PURPOSE: The objectives of this study are: (1) to investigate the dosimetric differences of the different treatment planning systems (TPS) in breast irradiation with tangential fields, and (2) to study the effect of beam characteristics on dose distributions in tangential breast irradiation with 6 MV linear accelerators from different manufacturers. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Nine commercial and two u

beta-Glucosidase genes of fungal origins were isolated and heterologously expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to enable growth on the disaccharide, cellobiose. To promote secretion of the beta-glucosidases, the genes were fused to the secretion signal of the Trichoderma reesei xyn2 gene and constitutively expressed from a multi-copy yeast expression vector under transcriptional control of the S.

To elucidate the possibility of utilizing protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms as target genes in neuroblastoma therapy, 5 neuroblastoma cell lines and neuroblastoma tumor specimens were examined for PKC isoform expression pattern and the cell lines were analyzed for sensitivity to PKC inhibition. All cell lines [IMR-32, LAN-2, LAN-5, SH-SY5Y and SK-N-BE(2)] expressed alpha, betaII, delta and epsilon i

Although it is generally acknowledged that housing is a major issue regarding health in old and very old age, most empirical research still tends to treat the role of the housing environment in a rather superficial manner. The cross-national project Enabling Autonomy, Participation, and Well-Being in Old Age: The Home Environment as a Determinant for Healthy Ageing (ENABLE-AGE) seeks to make a sub

To compare the efficacy and safety of transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) with ProstaLund Feedback Treatment, using the CoreTherm device, with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) 5 years after treatment. METHODS This prospective, randomized, multicenter study was conducted at 10 centers in the United States and Scandinavia. A total of 154 patients with benign prostatic hyperpla

Precipitation suppression due to an increase of aerosol number concentration in stratiform cloud is well-known. It is not certain whether the suppression applies for deep convection. Recent studies have suggested increasing precipitation from deep convection with increasing aerosols under some, but not all, conditions. Increasing precipitation with increasing aerosols can result from strong intera

Objective: to ascertain the significant factors that influence women to stop/not stop smoking during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Design: Twenty-four women were interviewed two-three years after delivery with regard to their smoking habits during and after pregnancy. The material was analysed based on a phenomenological approach in order to provide an accurate description of lived experienc

Hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy (HCCAA) is an autosomal dominant disorder in which a cysteine proteinase inhibitor, cystatin C, is deposited as amyloid fibrils in the cerebral arteries of patients and leads to massive brain haemorrhage and death in young adults. A full length cystatin C cDNA probe revealed a mutation in the codon for leucine at position 68 which abolishes an Alu I restric

The aim of the study was to examine the changes in attitudes towards mental illness after theoretical education and clinical placement among students from university programmes preparing for different kinds of health professions. Three different questionnaires were used, measuring the level of familiarity with mental illness and attitudes towards mental illness in general and towards specific ment

Palaeomagnetic data from the 337 Ma Mageroy dykes (northern Norway) are of exceptionally high quality, and a positive contact test along with an existing regional result from the Silurian Honningsvag Igneous Suite attests to a primary Early Carboniferous magnetic signature. The palaeomagnetic pole (S 14.8degrees, E320.1degrees, dp/dm = 4.4/8.6degrees) is the first Early Carboniferous pole from Bal

Humans utilise about 40% of the earth's net primary production (NPP) but the products of this NPP are often managed by different sectors, with timber and forest products managed by the forestry sector and food and fibre products from croplands and grasslands managed by the agricultural sector. Other significant anthropogenic impacts on the global carbon cycle include human utilization of fossil fu

Optimal performance of controllers and control loops is crucial for process economy, quality and safety in chemical plants. Industrial statistics show that often a significant percentage of them are performing sub-optimally at any given time. Effective real-time monitoring of control loops is a difficult task as there may be dozens of loops to monitor in a typical process. In addition, abnormal or

Background: Population-based prevalence studies suggest that psychosis is a continuum distributed in the general population. Aim: To assess the prevalence of delusional ideation in young healthy individuals in a low-income country setting (Uganda) and to investigate possible relevant background factors. Method: Interviews were conducted in a district capital and in three rural villages, using the

Previous research suggests that having schizophrenia involves not being fully equipped to engage in daily occupations. This study was aimed at exploring relationships between occupational engagement and the issues of self-related variables, psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life. Seventy-four outpatients with schizophrenia entered the study. Instruments used in this study were Profile of Occupa

Sixty-three patients with 66 transverse and short oblique fractures of the proximal shaft of the fifth metatarsal bone (Jones fracture) were evaluated an average of five years (range, one to ten years) after the injury. There were 27 acute fractures and 39 chronic, or stress, fractures. The primary treatment was surgical for one third of the injuries and nonsurgical for the others. Surgical treatm

Background - Immune responses against oxidized low- density lipoprotein ( LDL) play an important role in atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate if humoral immune response against specific oxidized LDL antigens, such as aldehyde- modified peptide sequences of apolipoprotein B- 100, reflects disease activity and structure of atherosclerotic plaques. Methods and Results - Plaques w