Objective. To determine whether psychosocial factors, chronic diseases, and common geriatric problems are associated with poor physical function 3 years after primary total hip replacement (THR). Methods. We studied a sample of Medicare recipients in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Colorado (n = 922) who underwent primary THR in 1995 (mean +/- SD age 73.1 +/- 5.6 years, 32% men). Participants completed a

Relapsing polychondritis is an autoinumme disease that affects cartilage in the ear, nose, and respiratory tract. A pathogenic immune response has been proposed and antibodies to several cartilage proteins are detected in sera from these patients. To investigate the role of the humoral immune response in relapsing polychondritis, we used the matrilin-1-induced relapsing polychondritis model. Mice

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new mouse model for arthritis using cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and to study the role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and Ncf1 genes in COMP-induced arthritis (COMPIA). METHODS: Native (pentameric) and denatured (monomeric) COMP purified from a rat chondrosarcoma was injected into mice with Freund's adjuvant to induce arthritis. C3H.NB, C3H.Q, B10.P

Introduction: Women with a history of preeclampsia have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease in later Life. We evaluated thrombogenic characteristics of women with a previous history of preeclampsia, expressed in levels of thrombin generation, number of micropartictes and related to menstrual cycle and endothelial function, measured as flow-mediated dilatation. Materials and methods: We in

Background. The aim was to investigate whether social network and social support factors can explain socioeconomic differences in the risk of consuming low amounts of vegetables, fruit and fruit juices. Method. The Malm Diet and Cancer Study was a prospective cohort study. The present cross-sectional study examined data from a subpopulation of 11,837 individuals that completed baseline examination

Both environmental and genetic factors can dramatically affect reproductive performance in mice. In this study we have focused on the identification of genetic regions, quantitative trait loci (QTL), which affect the breeding capacity of female mice. We have identified polymorphic microsatellite markers for the mouse strains used and performed a genomewide scan on 237 females from a gene-segregati

We have previously suggested that the Toluidine Blue (TB) test can be used for sperm chromatin structure assessment. In this study, we wished to evaluate the clinical applicability of the TB test in assessing male fertility potential using well-defined groups of fertile and infertile men. Sixty-three fertile and 79 infertile men were tested. Infertility thresholds for the proportion of sperm with

Treatment of the electronically unsaturated cluster Os-3(CO)(8)(mu(3)-eta(2)-Ph2PCH2P(Ph)C6H4)(mu-H) (1) with benzothiophene in refluxing m-xylene afforded Os-3(CO)(7)(mu-PPh2)(mu-PMePh)(mu(3)-eta(2)-C6H4) (2), Os-3(CO)(7)(mu(3)-eta(2)-PPh(C6H4)CH2PPh)(mu(3)-eta(3)-SC8H5)(mu-H) (3), and Os-3(CO)(8)(mu-CO)(mu(3)-eta(2)-PPh(C6H4)CH2PPh) (4). Thermolysis of 1 in refluxing toluene for 35 h afforded on

In Sweden, 44 patients were reported to have contracted hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections from treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin. Gammagard was the product implicated in HCV transmission in 12 patients; 8 of these 12 patients were HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA)-negative during the 2 years before Gammagard was administered and 10 showed clustering by sequencing of the HCV core gene. Further st

Protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt has been strongly implicated in the insulin-dependent stimulation of GLUT4 translocation and glucose transport in skeletal muscle and fat cells. Recently an allosteric inhibitor of PKB (Akti) that selectively targets PKB alpha and -beta was reported, but as yet its precise mechanism of action or ability to suppress key insulin-regulated events such as glucose and amino a

BACKGROUND: The pancreas is the main target of the trophic effect of cholecystokinin (CCK), with a transient increase in cell proliferation and persistent effect on DNA content and weight gain when given continuously. Whether CCK exerts similar effects on the liver and biliary tract is not known. Most studies on this subject have hitherto been done in the rat. The aim of the present experiments wa

Release planning for incremental software development assigns features to releases such that most important technical, resource, risk and budget constraints are met. The research presented in this paper is based on a three staged procedure. In addition to an existing method for (i) strategic release planning that maps requirements to subsequent releases and (ii) a more fine-grained planning that d

Common European tree species ( oak, ash, beech, birch, lime and spruce) planted in adjacent stands on six sites were compared in terms of macronutrient concentrations in foliar and stem wood ( including bark) biomass. The nutrient concentrations in both biomass compartments were much more dependent on species than on site although soil conditions differed between the sites. Differences between spe

Mucosal pathogens trigger a local innate host response by activating epithelial cells. Bacterial adherence and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling have been implicated as key events in this process. This study addressed the molecular basis of the epithelial response to gram-negative infection in the human urinary tract. Mucosal biopsies were obtained from kidneys, ureters, and bladders of patien

Albatrosses and sea turtles are known to perform extremely long-distance journeys between disparate feeding areas and breeding sites located on small, isolated, oceanic islands or at specific coastal sites. These oceanic journeys, performed mainly over or through apparently featureless mediums, indicate impressive navigational abilities, and the sensory mechanisms used are still largely unknown. T

Films of a commercial poly (ether urethane), Pellethane 2363-80AE, were prepared through solvent casting from dimethyl formamide. The films were grafted with poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) by a two-step procedure. In the first step, the film surfaces were treated with hexamethylene diisocyanate in toluene in the presence of triethylamine as a catalyst. In the second step, PEG 1500 was allowed to rea

Fragmentation of the SF6 molecule upon F 1s excitation has been studied by resonant photoemission. The F atomiclike Auger line exhibits the characteristic Doppler profile that depends on the direction of the photoelectron momentum relative to the polarization vector of the radiation as well as on the photon energy. The measured Doppler profiles are analyzed by the model simulation that takes accou

Study Design. A randomized controlled comparative trial with an 8-month follow-up period was conducted. Objective. To compare the effect of the McKenzie treatment method with that of intensive dynamic strengthening training in patients with subacute of chronic low back pain. Summary of Backround Data. Randomized studies indicate that the efficacy of the McKenzie method in the treatment of patients

We studied prospectively the change over ten years in mortality, walking ability and place of residence after a hip fracture in 753 patients in Japan. We compared the deaths observed in these patients with those expected in the general population, matched for age, gender and calender year at the time of fracture. The survival rate decreased dramatically for two years after the event and the mortal