Summary Background Early prediction of severity is important in the management of patients with acute pancreatitis. The presence of activation peptides and certain pancreatic proenzymes in plasma and urine has been shown to correlate with severity. This study was designed to assess the value of measuring levels of the activation peptide of carboxypeptidase B (CAPAP) and of anionic trypsinogen. Met

BACKGROUND: Despite venous thromboembolism (VTE) being a major cause of morbidity and mortality, there is still limited information on its prevalence and incidence in the general population. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate risk factors, distribution and epidemiology of VTE in the Malmö area with 280 000 inhabitants. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with VTE at Malmö University Hospital in 1998-2006 were invited

The combination of quasi-elastic light scattering (LS) with integrated scattered intensity measurements in the same sample has been applied to study polymer and polymer-protein aqueous solutions. The molecular weight, the radius of gyration, and the second virial coefficient for thermosensitive polymer [poly(N-isopropylacrylamid)] solutions before and after precipitation transition have been obtai

When ill the individual faces the options of seeking health care, using self-medication or doing nothing. In an economic perspective, an individual's propensity to utilise health care is determined by the costs of utilisation and the perceived benefits of health care. The propensity to utilise health care may hence be expected to vary between individuals. In this paper we attempt on the one hand t

Particles with an internal structure have been found in dilute water solutions of a triblock copolymer of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), which has short hydrophilic PEO endblocks compared to the central hydrophobic PPO block (EO5PO68EO5, L121). The properties of the block copolymer particles (i.e., their structure, size, and time stability) have been investigated using

Self-diffusion coefficients were obtained by means of NMR diffusometry for differing ratios of n-decyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (C(10)G(1)) and n-nonyl-beta-D-glueopyranoside (C(9)G(1)) surfactant mixtures, along dilution lines through the micellar region of the ternary C(9)G(1)/C(10)G(1)/H2O phase diagram. Networks of bicontinuous micelles have been suggested to exist throughout the micellar region

A two-stage anaerobic digestion process operated under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions was investigated for the treatment of solid potato waste to determine optimal methane yield, efficiency of operation and process stability. A solid-bed reactor was used for hydrolysis/acidification stage while an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was used in the second stage, for methanogenes

Objective: This research seeks to study the impact on family function after 3 months of treatment with amphetamine. Method: A total of 43 children, 6 to 11 years of age, with ADHD were treated with amphetamine for 3 months. Family function was studied before and after treatment by parent self-rating and independent observer ratings of videotaped parent—child interactions. Results: The families wit

The human papillomaviruses (HPVs) exist as more than 100 distinct types. While variants of HPV are common, only few HPV subtypes have been reported. HPV type 38 has been proposed to be associated with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), with reported prevalences of up to 55%. A subtype of HPV38 was cloned, completely sequenced and found to have a 96% sequence similarity to prototype HPV38 in the L1 op

We previously found that a covalent complex of SHAPs (serum-derived hyaluronan-associated proteins), the heavy chains of inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor family molecules, with hyaluronan ( HA) is accumulated in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and the complex is circulated in patient plasma at high concentrations. How the SHAP-HA complex participates in this disease is unknown.

The study explores whether small-scale species diversity, species evenness and species richness in semi-natural grassland communities are similarly associated with present management regime and/or present and historical landscape context (percentage of different land-cover types in the surroundings). Species diversity, evenness and richness were recorded within 44150 x 50 cm grassland plots in a 4

A new chemical reactor, the Open Plate Reactor, is being developed by Alfa Laval AB. It combines good mixing with high heat transfer capacity into one operation. With the new concept, highly exothermic reactions can be produced using more concentrated reactants. A nonlinear model of the reactor is derived and a control system is developed. For temperature control a cooling system is designed and e

The aim of the Malmö International Brother Study (MIBS) is to evaluate host genetic factors associated with the development of inhibitory antibodies in patients with hemophilia. Factor VIII gene mutations and genetic polymorphisms of the IL1beta, IL4, and 100 genes, known to influence antibody production in autoimmune diseases, were analyzed in 164 patients (124 with severe, 26 with moderate, and

Introduction: Objectives were to give an overview of endotoxin exposure and its determinants in sewage treatment workers, and to study exposure to culturable and non-culturable microorganisms and the applicability of the LAL assay in this work environment. Material and methods: In 43 Dutch sewage treatment plants 470 full-shift, 123 task-based personal and 54 stationary inhalable dust samples were

Plants have evolved many mechanisms to increase the chance of gene dispersal mainly through pollen and environmental factors play an important role. Understanding the mechanism behind gene dispersal is therefore crucial in the correct evaluation of the use of genetically modified crops for cultivation. In this paper we address the question of weather nutrient availability for the female affects th

Metabolic variables in samples of synovial fluid (SF) from 33 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) knees were analyzed. These variables were correlated with radiological destruction and SF proteoglycan concentrations. SF acidosis correlated with radiological involvement (rs = 0.62, p less than 0.002), but not with proteoglycan concentrations. A weak correlation was found between SF acidosis and granulocyte c

Real or virtual pions are important ingredients of nuclear reactions at intermediate energies, and their couplings to major nuclear de-excitation modes can determine the final reaction products starting from several beam species. One of these modes is the important fission decay channel for heavy nuclei, induced with real pion beams over a wide range of energies and nuclei, largely using SSNTD. Th

The objective was to investigate if healthy elderly people respond and adapt differently to postural disturbances compared to middle-aged people. Thirty middle-aged (mean age 37.8 years, range 24–56 years) and forty healthy elderly subjects (mean age 74.6 years, range 66–88 years) were tested with posturography. Body sway was evoked by applying pseudorandom vibratory stimulation to the belly of th