Background: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) are involved in the reproductive cycle and regulate the secretion of sex steroids from the gonads. In mammals, GnRH1 is secreted as a hormone from the hypothalamus, whereas both GnRH1 and GnRH2 are present as neuropeptides in a variety of tissues. This review describes the role of Gn

The concepts of target efficiency can be used to assess the extent to which service provision is in line with the needs of the population. Horizontaltarget efficiency denotes the extent to which those deemed to need a service receive it and vertical target efficiency is the corresponding extent to which those who receive services actually need them. The aim of this study was to assess the target e

Haemophilus influenzae is a Gram-negative bacterium that is classified by the presence or absence of a polysaccharide capsule, termed “typeable” and “non-typeable” H. influenzae (NTHi), respectively. Depending on the capsular polysaccharide composition and antigenicity, typeable isolates are further subdivided into six serotypes designated a–f. H. influenzae type b (Hib) has been the most common s

This paper investigates the evolution of income inequality in Spain during its transition to democracy, suggesting a method for the correction of under-reporting of earnings and profits in the Household Budget Surveys' data. The contribution is twofold: the methodological proposal, based on income-expenditure discrepancy and scaling-up to National Accounts, improves on previous work and can be use

The role of dendritic cells (DCs) in intestinal immune homeostasis remains incompletely defined. Here we show that mice lacking IRF8 transcription-factor-dependent DCs had reduced numbers of T cells in the small intestine (SI), but not large intestine (LI), including an almost complete absence of SI CD8αβ+ and CD4+CD8αα+ T cells; the latter requiring β8 integrin expression by migratory IRF8 depend

Introduction There is a consensus that factors released by the placenta to maternal circulation, including TNF-α, play a key role in activating the maternal endothelium in pregnancies with preeclampsia (PE). Dual perfusion preserves the structural organization of the placenta to a greater degree than other in vitro systems and has been used by our group and others to examine placental pathophysiol

The severity of urinary tract infections (UTIs) varies depending on the balance between the virulence of the infecting bacterial strain and the antibacterial host defense. Bacterial virulence is determined by a complex of factors in which bacterial adherence to the uroepithelium is the most important virulence factor, in addition to the production of toxins and the formation of biofilm. In immunoc

Background: Uncertainty is inevitable in clinical practice in primary care and tolerance for uncertainty and concern for bad outcomes has been shown to vary between physicians. Uncertainty is a factor for inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Evidence-based guidelines as well as near-patient tests are suggested tools to decrease uncertainty in the management of patients with respiratory tract infe

Objective: The aim of this study was to create a model for predicting progression-free survival after radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. Material and methods: The risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) was modelled in a cohort of 3452 men aged 70 years or younger who were primarily treated with radical prostatectomy after being diagnosed between 2003 and 2006 with localized prostat

Primary objective: To describe vocational outcome 6–15 years after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) among individuals who were productive by working or studying at the time of their TBI and determine associations with variables related to the time of injury and at follow-up. Methods and procedures: Thirty-four individuals with a mild TBI and 45 with a moderate-to-severe TBI were assessed on average

Respiratory complex I of plant mitochondria has to date been investigated with respect to physiological function, biochemical properties and molecular structure. In the respiratory chain complex I is the major entry gate for low potential electrons from matrix NADH, reducing ubiquinone and utilizing the released energy to pump protons across the inner membrane. Plant complex I is active against a