Hepatitis B virus (HBV) HBV is DNA virus with a unique replication strategy, which involves reverse transcription of its pregenomic RNA. Essential for this reverse transcription are the 5'- and 3'-ends of its pregenomic RNA (5'-RT-RNA and 3'-RT-RNA, respectively) which form conserved bulged stem-loop structures. The 5'-RT-RNA consists of a 67 nucleotide bulged stein-loop structure, epsilon, which

Purpose: To Study the retinal function, using multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), in diabetic patients with mild and moderate retinopathy, and in diabetics without clinically apparent retinopathy. Methods: Thirty-one patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, eleven without any clinically apparent retinopathy, twelve with mild retinopathy and eight with moderate retinopathy, were studi

Issues: HIV/hepatitis coinfection in Europe; WHO European clinical protocols on the management of people coinfected with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B or C (HBV or HCV); stakeholder recommendations for better HCV services. Introduction: The increasing availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy throughout Europe and central Asia has changed comorbidity and mortality patterns among people livin

Regioselective incorporation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) into phosphatidylcholine (PC) was carried out using enzymatic and chemical synthesis. Incorporation at the sn-1 position was successfully achieved by lipase-catalysed esterification of 2-palmitoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), although in most cases, the enzymes incorporated EPA and DHA at lower rates than

In tree-hole frogs, Metaphrynella sundana, the fundamental call frequency varies widely between males. In field playback experiments, females strongly preferred calls from the lower range of frequencies found in the population. There was no correlation, however, between male size and call frequency, as is normally the case for anurans, so large males were not necessarily more attractive to females

A thermodynamic model for cadmium extraction from phosphoric-hydrochloric acid mixtures has been developed. The model enables calculations of cadmium extraction as well as coextraction of phosphoric and hydrochloric acids to be made. In the aqueous phase Bromley's model for the activity coefficients is adopted. In the organic phase simple expressions for the non-ideal behaviour of phosphoric acid

We report a study of the electronic energy-transfer dynamics within the transition-metal polypyridine complex OsRu3pyr6 (Os[(dpp)Ru(bpy{pyrene})2]38+, where dpp=2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine and bpy=2,2-bipyridine) after excitation with UV light. By using a broadband visible femtosecond probe, we are able to simultaneously detect both the energy transfer from the peripheral aromatic ligands to the Os

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the change over time of cartilage defects, subchondral lesions and meniscal abnormalities of the knee using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with a 2-year interval in patients with chronic knee pain. Design: In the format of a prospective study of early osteoarthritis (OA), the signal knee (most painful at the inclusion in the study 1990) in 47 indivi

BACKGROUND. In clinical transplantation the donor organ is perfused with a cold preservation solution to obtain quick core cooling and a suitable environment for the tissue cells. Without good preservation of the vasculature, progressive deterioration of the blood flow during reperfusion may ultimately lead to the no-reflow phenomenon, even though the function of the other cells in the organ may b

Humans express an array of Mhc genes, while the chicken has an Mhc that is relatively small and compact with fewer expressed genes. Here we ask whether the "minimal essential Mhc" of the chicken is representative for birds. We investigated the RFLP genotypes in 55 great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus and 10 willow warblers Phylloscopus trochilus to obtain an overview of the number of clas

Within physical therapy there is a tradition of focusing on body-oriented resources and psychomotor functioning. The aim of the present explorative study was to describe psychomotor functioning such as patterns of muscular tension, posture, resistance to passive movements, respiration, and reactions to palpation in a group of suicide attempters admitted to the Lund Suicide Research Center, Sweden.

Design: The aim was to study the long-term effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in depression. 55 patients were followed-up 20-24 years after an ECT series. 13 patients were still alive and 10 agreed to participate in the study. All 55 patients had been investigated with clinical and neuropsychological assessment and with neurophysiological measurements; regional Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF) a

Objective: to describe the qualitatively different ways in which midwives make sense of how to approach women smokers. Design, setting and participants: a more person-centred national project 'Smoke-free pregnancy' has been in progress in Sweden since 1992. Using a phenomenographic approach, 24 midwives who have been regularly working in antenatal care were interviewed about addressing smoking dur

The morphology and the anatomy of the 13 species presently included in the genus Fulgensia were surveyed. Caloplaca aurea and C. paulii, two speciesregarded as closely related to Fulgensia by earlier authors, were also included in the study. Fulgensia was found to exhibit a great variation in both morphology and anatomy. The differences in size, shape and septation of the spores, in the anatomy of