Genetic susceptibility to PBC can, at least in part, be ascribed to the major histocompatibility complex. The relevance of immunogenetic markers for the clinical presentation and course, however, is unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of HLA class II genes to susceptibility, clinical presentation and course of disease in PBC patients. HLA genotyping for HLA-DRB

The significance of lipid rafts in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signaling in macrophages was studied through isolation of them by gradient centrifugation and subsequent visualization of signal molecules using antibodies. LPS signaling is initiated by binding to Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and the co-receptor CD-14, leading to activation of downstream targets, such as MAP kinases. In this study, we sho

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether different tests of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) reserve are influenced by diabetic state and metabolic control in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic patients. DESIGN AND METHODS: We evaluated the ACTH reserve in 10 patients with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes during periods of poor and improved metabolic control and in 10 healthy subjects. The ACTH-cortisol se

Most previous soft shadow algorithms have either suffered from aliasing, been too slow, or could only use a limited set of shadow casters and/or receivers. Therefore, we present a strengthened soft shadow volume algorithm that deals with these problems. Our critical improvements include robust penumbra wedge construction, geometry-based visibility computation, and also simplified computation throu

BACKGROUND: Oxygen free radicals (OFRs), platelet activating factor (PAF), cell adhesion molecules, and transmigration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes through the gut barrier are probably all essential in the development of gut barrier dysfunction following intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Pretreatment and early treatment of I/R with the OFRs-scavenger (NAC), the PAF inhibitor lexipafant

The time tau(n) of first passage from queue length x to queue lengthn > x in a many-server queue with both the arrival process and service intensities governed by a finite Markov process is considered. The mean and the Laplace transform are computed as solutions of systems of linear equations coming out by optional stopping of a martingale obtained as a stochastic integral of the exponential Wald

It has been suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) measurements should be made at multiple sites, and that the lowest T-score should be taken for the purpose of diagnosing osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to examine the use of BMD measurements at the femoral neck and lumbar spine alone and in combination for fracture prediction. We studied 19,071 individuals (68% women) from six prospect

The glandular kallikrein family is composed of structurally related serine proteases. Studies show that the mouse family encompasses at least 14 highly conserved functional genes, but of these only the tissue kallikarein has a human ortholog. In man, the tissue kallikrein display high sequence similarity with prostate specific antigen and human glandular kallikrein 2, suggesting that they evolved

Smooth muscle is a slow and economical muscle with a large variability in contractile properties. This review describes results regarding the relation between expression of myosin isoforms and the contraction of smooth muscle. The focus of the review is on studies of the organised contractile system in the smooth muscle tissue. The role of the myosin heavy chain variants formed by alternative spli

Experimental studies have revealed that both downstream and upstream pointing V-shaped ribs result in more heat transfer enhancement than transverse straight ribs in ducts. However, based on the available experimental results, contradiction exists whether the upstream or the downstream pointing V-shaped ribs orientation is superior for better enhancement in heat transfer. Further investigations ar

Objective. Pancreatic pseudocyst is a common complication of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and complications of different treatment regimens. Material and methods. All patients >= 15 years of age admitted to Lund University Hospital from 1994 to 2003 with pancreatic pseudocysts were analysed retrospectively. Pseudocysts were defined

We describe a laboratory exercise that is designed to give advanced undergraduate students in analytical chemistry a meaningful introduction to biological mass spectrometry. We ask the students to solve a mystery: given two proteins, what are they, and from which animals do they originate? This exercise involves use of two mass spectrometers available in our institution: a fairly basic matrix-assi

Objective. To compare leisure activities and associated factors in a group with recent onset RA and matched community-derived controls, to examine whether leisure activities are altered during the early years of disease and to seek predictors. Methods. One hundred and forty-seven consecutive persons with early RA were followed for 0.9-5.9 yr. One hundred and forty-four RA patients were compared cr