An understanding of how the cementing technique influences cement penetration is important for surgeons to plan and conduct hip resurfacing procedures. Therefore the aim of this study is to determine the influence of the following parameters on cement penetration: use of pulse lavage, type of cement, and the standing period of the cement. Nine fresh frozen paired whole cadaver femora were used to

The dual-function phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 ( PTEN) is the second most frequently mutated gene in human cancers. PTEN counteracts the functions of many growth factors, the most prevalent of which is insulin-like growth factor II ( IGF-II). PTEN expression is stimulated by IGF-II forming a feedback loop. Investigating IGF-binding protein ( IGFBP) modulation of IGF-II a

Piloderma sp., a wood ash-colonizing ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungus, was grown symbiotically with Norway spruce in microcosms which contained granules of hardened wood ash. Mycelium close to the granules was sampled 3 times over a period of 11 weeks and the elemental content was investigated with particle induced X-ray emission. Mycelium from microcosms without wood ash was used as controls. The cont

In a game of incomplete information we analyze the consequences of giving an employer access to imperfect genetic information about his employees. The employer chooses whether to invest in the employee and the employee chooses a life style. We derive the condition for markets of information services to exist and the conditions for when it is beneficial to the various parties. In one specification

Background Body Mass Index (BMI) is often used as a surrogate estimate of body fat in epidemiological studies. This study explores the association between BMI, body fat and body fat distribution assessed by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in younger children. Methods Cross-sectional study of 246 children (138 boys and 108 girls) aged 8-11 years. DXA was used to quantify abdominal fat mass (

Binding of short chain phosphatidylserine (C6PS) enhances the proteolytic activity of factor X-a by 60-fold (Koppaka, V., Wang, J., Banerjee, M., and Lentz, B. R. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 7482-7491). In the present study, we locate three C6PS binding sites to different domains of factor X-a using a combination of activity, circular dichroism, fluorescence, and equilibrium dialysis measurements on p

The aim: To record blood flow velocimetry in the fetal superior mesenteric artery in normal pregnancy and to evaluate if blood flow recordings in the vessel might predict adverse outcome in high-risk pregnancy. Methods: The fetal superior mesenteric artery blood velocimetry was recorded in a cross sectional manner in 75 normal pregnancies between 27 and 41 weeks of gestation. Reference curves were

The oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal stages of swallowing were evaluated in 8 patients with recessively or dominantly inherited pure sensory ataxia. Six patients had swallowing difficulties: solid bolus obstruction, coughs during eating, and choking episodes. One patient had chronic bronchitis and another had recurrent pneumonia. The patients underwent a biphasic radiological barium swallow, inclu

Cladribine has single-drug activity in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and may enhance the formation of the active metabolite (ara-CTP) of cytosine arabinoside (ara-C). To evaluate the feasibility of adding intermittent cladribine to intermediate-dose ara-C (1 g/m(2)/2 h) b.i.d. for 4 d with idarubicin (CCI), we performed a 2:1 randomized phase II trial in AML patients aged over 60 years. Primary e

Background: The goal of this study was to investigate whether Interactive Voice Response is a technology with which to perform real-time assessments of alcohol consumption and stress. Methods: Fifteen subjects (men and women) were recruited from a previous 4-year intervention study (n = 2,032). The Interactive Voice Response technique was based on mobile telephones. During 1 week, stress and alcoh

Lipids have been shown to play a dual role in pancreatic beta-cells - a lipid-derived signal appears to be necessary for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, whereas lipid accumulation causes impaired insulin secretion and apoptosis. The ability of the protein perilipin to regulate lipolysis prompted an investigation of the presence of perilipin in the islets of Langerhans. In this study evidence

Interdigitated electrodes made up of two individually addressable interdigitated comb-like electrode structures have frequently been suggested as ultra sensitive electrochemical biosensors. Since the signal enhancement effects due to cycling of the reduced and oxidized species are strongly dependent on the inter electrode distances, since the nature of the enhancement is due to overlying diffusion

Although cleaning removes fouling, it may change the properties of membranes and consequently influence their performance. We have evaluated the combined effect of acidic/alkaline cleaning and temperature on the performance of two aromatic membranes, one a reverse osmosis membrane (HR98PP) and the other a nanofiltration membrane (NF90), two semi-aromatic polypiperazine membranes (NF200, NFT 50) an

The paper considers a problem of routing, protection and load balancing in the IP/MPLS network. A network design problem combining all these aspects is presented. Proportionally fair distribution of residual bandwidths on links is used for load balancing, and protection is achieved with failure-dependent backup paths. The efficiency of the proposed approach is tested by combining optimization and

Geophysical and hydrochemical surveys were used to investigate the hydrogeological conditions in one of the Rio Sucio microbasins, in central Nicaragua. Zones of vertical structures (i.e. fractures and quartz veins) and weathering were mapped using Continuous Vertical Electrical Soundings (CVES), as such zones are of major importance for groundwater transport. Water from the springs was analysed t

Biomass cofiring in existing coal-fired boilers has emerged as a prospective option for voluntary reduction in CO2 emissions to mitigate the global warming problem. However, the associated cost increase plays a crucial role for this retrofitting. A techno-economic model for the estimation of economics of cofiring is presented in this paper using the pilot plant test results for biomass cofiring an