Bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine with asthma-like symptoms ("ski asthma") is frequent in elite cross-country skiers. To further the understanding of "ski asthma", 10 nonasthmatic, nonatopic controls and 30 adolescent elite skiers were investigated by bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Nine skiers were atopic without allergy symptoms. Compared with controls, the macroscopic

Adverse and analgesic effects of acupuncture during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were studied retrospectively in an observational study including 167 consecutive patients with lower back pain, pelvic pain, or both. In each patient acupuncture was given on at least two different occasions by three manual stimulations of two or more acupuncture or tender points, mainly LR-3 and LI-4

Appropriate neurogenesis and patterning of the forebrain requires the transcription factor Pax6, yet it is largely unknown how Pax6 exerts its effects at the molecular level. To characterize Pax6-mediated regulation of gene expression during murine forebrain neurogenesis, we performed microarray analysis with tissue from the dorsal Pax6-dependent telencephalon and the ventral Pax6-negative telence

Patients with chronic hepatic encephalopathy often display altered diurnal rhythm as well as other affective disturbances which motivate treatment with antidepressants. We investigated the effects of sustained treatment with citalopram (10 mg/kg daily, 10 days) on 24-hr behavioural open-field activities in portacaval-shunted (PCS) rats and sham-operated control rats. In addition, the daytime and n

Assessment of emphysema-modifying therapy is difficult, but newer outcome measures offer advantages over traditional methods. The EXAcerbations and Computed Tomography scan as Lung End-points (EXACTLE) trial explored the use of computed tomography (CT) densitometry and exacerbations for the assessment of the therapeutic effect of augmentation therapy in subjects with alpha(1)-antitrypsin (alpha(1)

To estimate the burden of disease due to congenital toxoplasmosis in Sweden the incidence of primary infections during pregnancy and birth prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis in 40978 children born in two regions in Sweden was determined. Women possibly infected during pregnancy were identi®ed based on: 1, detection of speci®c IgG based on neonatal screening of the phenylketonuria (PKU) card bl

Background The importance of needs assessment for service development has been widely recognised. Several studies have focused on the associations between ratings of needs by patients and staff and have found clear differences, especially concerning the unmet needs. Methods The present study is part of a Nordic Multicentre study that investigates the life and care of outpatients with a schizophren

In this essay we discuss effects of growing interdependence and internationalization upon national political institutions. More exactly we address the question of how these processes are reflected in matters handled by the Standing Committees of the Swedish Parliament. Generally speaking, the proportion of international issues has increased continuously during the 1970s and the early 1980s. The in

Background Patients with severe chronic hand eczema (CHE) refractory to topical corticosteroids currently have limited treatment options suited for chronic use, and few controlled clinical studies have investigated new therapies in this setting. Objectives To assess the efficacy and safety of oral alitretinoin (9-cis retinoic acid) taken at 10 mg or 30 mg once daily for up to 24 weeks, compared wi

Background Dietary fibre is thought to protect against colorectal cancer but this view has been challenged by recent prospective and intervention studies that showed no protective effect. Methods We prospectively examined the association between dietary fibre intake and incidence of colorectal cancer in 519 978 individuals aged 25-70 years taking part in the EPIC study, recruited from ten European

BdbD is a thiol: disulfide oxidoreductase (TDOR) from Bacillus subtilis that functions to introduce disulfide bonds in substrate proteins/peptides on the outside of the cytoplasmic membrane and, as such, plays a key role in disulfide bond management. Here we demonstrate that the protein is membrane-associated in B. subtilis and present the crystal structure of the soluble part of the protein lacki

We reviewed nine patients at a mean period of 11 years ( 6 to 16) after curettage and cementing of a giant-cell tumour around the knee to determine if there were any long-term adverse effects on the cartilage. Plain radiography, MRI, delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the cartilage and measurement of the serum level of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein were carried out. The functional outcome wa

When a limiting resource (e.g. food) varies drastically between years, and population density is measured in the conventional way as individuals per area, demographic processes such as productivity and survival may erroneously be considered density-independent. We tested the hypothesis that if the variation in a limiting resource is not taken into account in the density measure, this may lead to e

The interaction between beta-cyclodextrin (CD) and gemini surfactant of the type alkyl-alpha,omega-bis(dodecyldimethyl-ammonium bromide) with different spacer lengths of 2, 8, and 10 carbons has been investigated by means of electric conductivity (EC) and proton self-diffusion NMR at 298 K. The formation of a 2: 1 (CD: gemini) complex in a two-step mechanism is observed with the first association

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in a mouse model (C57/BL6) to investigate the antioxidant status of animals at various clinical stages of the disease. For this purpose, blood, brain and spinal cord samples from EAE mice were collected and examined at different scores following post-immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). The clinical sign of mobilit