Decreases in stratospheric ozone caused by chlorofluorocarbons released into the atmosphere lead to an increase in harmful ultraviolet (UV) light received at Earths surface. But UV and ozone also vary naturally as a result of changes in solar activity. In their Perspective, Rozema et al. chart recent efforts to elucidate the relation among the solar UV spectrum, ozone concentrations, and harmful s

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of adipose tissue removal by liposuction on factors associated with increased risk of cardiovascular atherosclerotic disease within the coagulation and fibrinolytic system and glucose metabolism. DESIGN, SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Liposuction was performed in 53 patients with Dercum's disease. The levels of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF:Ag) and plasminoge

Purpose: To characterise the nature and degree of ocular disorders and cerebral morphological and functional abnormalities in a population-based group of visually impaired full-term pre-school children. Methods: Forty-five children who were born at full-term between 1989 and 1995 in Varmland, Sweden, were reported as being visually impaired. An ophthalmological examination was performed and clinic

Caloplaca asserigena is shown to be the correct name for what has been called C. assigena. A description is provided, and it is reported to have a unique anthraquinone not previously known within Teloschistaceae. A recent find from thin twigs of Helianthemum oelandicum on the Swedish island of Öland in the Baltic is reported and its ecology is summarized.

An electric field oscillating at a frequency similar to 1 Hz is found to induce strong modulation of the fluorescence intensity of single poly[2-methoxy,5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) molecules (M-W similar to 10(6)) embedded in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix. The MEH-PPV polymer chains are carefully isolated from the electrodes to avoid effects of injection. In a

BACKGROUND: The barrier properties of the gastrointestinal mucosa may be studied by measuring its permeability to different-sized marker molecules. Owing to difficulties in obtaining human tissue it is, however, often necessary to extrapolate findings from experimental animals to man. The aim of the present study was to compare regional intestinal mucosal permeability in man, the rat, and the pig,

A macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), originally described as a product of activated lymphocytes, has been defined as a 12 kDa protein, expressed in a wide variety of tissues. Here MIF is identified as a phenylpyruvate tautomerase (EC 5.3.2.1) having p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate and phenylpyruvate as its natural substrates. The definition of MIF as an enzyme may yield insight into the mechani

Finely wrought pieces of storytelling, pithy sayings and clever riddles constituting oral traditions often labelled “verbal art” abound in ancient texts. Yet while it has long been recognised that such traditions—folklore—can be found in the Homeric poems, it is less well known that they have also been incorporated into many other types of texts. This paper aims to offer a concise description of h

A method for determining the placement of x-ray absorption data into an experimental density of states for an adsorbate-semiconductor system is motivated and illustrated with the cases of bi-isonicotinic acid, isonicotinic acid, and benzoic acid on rutile TiO2(110). Special attention is paid to experimental aspects, as well as the role of Z+1 effects and the choice of reference level.

Strips from Graafian follicles of bovine ovaries were tested for their contractile response in vitro in order to characterize the type of post-junctional alpha-adrenoceptor involved. Electrically induced contractions were inhibited concentration-dependently by the alpha 1-antagonist, prazosin. Besides noradrenaline the alpha 1-selective agonists, methoxamine and phenylephrine, caused the strips to

A prospective study of posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis was conducted in Malmo, Sweden, in 1984-1985, in which donors were alanine aminotransferase (ALT) screened but not ALT selected. Among 741 patients studied at 0, 6, and 12 weeks after transfusion, 13 developed non-A, non-B hepatitis, and these were further followed up. Stored sera from the 13 hepatitis patients and their 123 donors were

Hypersecretion of glucagon contributes to the dysregulation of glucose homeostasis in diabetes. To clarify the underlying mechanism, glucose-regulated glucagon secretion was studied in mouse pancreatic islets and clonal hamster In-R1-G9 glucagon-releasing cells. Apart from the well-known inhibition of secretion with maximal effect around 7 mmol/l glucose, we discovered that mouse islets showed par

Femtosecond and nanosecond photolysis of CH2I2 in acetonitrile at an excitation wavelength of 266-nm yield the ground-state CH2I-I isomer product in similar to70% quantum yield. High isomer formation quantum yields (> 70%) were measured also in n-hexane, dichloromethane, methanol, and ethanol using nanosecond photolysis. The CH2I-I product is formed biphasically within similar to15 ps after excita

A dosimetry system based on radioluminescence (RL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) from carbon doped aluminium oxide (Al2O3:C) crystals was developed for in vivo absorbed dose measurements in mammography. A small cylindrical crystal of Al2O3:C (diameter 0.48 mm and length 2 mm) was coupled to the end of a 1 mm diameter optical fibre cable. Owing to their small size and characteristic s