BACKGROUND: Recent studies in man have shown that cerebral blood flow increases during inhalation of nitrous oxide (N2O), a finding which is believed to be a result of an increased cerebral metabolic rate (CMR). However, this has not previously been evaluated in man. METHODS: Regional CMR(glu) (rCMR(glu)) was measured three dimensionally with positron emission tomography (PET) after injection of 2

Six patients with Parkinson's disease were followed for 10 to 72 months after human embryonic mesencephalic tissue from four to seven donors was grafted unilaterally into the putamen (4 patients) or putamen plus caudate (2 patients). After 8 to 12 months, positron emission tomography showed a 68% increase of 6-L-[18F]-fluorodopa uptake in the grafted putamen, no change in the grafted caudate, and

We show that arrays of nanopit structures etched in a nanoslit can control the positioning and conformation of single DNA molecules in nanofluidic devices. By adjusting the spacing, organization and placement of the nanopits it is possible to immobilize DNA at predetermined regions of a device without additional chemical modification and achieve a high degree of control over local DNA conformation

Non-invasive documentation of historic façades with fluorescence lidar techniques can provide helpful information for the cultural heritage sector, especially when large areas outdoors are to be examined. This paper presents a case study on the Coliseum, Rome, where both cleaned and heavily soiled areas of the monument were scanned and analysed with two fluorescence lidar systems. Biodeterioration

In order to characterize the post-Svecofennian tectonothermal evolution of the Fennoscandian Shield, 40Ar-39Ar biotite and some 40Ar-39Ar muscovite geochronological data are reported from a total of 30 surface outcrop and 1000 m long borehole samples at Forsmark, central Sweden. The thirteen surface samples were collected across three branches of a major WNW to NW trending system of deformation zo

The impedance at frequencies of 1-1000 kHz and dynamic bending storage modulus measured by the vibrating reed method were compared for potato tuber tissue, which had been processed by various methods. Raw potato tuber tissue strips were either heated for 30 min up to 100°C or frozen-thawed. Some samples were osmotically dehydrated in a mannitol solution up to a concentration of 0.7 mol/l. The elec

Aromatic lactose 2-O-esters were synthesized and used to probe arene-arginine interactions with the galectin family of proteins. They were found to be low mu m inhibitors of galectin-1, -3, and -9N-terminal domain and moderate inhibitors of galectin-7, but not inhibitors of galectin-8N-terminal, which locks an arginine residue close to the critical, esterified lactose 2-O-position. Molecular model

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee is often performed in patients who have knee symptoms of unclear cause. When meniscal tears are found, it is commonly assumed that the symptoms are attributable to them. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the prevalence of meniscal damage in the general population and the association of meniscal tears with knee symptoms and with r

Two two-stage systems, one consisting of a solid-bed reactor for hydrolysis/acidification connected to an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket methanogenic reactor, and the other consisting of a solid-bed reactor connected to a methanogenic reactor packed with wheat straw biofilm carriers, were investigated with regard to hydrolytic enzymes and methane production during mesophilic anaerobic digestion o

The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term (2 weeks) effects of the herbicide metsulfuron methyl alone and in combination with the insecticide cypermethrin in freshwater enclosures (80 1). We used a factorial design with four levels of herbicide (0, 1, 5, 20 mug/1) and two levels of insecticide (0 and 0.05 mug/1). The root growth of the macrophyte species Elodea canadensis and Myrioph

In the present paper, we have studied particle dissolution and crystal growth of the poorly water soluble drug felodipine, using fluorescence as a probe for the amount of crystalline material. Dissolution kinetics is essentially diffusion-controlled, while the rate of crystal growth is significantly slower compared to the diffusion-controlled limit. The deviation from diffusion control was charact

Impulse drying was simulated with a platen press equipped with a heated pressing head. The heat transferred to the wet paper sheet and the temperature gradient achieved in the thickness direction of the sheet during the press pulse were measured. The influence of the basis weight, the applied pressure, and the hot surface temperature on the temperature gradient and the total amount of heat transfe

The detailed mechanisms which can explain the inherent radiosensitivity of salivary glands remain to be elucidated. Although DNA is the most plausible critical target for the lethal effects of irradiation, interactions with other constituents, such as cell membrane and neuropeptides, have been suggested to cause important physiological changes. Moreover, mast cells seem to be closely linked to rad

The character and quantity of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were studied in nine small boreal streams and adjacent soils during two years, with focus on the spring snowmelt period. The streams cover a forest-wetland gradient, spanning from 0% to 69% wetland coverage. Lower values of the absorbance ratio measured at 254 nm and 365 nm (A(254)/A(365)), in both soil plots and streams, indicated that

In the present study, the objective was to evaluate the long-term metabolic impact of adding lactic acid to a bread-based diet in obese, hyperinsulinaemic Zucker (fa/fa) rats. All diets were based on a white wheat bread, and the lactic acid was added either prior to, or after the baking process. In addition, a diet with addition of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v was included to investigate the possi

The performance of a miniaturized sample processing platform for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), manufactured by silicon microfabrication, called integrated selective enrichment target (ISET) technology was evaluated in a biological context. The ISET serves as both sample treatment device and MALDI-MS target, and contains an array of 96 perforated nanovial

The general case for a linear approximation of the form "X-1+(...)+X-k mod 2(n'') -->"X-1 circle plus(...)circle plus X-k circle plus N" is investigated, where the variables and operations are n-bit based, and the noise variable N is introduced due to the approximation. An efficient and practical algorithm of complexity 0(n (.) 2(3(k-1))) to calculate the probability Pr{N} is given, and in some ca

The present study was devoted to investigate the effects of the metabotropic glutamate receptor(mGluR)5 antagonist [(2-methyl-1,3-thiazol-4-yl)ethynyl]pyridine (MTEP) and the mGluR1 antagonist, (3-ethyl-2-methyl-quinolin-6-yl)-(4-methoxy-cyclohexyl)-methanone methanesulfonate (EMQMCM), in animal studies indicative of antiparkinsonian-like activity such as haloperidol-induced catalepsy, hypoactivit

In the Swedish Hernia Register 2834 inguinal hernia repairs in 2583 patients were registered in the county of Uppsala 1998-2004. In May 2005 the 2421 patients still alive were requested by mail to fill in a validated questionnaire concerning postherniorrhaphy pain. The final response rate became 72%. Altogether 519 patients (29%) stated that they had pain in the operated groin to some extent durin