Complex traits, including inflammatory rheumatic diseases, have important genetic features, but most of the responsible genes have not been conclusively identified. Genetic analysis of inbred animal models and comparative genetics - the comparison of genes between different species - might help to identify the crucial genes and to investigate more directly the biology involved. Genome-wide linkage

To assess the level of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Bosnian war refugees, a consecutive cohort of 206 Bosnian refugees, arriving in Sweden in 1993, was screened for PTSD using a modified version of the self-report instrument PTSS-10. A comparison group of 387 visitors to seven Swedish health centers was recruited. Prevalence of possible PTSD, using two estimates, was 18 to 3

Lipid freezing in dilute sonicated vesicular dispersions was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and H-1 NMR. For charged, anionic, or cationic lipids, approximately half of the lipids remain in a fluid state when cooled 20 degrees C below the main chain melting temperature. With a zwitterionic phospholipid, on the other hand, essentially no supercooling of the liquid state was o

In this study a homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction based on the Ph-dependent phase-separation process was investigated using a ternary solvent system (water-acetic acid-chloroform) for the preconcentration of Cu2+ ions. 8-Hydroxy quinoline was used as the chelating agent prior to its extraction. Flame atomic absorption spectro photometry using acetylene-air flame was used for the quantitation of

Background: The Lundby Study is a prospective, longitudinal study on a total population consisting of 3563 subjects during 50 years. This study compares first incidence rates of depression and cumulative probabilities for developing a depression over the two time periods 1947-1972 and 1972-1997. Method: The Lundby Study started in 1947. Follow-ups were carried out in 1957 and in 1972. In 1997 the

This study investigated the profile of long-term blood pressure (BP)-lowering medication in a population-based cohort, and whether treatment effects on BP control or risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) differed between the types or patterns of BP-lowering regimes. In treated hypertensive patients, only 11.3% had a BP < 140/90 mm Hg. Inadequate drug combination and underestimation of global risk s

Let X-1, X-2, ... , X-k be independent n bit random variables. If they have arbitrary distributions, we show how to compute distributions like Pr{X-1 circle plus X-2 circle plus (...) circle plus X-k} and Pr{X-1 boxed plus X-2 boxed plus (...) boxed plus X-k} in complexity O(kn2(n)). Furthermore, if X-1, X-2, ... X-k are uniformly distributed we demonstrate a large class of functions F(X-1, X-2, .

Remodeling of airway structures is a well-documented feature of allergic airway inflammation. To investigate whether bronchial remodeling is associated with remodeling of adjacent pulmonary vessels, sensitized mice were subjected to repeated ovalbumin inhalations, and bronchi and pulmonary vessels were subjected to histologic analysis. Allergen challenges induced peribronchial as well as perivascu

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication is initiated by HBV RT binding to the highly conserved encapsidation signal, epsilon, at the 5' end of the RNA pregenome. Epsilon contains an apical stem-loop, whose residues are either totally conserved or show rare non-disruptive mutations. Here we present the structure of the apical stem-loop based on NOE, RDC and H-1 chemical shift NMR data. The H-1 chemical

Monte Carlo simulations and density functional calculations have been performed for charged macromolecules confined to planar slits. The force between the confining walls has been evaluated as a function of separation, while keeping the chemical potential of the macromolecules constant. Highly charged spherical particles and flexible polyelectrolyte chains in confinement give rise to depletion and

Chemiluminescent (CL) enzyme-based flow-through microchip biosensors (mu-biosensors) for detection of glucose and ethanol were developed for the purpose of monitoring real-time production and release of glucose and ethanol from microchip immobilised yeast cells. Part I of this study focuses on the development and optimisation of the mu-biosensors in a microfluidic sequential injection analysis (mu

Introduction Aggrecanase cleavage at the (392)Glu-(393)Ala bond in the interglobular domain (IGD) of aggrecan, releasing N-terminal (393)ARGS fragments, is an early key event in arthritis and joint injuries. Here, we use a quantitative immunoassay of aggrecan ARGS neoepitope fragments in human synovial fluid to determine if this cleavage-site specific method better identifies joint pathology than

Previous research suggests that body dissatisfied women are particularly susceptible to negative affect following exposure to thin media images, whereas body satisfied women may even respond positively to such images. It was thus hypothesised that negative self-referent information would be more accessible in body dissatisfied women than in women satisfied with their bodies after viewing thin idea

The human melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4r) was successfully expressed in Sf9 cells using the baculovirus infection system. N- and C-terminally His-tagged receptors generated B-max values of 14 and 23 pmol receptor/mg membrane protein, respectively. The highest expression level obtained with the C-terminally His-tagged MC4r corresponded to 0.25 mg active receptor/litre culture volume. Addition of a v

We propose and demonstrate a technique combining micro-photoluminescence imaging with scanning photolithography at Cryogenic temperatures for creating photoresist masks at designated locations relative to single selected self-assembled quantum dots. The technique is demonstrated by producing a photoresist mask on top of a single selected InP quantum dot imbedded in GaInP. A mesa containing the qua

Human actions towards land, freshwater and oceans have already caused biodiversity to decline. This study aims to investigate attitudes towards the conservation of biological biodiversity among different groups in a Swedish city, Kristianstad. An inquiry including statements measuring attitudes towards the conservation of habitats, animals and plants, to the biological diversity within selected lo

The five ribosomal P-proteins, denoted P0-(P1-P2)(2), constitute the stalk structure of the large subunit of eukaryotic ribosomes. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the group of P1 and P2 proteins is differentiated into subgroups that form two separate P1A-P2B and P1B-P2A heterodimers on the stalk. So far, structural studies on the P-proteins have not yielded any satisfactory information usin

Cytokines such as interleukin 3 (IL-3), kit ligand (KL), and flt3 ligand (FL) promote survival of hematopoietic stem cells and myeloid progenitor cells. In many cell types, members of the Bcl-2 gene family are major regulators of survival, but the mediating mechanisms are not fully understood. Using two myeloid progenitor cell lines, FDCP-mix and FDC-P1, as well as primary mouse bone marrow progen

Although multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disorder leading to progressive disability and decreased life expectancy, little is known about patients' own evaluation of their illness and factors associated with poor health-related quality of life (Hr-QoL). We, therefore, assessed Hr-QoL and its determinants in MSA. The following scales were applied to 115 patients in the European