Relapsing polychondritis ( RP) is an autoimmune disease that affects extra-articular cartilage. Matrilin-1-induced relapsing polychondritis (MIRP) is a model for RP and is useful for studies of the pathogenic mechanisms in this disease. There are indications that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II plays a major role in RP, since DR4(+) patients are more commonly affected than cont

In the airways of asthmatic patients, activated fibroblasts account for an excessive matrix production including proteoglycans (PGs). Transforming growth factor-beta. (TGF beta), metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) play key rotes in matrix turnover. It is unclear whether asthma therapy with combination of inhaled glucocorticoids and long-acting beta(2)-agonists affects me

This study reports the findings of how district nurses (n = 23) and hospital nurses (n = 9) in cancer care experienced social support in immediate connection with demanding care situations, as well as the effect of systematic clinical supervision. The study is based on their own accounts. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that there is a great ne

Investigating the electric field distribution around individual metallic nanoparticles is of significant importance for the understanding of the electromagnetic (EM) mechanism of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We report single gold-nanoparticle-enhanced Raman scattering of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by atomic force microscope (AFM) manipulation. The distance betwe

The effect of school size on capture success in three different piscivores, perch Perca fluviatilis, pikeperch Stizostedion lucioperca and pike Esox lucius, was investigated. Roach Rutilus rutilus were used as prey in a pool experiment where individual predators were presented prey at densities of one, two, four, eight and 16 prey, respectively. Treatments were replicated seven times for each pred

As a group of stars having high luminosity and thus being able to be detected to great distances, massive M supergiants are extremely helpful to the study of the kinematics of the Milky Way. They are also partly responsible for the creation of post iron-group elements through the weak s-process of nucleosynthesis. As there are relatively few classified M supergiants, owing to their rapid pace of e

A single incremental cycle exercise test including a steady-state load, combined with respiratory gas exchange, was performed with the objective of determining the time constant (o2) and the amount of oxygen required at each load (o2/DeltaW) by using a novel equation. The protocol was validated using four exercise tests at different constant loads and conventionally fitted mono-exponential functio

Paradelia Ringdahl is a modest-sized, anthomyiid genus found in cool-temperate to arctic situations in northern and elevated parts of Eurasia and North America. A high percentage of the known Eurasian species are more widespread, Holarctic in distribution. The monophyly of the genus is well supported, though it is less easy to place unambiguously in a phylogeny. Most species are rarely collected a

X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) is a severe form of inherited progressive retinal degeneration. The RP3 (retinitis pigmentosa type 3) locus at Xp21.1 is believed to account for the disease in the majority of XLRP families. Linkage analysis and identification of patients with chromosomal deletion have refined the location of the RP3 locus and recently have led to the cloning of the RPGR (retin

A united description of the electrostatics of an arbitrary number of electrostatic multipoles, each localized in a spherical dielectric cavity, in a dielectric medium is presented. The permanent charges as well as the polarization surface charges are described by multipole expansions in standard format. Expressions of the polarization surface charge density, the electrostatic potential energy, and

OBJECTIVE: To compare the capacity of transvaginal Doppler ultrasound examination with that of gray scale sonography as an aid in distinguishing benign and malignant pelvic tumors of suspected adnexal origin. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred and fifty-one women scheduled for laparotomy or laparoscopic surgery because of a pelvic mass of suspected adnexal origin underwent ultrasound examination including

Regulating the choice between neural stem cell maintenance versus differentiation determines growth and size of the developing brain. Here we identify TGF-beta signaling as a crucial factor controlling these processes. At early developmental stages, TGF-beta signal activity is localized close to the ventricular surface of the neuroepithelium. In the midbrain, but not in the forebrain, Tgfbr2 ablat

Background: In recent years an increase of the incidence of nosocomial outbreaks caused by noroviruses has been observed throughout Sweden, with high peaks noted in the winter seasons 2002/2003 and 2004/2005, respectively. Objectives: To phylogenetically characterize norovirus strains causing nosocomial outbreaks from 1997 to 2005 and estimate the impact of norovirus-like disease on the Swedish he

Human dignity is grounded in basic human attributes such as life and self-respect. When people cannot stand up for themselves they may lose their dignity towards themselves and others. The aim of this study was to elucidate if dignity remains intact for family members during care procedures in a children's hospital. A qualitative approach was adopted, using open non-participation observation. The

BACKGROUND: In animals, we have previously done successful lung transplantations using organs from non-heart-beating donors. We have also developed an ex-vivo system of assessing the function of such organs before transplantation. The next stage was to try the technique in human beings. Bearing in mind the sensitive ethical issues involved, our first aim was to find out what procedures would be ac

The short-term (i.e., days) and long-term (i.e., months) effects of adaptation to posturography examinations were investigated in 12 normal subjects who were repeatedly examined for five consecutive days and again after 90 days. The examinations were conducted both with eyes open and closed, and the perturbations were evoked by a pseudorandomly applied vibration stimulation to the calf muscles. Th

The increased bronchial production of leukotriene C4 (LTC4) in asthma is assumed to derive from infiltrating eosinophils expressing LTC4-synthase (LTC4S). Multicolor immunohistofluorescence examination of bronchial cryosections from 30 treated, untreated, or bronchial antigen-provoked aspirin-tolerant individuals with asthma and nine control subjects revealed that the dominating LTC4S-expressing c