To assess the reproducibility of 3D delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) at 3 T in early stage knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. In 20 patients, 3D dGEMRIC at 3 T was acquired twice within 7 days. To correct for patient motion during acquisition, all images were rigidly registered in 3D. Eight anatomical cartilage ROIs were analysed on both images of each patient. Capability of

BACKGROUND: The variable penetrance of breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers suggests that other genetic or environmental factors modify breast cancer risk. Two genes of special interest are prohibitin (PHB) and methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), both of which are important either directly or indirectly in maintaining genomic integrity. METHODS: To evaluate the potential role of ge

Objective: In acute myocardial ischemia changes within the QRS complex can add valuable information to that from the repolarization phase. This study evaluates three angles obtained from the main slopes of the R-wave within the QRS complex to assess acute myocardial ischemia. Methods: The QRS angles, denoted by empty set(R) (R-wave angle), empty set(U) (up-stroke angle) and empty set(D) (down-stro

Neurobiological markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in serum, previously found to co-vary with destructive personality traits in violent offenders, were explored in a general population sample of 21 patients undergoing knee surgery. Results on the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were compared with CSF/serum albumin ratios and serum conc

Welding fume consists of metal fumes, e.g., manganese (Mn) and gases, e.g., ozone. Particles in the respirable dust (RD) size range dominate. Exposure to welding fume could cause short- and long-term respiratory effects. The prevalence of work-related symptoms among mild steel welders was studied, and the occupational exposure to welding fumes was quantified by repeated measurements of RD, respira

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effect of a water-based exercise program on lymphedema status and shoulder range of motion among women with breast cancer-related lymphedema. DESIGN: This was a single-blinded, randomized controlled pilot trial. Twenty-nine eligible breast cancer survivors (median, 10 yrs after surgery) with arm lymphedema (median, 21% interlimb

Based on older people’s perspective, the aim of this article is to reveal how the culture of independence influences the decision-making process preceding relocation to a residential home. Since there is a predominant ideology of ageing in place in Sweden like in many other welfare states, the focus is on how a continued life in ordinary housing is justified versus how relocation to a residential

Thrombolysis is a common treatment for acute leg ischaemia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate different thrombolytic treatment strategies, and risk factors for complications.

Phylogenetically conserved serine protease cascades play an important role in invertebrate and vertebrate immunity. The mammalian coagulation system can be traced back some 400 million years and it shares homology with ancestral serine proteinase cascades involved for instance in Toll receptor signaling in insects and release of antimicrobial peptides during hemolymph clotting. Here we show that b

Deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) and deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK) catalyze the first step in the intracellular cascade of fludarabine (2-fluoroadenine-beta-D-arabinofuranoside) and cladribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine) phosphorylation, which leads to activation of these prodrugs, commonly used for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Thus, resistance to nucleoside analogues may primarily be due

A novel type of approximation scheme to the maximum likelihood (ML) approach is presented and discussed in the context of phylogenetic tree reconstruction from aligned DNA sequences. It is based on a parameterized approximation to the conditional distribution of hidden variables (related, e.g., to the sequences of unobserved branch point ancestors) given the observed data. A modified likelihood, b

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesis of transnational tendencies in multinational enterprises (MNEs), to theoretically analyse the result and to study whether managers in MNEs have experienced the predicted tendencies. Design/methodology/approach – The synthesis is based on an extensive literature review which is analysed by transaction cost economics. Identified tendenc

A common industrial process for separating particles from a liquid is continuous sedimentation, which is used in the chemical, mining, pulp-and-paper and food industries. It can also be found in most wastewater treatment plants, where it is a crucial subprocess of a complex biological system. The process has provided, and will continue to provide, scientific problems that lead to fundamental resea

PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence and severity of undetected glaucoma in the population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 32 918 subjects aged 55 to 79 years from Malmö, Sweden, who were screened between 1992 and 1997. All subjects in the screened age groups living in the catchment area, and for whom there were no recent records at the Malmö University Hospital Ophthalmolo

In this article, we revisit a classical optimization problem occurring in designing survivable multicommodity flow networks. The problem, referred to as FR, assumes flow restoration that takes advantage of the so-called stub release. As no compact linear programming (LP) formulation of FR is known and at the same time all known noncompact LP formulations of FR exhibit NP-hard dual separation, the

Arctic and boreal/temperate species are likely to be evolutionary adapted to different light regimes. Currently, the boreal/temperate Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is coexisting with the native polar cod (Boreogadus saida) in the Arctic waters around Svalbard, Norway. Here, we studied light/dark adaptative optical plasticity of their eye lenses by exposing fish to bright light during the polar night

This methodological study was conducted to examine the suitability and reliability of the diary form to measure lighting use in work places. The occupants of 18 single-occupant offices were asked to report in diary form on their lighting-use-related activities and times present in their offices for one workday every two months from June 2009 through May 2010. Electronic measurement of the occupant

This work presents the development of a miniaturized system for removing plasma proteins and other low-molecular-weight compounds from red blood cell (RBC) concentrate in a simple one-step-process using integrated ultrasound. The technology utilizes the principles of acoustophoresis to transfer the RBCs from the original plasma-containing solution into a protein-free SAG-M additive solution in a c