Objective. To investigate whether sera or purified IgG from patients with polymyositis (PM) and patients with dermatomyositis (DM), with or without interstitial lung disease (ILD), can activate endothelial cells (ECs). Methods. Patients' sera were selected based on the presence or absence of anti-Jo-1, anti-SSA, or anti-U1 small nuclear RNP autoantibodies. The presence of autoantibodies was determ

We examine an effectively attractive quasi-one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms confined in a rotating toroidal trap, as the magnitude of the coupling constant and the rotational frequency are varied. Using both a variational mean-field approach, as well as a diagonalization technique, we identify the phase diagram between a uniform and a localized state and we describe the system in

The native bee fauna provides an important ecosystem function, but a large proportion of this fauna in Europe is threatened as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. The solitary bee Andrena hattorfiana is specialised on collecting pollen from the plant-family Dipsacaceae. In northern Europe the major pollen resource is the insect-pollinated herb Knautia arvensis. We quantified the available

Edge diffraction call be a major source of high radar visibility for integrated array antennas. In this paper, it is shown that tapered resistive sheets at the edges of the array can be used to transform the scattering properties of the antenna to that of a metallic plate and hence reduce the radar cross section. Numerical examples of kill array of self-complementary patches and a, bandpass freque

Adenoviral vector-mediated treatment is a potential therapy for tumors of the central nervous system. To obtain a significant therapeutic effect by adenoviral vectors, a sufficient infection is required, the power of which depends predominantly on the level of Coxsackie adenovirus receptors. We stained surgical biopsies of central nervous system tumors and neuroblastomas for Coxsackie adenovirus r

This article investigates the importance of using draft curtains to obtain faster sprinkler activation with three different models-two computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models (CFX 4.4 and fire dynamics simulator (FDS) 4.07) and a zone model (Argos) containing a ceiling-jet formula - for an actual scenario in an entertainment center in Denmark. It is found that a draft curtain has some effect on

The present study sets out to investigate the sensitivity of water availability to climate change for a large western Himalayan river (the Satluj River basin with an area of 22 275 km(2) and elevation range of 500 to 7000 m), which receives contributions from rain, snow and glacier melt runoff. About 65% of the basin area is covered with snow during winter, which reduces to about 11% after the abl

Loss of immune function and an increased incidence of myeloid leukemia are two of the most clinically significant consequences of aging of the hematopoietic system. To better understand the mechanisms underlying hematopoietic aging, we evaluated the cell intrinsic functional and molecular properties of highly purified long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) from young and old mice. We found t

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a novel antimuscarinic agent, Lu 25-109, a partial M1 receptor agonist, and M2/M3 receptor antagonist in human and pig detrusor to establish its affinity for muscarinic receptors in human detrusor and parotid gland and to compare the results with those obtained with oxybutynin. Effects on the detrusor were determined as regards the ability to in

Two patients with long-term (35 years) survival on hemodialysis are described. Kidney replacement therapy for these patients was initiated by a pioneer in hemodialysis, Nils Alwall, in 1968 and 1971, respectively. Kidney transplantation was attempted twice in both patients; however, the dialysis-free interval was less than 18 months in both patients. These patients represent two of the longest kno

Coronene is a highly symmetric organic molecule whose molecular structure resembles a fragment of graphite. We have crystallized a charge-transfer complex based on coronene and TCNQ, and present crystal structure and transport properties. The complex adopts alternate stacking between coronene and TCNQ and the charge-transfer was estimated to be of the order of 0.3 by the structure and IR analysis

BACKGROUND: There is a wide range (5-50 per 100 000) in the reported annual incidence of acute pancreatitis. Furthermore, the predominant aetiology varies in different reports. This study was undertaken to establish the current incidence, aetiology and associated mortality rate in a defined population. METHODS: A retrospective study of all cases of acute pancreatitis admitted over a 10-year p

Cost reduction strategies are often invoked as explanations when studies of adaptation fail to find predicted costs. This might seem discouraging, offering little opportunity for further investigation. In this paper, we demonstrate that cost reduction strategies can themselves be investigated by arguments from design. Recent work on inducible morphological defences has shown that hydrodynamical di

Quaternary glacial stratigraphy and relative sea-level changes reveal at least four expansions of the Kara Sea ice sheet over the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago at 79 degrees N in the Russian Arctic, as indicated from tills interbedded with marine sediments, exposed in stratigraphic superposition, and from raised-beach sequences that occur at altitudes up to 140 m a.s.l. Chronologic control is provi

We investigated differences in smoking prevalence between urban and non-urban area of residence in six Western European countries (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain), and smoking prevalence trends over the period 1985-2000. In most countries, smoking prevalence was highest in urban areas, and increased with urbanization. Urban/non-urban inequalities were most pronounced among indi

We developed a technique for studying seasonal and interannual variation in pyrogenic carbon emissions from Africa using a modelling approach that scales burned area estimates from L3JRC, a map recently generated from remote sensing of burn scars instead of active fires. Carbon fluxes were calculated by the novel fire model SPITFIRE embedded within the dynamic vegetation model framework LPJ-GUESS,

OBJECTIVES: The present study tested the hypothesis that treatment with human recombinant immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) antibodies against a specific oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) epitope will induce regression of existing atherosclerotic lesions in LDL receptor-deficient mice expressing apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) (Apobec-1(-/-)/LDLR(-/-)). BACKGROUND: Oxidized LDL plays an essential ro

Objective. Our study describes sick leave during 3 years before and 3 years after diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in relation to referents and identifies predictors for sick leave during the third year after diagnosis of RA. Methods. One hundred twenty patients (76% women) from the Swedish early RA study TIRA were included. Disease activity and disability were registered regularly during 3