We measured lung density by means of x-ray computed tomography and lung mechanics in 33 workers exposed to asbestos cement and in 39 normal subjects. The exposed group showed evidence of lung fibrosis with reduced static lung volumes and lung compliance, although only three subjects had signs of interstitial fibrosis at standard chest radiography. Lung density was significantly increased in the ex

Purpose: To compare the volume rendering technique (VRT) with maximum intensity projection (MIP) for aortic diameter measurements in MR angiography (MRA) data sets. Material and Methods: Existing contrast-enhanced 3-dimensional MRA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) data sets from 20 patients were analyzed. In each MRA data set, two aortic diameters were measured using MIP and VRT. Agreemen

In this work we present evidence for a novel diffusible extracellular factor that modulates gene expression in Bacillus subtilis. The factor was found when studying the regulation of the fatR-cyp102A3 operon. In a Spo0A(-) mutant expression of the fatR-cyp102A3 operon was almost abolished. The fatR-cyp102A3 expression defect of a Spo0A(-) mutant could be overcome either by a mutation in the abrB g

The development of antioxidant enzymes in rat brain and reaggregation cultures of fetal brain cells was studied from embryonic day 15 to postnatal day 45. Both in vivo and in culture, the copper-zinc superoxide dismutase activity first increased and then decreased with age, whereas the manganese superoxide dismutase activity increased throughout the period. Catalase showed a maximum activity at da

The application of time-resolved fluorescence methods to study the aggregation behavior in aqueous solution of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) in presence of trivalent counterions (Al3+) was investigated. Addition of small amounts of aluminum salt to dilute micellar solutions (< 10 wt.% SDS) resulted in isotropic fluid solutions, but for a molar ratio [SDS]/[Al(NO3)(3)] lower than

Glutathione peroxidase activity (GSHPx), total and soluble selenium in two muscles from five species were compared (chicken, duck, turkey, ostrich and lamb). The highest GSHPx activity, found in duck muscles (4.8 U/g; 3.0 U/g), was significantly higher than that in lamb (1.8 U/g; 1.4 U/g), turkey (1.2 U/g; 0.6 U/g), chicken (1.0 U/g; 0.7 U/g), and ostrich muscles (0.9 U/g; 0.8 U/g). GSHPx activiti

Aims. To investigate the astrometric effects of stellar surface structures as a practical limitation to ultra-high-precision astrometry (e.g. in the context of exoplanet searches) and to quantify the expected effects in different regions of the HR-diagram. Methods. Stellar surface structures (spots, plages, granulation, non-radial oscillations) are likely to produce fluctuations in the integrated

A short text on Herman Wirth, an esoteric nazi, with the focus on his period in Sweden 1948-53 (which builds on my own research)

This thesis deals with certain aspects in the design of wireless communications systems. It is focused on problems related to the mobile or wireless channel: synchronization, channel estimation and design of wireless orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) systems. There is a short introduction to the field of wireless systems and a deeper review of pervious work and the state of the art in

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Developing care for older people in the last phase of life requires knowledge about the type and extent of care and factors associated with the place of death. The aim of this study was to examine age, living conditions, dependency, care and service among old people during their last year of life, but also their place of death and factors predicting it. METHODS: The sample (n=

Status of three natural groups of xanthorioid lichens (Teloschistaceae), namely Xanthomendoza ulophyllodes, Xanthoria elegans and Teloschistes villosus groups is revised. Their status is elevated to the generic level. They are segregated from other hitherto accepted groups, namely Oxneria (with type species Oxneria alfredii (S. Kondr. & Poelt) S. Kondratyuk & Karnefelt) from Xanthomendoza,

A large number of rachopharmaceuticals labelled with C-11 (half-time 0.340 h) are being developed for positron emission tomographic studies of different types of receptor in the human brain. For most of these agents, the available biokinetic data are insufficient to construct realistic compound-specific biokinetic models for calculating the internal radiation dose delivered to persons undergoing i

Patients receiving oral anticoagulant treatment have abnormally low levels of functional vitamin K-dependent coagulation proteins and consequently a clear risk of hemorrhagic complications. The incidence of hemorrhages has been reported to be around 0.6-0.7% per month at a therapeutic International Normalized Ratio (INR) and the incidence of major hemorrhagic events is substantial. Therefore, the

Background: Insulin is a therapeutic protein that is widely used for the treatment of diabetes. Its biological function was discovered more than 80 years ago and it has since then been characterized extensively. Crystallization of the insulin molecule has always been a key activity since the protein is often administered by subcutaneous injections of crystalline insulin formulations. Over the year