The aim of this study was to investigate construct validity and internal consistency of a modified version of the Consumer Emergency Care Satisfaction Scale used on persons accompanying emergency department patients. The sample comprised 128 persons. The results showed satisfactory reliability, and an exploratory factor analysis revealed 3 factors: caring, teaching, and clinical competence. The mo

The relationship between tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and drug survival had not been studied in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and there were no laboratory tests to predict the long-term efficacy of biological drugs for JIA. We studied if serum levels of TNF-α, free or bound to etanercept, could predict long-term efficacy of etanercept in children with JIA.

A papal lead seal, a so called bull, from the pontificate of Eugene III (1145–53) has been found in Scania, southern Sweden. The seal is the oldest known material evidence of contacts between Scandinavia and the Holy See. In this paper the papal seal is presented and discussed in relation to the historical context of the find spot in Lomma, a small community 10 kilometers north of Malmö. The place

OBJECTIVES: To investigate a proposed association between in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and child asthma. DESIGN: The risk for asthma after IVF was estimated as ORs using Mantel-Haenszel analysis. SETTING: The Swedish Medical Birth Register. PATIENTS: Of the 2 628 728 children born in 1982-2007 and surviving the perinatal period, 31 918 were conceived by IVF. Presence of asthma was define

Influenza A virus encodes two segments (7 and 8) that produce mRNAs that can be spliced. We have investigated if naturally occurring sequence polymorphisms in the influenza A virus family affects splicing of these viral mRNAs, as that could potentially alter the NS1/NS2- and/or M1/M2-protein ratios. We compared splicing efficiency of segment 7 and 8 mRNAs of A/Brevig Mission/1918/1 (H1N1) and A/Ne

Salient aspects of the anatomy and function of the blood-barrier barrier (BBB) are reviewed in relation to migraine pathophysiology and treatment. The main function of the BBB is to limit the access of circulating substances to the neuropile. Smaller lipophilic substances have some access to the central nervous system by diffusion, whereas other substances can cross the BBB by carrier-mediated inf

OBJECTIVE: Aortic aneurysm size is a critical determinant of the need for intervention, yet the maximal diameter will often vary depending on the modality and method of measurement. We aimed to define the relationship between commonly used computed tomography (CT) measurement techniques and those based on current reporting standards and to compare the values obtained with diameter measured using u

A MIMO structure consisting of two extremely compact planar inverted-F antennas (PIFAs) (lambda/60×lambda/20×lambda/60) is proposed for GSM 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz wireless local area network applications. The miniaturisation of each antenna is achieved through a spiral-shaped PIFA and a capacitive load, forming a LC resonator. Both antennas have a good impedance bandwidth of 0.88–0.945 and 2.39–2.48

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is a common clinical condition that often leads to unnecessary antimicrobial use. The reduction of antibiotic overuse for ABU is consequently an important issue for antimicrobial stewardship and to reduce the emergence of multidrug resistant strains. There are two issues in everyday urological practice that require special attention: the role of ABU in pre-operative

Ursolic acid (UA) has antiinflammatory and anticancer effects on mammalian cells. Increase in acid sphingomyelinase (SMase) is associated with several inflammatory diseases including inflammatory bowel diseases. The enzyme has become a target for drug discovery. The present study examined the roles of UA on acid SMase in intestinal cells. We found that UA specifically inhibited acid SMase activity

Tabletop exercises are often used for learning purposes in the area of crisis management, yet their potential for this is far from clear. The study examines the learning outcomes achieved by a group of persons taking part in tabletop exercises in which they assess the crisis management capabilities of the organisation to which they belong and suggest possible improvements. Interviews with the part

Chronic neural interfaces that are both structurally and functionally stable inside the brain over years or decades hold great promise to become an invaluable clinical tool in the near future. A key flaw in the current electrode interfaces is that their recording capabilities deteriorate over time, possibly due to the lack of flexibility, which causes movements in relation to the neural tissue tha

As a response against serious infection, there is often a need to produce more leukocytes to defend the organism against the infectious agent. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Goodell and colleagues (Feng et al., 2008) find a link between regulators of host defense and hematopoietic stem cells.