BACKGROUND: We investigated differences in clinical presentation, microbiology, and short- and long-term results according to the affected valve in patients who underwent surgery for left-sided native valve infective endocarditis (IE).METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective study of 117 patients with isolated mitral valve IE (group M) and 140 patients with isolated aortic valve IE (group A

OBJECTIVES: Acute Type A aortic dissection remains a life-threatening disease, but there are indications that its surgical mortality is decreasing. The aim of this report was to study how surgical mortality has changed and what influences those changes.METHODS: Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection is a retrospective database comprising 1159 patients (mean age 61.6 ± 12.2 years, 68%

62 former patients, who had been treated at our department for tibial shaft fracture (n 38) or knee ligament injury (n 24) 15-38 years earlier, were re-evaluated for post-traumatic osteopenia. 62 age- and sex-matched subjects without fracture served as controls. By means of a Lunar DEXA apparatus we measured the bone mineral density (BMD) in the total body, the hips and special regions of interest

Women treated with estrogen exhibit a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. steroid hormones exert their effects on target tissue through specific cytosol receptor protein. Knowledge of this steroid receptor concentration in endometrial carcinoma might facilitate the treatment of recurrences. We have compared the concentrations of endometrial estrogen and progesterone cytosol receptors wit

HER-2/neu protooncogene amplification and protein expression were analyzed with slot blot and Western blot techniques, respectively, in more than 300 invasive primary breast tumors of all stages. Amplification (2- greater than 30 copies) was found in 17% of these tumors and high expression was seen in 19%. There was a striking coincidence between gene amplification and high expression. Tumors asso

Despite academic advances in PID controller design and development of automatic tuning procedures, there are still many PID controllers that are badly tuned, or not even tuned at all, in process industry. There are several reasons for this, but one major reason is that it is considered too time consuming to use current PID controller tuning methods. This paper presents a new tuning method that is

The effect of intense physical training on the bone mineral content (BMC) and soft tissue composition, and the development of these values after cessation of the active career, was studied in 40 nationally or internationally ranked male weight lifters. Nineteen were active and 21 had retired from competition sports. Fifty-two age- and sex-matched nonweight lifters served as controls. The bone mine

Understanding tendon mechanobiology is important for gaining insight into the development of tendon pathology and subsequent repair processes. The aim of this study was to investigate how experimentally observed mechanobiological adaptation of rat Achilles tendons translate to changes in constitutive mechanical properties and biomechanical behavior. In addition, we assessed the ability of the mode

We studied the effect of physical training on the bone mineral content and soft tissue composition in 42 professional ballet dancers (17 men and 25 women). Twenty-eight of them were still actively performing and 14 had retired from professional dancing. Forty-two healthy age- and sex-matched volunteers served as controls. The bone mineral density (BMD) (g/cm2) in total body, spine, hip, arms, legs

Mixed phenotype acute leukemias (MPALs) represent a rare subgroup of acute leukemias with a poor prognosis. Proper diagnosis and classification of MPAL is extremely important for patients' outcome. Morphology and flow cytometry recognize two types of MPAL: the “bilineal” MPAL with the coexistence of two blast populations of different lineage and truly “biphenotypic” MPAL coexpressing markers of mo

Background: We have evaluated the frequency of lymphoproliferative disorders with more than one aberrant population of monotypic B-cells detected during routine hematopathological diagnostics. Materials and Methods: 2600 samples peripheral (blood, bone marrow, fine-needle aspirate, lymph node, and pleural fluid cell suspensions) were analyzed using a 10-color B-cell panel and a 10-color T-cell pan

Core needle biopsies for lymphoma diagnosis seriously affect diagnostics, treatment development and research Core needle biopsies (CNBs) are widely used in clinical diagnostic labs to aid in the diagnosis of malignant lymphomas and in latter years their use is increasing. CNBs provide a rapid method for obtaining tumour material and may be beneficial when the affected lymph nodes are located deep

The global increase in overweight and obesity rates represent pressing public health concerns associated with severe comorbidities, amongst a rising incidence and impaired outcome of breast cancer. Yet, biological explanations for how obesity affects breast cancer are incompletely mapped. Herein, the joint impact by differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes and obesity-related metabolic conditions on breasThe global increase in overweight and obesity rates represent pressing public health concerns associated with severe comorbidities, amongst a rising incidence and impaired outcome of breast cancer. Yet, biological explanations for how obesity affects breast cancer are incompletely mapped. Herein, the joint impact by differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes and obesity-related metabolic conditions on breas

Current recommendations for diagnosing myelodysplastic syndromes endorse flow cytometry as an informative tool. Most flow cytometry protocols focus on the analysis of progenitor cells and the evaluation of the maturing myelomonocytic lineage. However, one of the most frequently observed features of myelodysplastic syndromes is anemia, which may be associated with dyserythropoiesis. Therefore, ana

Women with established preeclampsia (PE) have increased plasma concentration of free fetal hemoglobin. We measured two hemoglobin scavenger system proteins, hemopexin (Hpx) and alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M) in maternal plasma using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay during the late second trimester of pregnancy in women with high and low risk of developing PE. In total 142 women were included in nest

Objectives: To standardize diagnostic investigations for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) to increase homogeneity in patient care and to streamline diagnostic approaches in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. Methods: The development of Canadian expert consensus recommendations for the diagnosis of MPNs began with a review of the following: clinical evidence, daily practice, existing

Recent evidence suggests that the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) variants in breast cancer may interfere with wild-type (wt) ER function and be related to tumor progression and resistance to hormone treatment. One of these variants, ER delta E5, lacking that part of the hormone-binding domain encoded by exon 5, has previously been identified in breast tumors with the unusual estrogen recepto

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) in adults, accounts for approximately 30-40% of newly diagnosed lymphomas worldwide. Environmental factors, such as viruses and bacteria, may contribute to cancer development through chronic inflammation and the integration of oncogenes, and have previously been indicated in cervical cancer, hepatocellular