Human embryonic stem cells offer a potential unlimited supply for functional hepatocytes, since they can differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells displaying a characteristic hepatic morphology and expressing various hepatic markers. These cells could be used in various applications such as studies of drug metabolism and hepatotoxicity, which however, would require a significant expression of drug

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate how adult patients experience and cope with the anesthesia induction period, that is, before and during total intravenous induction. Design: Grounded theory, based on the Charmaz framework, was used to explore what it is that characterizes patients' thoughts and feelings in this situation and how they handle the time period up to loss of consciousn

Background In ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), distal embolization of thrombus material often precludes restoration of normal coronary artery flow. Small-scaled studies have demonstrated that intracoronary thrombus aspiration improves flow and myocardial perfusion, but only one larger randomized single-center study has suggested a survival benefit. Thrombus aspiration is widely used in

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. The pathogenesis of AD involves skin barrier defects and dysregulation of innate and adaptive immunity. Some environmental factors such as stress, infections, and allergens are associated with aggravation of AD. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between skin barrier function, skin colonization of Staphylococcus a

Myoglobin (Mb) binds diatomic ligands, like O2, CO, and NO, in a cavity that is only transiently accessible. Crystallography and molecular simulations show that the ligands can migrate through an extensive network of transiently connected cavities but disagree on the locations and occupancy of internal hydration sites. Here, we use water (2)H and (17)O magnetic relaxation dispersion (MRD) to chara

PURPOSE: Systemic peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) respond poorly to conventional therapy. To evaluate the efficacy of a dose-dense approach consolidated by upfront high-dose chemotherapy (HDT) and autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in PTCL, the Nordic Lymphoma Group (NLG) conducted a large prospective phase II study in untreated systemic PTCL. This is the final report, with a 5-year m

In this paper, we consider 3D wave-packet transform that is useful in 3D data processing. This transform is computationally intensive even though it has a computational complexity of O(N3 log N). Here we present its implementation on GPUs using NVIDIA CUDA technology. The code was tested on different types of graphical processors achieving the average speedup up to 46 times on Tesla M2050 compared

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with a poor prognosis and predicting outcome is complex with neurophysiological testing and repeated clinical neurological examinations as key components of the assessment. In this study we examine the association between different electroencephalography (EEG) patterns and mortality in a clinical cohort of OHCA-patients.

Objective: Whether distal inflammation in asthmatics also leads to structural changes in the alveolar parenchyma remains poorly examined, especially in patients with uncontrolled asthma. We hypothesized that patients who do not respond to conventional inhaled corticosteroid therapy have a distinct tissue composition, not only in central, but also in distal lung. Methods: Bronchial and transbronchi

A new vessel for simultaneous isothermal calorimetry and respirometry (calorespirometry) on terrestrial (non-aqueous) samples has been developed. All types of small (

To investigate the effects of a home-based one-year case management intervention in older people with functional dependency and repeated contact with the healthcare services on self-reported falls and self-reported injurious fall.

While the international community debates the desirability and possible content of a new global instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, alternative approaches to improving the application and implementation of existing agreements for the protection of biodiversity appear to have fallen off the agenda. Recent practice under e

The Fontan procedure has improved survival in children with functionally univentricular hearts. With time, however, complications such as reduced exercise capacity are seen more frequently. Exercise intolerance is multifactorial, but pulmonary vascular resistance probably plays a crucial role. Elevated pulmonary vascular resistance has been associated with raised levels of endothelin-1, which are

We report on the first in situ synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction study (SR-PXD) of the ammonolysis reaction of selected alkaline and alkaline earth metal hydrides (i.e., LiH, NaH, KH, MgH2, and CaH2). The investigation was performed using an in situ SR-PXD pressure cell at an initial NH3 pressure of 6.5 bar in a range of temperature between room temperature (RT) and 350 degrees C. The

In this study, a new cell immobilization technique is presented. Cells of Clostridium acetobutylicum DSM 792 form a macroporous aggregate through cryogelation with concomitant crosslinking together with activated polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The cell based cryogel presents a highly porous, elastic structure with walls consisting of densely packed crosslinked cells. The im

Objective: Radiographic damage is an important outcome in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The disease course varies considerably, and there is a need for simple and reliable prognostic markers. The aim of the study was to determine the utility of early signs of extra-articular disease, manifested as rheumatoid nodules (RN), in predicting radiographic outcome. Methods: In a cohort (n = 1589) of consecut

Results are presented on the production of jets of particles in association with a Z/gamma* boson, in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector. The analysis includes the full 2010 data set, collected with a low rate of multiple proton-proton collisions in the accelerator, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb(-1). Inclusive jet cross sections in Z/gamma* even

The role of endogenous androgens and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in ovarian carcinogenesis is poorly understood. Epithelial invasive ovarian cancer (EOC) is a heterogeneous disease and there are no prospective data on endogenous androgens and EOC risk by tumor characteristics (histology, grade, stage) or the dualistic model of ovarian carcinogenesis (i.e. type I vs. type II, leading to les