemic index (GI) in body weight regulation and diabetes risk. Here, we investigated the long-term metabolic effects of low and high glycaemic diets using the C57BL/6J mouse model. METHODS: Female C57BL/6J mice were fed low or high glycaemic starch in either low-fat or medium-fat diets for 22 weeks. Oral and intravenous glucose tolerance t

Numerous environmental contaminants have been linked to adverse reproductive health outcomes. However, the complex correlation structure of exposures and multiple testing issues limit the interpretation of existing evidence. Our objective was to identify, from a large set of contaminant exposures, exposure profiles associated with biomarkers of male reproductive function.

Sediment cores from Kriegers Flak in the southwestern Baltic Sea provide a unique possibility to study the Middle Weichselian history of the Baltic Basin. Three Weichselian interstadial units have been identified and are attributed to Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3, 60-25 ka). The oldest unit A is characterized by a deglaciation sequence, gradually turning into brackish-water clay. The low-diversit

Population-based studies on contact allergy to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) are scarce. A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the prevalence of contact allergy to PPD and its risk factors in the general population of 5 European countries. A total of 10,425 subjects were interviewed, and a random sample (n = 2,739) was patch tested to PPD. Overall, 5,286 individuals (50.9%) reported having us

Objective. To investigate the impact on ICD coding behaviour of a new case-mix reimbursement system based on coded patient diagnoses. The main hypothesis was that after the introduction of the new system the coding of chronic diseases like hypertension and cancer would increase and the variance in propensity for coding would decrease on both physician and health care centre (HCC) levels. Design. C

P>The relationships between the Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA)-100 and von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels and bleeding score (BS) were evaluated within a multicentre project on Molecular and Clinical Markers for the Diagnosis and Management of type 1 von Willebrand disease (MCMDM-1VWD). PFA-100 closure time, either with epinephrine (EPI) or adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-cartridges, was measured in