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Background: Based on the anti-adhesive/anti-aggregatory and permeability-reducing properties of activated protein C (APC) and prostacyclin (PGI(2)), we analysed and compared these substances regarding their efficacy in counteracting transcapillary leakage of albumin in the lung and the gut, and in improving arterial oxygenation under a condition of inflammation. Methods: The randomized and blinded

The optical enhancement and losses of microcrystalline thin-film silicon solar cells with periodic pyramid textures were investigated. Using a finite difference time domain algorithm, the optical wave propagation in the solar cell structure was calculated by rigorously solving the Maxwell’s equations. The influence of the profile dimensions (the period and height of the pyramid) and solar cell thi

Viral vector-mediated gene transfer utilizing adeno-associated viral vectors has recently entered clinical testing as a novel tool for delivery of therapeutic agents to the brain. Clinical trials in Parkinson's disease using adeno-associated viral vector-based gene therapy have shown the safety of the approach. Further efforts in this area will show if gene-based approaches can rival the therapeut

It is uncertain whether the incidence of stroke is increased in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and whether COPD is associated with all subtypes of stroke (i.e. ischemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage and subarachnoid haemorrhage). We evaluated the association between COPD and incidence of stroke in a nation-wide cohort study. All individuals between 40 and 84 years

In this longitudinal prospective study, 2 groups of children, 39 preterms and 23 fullterms, were followed up regarding the mother-child relationship at 9 and 19 years of age. Information was obtained from both the children and their mothers. A self-report scale was utilized for the assessment of the conscious attachment model, and percept-genetic tests displaying pictorial mother-child themes were

Summary. There has been increasing interest in the patient's perspective on outcome of treatment. The Haemophilia Activity List (HAL) has been developed as a disease-specific questionnaire for haemophilia patients and is a validated self-report measure of function developed according to WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. To validate HAL in Sweden. The Dutch a

Explicit and semi-implicit finite-difference schemes approximating nonhomogeneous scalar conservation laws are analyzed. Optimal error bounds independent of the stiffness of the underlying equation are presented.

Information about genetic variation has been collected for some 20 years into registries, known as locus specific databases (LSDBs), which nowadays often contain information in addition to the actual genetic variation. Several issues have to be taken into account when considering establishing and maintaining LSDBs and these have been discussed previously in a number of articles describing guidelin

Cardiovascular disease is multidimensional and new ideas are needed to develop the conventional risk factor paradigm that has been based on the Framingham Heart Study since more than 30 years. Traditional risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, hyperlipidemia and diabetes can only explain about 50% of the distribution of coronary heart disease whereas the inclusion of new risk markers or prote

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a naturally occurring inhibitor of the pro-inflammatory interleukin-1-mediated activation of the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R). Although wild-type IL-1Ra is used for treatment of inflammatory diseases, its effect is moderate and/or short-lived. The objective of this study was to generate IL-1Ra mutants with enhanced antagonistic activity for potential

Psychosocial stress in adulthood is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, possibly mediated by behavioural and physiological factors. However, it is unknown whether low stress resilience earlier in life is related to subsequent development of type 2 diabetes. We examined whether low stress resilience in late adolescence is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in adultho

It has often been recognized that a discrepancy exists during the clinical consultation between the chronological age of a patient on the one hand with the signs and symptoms of biological age that can be recorded on the other hand. In cardiovascular medicine this is obvious when a heavy smoker presents with features of early biological aging, for example skin appearance and impaired lung function

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) constitutes a worldwide epidemic burst accounting for billions of cardiovascular disease events and deaths. The genetic basis of MetS is largely unknown. The rs11646213 T → A polymorphism maps at 16q23.3 upstream of the CDH13 gene codifying for cadherin-13 (also known as T-cadherin or H-cadherin), which is considered a vascular adiponectin receptor. This and other single-

OBJECTIVES: the purpose of this study was to assess the predictive accuracy of conventional cardiovascular risk factors for incident heart failure and atrial fibrillation, and the added benefit of multiple biomarkers reflecting diverse pathophysiological pathways. BACKGROUND: heart failure and atrial fibrillation are interrelated cardiac diseases associated with substantial morbidity and mortality

TCF7L2 harbors the variant with the strongest effect on type 2 diabetes (T2D) identified to date, yet the molecular mechanism as to how variation in the gene increases the risk for developing T2D remains elusive. The phenotypic changes associated with the risk genotype suggest that T2D arises as a consequence of reduced islet mass and/or impaired function, and it has become clear that TCF7L2 plays

When a society plans the upbringing and education of its members, irrespective of age and level, one absolute requirement must be that it develops their ability of self-determination. A psycho-ecological approach to a study of the individual’s self-cognition (perception and evaluation) and self-determination (i.e. development of plans of action) focuses on the mutual relations existing between the