Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) permits the visualization of anatomical structures not appreciated by conventional radiographic imaging, and may assess inflammatory disease and its progression with greater sensitivity than conventional radiography. In this study of 30 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which could be considered as a pilot study because of the relatively small number o

Lignin is one of the major constituents in lignocellulosic biomass and is the mostabundant source of renewable aromatics on terrestrial ecosystems. The workcarried out in this thesis concerns bacterial conversion of low molecular weightlignin. This thesis is divided into three major sections, with an initial emphasison screening and characterization of selected bacterial species on lignin modelcom

A case of acute interstitial nephritis caused by sodium valproate is reported. The sodium valproate treatment was continued after initial diagnosis and the patient developed end-stage renal failure. After transplantation, interstitial nephritis was demonstrated in the renal graft.

The involvement of sodium/potassium-ATPase in regulating parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion is inferred from in vitro studies. Recently, the α-klotho-dependent rapid recruitment of this ATPase to the parathyroid cell plasma membrane in response to low extracellular calcium ion was suggested to be linked to increased hormone secretion. In this study, we used an in vivo rat model to determine the i

Klotho is a protein of significant importance for mineral homeostasis. It helps to increase parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion and in the trafficking of Na+/K+-ATPase to the cell membrane; however, it is also a cofactor for fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23 to interact with its receptor, FGFR1 IIIC, resulting in decreased PTH secretion. Studies on the regulation of parathyroid klotho expression i

The self-assembly of the two anomeric forms of n-hexadecyl-D-maltopyranoside (denoted α-C16G2 and β-C16G2) has been studied in dilute aqueous solution by means of surface tension measurements, scattering methods (dynamic light scattering, static light scattering, and small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering) and cryo-transmission electron microscopy at different surfactant concentrations and tempe

The advent of nanofocused X-ray beams has allowed the study of single nanocrystals and complete nanoscale devices in a nondestructive manner, using techniques such as scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Further insight into semiconductor devices can be achieved by combining these techniques with simultaneous electrical measurements.

In the last 15 years we have seen, as a response to power and thermal limits for current chip technologies, an explosion in the use of multiple and even many computer cores on a single chip. But now, to further improve performance and energy efficiency, when there are potentially hundreds of computing cores on a chip, we see a need for a specialization of individual cores and the development of he

We improve iterative decoding of the moderate density parity-check codes, recently suggested as code candidates in the McEliece public key cryptosystem. In case of bit-flipping (BF) decoder failure, the code parity-check matrix is extended by adding auxiliary variable nodes based on reliability information from the BF decoder. Then iterative decoding is applied to the extended parity-check matrix.

This study present the results of HP-HT sintering, microstructure, properties, and performance of binderless cBN tool material. Within the investigated sintering temperature range of 1900–2600 °C the optimum was found to be 2200–2300 °C. Lower temperature results in incomplete diffusion bonding between cBN grains, while higher temperature results in high degree of recrystallization of initial stru

The Miaolingian is the new formal name for Cambrian Series 3 (≈ “Middle” Cambrian). The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is defined in the Kaili Formation, Guizhou province, China, and is correlated by the First appearance Datum (FAD) of the trilobite Oryctocephalus indicus. However, this fossil has not been recorded from Baltoscandia. Here acritarchs may be used for identifying the base

α-Galactosidases are important industrial enzymes for hemicellulosic biomass degradation or modification. In this study, six novel extracellular α-galactosidases from Penicillium subrubescens were produced in Pichia pastoris and characterized. All α-galactosidases exhibited high affinity to pNPαGal, and only AglE was not active towards galacto-oligomers. Especially AglB and AglD released high amou

Gene therapy has been suggested as a plausible novel approach to achieve seizure control in patients with focal epilepsy that do not adequately respond to pharmacological treatment. We investigated the seizure-suppressant potential of combinatorial neuropeptide Y and Y2 receptor single vector gene therapy based on adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV1) in rats. First, a dose-response study in th

The possible implication of the gasotransmitters NO and CO for the development of diabetes remains unresolved. Our previous investigations in rodents suggested NO being inhibitory, and CO stimulatory, to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Here we studied the possible role of these gasotransmitters in both murine and human type 2 diabetes (T2D) by mapping the expression pattern of neural

Alzheimer’s disease is linked to amyloid β (Aβ) peptide aggregation in the brain, and a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of Aβ aggregation may lead to improved diagnostics and therapeutics. While previous studies have been performed in pure buffer, we approach the mechanism in vivo using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We investigated the aggregation mechanism of Aβ42 in human CSF thro

Background: Somali women suffer from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Somalia characterises a specific low-income country situation with a mix of newly urbanized and nomadic culture combined with a frail health care infrastructure set in a post-conflict era. Very little is known about the effects that these contextual factors can have on maternal mortality. Objectives: To