Objective. To analyze the Immoral immune response to Ro/SSA and La/SSB antigens in detail, in order to identify markers in mothers at high risk of having children with congenital heart block (CHB). Methods. Serum samples were obtained from 9 Ro/La-positive mothers who gave birth to affected children, from their 8 newborns with CHB, and from 26 Ro/La-positive mothers whose children were healthy. An

Prostaglandin (PG) E(2) (PGE(2)) plays a predominant role in promoting colorectal carcinogenesis. The biosynthesis of PGE(2) is accomplished by conversion of the cyclooxygenase (COX) product PGH(2) by several terminal prostaglandin E synthases (PGES). Among the known PGES isoforms, microsomal PGES type 1 (mPGES-1) and type 2 (mPGES-2) were found to be overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC); howe

BACKGROUND: Hepatoblastoma (HBT) is the most common hepatic neoplasm in children. This notwithstanding, little is known about pathogenetic factors, such as genetic abnormalities, of importance for the development and progression of this tumor type. To date, only 33 cytogenetically abnormal HBT have been published, and trisomies for chromosomes 2 and 20 have been shown to be the most frequent aberr

Humus samples were collected 12 growing seasons after the start of a simulated acid rain experiment situated in the subarctic environment. The acid rain was simulated with H2SO4, a combination of H2SO4 and HNO3, and HNO3 at two levels of moderate acidic loads close to the natural anthropogenic pollution levels of southern Scandinavia. The higher levels of acid applications resulted in acidificatio

Background Conflicting data have been published concerning the effect of calcium on binding of autoantibodies to tissue transglutaminase (tTG) in celiac disease (CD). Methods IgA-tTG and IgG-tTG were measured with radioligand binding assays (RBA) using human recombinant (hr) 35S-tTG produced in lysate of rabbit reticulocytes and with guinea pig (gp) tTG ELISA in 51 CD children (median: 5.7 years

Reducing energy use in buildings is essential to decrease the environmental impact. Outside Gothenburg in Sweden, 20 terrace houses were built according to the passive house standard and completed in 2001. The goal was to show that it is possible to build passive houses in a Scandinavian climate with very low energy use and to normal costs. The houses are the result of a project including research

A machine learning conceptual clustering method applied to reaction mechanisms provides an automatic and, hence, unbiased means to differentiate between reactive phases within a total reactive process. Similar reactive phases were defined by means of local reaction sensitivity values. The method was applied to the Hochgreb and Dryer aldehyde combustion mechanism of 36 reactions. Three major time r

A model, MAKEDEP, was developed for reconstructing historic atmospheric deposition and nutrient uptake for forests using present day values. Deposition is reconstructed by separation of wet deposition and throughfall into five different categories. Dry deposition is assumed to depend linearly on needle biomass. Non-marine deposition is scaled using general European emission and deposition trends f

The use of microspheres and nanospheres of poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) as a controlled-release drug delivery system has been the subject of great interest for at least two decades within the field of pharmaceuticals. Salts of zinc and other divalent cations are sometimes co-encapsulated in PLG particles to control the pH or to stabilize encapsulated proteins or peptides. Zinc salts are kn

Fleeing the horrors of an internal armed conflict constitutes a ground for subsidiary protection under the Qualification Directive and in the Swedish Aliens Act. However, what is to be defined as such a conflict is disputed. This is obvious within the European context from the inconsistent interpretations of for example the situation in Iraq amongst Member States. In Sweden, the Migration Court of

The aim of this prospective study of 100 consecutive patients with a proximal humerus fractures primarily was to investigate the prevalence and importance of poor health and comorbidity. Seventeen men and 83 women with a mean age of 73 years were involved together with 138 age and gender- matched controls. Twenty patients with a mean age of 81 years, were severely ill with a physical and/or mental

[3H]Leucine- and [35S]sulfate-labeled proteoheparan sulfates were isolated from postconfluent or proliferating cultures of human skin fibroblasts. Cell layers were solubilized by Triton X-100, and transferrin-binding macromolecules were isolated by affinity chromatography. Proteoglycans with no affinity for transferrin were purified by using ion-exchange and gel permeation chromatography. Postconf

Increased intraarticular hydrostatic pressure (Pia) may inhibit juxtaarticular muscle function, obstruct blood supply to joint structures and promote anoxic joint destruction in chronic arthritis. Joint capsular stiffness together with synovial fluid volume determines Pia at rest. Seventeen knee joints with effusive arthritis and different degrees of radiological cartilage involvement in 13 patien

The formation of complexes appearing in solutions containing oppositely charged polyelectrolytes has been investigated by Monte Carlo simulations using two different models. The polyions are described as flexible chains of 20 connected charged hard spheres immersed in a homogenous dielectric background representing water. The small ions are either explicitly included or their effect described by u