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Background The lead concentration in plasma is correlated to that in whole blood with a two to fourfold variation. It has never been investigated if this variation is interindividual. Methods Lead and hemoglobin were determined in blood and plasma from 13 lead workers with a history of relatively high blood-lead concentrations, sampled three times during 1 day. The variation in the distribution of
Objective: To evaluate if the calcium channel blocker diltiazem protects postoperatively renal function in cardiac surgical patients with preexisting mild-to-moderate renal dysfunction. Design: Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical study. Setting: Cardiothoracic anesthesia department at a university hospital. Participants: Adult patients undergoing elective cardiac su
Background and Purpose: To prospectively assess the feasibility and efficacy of a hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy regimen (72 Gy in 24 daily fractions, 3Gy per fraction) in patients (pts) with non-resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Material and Methods: We included 25 Ins with a histologically or cytologically proven NSCLC, with KPS greater than or equal to 70 and less than o
Low B fractures and prevalent vertebral fractures are known risk factors for incident vertebral fractures. In 3001 men and women from the Rotterdam Study, prevalent nonvertebral fractures early for incident menopause, current smoking, and walking aid use were also strong risk factors for incident vertebral fractures.
The ultrafast timescale of electron transfer processes is crucial to their role in many biological systems and technological devices. In dye-sensitized solar cells(1-4), the electron transfer from photoexcited dye molecules to nanostructured semiconductor substrates needs to be sufficiently fast to compete effectively against loss processes and thus achieve high solar energy conversion efficiencie
Natural antibodies (NAbs) constitute an important component in vertebrate immune system, but, in spite of this, have often been dismissed as "non-specific background" signals. We observed a significant positive relationship between water python (Liasis fuscus) body length/age and levels of antibodies reactive with two administered antigens (tetanus and diphtheria). However, no humoral immune respo
Highly efficient reversed-phase capillary electrochromatography (CEC) separations (plate numbers up to 700 000/m), with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry detection were achieved utilizing novel dextran-coated polymer nanoparticles as a pseudostationary phase. A continuous full filling (CFF) technique in which nanoparticles are continuously introduced into the capillary was employed for sep
Biopsychosocial problems experienced by renal disease patients were studied within a contextual framework the patients themselves defined, the findings being related to sociodemographic and medical data. Participants were 72 predialysis patients and 73 patients being treated by haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis (106 men and 39 women, aged 18-84 years). Both stress-related global and situational
This study reports on the performance of two medium-range streamflow forecast models: (1) a multilayer feed-forward artificial neural network; and (2) a distributed hydrologic model. Quantitative precipitation forecasts were used as input to both models. The Furnas Reservoir on the Rio Grande River was selected as a case study, primarily because of the availability of quantitative precipitation fo
Impregnation behaviors of reverse-phase silica materials and C18-silica HPLC columns were studied using di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) as a model extractant. Initially, the adsorption efficiency of the ligand on different types of bulk particles was investigated using various concentration of HDEHP in different composition of methanol/water mixtures based on a batch technique. Subsequent
This paper introduces a model of the atrioventricular node function during atrial fibrillation (AF), and describes the related ECG-based estimation method. The proposed model is defined by parameters that characterize the arrival rate of atrial impulses, the probability of an impulse choosing either one of the two atrioventricular nodal pathways, the refractory periods of these pathways, and the p
Oestrogen is not only a sex hormone but also an important regulator of the immune system. Expression of the heavy chain of IgM (mu) is essential for B-cell differentiation. However, a small number of IgA-positive B cells can be found in mice lacking the mu chain (mu MT-/-). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of oestrogen on this alternative B-cell pathway in mu MT-/- mice. Our re
Left atrial (LA) enlargement is a pathophysiological response to volume overload resulting from chronic mitral regurgitation (MR), is known as LA remodeling, and has been shown previously to be associated with cardioembolic events. Following mitral valve surgery (MVS), the left atrium may undergo reverse remodeling characterized by LA volume reduction. The study aim was to evaluate the incidence a
We study and solve the previously unstudied problem of finding both transmitter and receiver positions using only time of arrival (TOA) measurements when there is a difference in dimensionality between the affine subspaces spanned by receivers and transmitters. Anchor-free TOA network calibration has uses both in radio, radio strength and sound applications, such as calibrating ad hoc microphone a
The aim of this study was to evaluate how the fixed furniture dimensions match with students' anthropometry and to describe head, upper back and upper limbs postures and movements. Evaluation was performed in 48 students from a Brazilian state school. Furniture dimensions were measured with metric tape, movements and postures by inclinometers (Logger Tecknologi, Akarp, Sweden). Seat height was hig
Cervical dystonia is a neurological movement disorder causing abnormal posture of the head. It may be accompanied by involuntary movements which are sometimes tremulous. The condition has marked effects on patients' self-image, and adversely affects quality of life, social relationships and employment. Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is the treatment of choice for CD and its efficacy and safety have b
Heme A is a prosthetic group unique for cytochrome a-type respiratory oxidases in mammals, plants and many microorganisms. The poorly understood integral membrane protein heme A synthase catalyzes the synthesis of heme A from heme O. In bacteria, but not in mitochondria, this enzyme contains one or two pairs of cysteine residues that are present in predicted hydrophilic polypeptide loops on the ex
An activity-based vocabulary for Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs) was designed and evaluated through a user-centred, iterative design process, using expressions from the Gothenburg Spoken Language Corpus as well as other recorded, natural conversations. The growth and development of the vocabulary, called Phrases, was closely linked to its evaluation. The iterative design process included p
