BACKGROUND The ability to self-assess one's competence is a crucial skill for all health professionals. The interactive examination is an assessment model aiming to evaluate not only students' clinical skills and competence, but also their ability to self-assess their proficiency. METHODS The methodology utilised students' own self-assessment, an answer to a written essay question and a group disc

Inflammatory challenges of the airway mucosa cause luminal entry of bulk plasma. Extravasation of plasma is well described but the routes for epithelial passage of plasma are largely unknown. Using colloidal gold (5 nm) as tracer we have now examined the fate of extravasated plasma in the airways. The tracer was given intravenously to anaesthetized, ovalbumin-sensitized guinea-pigs 2min prior to a

End-tidal CO2 concentration correlates with pulmonary blood flow during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and has been claimed to be a useful tool to judge the effectiveness of chest compression. A high concentration of end-tidal CO2 has been related to a better outcome. However, most authors have noticed a decrease in end-tidal CO2 concentration after administration of epinephrine, concomitant with a

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was used to study the primary structure of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozym(R)435) without detaching the enzyme from the carrier. The immobilized enzyme packed in a miniature column was subjected to proteolysis and the peptides released were injected into the mass spectrometer for analysis. The set-up was utilized to determi

This paper compares the out-of-sample inflation forecasting performance of two non-linear models; a neural network and a Markov switching autoregressive (MS-AR) model. We find that predictable non-linearities in inflation are best accounted for by the MS-AR model.

With many risk factors for cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction in particular now being well defined, it becomes increasingly clear that a majority of these factors are not only age, but also gender specific. Confidential risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, overweight and hyperlipaemia, might have a different impact in women than in men. Moreover, there are subs

There is a natural tendency for stakeholder groups to try to influence the implementation of construction projects in line with their individual concerns and needs. This presents a challenge for construction project managers in analysing and managing these various concerns and needs in a stakeholder management process falling within the limits of the project. The aim of the research presented here

Objective: In our previous study, auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) in preterm 1-year-old children had a positive deflection at 150-350 ms that correlated positively with their 2-year neurodevelopmental outcome. In a study of the same subjects at age 5, our aim was to assess AERPs and their relationship to neuropsychological test results. Methods: Preterm small (SGA, n = 13), appropriate f

Reductions in growth rate caused by fusidic acid-resistant EF-G mutants in Salmonella typhimurium correlate strongly with increased mean cell size. This is unusual because growth rate and cell size normally correlate positively. The global transcription regulator molecule ppGpp has a role in co-ordinating growth rate and division, and its basal level normally correlates inversely with cell size at

BACKGROUND: In early breast cancer, variations in local treatment that substantially affect the risk of locoregional recurrence could also affect long-term breast cancer mortality. To examine this relationship, collaborative meta-analyses were undertaken, based on individual patient data, of the relevant randomised trials that began by 1995. METHODS: Information was available on 42,000 women in 78

Motivation: The pairwise alignment of biological sequences obtained from an algorithm will in general contain both correct and incorrect parts. Hence, to allow for a valid interpretation of the alignment, the local trustworthiness of the alignment has to be quantified. Results: We present a novel approach that attributes a reliability index to every pair of residues, including gapped regions, in t

The erythro form of the lignin model compound 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol (1) was oxidized with laccase/ABTS, lead(IV) tetraacetate (LTA), lignin peroxidase/H2O2, cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) and Fenton's reagent. The product profiles obtained with the different oxidants were compared after separation, identification and quantification of the products using HP

The effect of strain and transforming growth factor beta on equine tendon fibroblasts (tenocytes) was assessed in vitro. Tenocytes were isolated from flexor and extensor tendons of horses from foetal to 10 years of age. These cells were cultured until confluent on collagen-coated silicone dishes. Cyclic biaxial strain of 9 +/- 1% was applied at 0.5 Hz for 24 hours with or without added TGFbeta1 or

Hyperglycemia and hypercapnia aggravate intra-ischemic acidosis and subsequent brain damage. However, hyperglycemia causes more extensive post-ischemic damage than hypercapnia, particularly in the cingulate cortex. We investigated the changes in the subcellular distribution of protein kinase Cgamma(PKCgamma) and the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), as well as changes in protei

Determination of dissolved L-lactate in tomato paste and baby food samples using a SIRE-based (sensors based on injection of the recognition element) biosensor is reported. The measuring principle is based on the use of a small amount of enzyme, which is injected into an internal delivery flow system and held in direct spatial contact with the amperometric transducer by the use of a semipermeable

Calcineurin inhibitor toxicity is a major reason for long-term graft loss (chronic rejection). Here is a snap shot of the ongoing quest to balance continuing efficacy against toxicity.

Objective. Ovarian cancer has one of the highest fractions of hereditary cases. The hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, primarily due to mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2, is the main cause of heredity, but also the hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndrome confers an increased risk of ovarian cancer. In order to clarify the contribution of HNPCC to the development of ovaria

We use agarose gel electrophoresis to characterize how the monovalent catioinic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) compacts double-stranded DNA, which is detected as a reduction in electrophoretic DNA velocity. The velocity reaches a plateau at a ratio R = 1.8 of CTAB to DNA-phosphate charges, i.e., above the neutralization point, and the complexes retain a net negative charge at lea