The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of hepatic vein occlusion by stent-graft used in transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). The experiments were performed in six healthy pigs under general anesthesia. Following percutaneous transhepatic implantation of a port-a-cath in the right hepatic vein, TIPS was created with a stent-graft (Viatorr; W L Gore, Flagstaff, AZ, US

Epidemiologic studies suggest that a high intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk of cancers of the upper aero-digestive tract. We studied data from 345,904 subjects of the prospective European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) recruited in seven European countries, who had completed a dietary questionnaire in 1992-1998. During 2,182,560 person years of obser

Collagen-induced arthritis ( CIA), an approved animal model for rheumatoid arthritis, is thought to be a T cell-dependent disease. There is evidence that CD8(+) T cells are a major subset controlling the pathogenesis of CIA. They probably contribute to certain features of disease, namely tissue destruction and synovial hyperplasia. In this study we examined the role of perforin (pfp), a key molecu

Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion Consistent evidence underlines the utility of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing in the management of women with equivocal cervical cytological abnormalities, but not in case of low-grade lesions. We performed a meta-analysis including studies where the high-risk probe of the Hybrid Capture-II is used to triage these two cytological categories

To increase our knowledge of human peripheral vasospasm we characterized the contractile 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors in human superficial hand vein segments in vitro. The 5-HT1 receptor agonist, sumatriptan, the 5-HT2 receptor agonist, dl-alpha-methyl-5-HT, and the 5-HT3 receptor agonist, 2-methyl-5-HT, all induced concentration-dependent contractions. The contractile response to sumatrip

Eighty-eight subjects with adolescent-onset psychotic disorders (mean age+/-standard deviation 15.7+/-1.5 years), mainly schizophrenia and affective disorders, were followed up 10.6+/-3.6 years later, rediagnosed (DSM-IV) and assessed with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, abuse of drugs including nicotine, the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile and occurrence of suicide or suicide attempts

Serotonin-stimulated activation of phospholipase C in primary astroglial cell cultures was studied as a mean of evaluating the effect of acute ethanol exposition on this signal transduction system. The addition of 50-150 mM ethanol prior to stimulation with 10(-5) M serotonin led to a potentiation of the serotonin-induced [3H]-inositol phosphate formation and an increased incorporation of [3H]-ino

A new negligible depletion extraction procedure was proposed for equilibrium sampling of 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) into a thin film of 1-octanol supported on a hollow fiber membrane. This thin liquid film extraction technique was directed at the determination of ( 1) freely dissolved concentrations, ( 2) distribution coefficients to 1-octanol (D-ow), and ( 3) binding to dissol

Haemorrhages represent a major complication of treatment with vitamin K antagonists. In cases of severe bleeding, a prompt effect on the increased International Normalized Ratio value is vital to achieve haemostasis. As conventional treatment, that is plasma or plasma-derived concentrates, carries the risk of blood-borne virus transmission, new treatments are needed. An open, multicentre pilot tri

Despite its recognition as an important source of variation in recruitment probability, the ecological processes leading to mortality between fledging and independence are poorly studied. Accordingly, the proximate and ultimate impact of bottom-up (food limitation) and top-down factors (predators, pathogens) for individual survival as well as population productivity is largely unknown in most terr

Intrastriatal transplants of embryonic ventral mesencephalon can cause dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We assessed the impact of transplant size on the development of graft-induced dyskinesia. Rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions were primed to exhibit l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. They were then intrastriatally grafted with different quantities of embryonic ventral me

Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFIFFF) in combination with multi-angle light scattering (MALS) was applied to cationic potato amylopectin (CPAP) to investigate how molar mass, root-mean-square (r.m.s.) radius and shape was influenced by different conditions of jet-cooking. The effect of different jet-cooking temperatures in the range 110 degrees C - 140 degrees C was studied in an ex

Patients who continue to stiffer from lasting and severely disabling angina pectoris despite Optimum drug treatment and who are not suitable candidates for invasive procedures,. suffer from a condition referred to as "chronic refractory angina pectoris". Based on the available data, spinal cord Stimulation, SCS, is considered Lis the first-fine additional treatment for these patients by the Europe

For a detailed understanding of the function of photosystem II (PSII), a molecular structure is needed, The crystal structure has not yet been determined, but the PSII reaction center proteins D1 and D2 show homology with the L and M subunits of the photosynthetic reaction center from purple bacteria, We have modeled important parts of the D1 and D2 proteins on the basis of the crystallographic st

Rationale: Budesonide/formoterol and tiotropium are commonly used maintenance treatments for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Combining these medications may provide additional benefits. Objectives: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of budesonide/formoterol added to tiotropium in patients eligible for inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta(2)-agonist combination therapy.