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The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis proposes that testosterone (T)-dependent sexual signals are honest indicators of male health or genetic quality because only high-quality males are able to withstand the obligate effects of T-induced immunosuppression. In birds, the basic assumption that T suppresses immune function is equivocal, and the physiological mechanisms underlying T-induced immunos

BACKGROUND: The proportion of free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is higher in the sera of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia compared with patients with prostate cancer (PCa). We developed an immunoassay that measures intact, free PSA forms (fPSA-I), but does not detect free PSA that has been internally cleaved at Lys145-Lys146 (fPSA-N), and investigated whether this form could discrimin

Post-translational modifications are associated with certain autoimmune diseases. For example, in the initial steps of coeliac disease (CD), transglutaminase type 2 (TG2) catalyzes a post-translational deamidation of specific glutamine residues in dietary gluten, resulting in antibodies against both modified gliadin and against TG2. Anti-TG2 has become a specific biomarker for CD. In rheumatoid ar

The death of a newborn is a complex and tragic situation, the uncertain and stressful nature of which places emotional burdens on the parents. The aim of this study was to examine and illuminate mothers' experiences and perceptions of the care given to them at neonatal clinics while facing the threat and the reality of losing their baby. METHOD: Interviews were performed, in the form of conversati

Carbon dioxide is an antimicrobial gas commonly used in modified atmosphere packaging. In the present study, the effects of carbon dioxide on growth of, and neurotoxin production by, non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum type E were studied during the growth cycle. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to quantify expression of the type E botulin

Objectives: Foam sclerotherapy of the great saphenous vein is a relatively new and promising treatment option for patients with axial reflux. Its usefulness may be limited by low primary occlusion rates. We present a standard technique for catheter-directed foam sclerotherapy, which facilitates foam delivery precisely to its intended site of action and potentially improves occlusion rates. Methods

BACKGROUND: Short body height is associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease; however, mechanisms are not fully explained. In this study, associations between body height and serum cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol) were investigated. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of middle-aged men from Helsingborg, Swed

Two theoretical studies are presented, both prompted by recent experiments. First, we investigate the time evolution of excitations in two chaotically coupled systems. There is a certain localization effect, because equipartition of the probability density or the energy is typically not reached. We use a random matrix model to give a generic explanation for this effect. Second, we derive a leading

To study the role of cytotoxin-associated protein (cagA) and vacuolating cytotoxin (vacA) in Helicobacter pylori infection in an experimental murine model, mice were infected with seven strains with different cagA and vacA status. Groups of 10 NMRI mice were challenged and were killed 5 weeks later. In a second study, 20 mice were challenged with a mixture of the same seven strains and killed 1, 3

A double-blind, randomised, parallel group, multicentre, multinational study compared the effects of 12 months' treatment with lisinopril (10-20 mg once daily) or nifedipine retard tablets (20-40 mg twice daily) in 239 males (aged 18-75 years) and 96 post-menopausal females (aged 40-75 years). They all had a history of clinically stable type II diabetes > 3 months, microalbuminuria and early diabe

Most osteosarcomas are highly aggressive malignancies characterized by a complex pattern of chromosome abnormalities. However, a subgroup of low-grade, parosteal tumors exhibits a relatively simple aberration pattern dominated by ring chromosomes carrying amplified material from chromosome 12. To assess whether sequences from this chromosome were differentially amplified in low- and high-grade ost

The structure of the oxygen-induced p(4x4) reconstruction of Ag(111) is determined by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, surface x-ray diffraction, core level spectroscopy, and density functional theory. We demonstrate that all previous models of this surface structure are incorrect and propose a new model which is able to explain all our experimental findings but has no resemblance t

Despite being recognized as a widespread and evolutionary important phenomenon among vascular plants, interspecific hybridization among bryophytes has been strongly underestimated. In the present review, we summarize knowledge about bryophyte hybrids that are found in nature. Mechanisms of reproductive isolation in bryophytes are compared with those in vascular plants. The morphological and geneti

In this paper a method for the analysis of a frequency selective surface (FSS) supported by a bianisotropic substrate is presented. The frequency selective structure is a thin metallic pattern — the actual FSS — on a plane supporting substrate. Integral representations of the fields in combination with the method of moments carried out in the spatial Fourier domain are shown to be a fruitful way of

Background: There is limited information about risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in acutely ill hospitalized general medical patients. Methods: An international, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial (MEDENOX) has previously been conducted in 1102 acutely ill, immobilized general medical patients and has shown the efficacy of using a low-molecular-weight heparin, enoxapar

As the use of WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 increases, the need for QoS becomes more obvious. The new IEEE 802.1 le standard aims at providing QoS, but its contention-based medium access mechanism, EDCA, provides only service differentiation, i.e. soft QoS. In order to provide hard QoS, earlier we have proposed an extension called EDCA with resource reservation (EDCA/RR), which enhances EDCA by offer

Time-dependent rheological properties of three tomato paste suspensions in the concentration range of 200-1,000 g paste/kg suspension have been investigated by using the vane geometry at shear rates gamma < 10 s(-1). Creep tests were conducted to analyze the influence of the level of stress on the rheological behavior of the samples before and after homogenization. The experimental results indicat