Background: Serum IgA antibodies against tissue transglutaminase (tTG) are reliable markers for celiac disease (CD), still the diagnostic performance of anti-tTG immunoassays can be improved. A novel ELISA, using fibronectin (FN) as tTG binding protein, was evaluated for the detection of anti-tTG antibodies in CD. Methods: Sera from 173 children with untreated CD and 97 controls were analyzed for

Plants of Pinus sylvestris L. were grown in mycorrhizal association with Suillus bovinus (Fr.) O. Kuntze in observation chambers until an interconnecting mycelial network had developed between the seedlings. The shoot of an individual seedling was then sealed in a perspex cuvette and exposed to 14CO2. After incubation for 48 h, the 'donor' shoot was removed and components of the mycelial network a

The current article deals with the problem of distinguishing between relapse and reinfection of genital chlamydial infections due to the chronic character of such infections. The problem of detecting and treating chlamydial pelvic inflammatory disease is considered. Factors that may affect the clinical presentation of such infections, such as hormonal therapy, are also highlighted. Observations on

The molecular motion in water of the poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer with the nominal composition EO97PO68EO97 (F127) was investigated with the aid of pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG NMR). The signal decays in the PFG experiments have been recorded for 1 wt % F127 in the temperature range from 288 to 313 K and in the concentr

An advanced detection system based on laser-induced fluorescence imaging for capillary electrophoresis (CE) is presented. An optical fiber array was constructed for collection and transportation of the emitted fluorescent light to the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The fiber array makes the setup compact compared with a setup where the capillary is imaged through a camera objective. The imagi

Abstract is not available

Background and purpose Early migration of joint replacements is an effect of poor fixation and can predict late loosening. By reducing the bone resorption after implantation of a joint replacement, it should be possible to enhance the initial fixation of the implant. We studied the effect of once-weekly treatment with alendronate after knee replacement. Patients and methods We recruited 60 patient

The Sahel region of Africa has experienced a decrease in rainfall from the early 1960s to mid 1990s. Recent studies have detected an increased in NDVI amplitude and growing season integrated NDVI for the region since 1982. However, these studies have not examined how plant phenology has changed. Phenology examines life cycle events such as bud burst and leaf senescence. Using the software TIMESAT

Fifty-six type I diabetic patients with microalbuminuria (albumin excretion rate 20-200 micrograms/min) were characterized as to sex, age, duration of diabetes, smoking habits, blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate, urinary NC1 (the carboxy-terminal domain of collagen IV), and Tamm-Horsfall protein excretion rate. Albumin excretion rate was considered a sign of glomerular damage, NC1 excretio

BACKGROUND: Working as a hairdresser involves exposure to a variety of chemical agents. AIMS: To estimate the risk of such exposure in relation to reproductive outcome. METHODS: A cohort of hairdressers, certified in Sweden from 1970 onwards, and a referent cohort of women from the general population were established and linked to the Swedish Medical Birth Register for the period 1973 to 1994. In

The motion of atoms on interatomic potential energy surfaces is fundamental to the dynamics of liquids and solids. An accelerator-based source of femtosecond x-ray pulses allowed us to follow directly atomic displacements on an optically modified energy landscape, leading eventually to the transition from crystalline solid to disordered liquid. We show that, to first order in time, the dynamics ar

Control loops that are closed over a communication network get more and more common. A problem with such systems is that the transfer delays will be varying with different characteristics depending on the network hardware and software. The network delays are typically varying due to varying network load, scheduling policies in the network and the nodes, and due to network failures. Two network mod

Dynamic fracture experiments on crack initiation and crack growth in single edge bend specimens are performed. The impact velocity is in the range of 14 to 50 m/s and the specimen size is 320 x 75 mm with a thickness varying from 18 to 40 mm. The experiments are recorded by high speed photography. Two different steel qualities are investigated and their constitutive characterisation are obtained f

The research in the Department of Physical Chemistry 1 at Lund University includes topics such as surfactant self-assembly; polymers, solutions, gels and phase behavior, polymer-surfactant systems; protein and protein-amphiphile systems; adsorption and surface forces; experimental methodology in colloid science; and theory and modeling. (Annual Report (2004) Physical Chemistry 1; Lund University;

This thesis consists of two parts. The first part is devoted to automatic shape analysis and the second part is devoted to decision support systems in medical imaging. Shape models are widely used in segmentation and shape analysis. The thesis begins with a review of deformable models and the preliminaries of shape modelling. The criteria for Minimum Description Length (MDL) and a new optimization

A reduction method is proposed for analysing structure-acoustic and poroelastic-acoustic problems within a finite element framework. This includes systems consisting of an acoustic fluid domain coupled to a flexible structural domain and/or a porous sound absorbing material domain. The studied problem is reduced by dividing the system into a number of physical subdomains. A set of basis vectors is

A new technique for treating anion exchangers has been proposed allowing direct capture of the fermentation product, shikimic acid directly from the cell-containing fermentation broth. A layer of hydrophilic polymer, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) has been physically adsorbed on the anion exchanger followed by a covalent cross-linking of PAA. The PAA layer is penetrable for small molecules despite being

We present a detailed study of the electronic structure and the stability of C-60 dianions in the gas phase. Monoanions were extracted from a plasma source and converted to dianions by electron transfer in a Na vapor cell. The dianions were then stored in an electrostatic ring, and their near-infrared absorption spectrum was measured by observation of laser induced electron detachment. From the ti

The concept of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) has rapidly gained in popularity in health policy, and considerable research resources are being allocated to this field. Proponents of DALYs suggest that the measure can be used both as a "gross domestic product of health" and to help in setting priorities in health policy. This study investigates the usefulness of DALYs and contends that DALY