BACKGROUND: Residual neuromuscular block caused by vecuronium alters pharyngeal function and impairs airway protection. The primary objectives of this investigation were to radiographically evaluate the swallowing act and to record the incidence of and the mechanism behind pharyngeal dysfunction during partial neuromuscular block. The secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of atracurium on

It is demonstrated, using a Liouville formalism, that the relative motion of two atoms can result in the emission of photons and conversely that photons can be absorbed to excite the relative translational motion. The mechanism responsible for the energy transfer between the radiation field and the translational motion of the atoms is a dynamic version of the long-range Casimir-Polder interaction

We studied the phylogeny of avian haemosporidian parasites, Haemoproteus and Plasmodium, in a number of African resident and European migratory songbird species sampled during spring and autumn in northern Nigeria. The phylogeny of the parasites was constructed through sequencing part of their mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. We found eight parasite lineages, five Haemoproteus and three Plasmodium

Background: Cyclic opening and closing of lung units during tidal breathing may be an important cause of iatrogenic lung injury. We hypothesized that airway closure is uncommon in children with healthy lungs when inspiratory pressures are kept low, but paradoxically may occur when inspiratory pressures are increased. Methods: Elastic equilibrium volume (EEV) and closing capacity (CC) were measured

Reliable electrical power supply is a prerequisite for the modern society, and if it fails it can cause severe consequences in terms of economic losses and even fatalities. It is thus important to analyse the vulnerability of the electric power system. Network analysis has previously been used to analyse the vulnerability of electric transmission systems, however recent events in Sweden have shown

The aim of the present Study was to investigate whether plasma concentration of proANP(1-30), the N-terminal fragment of the atrial natriuretic peptide prohormone, or 24-hour urinary excretion of urodilatin reflects the degree of Salt sensitivity in hypertension-prone individuals. Plasma concentration of proANP(1-30) and urinary urodilatin excretion were determined at baseline, after I week on a l

Vascular surgery aimed at stenosis removal induces local reactions often leading to restenosis. Although extensive analysis has been focused on pathways activated in injured arteries, little attention has been devoted to associated systemic vascular reactions. The aim of the present study was to analyse changes occurring in contralateral uninjured rat carotid arteries in the acute phase following

The development of electronic states in krypton clusters is investigated by high-resolution core-level electron spectroscopy. The energy ordering of bulk versus surface 3d(-1)np(n > 5) core-excited states in neutral clusters is demonstrated to be reversed to the 3d(-1)5p level situation. The cluster 3d(-1)6p,7p states are proven to be at a lower energy than the corresponding atomic levels. These f

The combination of several high order harmonics can produce an attosecond pulse train, provided that the harmonics are locked in phase to each other. We present calculations that evaluate the degree of phase locking that is achieved in argon and neon gases interacting with an intense, 50 fs laser pulse, for a range of macroscopic conditions. We find that phase locking depends on both the temporal

To survey the quality of SNP genotyping, a joint Nordic quality assessment (QA) round was organized between 11 laboratories in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The QA round involved blinded genotyping of 47 DNA samples for 18 or six randomly selected SNPs. The methods used by the participating laboratories included all major platforms for small, to medium-size SNP genotyping. The laboratories used

Steller's Eider Polysticta stelleri has a restricted arctic breeding range. The world population declined to c. 220,000 individuals in the late 1990s from an estimated 400,000-500,000 in the 1960s. The species has a limited global wintering distribution, occurring in marine habitats in north-east Europe, islands close to Kamchatka in Russia, and the eastern Aleutian Islands and south-west Alaska.

For over 50 years, hippuric/quinic acids were believed to have no biological efficacy. Here data are presented to support the hypothesis that quinic acid is not responsible for any efficacy, but rather that quinic acid nutritionally supports the synthesis of tryptophan and nicotinamide in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and that this in turn leads to DNA repair enhancement and NF-kB inhibition vi

Gene replacement (knock-out) is a major tool for the analysis of gene function. However, the efficiency of correct targeting varies between species, and is dependent on the structure of the DNA construct. We analyzed the targeted insertion mutagenesis method in the budding yeast Saccharomyces castellii, phylogenetically positioned after the whole genome duplication event in the Saccharomyces linea

Two extreme groups of healthy male undergraduate students, either highly (n=12) or low creative (n=12), were pre-selected from a larger cohort (N=60) by way of the Creative functioning test (Smith & Carlsson, 1990). The two groups underwent measurements of regional cerebral blood-flow (rCBF). rCBF was measured during rest and during three verbal tasks (random order): Automatic speech (Auto), w

The synthesis and characterization of phthalocyaninato-ruthenium (PcRu) complexes with potential functional axial ligands are described. The solubility of these PcRu complexes was much improved compared to their parent phthalocyanines without Ru, enabling purification by normal flash column chromatography and also NMR measurements in common solvents (e. g. DMSO-d(6) and CDCl3). Adsorption of these

Background We have previously reported that asthma differs from rhinitis with or without bronchial hyperresponsiveness in the perception and degree of lower airway inflammation. Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate whether sputum levels of inflammatory markers could further distinguish these patient groups. Methods Patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis with or without asthm

Objective. Exocrine function always is and autonomic nervous function may be impaired in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Since autonomic nervous signaling is a prerequisite for exocrine secretion we wanted to assess autonomic nervous function in pSS and relate it to diagnostic measures of exocrine function. Methods. Autonomic nervous function was determined in 46 patients with pSS using the deep