Streptococcus pyogenes is a major human pathogen with more than 500 000 casualties annually of which at least 163 000 are due to invasive infections. The remainder is due to post-streptococcal complications with rheu¬matic heart disease constituting the majority. S. pyogenes also causes milder infections such as skin infections and pharyngitis with an estimation of more than 700 million cases each

The present study investigated the correlation among genetic polymorphisms of the proximal promoter region of apolipoprotein M (apoM) gene, the polymorphisms in relation to apoM expressions and the susceptibility to coronary artery diseases (CAD) in a Han Chinese population. Four common polymorphic sites, i.e., T-1628G, C-1065A, T-855C and T-778C, were confirmed, and a new deletion mutation C-724d

Substituting Zn for Cu is known to rapidly quench superconductivity in the doped perovskites but the mechanism behind it is still not clearly understood. Single phase YBa2(Cu1-xZnx)(3)O7-delta (x=0.0 to 0.06) samples were synthesized and characterized using XRD, wet titration, resistivity, and ac susceptibility. Angle-integrated Valence Band Photo emission and Zn K-edge XAFS results clearly show t

Background: Transcription factors play a key role in lineage commitment and differentiation of stem cells into distinct mature cells. In hematopoiesis, they regulate lineage-specific gene expression in a stage-specific manner through various physical and functional interactions with regulatory proteins that are simultanously recruited and activated to ensure timely gene expression. The transcripti

Lake Urmia, one of the largest saltwater lakes on earth and a highly endangered ecosystem, is on the brink of a major environmental disaster similar to the catastrophic death of the Aral Sea. With a new composite of multi-spectral high resolution satellite observations, we show that the area of this Iranian lake has decreased by around 88% in the past decades, far more than previously reported (~

Background. Snus is a moist smokeless tobacco product with high nicotine content. Its use has a short-term effect on the cardiovascular system, but the relationship between snus use and stroke is unclear. Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between use of snus and incidence of and survival after stroke, both overall and according to subtypes. Methods. Pooled analyses of

Alcohol, like mental health, is a neglected topic in public health discussions. However, it should be defined as a priority public health area because the evidence available to support this is very persuasive. Although only half the world's population drinks alcohol, it is the world's third leading cause of ill health and premature death, after low birth weight and unsafe sex, and the world's grea

The Swedish year-book of Ecclesiastical History.

Objective: To evaluate direct asthma-related costs in Swedish primary care in a real-life setting. Design: 12-month open-label study. Setting: Swedish primary care in a real-life setting. Participants: 1776 patients with persistent asthma. Interventions: Patients with persistent asthma were randomised to one of three treatments: a free adjustable combination of budesonide (100-400 mu g/inhalation)

This paper reviews the evidence for an association between atypical subtrochanteric fractures and long-term bisphosphonate use. Clinical case reports/reviews and case-control studies report this association, but retrospective phase III trial analyses show no increased risk. Bisphosphonate use may be associated with atypical subtrochanteric fractures, but the case is yet unproven. A Working Group o

A dysregulation in the metabolism of lipids may be an early marker of autoimmunity in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). It would be of general importance to identify metabolic patterns that would predict the risk for T1D later in life. The aim of this study was to perform a prospective evaluation of glutamine and phospholipids levels in Brazilian first degree relatives (FDR) of patients with T1D in a mean in

At ISOL ( Isotope Separator On-Line) facilities, which utilize thick primary production targets, beams of neutron-rich iron isotopes are dificult to obtain due to the long extraction time of these isotopes out of the target matrix. At REX-ISOLDE, an exploratory experiment was carried out to investigate the possibility of producing a post-accelerated beam of neutron-rich iron isotopes by the in-tra

We report an extensive study on partial-ion-yield spectroscopy around the Cl 1s and 2p ionization thresholds for Cl-2. All positive ion channels, several with the same mass/charge ratio, which could be distinguished by taking the advantage of the Cl-37 isotope, have been measured at a photon resolution of nearly 6500. At the Cl 1s ionization threshold, no significant differences are reported betwe

Popular Abstract in English This study concerns the city of Damascus in the Syrian Arab Republic. Damascus is a city where the current urban form is characterized by wide streets and lack of shade as well as limited amount of green areas, which negatively affect the microclimate and thermal comfort. This study is mainly focused on residential streets and how the urban planning regulations affect tThis research is an attempt to develop further understanding of the relationship between microclimate, thermal comfort, urban design and outdoor space users in the hot dry city of Damascus. This is done by studying the impact of urban regulations on microclimate in different urban design patterns in Damascus. This study also aims to investigate the behaviour of different thermal comfort indices an

Background Few surveys have concentrated on studying the adaptive value of phenotypic plasticity within genetically-distinct conspecific ecotypes. Here, we conduct a test to assess the adaptive value that partial phenotypic plasticity may have for survival in the marine gastropod Littorina saxatilis. This species has evolved canalized ecotypes but, nevertheless, the ecotypes show some phenotypic p

In northern peatlands the thawing of permafrost increasing the active layer depth and changing the hydrology may lead to feedbacks in the climate system through changes in the biogeochemistry of carbon. We are examining this association on the Stordalen peatland complex in subarctic Sweden by analyzing a DEM derived from LiDAR-data and the calculated TWI. The DEM, with a spatial resolution of 1 m,