Estrogen exerts vasculoprotective effects in different experimental settings through inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, stimulation of nitric oxide production and attenuation of inflammation. Although these estrogen-evoked beneficial effects have been attributed to estrogen receptor α (ERα), also ERβ and the novel ER GPR30/GPER1 probably play significant roles in vascular est

It has been argued that the study of child L2 development can inform different maturational accounts of language acquisition. One such specific proposal was put forward by Meisel (2008) arguing for a cut-off point for (2)L1 type of development at 3-4 years. The paper analyses the longitudinal development of object clitics in child L2 French (L1 Swedish) and compares the developmental sequence in c

Objective: it is not known how acupuncture is used in midwifery care in Sweden and what kind of requirements health-care providers have for midwives and acupuncture training programmes. The aims of this study were to survey indications for the use of acupuncture in midwifery care in Sweden, and to examine the criteria and requirements used for purchase of acupuncture education programmes. Design:

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about the social and economical determinants of prescription is relevant in health care systems like the Swedish one, which is based on the principle of equity, and which aims to allocate resources on the basis of need and not on criteria that are based on social constructs. We therefore investigated the association between patient and health care practice (HCP) characteristi

Cancer in children and adolescents is rare and biologically very different from cancer in adults. It accounts for 1.4% of all cancers worldwide, although this proportion ranges from 0.5% in Europe to 4.8% in Africa, largely because of differences in age composition and life expectancy. In high-income countries, survival from childhood cancer has reached 80% through a continuous focus on the integr

BACKGROUND: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements are helpful in managing patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and testing the cerebrovascular reactivity to CO(2) provides information about injury severity and outcome. The complexity and potential hazard of performing CBF measurements limits routine clinical use. An alternative approach is to measure the CBF velocity using bedside, non-in

PURPOSE. Alzheimer disease (AD) and age-related ocular diseases are characterized by inflammation and accumulation of insoluble proteins. We aimed to investigate the detectability and clinical relevance of a panel of AD-related markers, such as Alzheimer peptides and chemokines, in the aqueous humor (AH) samples taken from patients with cataract only, or cataract and 1 other ocular disease. METHOD

Polymeric anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) are critical components for alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs) which offer several attractive advantages including the use of platinum-free catalysts and a wide choice of fuel. The development of AMFCs and other electrochemical energy systems is currently severely limited by the lack of AEMs with sufficient alkaline stability. Still, significant advances

Population-based data on hospital procedure volume and outcome of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are limited.

BACKGROUND:: Childhood immunology has been suggested to play a role in development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) based on the studies of childhood vaccinations, infections, and treatment with antibiotics. Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and smallpox vaccinations were gradually phased-out in Denmark for children born between 1965 and 1976, hence allowing the study of subsequent risk of Crohn's

Modeling of loads on a vehicle through Laplace moving averages is extended to the multivariate setting and efficient methods of computing the damage indexes are discussed. Multivariate Laplace moving averages are used as statistical models of multi-axial loads represented by forces and moments measured at some locations of a cultivator. As opposed to models based on the Gaussian distribution, thes

The population of 102Zr following the β decay of 102Y produced in the projectile fission of 238U at the GSI facility in Darmstadt, Germany has been studied. 102Y is known to ß decay into 102Zr via two states, one of high spin and the other low spin. These states preferentially populate different levels in the 102Zr daughter. In this paper the intensities of transitions in 102Zr observed are compar

Randomised control trials (RCTs) do not always reflect real-life outcomes for glucose-lowering drugs. In this work we compared RCT and real-life data on the efficacy of the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-4) inhibitor vildagliptin or sulfonylureas when added to metformin.

The arterial spin-labeling method for CBF assessment is widely available, but its accuracy is not fully established. We investigated the accuracy of a whole-brain arterial spin-labeling technique for assessing the mean parenchymal CBF and the effect of aging in healthy volunteers. Phase-contrast MR imaging was used as the reference method.

Abnormal serum sodium concentrations are common in patients presenting for surgery. It remains unclear whether these abnormalities are independent risk factors for postoperative mortality.

We have implemented a visualization tool for the demonstration of a nonideal Carnot engine, operating at finite time.The cycle time can be varied using a slide bar and the pressure-volume, temperature-entropy, power-time, and efficiency-time diagrams change interactively and are shown on one screen.We have evaluated the visualization tool among engineering students at university level during an in

This paper aims to assess the spatial variability in the response of CO2 exchange to irradiance across the Arctic tundra during peak season using light response curve (LRC) parameters. This investigation allows us to better understand the future response of Arctic tundra under climatic change. Peak season data were collected during different years (between 1998 and 2010) using the micrometeorologi