The hypothesis that chronic and long-term experience of 'social defeat' may increase the risk for schizophrenia is proposed. This increased risk may result from sensitisation of the mesolimbic dopamine system and/or increased baseline activity of this system. Data supporting the social defeat hypothesis are presented.

To minimize radiation damage, crystal structures of biological macromolecules are usually determined after rapid cooling to cryogenic temperatures, some 150-200 K below the normal physiological range, The biological relevance of such structures relies on the assumption that flash-cooling is sufficiently fast to kinetically trap the macromolecule and associated solvent in a room-temperature equilib

In experiments, the feasibility was demonstrated of generating multi-MeV electrons in a form of a collimated beam utilizing a table-top laser system delivering 200 fs pulses with P-L=1.2 TW and 10 Hz capability. The method uses the process of relativistic self-channeling in a high-density gas jet producing electron densities in the range of 3x10(19)-6x10(20) cm(-3). In a thorough investigation, an

The aim was to investigate how blueberry husks and/or mixtures of probiotic strains (Lactobacillus crispatus DSM16743, L. gasseri DSM16737 and L. plantarum DSM15313 (LABmix), or Bifidobacterium infantis DSM15159 and DSM15161 (BIFmix)) affect colonic fermentation, caecal counts of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, body weight gain, and blood concentrations of carboxylic acids (CA

The Tyranny of Small Steps (TYST) behaviour has been investigated. Explained through a systemic perspective, the behaviour TYST is an unwanted change to a system through a series of small activities that may be independent from one another. These activities are small enough not to be detected by the 'surveillance' within the system, but significant enough to encroach upon the 'tolerance zone' of t

Research in the field of erectile function and dysfunction has continued to expand rapidly. Based on the information available, some directions for future erectile dysfunction therapies can be identified. The first direction is improvement of current therapeutic principles. A second generation of orally active phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors is being introduced, and further developments within

Introduction: Coagulation activation may be related to complications during surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm. The complex formed between activated protein C (APC) and the serpin, protein C inhibitor (PCI), is a sensitive indicator of the activation of blood coagulation. The purpose of the study was to establish whether the APC-PCI complex can provide information useful for the assessment of o

In this paper we are focusing on the practical, engineering way of evaluating and characterizing the multi-channel antenna solutions on the mobile terminal. Two methods of calculating the parameters, describing the diversity performance, are described and the practical use of the methods in simulations and measurements are presented and evaluated. The time saving aspect of using the scattering par

Uptake of P(P-32) and Ca(Ca-45) by seedlings of Picea abies (L.) Karst and Betula pendula Roth, non-mycorrhizal or mycorrhizal with Paxillus involutus (Batsch: Fr) Fr. was studied. Seedlings were grown in unamended peat (pH 4.0) or in peat limed (CaO) to pH 5.1 or 6.1. A double-labelled (P-32 and Ca-45) complete nutrient solution was added to the peat 7 wk after planting. An 8 d period was allowed

To prospectively study the prevalence of Lyme arthritis, 100 consecutive patients referred to a rheumatology out-patient clinic and 115 patients with a classified rheumatological disease were included. Individuals seropositive for antibody against the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex were examined for clinical signs or a history of Lyme borreliosis. Positive titres against B. burgdorferi s.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) constitute a very appealing avenue to parallel sensors of a multitude of small target molecules due to their stability, relative ease of preparation, and their ability to recognize targets for which natural capture molecules do not exist. The authors present here a way of arraying MIP structures with micrometer dimensions, using nanofountain pen, and demonstra

Droplet sizes of oil/water (O/W) nanoemulsions prepared by the phase inversion temperature (PIT) method, in the water/C16E6/mineral oil system, have been compared with those given by a theoretical droplet model, which predicts a minimum droplet size. The results show that, when the phase inversion was started from either a single-phase microemulsion (D) or a two-phase W+D equilibrium, the resultin

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a parasellar tumour that, although benign, tends to behave aggressively. It can occur at any age but most commonly presents in childhood or adolescence. Objectives: to investigate the frequency and severity of problems associated with craniopharyngioma, using the large international database (KIMS) for adult patients with GH deficiency (GHD), and to assess the diff

Exhaled nitric oxide is a potential marker of lower airway inflammation. Allergic rhinitis is associated with asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. To determine whether or not nasal and exhaled NO concentrations are increased in allergic rhinitis and to assess the relation between hyperresponsiveness and exhaled NO, 46 rhinitic and 12 control subjects, all nonasthmatic nonsmokers without upper

Lundblad A-M, Hansson K. Relational problems and psychiatric symptoms in couple therapyInt J Soc Welfare 2005: 14: 256 -264 c Blackwell Publishing, 2005.This article describes couples attending family counselling in Sweden. The study group is compared with clinical groups and non-clinical groups. Self-rating instruments were com-pleted by 317 women and 312 men to evaluate the following: marital sa