Filetype
The sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) parameter DNA fragmentation Index (DFI) is a valuable tool for prediction of fertility in vivo. Clinical data show that a DFI above 30% is associated with very low chance for achieving pregnancy by natural conception or by insemination. Already when DFI is above 20% the chance of natural pregnancy is reduced, this despite normal conventional semen paramet
A statistically significant association with uterine rupture during a trial of labour after caesarean delivery was found in at least two studies for the following variables: inter-delivery interval (higher risk with short interval), birth weight (higher risk if 4000 g or over), induction of labour (higher risk), oxytocin dose (higher risk with higher doses), and previous vaginal delivery (lower ri
This study investigated patterns and controls of the seasonal and inter-annual variations in energy fluxes (i.e., sensible heat, H, and latent heat, lambda E) and partitioning of the water budget (i.e., precipitation, P; evapotranspiration, ET; discharge, Q; and soil water storage, Delta S) over five years (2001-2005) in a boreal oligotrophic fen in northern Sweden based on continuous eddy covaria
In conventional presentations of continuum mechanics, the reference placement of a solid body is taken to be independent of the observer. Furthermore, the Euclidean spaces associated with different frames of reference are taken to be identical. In this paper these assumption are abandoned and different framings, as well as reference placements, will correspond to different Euclidean spaces. This r
Enterococcus faecium is an important pathogen that is resistant to many antibiotics and is able to form biofilms on implanted medical devices. In this study, the efficacy of rifampicin-containing antibiotic regimens against biofilms of E. faecium in vitro was investigated by determination of the minimum biofilm eradication concentration and by time-kill experiments of bacteria in biofilms formed o
Infantile malignant osteopetrosis (IMO) is caused by lack of functional osteoclasts leading to skeletal abnormalities, blindness due to compression of the optic nerves, bone marrow (BM) failure and early death. In most patients TCIRG1, a proton pump subunit essential for bone resorption, is mutated. Oc/oc mice represent a model for IMO due to a deletion in Tcirg1 and die around 4 weeks. To determi
Ecology Letters (2011) ABSTRACT: Partial migration, whereby only a fraction of the population migrates, is thought to be the most common type of migration in the animal kingdom, and can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. Despite this, the factors that influence which individuals migrate and which remain resident are poorly understood. Recent work has shown that consistent ind
In this review, we summarise the current understanding of the potential link between cancer and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV), including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's; GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). As is true for many autoimmune or inflammatory rheumatic diseases, AAV diagnosis and therapy are associated with an increased risk of de novo
The influence from different grain boundary configurations on the crack growth rate of a microstructurally short edge crack, located within one grain and subjected to remote fatigue loading, is studied. The study is performed using a dislocation formulation, were the geometry is described by dislocation dipole elements in a boundary element approach and the plasticity by discrete dislocations, loc
Single-molecule pulling experiments on unstructured proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases have measured rupture forces comparable to those for stable folded proteins. To investigate the structural mechanisms of this unexpected force resistance, we perform pulling simulations of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) and α-synuclein (αS), starting from simulated conformational ensembles for the free mo
Objective: The 22-item Unidimensional Fatigue Impact Scale (U-FIS) provides an index of the impact of fatigue on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The objective is to produce eight new language versions of the U-FIS: Canadian-English, Canadian-French, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and US-English. Methods: The U-FIS was translated via two translation panels. Cognitive debriefing i
This paper aims at offering a comparative analysis of the narrator in the novel “I giorni dell’abbandono” (2002) by the Italian writer Elena Ferrante, and the narrator in the cinematographic version of the same work “I giorni dell’abbandono” (2005), directed by Roberto Faenza. The paper focuses on some narrative properties that emerge in Elena Ferrante’s novel “I giorni dell’abbandono”, and compar
The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of correlation between the Pelvic Organ Quantification system (POP-Q) measurements and symptom questionnaire scores before and after surgery. This was a part of a randomized controlled study comparing conventional colporrhaphy with mesh repair surgery.
The regulatory roles of temperature, eutrophication and oxygen availability on benthic nitrogen (N) cycling and the stoichiometry of regenerated nitrogen and phosphorus (P) were explored along a Baltic Sea estuary affected by treated sewage discharge. Rates of sediment denitrification, anammox, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), nutrient exchange, oxygen (O-2) uptake and penetrati
Protein S has an established role in the protein C anticoagulant pathway, where it enhances the factor Va (FVa) and factor VIIIa (FVIIIa) inactivating property of activated protein C (APC). Despite its physiological role and clinical importance, the molecular basis of its action is not fully understood. To clarify the mechanism of the protein S interaction with APC, we have constructed and express
Group A streptococci (GAS) cause, among other infections, pharyngotonsillitis in children. The species is frequently localized with the Gram-negative respiratory pathogens non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and Moraxella catarrhalis, which both produce outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). The aim of this study was to investigate whether OMVs isolated from NTHi contain functional β-lactamase and
Waldsee R, Ahnstedt H, Eftekhari S, Edvinsson L. Involvement of calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in endothelin receptor expression in rat cerebral arteries. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 298: H823-H832, 2010. First published December 11, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00759.2009.-Experimental cerebral ischemia and organ culture of cerebral arteries result in the enhanced expression of
This qualitative study explores how life science postdocs’ perceptions of contemporary academic career rationales influence how they relate to collaboration within research groups. One consequential dimension of these perceptions is the high value assigned to publications. For career progress, postdocs consider producing publications and especially first author publications essential. This strong
Group G streptococci (GGS) are important bacterial pathogens in humans. Here we investigate the interactions between GGS and the contact system, a pro-coagulant and pro-inflammatory proteolytic cascade, which upon activation also generates antibacterial peptides. Two surface proteins of GGS, protein FOG and protein G (PG), were found to bind contact system proteins. Experiments utilizing contact p
A beta-decaying high-spin isomer in Cd-96, with a half-life T-1/2 = 0.29(-0.10)(+0.11) s, has been established in a stopped beam rare isotope spectroscopic investigations at GSI (RISING) experiment. The nuclei were produced using the fragmentation of a primary beam of Xe-124 on a Be-9 target. From the half-life and the observed gamma decays in the daughter nucleus, Ag-96, we conclude that the beta
