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BACKGROUND:: Exposure to second-hand smoke has been shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in several, but not all, epidemiologic studies. Our aim was to investigate the risk of circulatory death associated with exposure to second-hand smoke in never-smokers in a very large prospective study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. A secondary aim

BACKGROUND: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity has been shown to be expressed in local lymph nodes and induce immune suppression of tumor immunity. Here we analyze the effect of IDO expression on prostate tumor growth using the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) animal model. METHODS: Mice deficient in IDO expression were crossed to TRAMP mice and the time to the appearanc

The impacts of changes in ozone precursor emissions as well as climate change on the future ozone exposure of the vegetation in Europe were investigated. The ozone exposure is expressed as AOT40 (Accumulated exposure Over a Threshold of 40 ppbO3) as well as PODY (Phytotoxic Ozone Dose above a threshold Y). A new method is suggested to express how the length of the period during the year when conif

Severe infectious diseases remain a major and life-threatening health problem. In serious cases a systemic activation of the coagulation cascade and hypovolemic shock are critical complications that are associated with high mortality rates. Here we report that blood mononuclear cells, stimulated with M1 protein of Streptococcus pyogenes or other bacterial virulence factors, produce not only pro-co

Context: Sex steroid levels decrease with increasing age, but little is known whether this is of importance for the age-related decline in cognitive function. Design and Patients: A cross-sectional study of 50 (26 men) consecutive patients under primary evaluation of cognitive impairment (D group) and 18 (9 men) matched healthy controls (C group). Measurements: Sex steroid and precursor levels wer

Background: CAPAP, the activation peptide of procarboxypeptidase B, is a predictor of severe acute pancreatitis (AP). Active carboxypeptidase (aCAP) may be a better predictor, as its turnover is slower. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) is an early inflammatory marker and increases before complications in severe AP. We conducted a cohort study to evaluate these markers as predictors for sever

A point-monitoring fluorescence diagnostic system based on a low-energy pulsed laser, fiber transmission optics, and an optical multichannel analyzer was used for diagnosis of patients with bladder malignancies. Twenty-four patients with bladder carcinoma, carcinoma in situ, and/or dysplasia were injected with hematoporphyrin derivative, Photofrin, 0.35 or 0.5 mg/kg body weight, forty-eight hours

The aim of the paper was to explore the heterogeneity among housing adaptation clients. Cluster analysis was performed using baseline data from applicants in three Swedish municipalities. The analysis identified six main groups: "adults at risk of disability", "young old with disabilities", "well-functioning older adults", "frail older adults", "frail older with moderate cognitive impairments" and

BACKGROUND: There is mounting evidence that children born after in vitro fertilization (IVF) run an increased risk of neurological complications and notably cerebral palsy. Whether developmental disturbances occur more often than expected is debated. AIM: To investigate the risk for ADHD in children conceived after IVF. METHODS: Children conceived after IVF and born between 1982 and 2005 were iden

BACKGROUND: Metallic implants, stents, are increasingly being used especially in patients with stenosis of the cardiac vessels. Ten to thirty per cent of the patients suffer from restenosis regardless of aetiology. We have shown increased frequency of contact allergy to stent metals in stented patients. OBJECTIVES: To we evaluate whether contact allergy to stent material is a risk factor for reste

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common form of neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD). The underlying neurobiological mechanism of DLB is not fully understood and no generally accepted biomarkers are yet available for the diagnosis of DLB. In a recent MRI study, DLB patients displayed hypothalamic atrophy whereas this region was not affected in AD patients. Co

Unfolding proteins are prevented from irreversible aggregation by small heat shock proteins (sHsps) through interactions that depend on a dynamic equilibrium between sHsp subunits and sHsp oligomers. A chloroplast-localized sHsp, Hsp21, provides protection to client proteins to increase plant stress resistance. Structural information is lacking concerning the oligomeric conformation of this sHsp.

Non-invasive tests for the detection of peripheral artery disease (PAD) among individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) are important to estimate the risk of amputation, ulceration, wound healing and presence of cardiovascular disease, yet there are no consensus recommendations to support a particular diagnostic modality over another. To evaluate the performance of index non-invasive diagnostic test

Abstract We present a practical protocol for the assignment of values to serum proteins in a Target Material using a Reference Material. This protocol is based on the model of Direct Value Transfer between serum matrices and is intended to improve the value assignment of commercial calibrators using the Reference Material CRM 470 (now labeled ERM-DA 470) or similar reference materials. The procedu

Mitochondrial function is thought to play a role in sepsis-induced multiple organ failure. However, the temporal and organ specific alterations in mitochondrial function has yet to be fully elucidated. Many studies show reduced phosphorylating capacity while others have indicated that mitochondrial respiration is enhanced. The objective of the study was to evaluate the temporal dynamics of brain a

Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder, often associated with a clinically aggressive behavior. No standard treatment has been established, but patients are usually treated with lymphoma-type regimens such as rituximab or combination chemotherapy. Recently, immunotherapies targeting IL-6 have proven effective and have been approved for this indication. H

Lightpath reconfiguration is a networking task that can be performed in order to improve resource utilization. The lightpath reconfiguration problem becomes nontrivial when a new set of lightpaths requires the release of resources previously seized by the (working) lightpaths currently in place, but, in order to ensure continuity of the traffic flow, the working lightpaths cannot be torn down befo