To study whether a culture medium that allows undisturbed culture supports human embryo development to the blastocyst stage equivalently to a well-established sequential media.

OBJECTIVE: Decades after an acute poliomyelitis infection many persons experience new symptoms or impairments which may affect their life satisfaction. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between life satisfaction and self-reported impairments in persons with late effects of polio. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and sixty-nine persons (104women and 65men) with prior p

The cadherin family of cell adhesion molecules mediates adhesive interactions that are required for the formation and maintenance of tissues. Previously, we demonstrated that N-cadherin, which is required for numerous morphogenetic processes, is expressed in the pancreatic epithelium at E9.5, but later becomes restricted to endocrine aggregates in mice. To study the role of N-cadherin during pancr

Pituitary dysfunction (PD) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been demonstrated in several studies. Given the similarities between psychological symptoms and reduced quality of life (QoL) in PD and fatigue commonly seen after SAH, we have investigated the relationship between QoL and PD after SAH.

To improve the sensitivity of antibody microarray assays, we developed ENSAM ( Europium Nanoparticles for Signal enhancement of Antibody Microarrays). ENSAM is based on two nanomaterials. The first is polystyrene nanoparticles incorporated with europium chelate (beta-diketone) and coated with streptavidin. The multiple fluorophores incorporated into each nanoparticle should increase signal obtaine

Objectives: To evaluate the treatment effect of prednisolone and/or valaciclovir in Bell's palsy patients with different baseline severity of palsy. Design: Patient data were collected from the Scandinavian Bell's Palsy Study, a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial. Setting: Sixteen otorhinolaryngological centres in Sweden and one in Finland. Particip

Background: A woman's refusal or request for a cesarean section can be a problem for midwives and obstetricians working in maternity units. The objective of this study was to describe the attitudes of midwives in Sweden toward the obstetrician's decision making in relation to a woman's refusal of an emergency cesarean section and to a woman's request for a cesarean section without a medical indica

BACKGROUND:: Exposure to second-hand smoke has been shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in several, but not all, epidemiologic studies. Our aim was to investigate the risk of circulatory death associated with exposure to second-hand smoke in never-smokers in a very large prospective study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. A secondary aim

BACKGROUND: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity has been shown to be expressed in local lymph nodes and induce immune suppression of tumor immunity. Here we analyze the effect of IDO expression on prostate tumor growth using the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) animal model. METHODS: Mice deficient in IDO expression were crossed to TRAMP mice and the time to the appearanc

The impacts of changes in ozone precursor emissions as well as climate change on the future ozone exposure of the vegetation in Europe were investigated. The ozone exposure is expressed as AOT40 (Accumulated exposure Over a Threshold of 40 ppbO3) as well as PODY (Phytotoxic Ozone Dose above a threshold Y). A new method is suggested to express how the length of the period during the year when conif

Severe infectious diseases remain a major and life-threatening health problem. In serious cases a systemic activation of the coagulation cascade and hypovolemic shock are critical complications that are associated with high mortality rates. Here we report that blood mononuclear cells, stimulated with M1 protein of Streptococcus pyogenes or other bacterial virulence factors, produce not only pro-co

Context: Sex steroid levels decrease with increasing age, but little is known whether this is of importance for the age-related decline in cognitive function. Design and Patients: A cross-sectional study of 50 (26 men) consecutive patients under primary evaluation of cognitive impairment (D group) and 18 (9 men) matched healthy controls (C group). Measurements: Sex steroid and precursor levels wer