Search results

The role of percutaneous renal tumour biopsy (RTB) remains controversial due to uncertainties regarding its diagnostic accuracy and safety.

OBJECTIVEWe sought to assess the association between maternal gestational physical activity and insulin action and body composition in early infancy.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSAt 28-32 weeks, gestation, pregnant women participating in an observational study in Sweden underwent assessments of height, weight, and body composition, an oral glucose tolerance test, and 10 days of objective physical act

Although childhood high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated with a favorable outcome, 20% of patients still relapse. It is important to identify these patients already at diagnosis to ensure proper risk stratification. We have investigated 11 paired diagnostic and relapse samples with single nucleotide polymorphism array and mutation analyses of FLT3, KRAS, NRAS and PTPN11 in o

BACKGROUND: Cyclin A1 is a cell cycle regulator that has been implicated in the progression of prostate cancer. Its role in invasion and metastasis of this disease has not been characterized. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and cDNA microarray analyses were used to assess protein and mRNA expression of cyclin A1 and proteins with roles in metastasis, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEG

A series of gas sensing layers based on indium oxide doped with gold were prepared by using the aerosol technology for deposition as the active contact layer in a metal oxide semiconductor capacitive device. The interaction between the measured species and the insulator surface was quantified as the voltage changes at a constant capacitance of the device. The sensor properties were investigated in

Increased cancer risk has been reported among workers in the rubber manufacturing industry employed before the 1960s. It is unclear whether risk remains increased among workers hired subsequently. The present study focused on risk of cancer mortality for rubber workers first employed since 1975 in 64 factories.

Multiple myeloma is a malignancy of plasma cells predominantly located in the bone marrow. A number of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) induce apoptosis in myeloma cells in vitro, and with this study we add BMP-9 to the list. BMP-9 has been found in human serum at concentrations that inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro. We here show that the level of BMP-9 in serum was elevated in myeloma patien

Background: In a previous study, we observed that oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced death of endothelial cells was calpain-1-dependent. The purpose of the present paper was to study the possible activation of calpain in human carotid plaques, and to compare calpain activity in the plaques from symptomatic patients with those obtained from patients without symptoms. Methods: Human atheroscle

Early gastric cancer (EGC) is defined as a carcinoma limited to the mucosa or mucosa and submucosa, irrespective of whether metastasis to lymph nodes has occurred. EGC presents a much more favorable prognosis than advanced gastric carcinoma (AGC), with a 5-year survival rate between 88% and 96% for EGC versus 45% to 50% for AGC. Moreover, some gastric cancers appear as a more or less extended EGC

Human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein hCAP18/LL-37 is an effector molecule of the nonspecific innate immune system. hCAP18/LL-37 is present in leukocytes and is expressed in skin and other epithelia, where it is upregulated in association with inflammation and injury. In addition, antimicrobial proteins including cathelicidins have been proposed to play a role in the nonspecific defense against

A group of international experts met in May 2006 to develop clinical guidelines on the practical application of vacuum assisted closure (V.A.C.)+ therapy in deep sternal wound infections. Group discussion and an anonymous interactive voting system were used to develop content. The recommendations are based on current evidence or, where this was not available, the majority consensus of the internat

Excessive secretion of glucagon is a major contributor to the development of diabetic hyperglycemia. Secretion of glucagon is regulated by various nutrients, with glucose being a primary determinant of the rate of alpha cell glucagon secretion. The intra-islet action of insulin is essential to exert the effect of glucose on the alpha cells since, in the absence of insulin, glucose is not able to s

This paper describes the characterisation of an ultra-thin silicon semicondoctor Delta E detector to be used as a pre-cell ion hit detector in single ion experiments on individual, living cells. The characteristics of interest for this specific application are the hit detection efficiency, which has to be close to 100% to enable bombardment with either a single ion or a counted number of ions, the

Hybridisation is increasingly recognised as an important cause of diversification and adaptation. Here, we show how divergence in male secondary sexual characters between two lineages of the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) gives rise to strong asymmetries in male competitive ability and mating success, resulting in asymmetric hybridisation upon secondary contact. Combined with no negative ef

We investigated the relationship between nitric oxide (NO) and Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA) in the gill of anadromous Atlantic salmon. Cells containing NO-producing enzymes were revealed by means of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) immunocytochemistry and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPHd) histochernistry, which can be used as an indicator of NOS activity, i.e. NO production. Antibo

Plant growth forms are widely used to predict the effects of environmental changes, such as climate warming and increased nitrogen deposition, on plant communities, and the consequences of species shifts for carbon and nutrient cycling. We investigated whether the relationship between growth forms and patterns in litter quality and decomposition are independent of environmental conditions and whet

The glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-family of neurotrophic factors consisted until recently of three members, GDNF, neurturin, and persephin. We describe here the cloning of a new GDNF-family member, neublastin (NBN), identical to artemin (ART), recently published (Baloh et al., 1998). Addition of NBN/ART to cultures of fetal mesencephalic dopamine (DA) neurons increased the num

A new superdeformed rotational band has been observed in Er-154 using the Euroball Ge detector array. The new band and the one previously observed can be understood as based on coexisting superdeformed structures at prolate and triaxial shapes, respectively. The observation resolves long-standing difficulties in the theoretical interpretation of superdeformed states in Er-154.