Monte Carlo simulation has been used to produce projections from a voxel-based brain phantom, simulating a 99mTc-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain investigation. For comparison, projections free from the effects of attenuation and scattering were also simulated, giving ideal transaxial images after reconstruction. Three methods of attenuation correction were studied: (

A joint palaeomagnetic and Ar-40/Ar-39 study has been performed on two olistolithic blocks from the Cabrieres Wildflysch in the Montagne Noire region of the Massif Central in France. There, andesitic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of Llanvirn-Early Caradoc age (ca 470-458 Ma) occur. Despite extensive secondary alteration, destruction of the dominant magnetic mineral phase and Ar-40/Ar-39 whole

Background: Considerable lives and money could be saved if one could detect early stages of lapsing/ relapsing behavior in addicted persons (e.g., in safety-sensitive workplaces) and could disclose harmful drinking in social drinkers. Due to the serious public health problem of alcohol use and abuse worldwide, markers of alcohol use have been sought. Both ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and phosphatidyl e

The chaperone calreticulin plays important roles in a variety of processes in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of animal cells, such as Ca2+ signaling and protein folding. Although the functions of calreticulin are well characterized in animals, only indirect evidence is available for plants. To increase our understanding of plant calreticulins we introduced one of the Arabidopsis isoforms, AtCRT1a,

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a progressive disorder with a consistent and steady increase in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over time associated with enhanced risk of micro- and macrovascular complications and a substantial reduction in life expectancy. There are three major pathophysiologic abnormalities associated with T2D: impaired insulin secretion, excessive hepatic glucose output, and insulin r

Photosynthetic organisms require chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll to harness light energy and transform water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. The biosynthesis of these pigments is initiated by magnesium chelatase, an enzyme composed of BchI, BchD and BchH proteins, which catalyzes the insertion of Mg(2+) into protoporphyrin IX (Proto) to produce Mg-protoporphyrin IX. BchI and

PURPOSE: To describe a complication of thrombolytic therapy used to treat graft limb occlusion precipitated by distal migration and kinking of an abdominal aortic stent-graft. CASE REPORT: A 5.5-cm abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a 66-year-old woman was treated with Vanguard bifurcated stent-graft. At the 1-year follow-up, she complained of left leg claudication. Computed tomography (CT) showed

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is considered incurable. Intensive immunochemotherapy with stem cell support has not been tested in large, prospective series. In the 2nd Nordic MCL trial, we treated 160 consecutive, untreated patients younger than 66 years in a phase 2 protocol with dose-intensified induction immunochemotherapy with rituximab (R) + cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, prednisone

This phase 2 study evaluated the safety and efficacy of alemtuzumab in 22 patients with advanced mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome (MF/SS). Most patients had stage III or IV disease, reduced performance status, and severe itching. The overall response (OR) rate was 55%, with 32% of patients in complete remission (CR) and M in, partial remission (PR). Sezary cells were cleared from the blood in 6 o

BACKGROUND: To determine normal blood levels of brain-specific proteins S-100 and neuron specific enolase (NSE) in healthy newborns and their mothers following uncomplicated birth. METHODS: Umbilical artery and vein blood and maternal venous blood was collected at 112 consecutive uncomplicated deliveries. Venous blood samples were taken from 18 of the neonates 3 days after birth. S-100 and NSE wer

We present first results of three-dimensional numerical simulations ofthe non-magnetic solar chromosphere, computed with the radiationhydrodynamics code CO5BOLD. Acoustic waves which are excitedat the top of the convection zone propagate upwards into thechromosphere where the waves steepen into shocks. The interaction of thewaves leads to the formation of complex structures which evolve on shortti

The hypothesis that chronic and long-term experience of 'social defeat' may increase the risk for schizophrenia is proposed. This increased risk may result from sensitisation of the mesolimbic dopamine system and/or increased baseline activity of this system. Data supporting the social defeat hypothesis are presented.

Introduction: Coagulation activation may be related to complications during surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm. The complex formed between activated protein C (APC) and the serpin, protein C inhibitor (PCI), is a sensitive indicator of the activation of blood coagulation. The purpose of the study was to establish whether the APC-PCI complex can provide information useful for the assessment of o

In this paper we are focusing on the practical, engineering way of evaluating and characterizing the multi-channel antenna solutions on the mobile terminal. Two methods of calculating the parameters, describing the diversity performance, are described and the practical use of the methods in simulations and measurements are presented and evaluated. The time saving aspect of using the scattering par

We use the assignment technique and a new approach, the 'novel allele technique', to detect sex-biased dispersal in great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus . The data set consisted of immigrants and philopatric birds in a semi-isolated population in Sweden scored at 21 microsatellite loci. Fourteen cohorts were represented of which the four earliest were used to define a reference population