Eight antibody-positive individuals were detected among 12,000 blood donations during the first year of screening blood donors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies in Iceland. All 8 were found to have a history of intravenous drug abuse. Six of these 8 individuals had previously donated blood to 27 patients who could be traced and examined for HCV infection. The great majority (23/27, 85%) of th

Aims To test the association between the immunoreceptor PD-1 (PDCD1) gene and Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This gene has been reported to be associated with other autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as well as T1DM. Methods Genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PDCD1 gene was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length

To investigate the role of protein kinase C delta (PKC delta) in angiotensin II-induced facilitation mechanisms of hypoxic neuronal damage and whether candesartan, an AT1 receptor antagonist, can suppress these mechanisms, we performed in vitro experiments which were free from vascular components using PC12 cells under hypoxic (12 h)/reoxygenation (0-48 h) conditions. Angiotensin II apparently inc

Aim: A study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of functional assessment scales regarding completion rate and ability to document functional changes in geriatric rehabilitation patients. Methods: Five functional assessment scales were implemented, and used on admission and discharge as part of standard care. Results: Of 2,812 patients, 90 patients (3.2%) had no scales administered, 2,330 p

The objectives of the project were threefold: to utilize the proposed ISO tests to derive basic flammability characteristics which could rationally bc used as classification criteria: to generate a full-scale fire test standard: and finally, to mathematically correlate small-scale test data and the full-scale fire process. For this purpose 13 materials were tested in eight small-scale tests in the

Effects of topology, length, and charge on peptide interactions with lipid bilayers was investigated for variants of the human kininogen-derived peptide HKH20 (HKHGHGHGKHKNKGKKNGKH) by ellipsometry, CD, fluorescence spectroscopy, and z-potential measurements. The peptides display primarily random coil conformation in buffer and at lipid bilayers, and their lipid interaction is dominated by electro

Human alpha 1-microglobulin (alpha 1-m), a 26 kilodalton serum glycoprotein, was found to exert mitogenic effects on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in serum-free medium. Purified T cells, but not B cells, responded with proliferation to alpha 1-m, but only in the presence of monocytes. The mitogenic activity could be partially neutralized by a mouse monoclonal antibody against alpha 1-m.

The dynamical random graphs associated with a certain class of biological neural networks are introduced and studied. We describe the phase diagram revealing the parameters of a single neuron and of the synaptic strengths which allow formation of the stable strongly connected large groups of neurons. It is shown that the cycles are the most stable structures when the Hebb rule is implemented into

Steady-state and rime-resolved photoluminescence (PL) is used to probe different states of order in highly regular poly(3-(2'-methoxy-5'-octylphenyl)thiophene) (POMeOPT). In a good solvent (chloroform) the polymer has a PL yield of 0.33 and in a solvent with low solubility (mixture of chloroform and toluene) a new phase appears with higher PL yield (0.50). The new phase is attributed to micro-crys

The effects of hormone and growth factor signaling on gene expression contribute significantly to breast tumorigenesis and disease progression; however, the targets of signaling networks associated with deregulated growth are not well understood. We defined the dynamic transcriptional effects elicited in MCF7, T-47D, and MDA-MB-436 breast cancer cell lines by nine regulators of growth and differen

Specific inactivation of TGFbeta signaling in neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) results in cardiovascular defects and thymic, parathyroid, and craniofacial anomalies. All these malformations characterize DiGeorge syndrome, the most common microdeletion syndrome in humans. Consistent with a role of TGFbeta in promoting non-neural lineages in NCSCs, mutant neural crest cells migrate into the pharyngea

The creation and relaxation of electronic excitations in pure crystalline SrFCl and Sm2+ doped SrFCl were investigated using vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectroscopic methods. In the emission spectra of pure SrFCl and SrFCl: Sm2+ a strong emission band in the vicinity of 4.7 eV was detected, connected to self-trapped exciton (STE) having a Cl-2(-) core. The threshold for creation of STE was detected

In this paper, the dynamics of bicycles is analyzed from the perspective of control. Models of different complexity are presented, starting with simple ones and ending with more realistic models generated from multibody software. Models that capture essential behavior such as self-stabilization as well as models that demonstrate difficulties with rear wheel steering are considered. Experiences usi

Kritisk granskning av det svenska mottagandet av Martin Scorseses Kristi sista frestelse ((The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988).