Background: The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized by the persistent presence of auto-antibodies against β(2) -Glycoprotein I (β(2) -GPI). β(2) -GPI can exist in two conformations. In plasma it is a circular protein, whereas it adopts a fish-hook shape after binding to phospholipids. Only the latter conformation is recognized by patient antibodies. β(2) -GPI has been shown to interac

Many small passerines regularly fly slowly when catching prey, flying in cluttered environments or landing on a perch or nest. While flying slowly, passerines generate most of the flight forces during the downstroke, and have a 'feathered upstroke' during which they make their wing inactive by retracting it close to the body and by spreading the primary wing feathers. How this flight mode relates

As Cooren and Sandler note in their paper, communication studies has largely received Bakhtin as a theorist of dialogue, but such a framing limits his potential contributions to our thinking. They argue that when we seek to understand the communicative constitution of reality, Bakhtin's work can lead us in novel and fruitful directions. I find their claims compelling, and thus this response is mor

To assess the possible effect of a stiff right ventricle on the coronary flow (CF) in patients with post-operative Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).

Aims To investigate efficacy and safety of dual therapy with liraglutide and metformin in comparison to glimepiride and metformin, and metformin monotherapy over 2?years in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods In the 26-week the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes (LEAD)-2 core trial, patients (n?=?1091) were randomized (2?:?2?:?2?:?1:?2) to liraglutide (0.6, 1.2 or 1.8?mg once-daily), pla

Although small round gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) possess only a small degree of shape anisotropy, they support localized surface plasmon resonances and exhibit intrinsic optical anisotropy. These inherent features promote depolarized light scattering, whose temporal fluctuations carry information about rotational Brownian dynamics, and thus can be used to describe the size distribution of round Au

We report on the origin of the anomalous temperature dependence of coercivity observed in some soft ferromagnets by studying the magnetic and electronic properties of FeZr films doped using ion implantation by H, He, B, C, and N. The anomalous increase of the coercivity with temperature was observed only in the C- and B-doped samples. Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that the anomal

Thigh tourniquet is commonly used in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) but may contribute to pain and muscle damage. Consequently, the reduction in knee-extension strength after TKA may be caused by quadriceps muscle ischaemia underneath the cuff.

Life expectancy for patients with haemophilia (PWH) has significantly increased in the last decades, due to improvement of clotting factor replacement therapy. However, despite a lower cardiovascular mortality rate and contrasting prevalence for non-fatal ischaemic heart disease (IHD), cardiovascular diseases are increasing in PWH. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in PWH is as prevale

Introduction. In contrast to research findings describing the localization of nitric oxide synthases (NOS), guanylyl cyclases, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)- and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-degrading phosphodiesterase isoenzymes in the human vagina, the distribution of proteins known as major targets for cyclic nucleotides has not yet been evaluated. cAMP- and cGMP-dependent

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) isodensity maps indicate important regions in an animal's visual field. These maps can also be combined with measures of focal length to estimate the theoretical visual acuity. Here we present the RGC isodensity maps and anatomical spatial resolving power in three budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) and two Bourke's parrots (Neopsephotus bourkii). Because RGCs were st

Studies on the influence of alcohol consumption on lung function have shown conflicting results. Self-reported alcohol consumption may be inaccurate. This study used both a validated alcohol questionnaire and a blood marker of heavy alcohol consumption, and examined potential associations with different lung physiological variables.

Book review

This article describes some historical and significant contributions in the field of heat transfer from various Swedish universities and researchers. It also gives an overview of what kind of heat transfer-related research has been going on recently, as well as some current activities. Traditionally, research projects have been associated with the Ph.D. education programs and in these, common thes

Human neurospheres are free-floating spherical clusters generated from a single neural stem cell and comprising cells at different stages of maturation in the neuronal and glial lineages. Although recent findings have disproved the original idea of clonally derived neurospheres according to the paradigm of one stem cell - one neurosphere, they still represent a valid model for growing neural stem

Haemophilia is an X-linked recessive genetic disease of haemostasis. Women carriers may present with a bleeding tendency similar to milder forms of the disease. Haemophilic newborns present risk factors and patterns of bleeding that are challenging. Identification of carriers and genetic counselling before conception is considered optimal to help decide on available conception options and during p

In this paper volume average relations related to the multilevel modeling process in continuum mechanics are analyzed and the concept of average consistency is investigated both analytically and numerically. These volume averages are used in the computational homogenization technique, where a transition of the mechanical properties from the local, microscopic, to the global, macroscopic, length sc