Staphylococcal enterotoxin H (SEH) is a bacterial superantigen secreted by Staphylococcus aureus. Superantigens are presented on the MHC class II and activate large amounts of T cells by cross-linking APC and T cells. In this study, RT-PCR was used to show that SEH stimulates human T cells via the V domain of TCR, in particular V10 (TRAV27), while no TCR V-specific expansion was seen. This is in s

The empirical focus of this article is technological innovation activities in the emerging field of fuel cells and related hydrogen technology in Norway from 1990 to 2002. In this period, four comparatively large-scale research and development projects and a number of smaller projects aimed at development of fuel cells technology were undertaken, resulting in many inventions that were subsequently

Infrared absorption studies of defect formation in Czochralski silicon irradiated with fast electrons in a wide range of temperatures (80-900 K) have been performed. The samples with different contents of oxygen (O-16, O-18) and carbon (C-12, C-13) isotopes were investigated, The main defect reactions are found to depend strongly on irradiation temperature and dose, as well as on impurity content

With a method relying on measurements of the flow of water vapour from a specimen and measurements of the distribution of the relative humidity in the specimen at steady state conditions, the moisture permeability can be calculated and its dependence on the relative humidity can be determined. The specimens are of dimensions that are used in ordinary buildings.

The MR findings in 7 patients with neurofibromatosis involving the spine were evaluated. Six patients had paraspinal tumors at multiple levels. In 4 they were bilateral. Five patients had multiple intraspinal lesions, frequently with growth through the neural foramen. In one patient paraspinal tumors were found in the lumbar sacral plexus and in another bony dysplasia and meningoceles but no tumor

Two prospective studies of the occurrence and clinical significance of post-transfusion hepatitis non-A, non-B were performed in Malmo, Sweden. In both studies, patients of a broad clinical spectrum were followed up 6 and 12 weeks after transfusion. In a 7 week study from 1983, hepatitis non-A, non-B occurred in 9/173 transfused patients (5.2%) versus 1/203 untransfused controls (0.5%) (p less tha

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Despite its unparalleled merits for prostate cancer detection and staging, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is not a marker for prostate cancer only, but also is expressed in benign conditions. For early detection, limitations of PSA are obvious. Its widespread use has led to an extensive amount of expensive and often unnecessary diagnostic procedures associated with significant morbidity. Total PS

The normal pinch strength was determined with the Mannerfelt-Ulrich intrinsic meter in 90 men and women aged 21-65 years. The pinch strength decreased with increasing age. The ratio dominant/nondominant hand was 1.12, 0.13 (mean, SD) for both men and women. The ratio would be useful in evaluating pinch strength under pathologic conditions.

Abstract is not available

Basement membranes are sheet like extracellular matrices that underlie or surround many cell types. They are crucial for key cellular events such as cell migration, proliferation, survival and differentiation. Vital components of all basement membranes are laminins, heterotrimeric combinations of different laminin chain isoforms. The different laminins and their subunits largely have a development