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Microscopic colitis (MC) induces gastrointestinal symptoms, which are partly overlapping with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), predominately in middle-aged and elderly women. The etiology is unknown, but association with smoking has been found. The aim of this study was to examine whether the increased risk for smokers to develop MC is a true association, or rather the result of confounding factors

The structures of concentrated phases formed in mixtures of an anionic polyelectrolyte and the cationic surfactant decyl betainate (DeB) in water were changed in situ via the hydrolysis of the latter. Degradation of DeB yields decanol, and as the fraction of alcohol increases the structure of the concentrated phase evolves from cubic to hexagonal and then lamellar. We present "self-evolving" as we

Gathering experimental evidence suggests that bovine as well as human lactoferrin self-associate in aqueous solution. Still, a molecular level explanation is unavailable. Using force field based molecular modeling of the protein-protein interaction free energy we demonstrate (1) that lactoferrin forms highly stereo-specific dimers at neutral pH and (2) that the self-association is driven by a high

Routine coagulation tests have a low predictability for perioperative bleeding complications, and spinal hematoma after removal of epidural catheters is very infrequent. Thromboelastometry and point-of-care platelet aggregometry may improve hemostatic monitoring but have not been studied in the context of safety around epidural removal.

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of ritonavir boosted atazanavir versus ritonavir boosted lopinavir or efavirenz, all in combination with 2 nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), over 144 weeks in antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected individuals. Methods: A prospective open-label randomized controlled trial was conducted at 29 sites in Swede

A drill core through the Lower Ordovician Toyen Shale Formation at Lerhamn, NW Scania, southern Sweden, provides important new information for the precise biostratigraphic resolution of the Floian to lower Darriwilian time interval in southern Scandinavia. The Hunnegraptus copiosus, Tetragraptus phyllograptoides, Cymatograptus protobalticus (new), Baltograptus vacillans (new), Baltograptus sp. cf.

The search for significantly overrepresented and co-occurring transcription factor binding sites in the promoter regions of the most differentially expressed genes in microarray data sets could be a powerful approach for finding key regulators of complex biological processes. To test this concept, two previously published independent data sets on wounded human epidermis were re-analyzed. The prese

In many-body and other systems, the physics situation often allows one to interpret certain, distinct states by means of a simple picture. In this interpretation, the distinct states are not eigenstates of the full Hamiltonian. Hence, there is an interaction that makes the distinct states act as doorways into background states which are modeled statistically. The crucial quantities are the overlap

We present a very simple polymer model of polyethylene glycols/oxides in water that can be used in combination with Molecular Dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations to accurately reproduce the equation of state and radii of gyrations across several orders of magnitude, in terms of osmotic pressure and polymer length. This is of importance for example in osmotic stress experiments, with the aim to acc

BackgroundThere is a need to develop and validate surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects with diabetes. The macrovascular changes associated with diabetes include aggravated atherosclerosis, increased arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine which of these factors is most strongly associated with clinically manifest cardiovascula

The planet candidates discovered by the Kepler mission provide a rich sample to constrain the architectures and relative inclinations of planetary systems within approximately 0.5 AU of their host stars. We use the triple-transit systems from the Kepler 16 months data as templates for physical triple-planet systems and perform synthetic transit observations, varying the internal inclination variat

REVEALS-based quantitative reconstruction of Holocene vegetation cover (expressed in plant functional types. PFTs) is used in the LANDCLIM project to assess the effect of human-induced land-cover change on past climate in NW Europe. Using the Czech Quaternary Pollen Database, this case study evaluates the extent to which selection of data and input parameters for the REVEALS model applications wou

In this study, we have analyzed the spatial and temporal correlation between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the climate in Iraq, with a focus on precipitation, temperature, and number of Mediterranean cyclones. It was found that the influence of the NAO varies per climate indicator. For example, the influence is greater on precipitation than on temperature. One conclusion of the study is

Genomic gain of the proto-oncogene transcription factor gene MYCN is associated with poor prognosis in several childhood cancers. Here we present a comprehensive copy number analysis of MYCN in Wilms tumour (WT), demonstrating that gain of this gene is associated with anaplasia and with poorer relapse-free and overall survival, independent of histology. Using whole exome and gene-specific sequenci

Comparing species differences in covariance patterns of traits subject to divergent selection pressures can increase our understanding to the mechanisms of phenotypic divergence. Different species of calopterygid damselflies have diverged in the melanized wing patch of males. This trait serves multiple ecological functions and has behavioral consequences in terms of sexual selection, interspecific

Results on fabrication and DC-characterisation of vertical InAs nanowire wrap-gate field-effect transistor arrays with a gate length of 50 nm are presented. Each nanowire array was processed into a transistor with a systematic variation in a number of wires and wire diameter over the sample. Extensive studies have been performed on the influence of wire number and diameter on the transistor charac

In this short note, we argue that performance per watt, which is often cited in the graphics hardware industry, is not a particularly useful unit for power efficiency in scientific and engineering discussions. We argue that joules per task and watts are more reasonable units. We show a concrete example where nanojoules per pixel is much more intuitive, easier to compute aggregate statistics from,

Background and purpose Roentgen stereometric analysis (RSA) cannot discern whether a single prosthesis is fixed or migrating below the detection level. Samples of patients usually show migration values that appear to be continuously distributed. Is there such continuity, or is there a dichotomy between stable and migrating prostheses? The hypothesis of a dichotomy has, to our knowledge, not been t