Several prospective studies have shown a moderate positive association between increasing circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels and colorectal cancer risk. However, the associations were often statistically nonsignificant, and the relationship of cancer risk with IGF-I's major binding protein, IGFBP-3, showed major discrepancies between studies. We investigated the association of

Large changes in solar ultraviolet radiation can indirectly affect climate(1) by inducing atmospheric changes. Specifically, it has been suggested that centennial-scale climate variability during the Holocene epoch was controlled by the Sun(2,3). However, the amplitude of solar forcing is small when compared with the climatic effects and, without reliable data sets, it is unclear which feedback me

Obtaining sufficient numbers of immunologically matched hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) poses a major clinical hurdle in bone marrow transplantation therapies. In a recent study in Cell, Riddell et al. (2014) generate induced HSCs from differentiated blood cells, which may serve as a potential solution to this clinical challenge.

Severe atrial structural remodeling may reflect irreversible damage of the atrial tissue in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and is associated with changes of P-wave duration and morphology. Our aim was to study whether variability of P-wave morphology (PMV) is associated with outcome in patients with AF after circumferential PV isolation (CPVI).

Biomaterials used during surgery and wound treatment are of increasing importance in modern medical care. In the present study we set out to evaluate the addition of thrombin-derived host defense peptides to human acellular dermis (hAD, i.e. epiflex(®)). Antimicrobial activity of the functionalized hAD was demonstrated using radial diffusion and viable count assays against Gram-negative Escherichi

Malarial infections are often genetically diverse, leading to competitive interactions between parasites. A quantitative understanding of the competition between strains is essential to understand a wide range of issues, including the evolution of virulence and drug resistance. In this study, we use dynamical-model based Bayesian inference to investigate the cause of competitive suppression of an

Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) has recently become a redox enzyme at focus in bioelectrochemistry especially for the construction of sugar biosensors and biofuel cell anodes. The present study shows that an increase in the CaCl2 concentration to up to 100 mM led to an increase in the maximal catalytic current generated by two different Ascomycete and one Basidiomycete CDH immobilised on a spectros

A new acylated neohesperoside derivative, 1-octyl-4'-isovaleroyl-neohesperoside (1), was isolated from Geranium purpureum Vill. (Geraniaceae) together with the known compounds quercetin-3-rutinoside and gallic acid. The identification of the isolated compounds was carried out by spectroscopic analysis including 1D- and 2D- NMR (H-1, C-13, COSY, HSQC and HMBC) spectroscopy and ESI-TOF-MS.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A time-related negative trend in male reproductive function has been suggested. It has been hypothesized that this is due to exposure to chemicals interfering with the action of sex hormones. Also a negative effect of phytoestrogens on male fertility has been postulated. This review aimed to review the epidemiological evidence of deteriorating male reproductive function and summ

Abstract A major drawback with myoelectric prostheses is that they do not provide the user with sensory feedback. Using a new principle for sensory feedback, we did a series of experiments involving 11 healthy subjects. The skin on the volar aspect of the forearm was used as the target area for sensory input. Experiments included discrimination of site of stimuli and pressure levels at a single st

Earlier work has shown that pre-B cells can be converted into macrophages by the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein a at very high frequencies. Using this system, we performed a systematic analysis of whether during transdifferentiation the cells transiently reactivate progenitor-restricted genes or even retrodifferentiate. A transcriptome analysis of transdifferentiating cells sh

In the present study, source apportionment of the ambient summer and winter time particulate carbonaceous matter (PCM) in aerosol particles (PM1 and PM10) has been conducted for the Norwegian urban and rural background environment. Statistical treatment of data from thermal-optical, C-14 and organic tracer analysis using Latin Hypercube Sampling has allowed for quantitative estimates of seven diff

We present a comprehensive analysis of different techniques available for the spectroscopic analysis of FGK stars and provide a recommended methodology which efficiently estimates accurate stellar atmospheric parameters for large samples of stars. Our analysis includes a simultaneous equivalent width analysis of Fe I and Fe II spectral lines, and for the first time, utilizes on-the-fly non-local t

Activating the immune system has associated fitness costs, both immediate costs in the form of reduced current reproduction and long-term costs in the form of reduced life span and future reproduction. This indicates that immune system activation can be an important agent in life history trade-offs. In this review, we evaluate the importance of four currencies generally considered as potential med

The effect of eutrophication on particulate amorphous silica (ASi) sequestration was isolated and quantified in Lake St. Croix and Lake Pepin, two natural, human-impacted impoundments of the upper Mississippi River. In contrast to impoundments behind engineered dams, where silica (Si) fluxes may be changed by various aspects of dam construction, these two riverine lakes have long (9,000+ years) se

Purpose: To investigate the visibility of single spiculations in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). Method: Simulated spheres (6 mm diameter) with single spiculations were added to projection images acquired on a DBT system (MAMMOMAT Inspiration, Siemens). The spiculations had a cylindrical shape and were randomly, diagonally aligned (at four different positions: +/- pi/4 or +/- 3 pi/4) at a plan