Eighty patients with monoradicular sciatica were examined by myelography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and all had subsequent surgery. The images were evaluated by a decision-analytic regret function. The largest amount of diagnostic information was gained from CT followed by MRI and myelography. Myelography was not significantly informative. The results suggest th

Background and Purpose-Stroke triggers increased progenitor proliferation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the generation of medium spiny neurons in the damaged striatum of rodents. We explored whether intrastriatal infusion of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes neurogenesis after stroke. Methods-Adult rats were subjected to 2-hour middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCA

Dimethyldodecylamine-N-oxide (DDAO) has only one polar atom that is able to interact with water. Still, this surfactant shows very hydrophilic properties: in mixtures with water, it forms normal liquid crystalline phases and micelles. Moreover, there is data in the literature indicating that the hydration of this surfactant is driven by enthalpy while other studies show that hydration of surfactan

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[1] Pathfinder AVHRR NDVI data have been analyzed for the African Sahel to study recent trends in vegetation greenness. A strong increase in seasonal NDVI was observed over large areas in the Sahel during the period 1982-1999. The increase is interpreted as a vegetation recovery from the drought periods of the 1980's. Although strong shifts in satellite overpass times have led to shifting solar ze

Intramyocellular triglyceride is an important energy store which is related to insulin resistance. Mobilization of fatty acids from this pool is probably regulated by hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), which has recently been shown to exist in muscle and to be activated by epinephrine via PKA and by contractions via PKC and ERK. 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular fuel gauge wh

Podoscyphic acid 1, a fungal metabolite inhibiting RNA-directed DNA polymerises, was synthesised in four steps starting from dodecanal. The concluding ester hydrolysis of 4 was not feasible with chemical reagents, only enzymatic hydrolysis was mild enough to release the highly reactive natural product in good yields. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background: Thalidomide has a chiral centre, and the racemate of (R)- and (S)-thalidomide was introduced as a sedative drug in the late 1950s. In 1961, it was withdrawn due to teratogenicity and neuropathy. There is now a growing clinical interest in thalidomide due to its unique anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Objective: To critically review pharmacokinetic studies and briefly rev

Over the last decade it has been ever increasing interest in developing alternative sanitary systems, which would be more sustainable than a conventional one is. In Sweden urine separation has been considered a promising approach towards increasing recycling of wastewater nutrients. Full scale trials are carried out and examined. This paper presents a study on implementation of urine separation sy

Akylphenols (4-nonylphenol, 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-phenol and 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-ethylphenol) have been directly extracted from water samples using neat supercritical carbon dioxide and collected on an octadecyl silica (ODS) solid phase trap. The extraction cells were equipped with home-built assemblies containing hydrophobic membranes. The assemblies were inserted at each end of t

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PURPOSE: To improve preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma with MR imaging, using a double-contrast technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Imaging was performed in 12 patients before and after i.v. injection of Gd-DTPA and rectal administration of a superparamagnetic contrast medium, mainly containing magnetite. The diagnostic information was evaluated and compared with findings at surgery and histopa