PURPOSE: To evaluate the repeatability of the dGEMRIC (delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage) method in osteoarthritis-prone knee joints for three different T1 quantification techniques: two-dimensional inversion recovery (2D-IR), three-dimensional Look-Locker (3D-LL), and three-dimensional variable flip angle (3D-VFA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine subjects were examined twice, with a 2-week

The long andincreasing test application time for modular core-basedsystem-on-chips is a major problem, and many approaches have beendeveloped to deal with the problem. Different from previousapproaches, where it is assumed that all tests will be performeduntil completion, we consider the cases where the test process isterminated as soon as a defect is detected. Such abort-on-failtesting is common

This study analysed how the ISO 9000 framework could be employed in the construction process. Interviews were conducted at twelve companies in Sweden that utilized the quality system standard ISO 9001. Many of the concepts contained in the quality system standard were experienced as being too abstract and too difficult to comprehend. Frequently quality mangement was considered as serving the funct

The use of baseline lung function in the prediction of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalisations, all-cause mortality and lung function decline was assessed in the population-based "Men Born in 1914" cohort.Spirometry was assessed at age 55 years in 689 subjects, of whom 392 had spirometry reassessed at age 68 years. The cohort was divided into three groups using fixed ratio (F

BACKGROUND: Infections caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae are considered to participate in inflammatory processes leading to coronary artery disease. After a primary infection, the bacteria remain dormant intracellularly causing a chronic inflammatory stimulus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from 235 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 108 patients with unstable ang

The validity of atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnoses in national registers for use as endpoints in prospective studies has not been evaluated. We studied the validity of AF diagnoses in Swedish national hospital discharge and cause of death registers and the occurrence of and risk factors for AF in a middle-aged Swedish population using these registers. Our study included the 30,447 individuals (age

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Non-operative management (NOM) of blunt liver trauma is currently, if possible, the preferred treatment of choice. The present study evaluates the experience of blunt liver injury in adults in a Swedish university hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-six patients with blunt liver trauma were treated from January 1994 through to December 2004. Patient charts were reviewed retr

Enterococcus faecalis strain OG1RF and its (p)ppGpp-deficient mutants ΔrelA, ΔrelQ and ΔrelAΔrelQ were grown in biofilms and evaluated for growth profiles, biofilm morphology, cell viability, and proteolytic activity. E. faecalis lacking (p)ppGpp had a diminished capacity to sustain biofilm formation over an extended period of time, and expressed abundant proteolytic activity.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of triple antithrombotic therapy (TT) (warfarin, aspirin and clopidogrel) in patients following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the bleeding risk compared to double antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (aspirin and clopidogrel) and evaluate the accuracy of the HAS-BLED risk score in predicting serious bleeding events in TT patients. Methods and r

BACKGROUND: Live vaccines including BCG and measles may have non-targeted beneficial effects on childhood survival in areas with high mortality. The authors therefore undertook a survey of vaccinia scars to evaluate subsequent mortality. SUBJECTS: Based on a population census, a cohort of 1893 adults in urban Guinea-Bissau was examined in 1998 and followed until 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All cau

New radiative lifetimes of eight levels in Pr III have been measured using the time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence method. A tunable frequency-doubled dye laser with 1-ns pulse duration was used to excite selectively doubly ionized praseodymium in a laser-produced plasma. The experimental results agree generally well with theoretical data, provided core-polarization effects are considered in

Background: There are no data showing that disperse dyes, used to patch test patients, are currently being used for dyeing synthetic garments. It is unknown whether disperse dyes, which are currently routinely patch tested, are in fact present in synthetic textiles on the market. Objectives: To determine whether eight disperse dyes, hitherto most widely cited as allergenic, are still used in tex

The authors describe a case of a 38-year-old male with minor stroke due to exacerbation of hereditary deficiency of ADAMTS 13 resulting in a chronic relapsing form of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). The clue to the unusual pathogenesis was given by laboratory findings of a mild anaemia and thrombocytopenia. After two days of observation, the patient was treated with plasmapheresis resul

Comparing two objects falling together is a small-scale version of Galileo’s classical experiment, demonstrating the equivalence between gravitational and inertial mass. We present here investigations by a group of ten-year-olds, who used iPads to record the drops. The movie recordings were essential in the follow-up discussions, enabling the students to compare the different situations and to dis