Background: Previous literature has shown that neighborhood socioeconomic position influences the risk of ischemic heart disease, but little is known about the mechanisms linking the residential context to ischemic heart disease incidence and mortality. We examined whether neighborhood socioeconomic position and neighborhood residential stability (as a determinant of social interaction patterns) h

Here we examine the efficiency of different immobilized cell gradients applied to immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermenting glucose to ethanol. We developed a simulation model to fully study the competing effects of mass transfer hindrance and kinetics. It is based on a diffusion-reaction model and can be used to analyze the different cell concentration profiles inside an immobilized gel bea

An increasing body of evidence suggests that a low-glycaemic-index (GI) diet has a therapeutic as well as a preventive potential in relation to the insulin resistance syndrome. The implementation of a low-GI diet, however, will require an extended list of low-GI foods to be available on the market. The tailoring of low-GI bread products offers a particular challenge due to their generally high GI

High hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2 alpha) protein levels predict poor outcome in neuroblastoma, and hypoxia dedifferentiates cultured neuroblastoma cells toward a neural crest-like phenotype. Here, we identify HIF-2 alpha as a marker of normoxic neural crest-like neuroblastoma tumor-initiating/stem cells (TICs) isolated from patient bone marrows. Knockdown of HIF-2 alpha reduced VEGF exp

The phagocytosis of apoptotic cells is a complex process involving numerous interactions between the target cell and the macrophage. We have examined a role of the major soluble inhibitor of the classic and lectin complement pathways, C4b-binding protein (C4BP), in the clearance of apoptotic cells. The major form of C4BP present in blood is composed of seven alpha-chains and one beta-chain, which

The numerical treatment of two-dimensional scattering in inhomogeneous media is considered. A novel approach in treating convolution operators with low regularity is used to construct an iterative solver for the Lippmann-Schwinger integral equation. In this way, accurate approximations within a choice of bandwidth can be obtained in a rapid manner. The performance of the method is tested on a disc

This pilot study describes nurses' experiences of the effects of clinical supervision on psychiatric health care, their views on their working milieu and duties, and the relationship between the nurses' experiences and perceptions. The sample consisted of 26 trained nurses (nine registered nurses and 17 licensed mental nurses) who took part in a clinical supervision intervention programme pursued

Peripheral T cell lymphopenia (lyp) in the BioBreeding (BB) rat is linked to a frameshift mutation in Ian5, a member of the Immune Associated Nucleotide (Ian) gene family on rat chromosome 4. This lymphopenia leads to type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (T1DM) at rates up to 100% when combined with the BB rat MHC RT1 u/u genotype. In order, to better study the lymphopenia phenotype withou

Following the Holocene thermal maximum, the Greenland ice sheet began to expand, and many local glaciers formed. The maximum extent of most outlet glaciers from the Inland Ice was reached around 100 to 200 years ago. However, some exceptions have been recorded. In southern Greenland, the Neoglacial Narssarssuaq stade marks an older re-advance that exceeded the historical advance. The dating of the

We report on the realization of a novel interdigitated cantilever array with electrostatic control of the shape of the interdigitated array. It consists of an array of SiO2/metal double-finger cantilevers in a grating configuration together with an electrical connection part. The complete grating structure is fabricated with nanoimprint lithography, UV lithography and reactive ion etching. The pat

OBJECTIVE. The aim of the study was to describe the association between clinical risk factors in diabetic patients with food ulcers in relation to outcome. DESIGN. A prospective study of 314 consecutively presenting diabetic patients with foot ulcers referred to the Department of Internal Medicine between July 1, 1983 and June 30, 1987. All patients were followed to final outcome. SETTING. All pat

This review discusses actual and potential contributors to functional improvement after stroke injuries. Topics that will be covered are neuronal re-organization and sprouting, neural stem/progenitor cell,activation and neuronal replacement, as well as the neuronal milieu defined by glia, inflammatory cells and blood vessel supply. It is well established that different types of neuronal plasticity

A compact model for evaluation of acid flushing of heavy-metal-contaminated soil in a small-scale on-site treatment plant is proposed. The model assumes that the soil was re-packed in a container after excavation resulting in a soil structure with heterogeneous and random physical and chemical properties. To evaluate the effects of heterogeneity on the efficiency of contaminant removal by acid flu

Objective. Hemophilic arthropathy, with characteristics of inflammatory (rheumatoid arthritis) and degenerative (osteoarthritis) joint damage, occurs at an early age, is associated with minor comorbidity, and is restricted to 3 pairs of large joints. The aim of this study was to determine whether commonly used serum and/or urinary biomarkers of cartilage and bone turnover for which assay kits are

While the persistence of socioeconomic differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been recognized for many years, less is known about whether socioeconomic factors are of importance to CVD before symptoms of the disease appear. In this study the associations among educational level, occupational status and progression of atherosclerosis were investigated in 1016 Swedish middle-aged men and wo

Major depression is often associated with elevated glucocorticoid levels. High levels of glucocorticoids reduce neurogenesis in the adult rat hippocampus. Electroconvulsive seizures (ECS) can enhance neurogenesis, and we investigated the effects of ECS in rats where glucocorticoid levels were elevated in order to mimic conditions seen in depression. Rats given injections of corticosterone or vehic

First identified in activated T cells, the calcium (Ca2+)-dependent transcription factor, nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), has since been shown to play a role in nonimmune cells, including cells of the cardiovascular system. In arterial smooth muscle, the diverse array of calcium-signaling modalities, the functional interplay between smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and the influenc