Objective. To evaluate the performance of biochemical and traditional markers in predicting radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. One hundred thirty-two patients with early RA were treated with nonbiologic therapies for 2 years and studied longitudinally. Genomic DNA was analyzed for presence of the shared epitope. Levels of matrix metalloproteinases (matrix metalloprotei

As the commercial Fe-Mo-oxide catalyst for methanol oxidation to formaldehyde suffers from deactivation by Mo volatilization, alternative catalysts are of interest. Therefore, TiO2-, alpha-Al2O3- and SiO2-supported (Fe)-V-O catalysts were prepared with loading up to 30 μmol of each metal per msq. surface area of the support. The samples were activity tested using a high inlet concentration of meth

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Maturity onset diabetes of the young type 3 (MODY3) is a monogenic form of diabetes mellitus caused by mutations in the gene encoding for hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha, HNF1 alpha. In this study we have examined the in vivo and in vitro effects of a mutation (L107I) outside the DNA binding and dimerization domains in the N terminal part of the HNF1 alpha gene. METHODS: Beta-ce

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious disease for which there is no effective vaccine. This review considers how adhesins, iron-acquisition factors, capsule and lipopolysaccharide, RTX cytotoxins and other potential future vaccine components contribute to colonisation, to avoidance of host clearance mechanisms and to damage of host tissues.

BACKGROUND The sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) parameter DNA fragmentation index (DFI) has been shown to predict in vivo and in vitro fertility. So far most SCSA studies have been based on SCSA analysis performed on neat semen. The aim of this study is to assess whether SCSA analysis of sperm prepared by density gradient centrifugation (DGC) could add more information in regard to the predi

In the face of an almost unprecedented threat of a global pandemic of influenza it is imperative that stockpiling of appropriate drugs and devices begin now. One vital device is an appropriate syringe for delivering vaccine. With the potential for millions to be infected and the vaccine supply severely stretched it is imperative that the syringe used to vaccinate waste as little vaccine as possibl

Germline mutations in the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 are responsible for the majority of cases involving hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Whereas all truncating mutations are considered as functionally deleterious, most of the missense variants identified to date cannot be readily distinguished as either disease-associated mutations or benign polymorphisms. The C-term

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that autoantibodies recognize amino acid sequences in the LDL receptor binding region of apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100). Autoantibodies against an unmodified or malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified LDL receptor binding site peptide were determined by ELISA in baseline plasma samples of 78 cases with coronary events and 149 matched controls recruited from

Pedagogical theory of today gives high priority to social components of learning. Within the field of computer supported learning there are many attempts to acknowledge this. One approach involves the addition of virtual characters to electronic learning environments. Such character enhanced systems are the focus of the present article. Firstly, a systematic overview is given of pedagogical benefi

Over a century ago workers such as J. Lubbock and K. von Frisch developed behavioural criteria for establishing that non-human animals see colour. Many animals in most phyla have since then been shown to have colour vision. Colour is used for specific behaviours, such as phototaxis and object recognition, while other behaviours such as motion detection are colour blind. Having established the exis

Purpose: To evaluate against Monte-Carlo the performance of various dose calculations algorithms regarding lung turnout coverage in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) conditions. Materials and methods: Dose distributions in virtual lung phantoms have been calculated using four commercial Treatment Planning System (TPS) algorithms and one Monte Carlo (MC) system (EGSnrc). We compared the perform

We report measurements and theoretical calculations for the lifetimes of the 5d(9)6p levels in Hg nr with J = 0,2,3,4. This is an extension of earlier measurements of the lifetimes of the 5d(9)6p levels in Hg III with J = 1, and now provides data for all 12 of the levels. The results also provide an isoelectronic comparison with earlier studies of these levels in Au II of the Pt sequence, and a ho

Male moths rely on female sex pheromones to find their mating partner and on plant volatiles for the detection of food sources. In the noctuid moth, Agrotis ipsilon, plasticity of central sex pheromone processing has been shown previously in the antennal lobe. The sensitivity of antennal lobe interneurons increases with age and juvenile hormone level. Here we investigated whether age affects not o

We have performed a detailed calculation of the inter-Wannier-Stark-ladder Zener tunneling probability P(F) in a wide-miniband GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As superlattice under a strong electric field F, the terahertz emission spectrum I(F) of which was measured experimentally. By comparing P(F) and I(F), we confirm that the oscillating behavior of I(F) is due to the Zener tunneling between Wannier-Stark level

With the proper design of semiconductor tunneling barrier structures, we can inject low-energy electrons via resonant tunneling, and take out high-energy electrons via a thermionic process. This is the operation principle of our semiconductor heterostructure refrigerator (SHR) without the need of applying a temperature gradient across the device. Even for the bad thermoelectric material AlGaAs, ou

The role of androgens for bone health in elderly men is unclear. We show that free testosterone within the normal range is a predictor of BMD at predominantly cortical bone sites and of previous osteoporosis-related fractures in elderly Swedish men. Introduction: Osteoporosis-related fractures constitute a major health concern not only in women but also in men. Previous studies have clearly shown