Phthalic anhydride (PA) is a reactive low molecular weight compound used in the chemical industry. The exposure of PA may lead to work-related airway diseases such as rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, and asthma. The exposure gives rise to an increase in hapten-specific IgG antibodies in workers but with a low presence of specific IgE antibodies. In this study, the binding of PA to human hemoglobin (H

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-related venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. A new risk assessment model for VTE in relation to pregnancy has been introduced in Sweden. We wished to determine the proportion of preventable VTE cases if the model had been in use and make a brief cost-benefit analysis. METHODS: A hospital-based retrospective case-control study of a

The aim of this study was to improve the accuracy and precision of perfusion fraction and blood velocity dispersion estimates in intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging, using joint analysis of flow-compensated and non-flow-compensated motion-encoded MRI data. A double diffusion encoding sequence capable of switching between flow-compensated and non-flow-compensated encoding modes was implemen

In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Ma et al. (2012) report a differentiation protocol for generating striatal projection neurons from human embryonic stem cells with high efficiency. The cells survive transplantation, reconnect striatal circuitry, and restore motor function in a mouse model of striatal neurodegeneration that mimics the central pathohology of Huntington's disease.

BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to investigate the underlying causes and management of hyponatremia in an unselected population presenting with hyponatremia to the emergency department. METHODS: A descriptive, retrospective hospital record study was performed. A database search

Nerve injuries extend from simple nerve compression lesions to complete nerve injuries and severe lacerations of the nerve trunks. A specific problem is brachial plexus injuries where nerve roots can be ruptured, or even avulsed from the spinal cord, by traction. An early and correct diagnosis of a nerve injury is important. A thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the peripheral nerve trunk as well

The Middle Ages in archaeological perspective: Review of Øystein Ekrolls teaching book on medieval archaeology in Norway, "Ei anna historie - norsk mellomalder i arkeologisk lys" (Trondheim 2006).

A Cochrane metaanalysis and a study performed on children have recently confirmed that therapeutic hypothermia does not improve outcome after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is not comparable to a short episode of global ischemia, where therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to improve outcome. The difference may be explained by the fact that hypothermia-induced stress after a traumatic b

Microglia respond to focal cerebral ischemia by increasing their production of the neuromodulatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor, which exists both as membrane-anchored tumor necrosis factor and as cleaved soluble tumor necrosis factor forms. We previously demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor knockout mice display increased lesion volume after focal cerebral ischemia, suggesting that tumor nec

The aim of this paper is to compare the socio-spatial patterns of innovation and knowledge linkages of a biopharmaceutical and an agro-food biotech cluster. Dissimilarities can be expected based on differences in terms of historical technological regimes and sectoral innovation system dynamics between the agro-food and pharmaceutical industries in general and particularly the distinctive analytica

The present study investigates spatial properties of atrial fibrillation (AF) by analyzing VCG loops synthesized from 12-lead ECGs. During intervals with ventricular activity, the atrial signal is extracted using spatiotemporal QRST cancellation, thus making continuous f-wave analysis possible. Spatial properties are characterized through joint analysis of successive fixed-length signal segments,

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the clinical management of inadvertent arterial catheterisation after attempted central venous catheterisation. METHODS: Patients referred for surgical or endovascular management for inadvertent arterial catheterisation during a 5-year period were identified from an endovascular database, providing prospective information on techniques and outcome. The corres

In the paper we consider a flow problem closely related to path diversity protection in communication networks. Given a weighted directed graph where some arcs are subject to failures while others are resilient, we aim at computing a shortest pair of failure-disjoint paths. If a resilient arc is used by both paths, its cost is counted only once. We present an original polynomial-time algorithm for

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Posterior dislocation of the shoulder in brachial plexus birth palsy during the first year of life is rare but the incidence increases with age. The aim was to calculate the incidence of these lesions in children below one year of age. METHODS: The incidence of brachial plexus birth lesion and occurrence of posterior shoulder dislocation was calculated based on a prospective

Many international studies show that adolescents in coercive institutional care display high prevalences of mental disorders, especially in the form of disruptive behavior disorders [including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder], anxiety disorders, and mood disorders. High degrees of overlap across mental disorders have also been r