Noroviruses (formerly Norwalk-like viruses) are a major cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide and are associated with a significant number of nosocomial and food-borne outbreaks. In this study we show that the human secretor FUT2 gene, which codes for an alpha(1,2)-fucosyltransferase synthesizing the H-type 1 antigen in saliva and mucosa, is associated with susceptibility to norovirus infection

Treatment of type 3 von Willebrand disease (vWD) relies on infusion with plasma-derived factor concentrates containing von Willebrand factor (vWF). Patients with types 1 and 2 vWD who do not respond satisfactorily after receiving desmopressin need treatment with concentrates. The rationale for long-term prophylaxis in vWD is obvious: prophylaxis has been successfully used in hemophilia, and joint

The measurement of ATP as an estimate of microbial biomass C in humus was studied. Three different acid extractants, H2SO4, TCA and H3PO4 were compared, as well as two different buffers, Tris and arsenate. No difference in extraction efficiency was found when the light output was converted to ATP content using internal ATP standards, but the different extraction agents and buffers influenced the l

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine whether a series of needle acupuncture treatments produced long-term relief of chronic low back pain. DESIGN: A blinded placebo-controlled study with an independent observer. The patients were randomized to receive manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, or active placebo (mock transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). Subjects were examined and monit

Food-hoarding birds use memory to relocate caches, and species that store thousands of scattered food items must have an extraordinary memory capacity to be able to relocate them. Because the hippocampus is important in the functioning of spatial memory, it is logical to assume that the amount of food stored should correlate with hippocampal volume. Previously, food-hoarding capacity has been used

We explored signs of retinal dysfunction over time in diabetic subjects before or early in the course of retinopathy. Patients with no, mild, or moderate retinopathy were consecutively recruited and underwent standard automated perimetry, visual acuity measurement, and fundus photography. These examinations and measurements of HbA1c and blood pressure were repeated for up to 5 years from baseline.

Arsenic is among the most toxic elements and it commonly exists in water as arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) ions. As(III) removal often requires a pre-oxidation or pH adjustment step and it is a challenge to adsorb As(III) at circumneutral pH. In this study, iron-aluminium double hydrous oxides were synthesized and incorporated into cryogels. The resulting composite cryogels were evaluated

The electromagnetic polarizabilities of the nucleon are fundamental properties that describe its response to external electric and magnetic fields. They can be extracted from Compton-scattering data-and have been, with good accuracy, in the case of the proton. In contradistinction, information for the neutron requires the use of Compton scattering from nuclear targets. Here, we report a new measur

Germline CDKN2A mutations are found in 5-20% of melanoma families. Numerous studies have shown that carriers of CDKN2A mutations have increased risks of non-melanoma cancers, but so far there have been no studies investigating cancer risks in CDKN2A wild type (wt) melanoma families. In this prospective cohort study, index melanoma cases (n = 224) and their first-degree relatives (n = 944) were ide

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the decrease in IMT progression rate in the carotid bulb induced by metoprolol CR/XL treatment (25mg once daily) observed in the β-blocker Cholesterol-lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS) was accompanied by an effect on carotid plaque echogenicity. METHODS: Gray scale median (GSM) in carotid plaques, used as a score of echogenicity, was measured at baseline and

Background: Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is restricted to the skin, mostly the face, often chronic and disfiguring. Standard medical therapies include topical corticosteroids and antimalarials. This is a retrospective long-term follow-up of refractory DLE treated with different lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL). Methods and materials : Sixteen patients with histologically confirmed DLE pa

Little is known about the nature of post mortem degradation of proteins and peptides on a global level, the so-called degradome. This is especially true for non-neural tissues. Degradome properties in relation to sampling procedures on different tissues are of great importance for the studies of for instance post translational modifications and/or the establishment of clinical biobanks. Here, snap

Background. R-Limonene is a common fragrance terpene found in domestic and industrial products. R-Limonene autoxidizes on air exposure, and the oxidation products can cause contact allergy. In a recent multicentre study, 5.2% (range 2.3-12.1%) of 2900 patients showed a positive patch test reaction to oxidized R-limonene. Objective. To study the exposure to limonene among consecutive dermatitis pat