OBJECTIVE: To develop a high throughput mutational detection method by multiple fluorescence-labeled polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. METHODS: A total of 27 known mutations including 22 substitutions, 3 insertions (1, 2 and 7 bp) and 2 deletions (1 and 2 bp) in the hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4 alpha, glucokinase and HNF-1 alpha genes were tested. During nested PCR, amplified fragment

Background and aims: The gastric hormone ghrelin has been reported to stimulate food intake, increase weight gain, and cause obesity but its precise physiological role remains unclear. We investigated the long term effects of gastrectomy evoked ghrelin deficiency and of daily ghrelin injections on daily food intake, body weight, fat mass, lean body mass, and bone mass in mice. Methods: Ghrelin wa

Plasma exudation has been suggested to be an important component of the inflammatory response in asthma. Bradykinin elicits many of the features of asthma, including bronchoconstriction, cough, plasma exudation and mucus secretion. In an attempt to quantify local plasma exudation, we have employed a novel low-trauma technique with the aim of challenging and lavaging a central part of the bronchial

A scattering approach to entanglement in mesoscopic conductors with independent fermionic quasi-particles is discussed. We focus on conductors in the tunnelling limit, where a redefinition of the quasi-particle vacuum transforms the wavefunction from a many-body product state of non-interacting particles to a state describing entangled two-particle excitations out of the new vacuum (Samuelsson, Su

From a “world system” perspective, this monograph describes the processes by which the Nicobar Islands became integrated into the global economy. Situated some 1,200 km off the east coast of India in the Bay of Bengal, the islands are home to an indigenous population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants who draw their sustenance from horticulture, pig rearing, fishing and, more recently, copra prod

The authors combine principles from software inspection, use cases, and operational profile testing to create the usage-based reading technique, in which the user reads a design document guided by prioritized use cases. UBR takes the user's viewpoint on software and the faults it might contain. Evaluation showed that the method is more effective and efficient in finding faults that are critical to

We report quasiparticle calculations of the newly observed wurtzite polymorph of InAs and GaAs. The calculations are performed in the GW approximation (based on a model dielectric function) using plane waves and pseudopotentials. For comparison we also report the study of the zinc-blende phase within the same approximations. In the InAs compound the In 4d electrons play a very important role: whet

An acetone extract of Helichrysum italicum ssp. microphyllum afforded the phloroglucinol alpha-pyrone arzanol (1a) as a potent NF-kappa B inhibitor. Arzanol is identical with homoarenol (2a), whose structure should be revised. The phloroglucinol-type structure of arzanol and the 1,2,4-trihydroxyphenyl-type structure of the base-induced fragmentation product of homoarenol could be reconciled in lig

Infrared absorption of n- and p-Ge crystals enriched with O-16 and/or O-18 isotopes was studied after irradiation with 6-MeV electrons. Absorption spectra were measured at 10 and 300 K. Along with known bands characteristic of oxygen-containing defects, new lines at 669, 944, and 990 cm(-1) were detected. These bands are annealed at temperatures of 120-140degreesC; the band at 621 cm(-1), previous

Head-and-neck tumors are often situated at an air-tissue interface what may result in an underdosage of part of the tumor in radiotherapy treatments using megavoltage photons. especially for small fields. In addition to effects of transient electronic disequilibrium, for these small fields, an increased lateral electron range in air will result in an important extra reduction of the central axis (

Background. The objective was to determine how postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) is managed in Sweden today, and to relate the findings to a new evidence-based algorithm for the management of PMB. Methods. A questionnaire regarding the role of ultrasound and the use of different endometrial biopsy methods in the management of PMB was sent to all 61 gynecologic departments in Sweden. Results. Fifty-n

Nectar-feeding animals can use vision and olfaction to find rewarding flowers and different species may give different weight, to the two sensory modalities. We have studied how a diurnal or nocturnal lifestyle affects the weight given to vision and olfaction. We tested naive hawkmoths of two species in a wind tunnel, presenting an odour source and a visual stimulus. Although the two species belon

The purpose was to examine the long-term stability of a diagnosis of psychotic disorder in adolescence and to focus on diagnostic change over time. A total of 88 patients with a first episode of early onset psychosis (before 19 years) were followed up an average of 10.5 years (range 5.1-18.2) after admission. This report includes the 68 patients who could be traced and interviewed with the Positiv

The aim of this study was to characterise particle emissions from district heating units operating on three commonly used biofuels: forest residues, pellets and sawdust. Boilers used in the three district heating units were of moving grate type, with the maximum thermal output between 1 and 1.5 MW. The measurements were done after multicyclones, the only particle removal devices installed, therefo