Objective. To investigate whether comorbidity as assessed by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is associated with mortality in a long-term followup of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Methods. Data were collected from 499 SLE patients attending the Lupus Clinic at the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and 170 SLE patients from the Department of Rheumatology

We have evaluated the efficiency of two popular end-point methods to calculate ligand-binding free energies, LIE (linear interaction energy) and MM/GBSA (molecular mechanics with generalized Born surface-area solvation), i.e. the computational effort needed to obtain estimates of a similar precision. As a test case, we use the binding of seven biotin analogues to avidin. The energy terms used by M

Biodiversity continues to decline, despite the implementation of international conservation conventions and measures. To counteract biodiversity loss, it is pivotal to know how conservation actions affect biodiversity trends. Focussing on European farmland species, we review what is known about the impact of conservation initiatives on biodiversity. We argue that the effects of conservation are a

We demonstrate a method by which we can produce an oriented film of an inverse bicontinuous cubic phase (QII,D) formed by the lipid monoolein (MO). By starting with the lipid as a disordered precursor (the L3 phase) in the presence of butanediol, we can obtain a film of the QII,D phase showing a high degree of in-plane orientation by controlled dilution of the sample under shear within a linear fl

Background. Synthetic colloids cause dilutional coagulopathy. The aims of our study were to determine whether the natural colloid albumin induces a lesser degree of coagulopathy compared to synthetic colloids, and the comparative effectiveness of fibrinogen concentrate to reverse coagulopathy following dilution with these solutions. Methods. Coagulation was assessed with rotational thrombelastomet

The concept of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a modern regime of care, and numerous studies have proved its beneficial impact on recovery after colorectal surgery. However, little is known about patients' continuing recovery after discharge. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe patient-reported recovery after colorectal cancer surgery in the context of ERAS from the day

l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a major complication of the pharmacotherapy of Parkinson's disease. Emerging approaches to the treatment of LID include negative modulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) and positive modulation of serotonin receptors 5-HT1A/1B. We set out to compare the efficacy of these two approaches in alleviating the dyskinesias induced by either l-DOPA o

P>1. Environmental changes may not always result in rapid changes in species distributions, abundances or diversity. In order to estimate the effects of, for example, land-use changes caused by agri-environment schemes (AES) on biodiversity and ecosystem services, information on the time-lag between the application of the scheme and the responses of organisms is essential. 2. We examined the effec

The site Pilgrimstad in central Sweden has often been cited as a key locality for discussions of ice-free/ice-covered intervals during the Early and Middle Weichselian. Multi-proxy investigations of a recently excavated section at Pilgrimstad now provide a revised picture of the climatic and environmental development between similar to 80 and 36 ka ago. The combination of sedimentology, geochemist

We present an approximation scheme to the master kinetic equations for aggregation and gelation with thermal breakup in colloidal systems with variable attraction energy. With the cluster fractal dimension d(f) as the only phenomenological parameter, rich physical behavior is predicted. The viscosity, the gelation time, and the cluster size are predicted in closed form analytically as a function o

Purpose: We have developed a statistical prediction model for prostate cancer based on four kallikrein markers in blood: total, free, and intact prostate-specific antigen ( PSA), and kallikrein-related peptidase 2 ( hK2). Although this model accurately predicts the result of biopsy in unscreened men, its properties for men with a history of PSA screening have not been fully characterized. Experime

Water-dispersible silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs) are desirable for applications in biological techniques. A simplified method to synthesize such particles is reported here. The resulting Si-NPs are water-dispersible and luminescent. Under the excitation of UV light, the Si-NPs emit strong red light with a peak maximum at 606 nm and a quantum yield of 6%. They are highly stable, and remain so over

A new setup for pump-flow-probe X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been implemented at the SuperXAS beamline of the Swiss Light Source. It allows recording X-ray absorption spectra with a time resolution of tens of microseconds and high detection efficiency for samples with sub-millimolar concentrations. A continuous wave laser is used for the photoexcitation, with the distance between laser and X-

A new analysis for monitoring host cell proteins in preparations of transgenically produced protein pharmaceuticals is described. A capacitive biosensor with a very high sensitivity is used to monitor trace amounts of host cell proteins. The sensor consists of a gold electrode, the surface of which is well insulated and on which a preparation of a population of polyclonal antibodies raised against

Vasoconstriction accompanied by changes in skin color is a normal physiologic response to cold. The distinction between this normal physiology and Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) has yet to be well characterized. In anticipation of the 9th International Congress on Autoimmunity, a panel of 12 RP experts from 9 different institutes and four different countries were assembled for a Delphi exercise to esta

Information about when and where animals die is important to understand population regulation. In migratory animals, mortality might occur not only during the stationary periods (e.g. breeding and wintering) but also during the migration seasons. However, the relative importance of population limiting factors during different periods of the year remains poorly understood, and previous studies main

The IGHV3-21 gene has been shown to be overrepresented in Scandinavian patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). By investigating a population-based cohort of 337 Swedish patients with CLL, a lower (6.5%) IGHV3-21 frequency was determined relative to our previous hospital-based studies (10.1%-12.7%), yet this frequency remained higher compared to other Western CLL cohorts (2.6%-4.1%). Furt

Invasive exotic plant species often have fewer natural enemies and suffer less damage from herbivores in their new range than genetically or functionally related species that are native to that area. Although we might expect that having fewer enemies would promote the invasiveness of the introduced exotic plant species due to reduced enemy exposure, few studies have actually analyzed the ecologica

Objectives: To analyse the acquisition cost of dispensed prescription drugs for individuals with multiple medications in a national population. Methods: We collected and analysed individual based data regarding the acquisition cost of dispensed prescription drugs for all individuals with five or more dispensed drugs (DP >= 5) in Sweden 2006 (2.2 million). Results: Individuals with DP >= 5 (24.5% o