Tobacco smoking is known to influence various inflammatory skin diseases and an association between tobacco smoking and hand eczema has been proposed in some studies. To examine a possible association between reported current tobacco smoking and the occurrence of hand eczema. Previously collected questionnaire data on the occurrence of hand eczema in three occupational cohorts and corresponding co

Background Respiratory tract infections are the most common reason for antibiotic prescription in Sweden as in other countries. The prescription rates vary markedly in different countries, counties and municipalities. The reasons for these variations in prescription rate are not obvious. Aim To find possible explanations for different antibiotic prescription rates in children. Design of study Pros

Predator and prey attack-escape performance is Likely to be the outcome of an evolutionary arms race, Predatory birds are typically larger than their prey suggesting different flight performances. We analyze three idealized attack-escape situations between predatory and prey birds: climbing flight escape, horizontal speeding, and turning and escape by diving. Generally a smaller bird will outclimb

The isotopically substituted nitrous oxide species (NNO)-N-14-N-14, (NNO)-N-15-N-14, (NNO)-N-14-N-15 and (NNO)-N-15-N-15 were investigated by ultra-violet (UV) absorption spectroscopy. High precision cross sections were obtained for the wavelength range 181 to 218 nm at temperatures of 233 and 283 K. These data are used to calculate photolytic isotopic fractionation constants as a function of wave

Palaeopalynological studies form an integral part of the geological investigation of the Late Paleozoic sedimentary history of Dronning Maud Land. During the examination of organic residues prepared from different localities at Heimefrontfjella, the freshwater green alga Botryococcus was found. Exceptionally well-preserved colonies of Botryococcus were recorded in several samples at two sections o

With the growing interest in clinical interventions that involve medical devices, the role for new biomaterials in modern medicine is currently expanding at a phenomenal rate. Failure of most implant materials stems from an inability to predict and control biological phenomena, such as protein adsorption and cell interaction, resulting in an inappropriate host response to the materials. Contempora

At first, it may seem as if the sustainable transition would force us to make a cynical trade-off between (a) the immediate needs of the global poor and (b) the future needs of the global rich. Crucial objectives, such as climate stability, are commonly held to be unattainable if the rest of the world would come to enjoy present Western living standards. Challenging this pessimistic analysis, this

The water chemistry of 20 municipal water treatment plants in southern Sweden, representing various bedrock situations, and water qualities, were investigated. Four water samples, raw and treated. were collected from each plant and analyzed by predominantly ICP-OES and ICP-MS at four occasions from June to December, 2001. The concentrations of Ca, Mg. K.. Na, HCO3 and a number of micronutrients, v

The mobilization of free fatty acids from adipose triacylglycerol (TG) stores requires the activities of triacylglycerol lipases. In this study, we demonstrate that adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) are the major enzymes contributing to TG breakdown in in vitro assays and in organ cultures of murine white adipose tissue (WAT). To differentiate between ATGL- and

Imaginary companions and the characteristics of the children who invent them were explored through interviews. Twenty-six children took part. The first aim was to explore the phenomenon in general, the second to investigate the functions of imaginary companions. General findings concerned the kinds of imaginary companions and some facts about the children who created them. The imaginary companions

Natural radiative lifetimes, measured by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, are reported for eighteen levels of neutral erbium belonging to the odd-parity 4f(12)6s6p, 4f(11)5d6s(2), 4f(11)5d(2)6s and 4f(11)5d6s7s configurations in the wavenumber range from 26 237 to 42 154 cm(-1). Free erbium atoms were produced in a laser-induced plasma. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) t

HSL (hormone-sensitive lipase) is a key enzyme in the mobilization of fatty acids from acylglycerols in adipocytes as well as non-adipocytes. In adipocytes, catecholamines stimulate lipolysis mainly through PKA (protein kinase A)-mediated phosphorylation of HSL and perilipin, a protein coating the lipid droplet. The anti-lipolytic action of insulin is mediated mainly via lowered cAMP levels, accom

A key unanswered question in smooth muscle biology is whether phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) is sufficient for regulation of contraction, or if thin-filament-based regulatory systems also contribute to this process. To address this issue, the endogenous RLC was extracted from single smooth muscle cells and replaced with either a thiophosphorylated RLC or a mutant RLC (T

Background: Sphingomyelin (SM) hydrolysis generates biologically active products regulating cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Dietary SM has been found to inhibit colonic tumorigenesis. Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is the key enzyme responsible for sphingomyelin digestion in the gut. Whether or not dietary sphingomyelin affects alk-SMase expression was examined in a colon cancer

We analyzed the presenting features and survival in 1689 patients with multiple myeloma aged younger than 50 years compared with 8860 patients 50 years of age and older. Of the total 10 549 patients, 7765 received conventional therapy and 2784 received high-dose therapy. Young patients were more frequently male, had more favorable features such as low International Staging System (ISS) and Durle-S