OBJECTIVE: To study the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS), fulfilling the 1993 European classification criteria compared with three different control groups. METHODS: Serological tests investigating the presence of antibodies against H. pylori were performed by Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA) and confirmed by immunoblot (IB). The

Structural design is today concerned with single component performance where each limit state is related to a single mode of failure of a single component. Further, in limit state codes the strength variables are related to a deterministic value (usually the 5-percentile). However, in a structure with a number of elements, two different effects (called system effects) can be found: The probabilist

The Technological Change in Health Care Research Network collected unique patient-level data on three procedures for treatment of heart attack patients (catheterization, coronary artery bypass grafts and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) for 17 countries over a 15-year period to examine the impact of economic and institutional factors on technology adoption. Specific institutional fa

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a connective tissue disease where inflammatory activity affects several organ systems. An increased risk of cardiovascular disease has been identified in these patients, even after correction for traditional risk factors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate arterial stiffness and central hemodynamics in women with SLE in comparison to controls. Arteri

Objective: To use proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid to discover novel proteins and peptides able to differentiate between patients with stable mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and those who will progress to Alzheimer disease (AD). Design: Baseline cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with MCI and healthy controls were profiled using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-off

In the present study, we have used the QCM-D technology to study the replication of surface attached oligonucleotide template strands using Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment, KF). Changes in resonance frequency (F) and energy dissipation (D) for DNA hybridization and polymerization were recorded at multiple harmonics. Formation of the polymerase/DNA complex led to a significant de

PURPOSE: The purpose is to compare the presence of proteins with known associations with breast cancer-progesterone receptor (PgR), estrogen receptor, and p53, with the prevalence of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-like DNA sequences in human female breast cancers. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A cohort of 128 Australian female breast cancers were screened for MMTV-like DNA sequences using PCR. The presen

High prolactin levels have been associated with increased breast cancer risk. Prolactin is essential for breast-feeding. Prolactin is lowered primarily by the first full-term pregnancy and not by subsequent pregnancies. The protection from breast cancer conferred by a long breast-feeding duration (>1 year) seems to be much greater for women with BRCA1 mutations (45%) than for women in the general

The aims of the present study were to assess if MRI gives the same diagnostic information as herniography concerning the presence of hernias and reveals other causes of groin pain. The prospective study enrolled 20 patients referred for herniography, 6 women and 14 men, mean age 48 years. After herniography the patients underwent MRI using T1-weighted, fat-suppressed inversion recovery (STIR), and

A knee injury with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture may cause deficits in proprioception, increased laxity and decreased muscle strength. Although it may be common knowledge that these factors affect knee function, only a few studies have been performed where this has been investigated in the clinical situation, and the results are not conclusive. The purpose of this study was therefore to

Ad hoc networks, being able to organize themselves without user intervention, can easily provide their users with mobility, multimedia support and group communication. However, they have to combine quality of service (QoS) and multicast routing strategies. This article defines the resource management and admission control components of the ad hoc QoS multicast (AQM) routing protocol, which achieve

In patients with severe head injuries raised intracranial pressure (ICP) constitutes the most important cause of mortality. Several new therapies for increased ICP have recently been suggested and it is of importance to study the physiological effects of these treatments in animal experiments during steady state conditions. A porcine model for evaluation of cerebral haemodynamics and metabolism du

Optimal prevention of hereditary cancer is central and requires initiation of surveillance programmes and/or prophylactic measures at a safe age. Anticipation, expressed as an earlier age at onset in successive generations, has been demonstrated in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). We specifically addressed anticipation in phenotypic HNPCC families without disease-predisposing mis

Interstadial and non-glacial stadial sediments collected in boreholes from Sokli in northeastern Finland have been dated by optically stimulated luminescence on quartz and feldspar grains. The quartz OSL ages follow stratigraphic order, with one exception, and support the litho-and bio-stratigraphical correlation with the NW European mainland climate-stratigraphy and the marine oxygen-isotope stag

Candida albicans is the most prevalent yeast pathogen in humans, and recently it has become increasingly resistant to the current antifungal agents. In this study we investigated C. albicans dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH, EC 1.3.99.11), which catalyzes the fourth step of de novo pyrimidine synthesis, as a new target for controlling infection. We propose that the enzyme is a member of the DHO

The actinomycete Corynebacterium glutamicum grows as rod-shaped cells by zonal peptidoglycan synthesis at the cell poles. In this bacterium, experimental depletion of the polar DivIVACG protein resulted in the inhibition of polar growth; consequently, these cells exhibited a coccoid morphology. This result demonstrated that DivIVA is required for cell elongation and the acquisition of a rod shape.

We present a minimalistic and °exible single-beam instrumen- tation based for sensitive tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TD- LAS) and its use in structural analysis of highly scattering pharmaceu- tical solids. By utilising a vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) for sensing of molecular oxygen dispersed in tablets, we address structural properties such as porosity. Experiment

Aims/hypothesis Increased NEFA production and concentrations may underlie insulin resistance. We examined systemic and adipose tissue NEFA metabolism in insulin-resistant overweight men (BM1 25-35 kg/m(2)). Methods In a cohort study we examined NEFA concentrations in men in the upper quartile of fasting insulin (n = 124) and in men with fasting insulin below the median (n 159). In a metabolic stud

OBJECTIVE AND STUDY DESIGN: We report for the first time an inhibitory effect on cell division and germ tube formation by Candida albicans and strains of other Candida species by putrescine and cadaverine. RESULTS: Both bacterial amines showed a dose-dependent inhibition of germ tube formation by C albicans, as well as budding (inhibition of cell division) of strains of other Candida species (ie,