Beijing has been experiencing severe particulate pollution accompanying the fast growing population and economy. This study investigated the impact of PM2.5 and its water soluble organic and inorganic constituents on visual impairment in Beijing under different meteorological conditions. According to the analysis of PM2.5 samples collected in Spring 2012, water soluble species took up 38.1% of PM2

OBJECTIVE: Topical negative pressure, commonly used in wound therapy, has been shown to increase blood flow and stimulate angiogenesis in subcutaneous tissue and skeletal muscle. In wound therapy, intermittent negative pressure is often preferred to continuous negative pressure as tissue exposed to intermittent therapy shows twice as much granulation tissue formation than that exposed to continuou

Two decades have passed since the first attempts were made to establish systematic ethical review of human research in the Baltic States. Legally and institutionally much has changed. In this paper we provide an historical and structural overview of ethical review of human research and identify some problems related to the role of ethical review in establishing quality research environment in thes

Objective. To evaluate barriers to adherence to hypertension guidelines among publicly employed general practitioners (GPs). Design. Questionnaire-based survey distributed to GPs in 24 randomly selected primary care centres in the Region of Skåne in southern Sweden. Subjects. A total of 109 GPs received a self-administered questionnaire and 90 of them responded. Main outcome measures. Use of risk

A feasibility study on noninvasive, real-time monitoring of gases in lungs of preterm infants is reported, where a laser-spectroscopic technique using diode lasers tuned to oxygen and water vapor absorption lines was employed on realistic tissue phantoms. Our work suggests that the technique could provide a new possibility for surveillance of the lung function of preterm infants, in particular the

Group A streptococci (GAS, Streptococcus pyogenes) are exclusive human pathogens that have been extensively studied for many decades. The spectrum of diseases caused by these bacteria ranges from uncomplicated and superficial to severe and invasive infections. In order to give rise to these complications, GAS have evolved a number of surface-bound and secreted virulence factors, of which the M pro

Though proliferation has repeatedly shown a prognostic role in sarcomas, it has not reached clinical application. We performed a comprehensive evaluation of the prognostic role of 5 proliferation measures in a large series of soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and the trunk wall. One hundred ninety-six primary soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and the trunk wall were subjected to DNA fl

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are maintained in hypoxic niches in endosteal regions of bones. Here we demonstrate that Cripto and its receptor GRP78 are important regulators of HSCs in the niche. Flow cytometry analyses revealed two distinct subpopulations of CD34(-)KSL cells based on the expression of GRP78, and these populations showed different reconstitution potential in transplantation assa

Macromolecular drugs hold great promise as novel therapeutics of several major disorders, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, their use is limited by lack of efficient, safe, and specific delivery strategies. Successful development of such strategies requires interdisciplinary collaborations involving researchers with expertise on, e.g., polymer chemistry, cell biology, nanotechnol

Low aerobic fitness (maximum oxygen uptake (VO(2PEAK))) is predictive for poor health in adults. In a cross-sectional study, we assessed if VO(2PEAK) is related to a composite risk factor score for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 243 children (136 boys and 107 girls) aged 8 to 11 years. VO(2PEAK) was assessed by indirect calorimetry during a maximal exercise test and scaled by body mass (millilite

Essay over the life and letters of Swedish artist and filmmaker Eivor Burbeck (1926 - 1965), a modernist forerunner within poetry as well as experimental film, and one of the few active female members of the Stockholm Independent Film Group during the 1950s. The article includes a complete bibliography over her own works.

BACKGROUND: Spousal caregivers of cancer patients suffer psychological and physical burdens, which may affect their risk of subsequently developing coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cancer patients were identified in the Swedish Cancer Registry, and information on their spouses was retrieved from the Swedish Multi-Generation Register. Follow-up of caregivers was carri

Conditionally replicative adenovirus (CRAD) represents a promising approach for cancer therapy. Several CRADs controlled by the human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter have been developed. However, because of their replicative capacity, the importance of cancer specificity for CRADs needs to be further emphasized. In this study, we have developed a novel dual-regulated CRAD, CNHK500-mE, wh

Context: Dopamine agonists are the treatment of choice for prolactinomas and symptomatic idiopathic hyperprolactinemia. However, the optimal treatment strategy and treatment duration is not clear in all details. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of dopamine agonist withdrawal in patients with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia and prolactinomas. Data Sources: PubMed, the Cochrane