PURPOSE: To examine the levels of the free radical protecting enzyme glutathione and the endothelial/pericyte ratio in retinal capillaries in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) Wistar rat, with and without aminoguanidine treatment. METHODS: Eight-month-old GK rats, with non-obese, spontaneous non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), were examined after a six month period of aminoguanidine treatment. G

Discoidin Domain Receptors (DDRs) have recently emerged as non-integrin-type receptors for collagen. The two mammalian gene products Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 and -2 constitute a subfamily of tyrosine kinase receptors that are selectively expressed in a number of different cell types and organs. Upon collagen activation, DDRs regulate cell adhesion, proliferation and extracellular matrix remodel

The present study examines some of the ecological factors that might exert selection on floral morphology in Senecio jacobaea, a self-sterile composite which exhibits geographic variation in the frequency of rayed and discoid individuals. Regression analyses of phenotypic data from a large, segregating hybrid population, established in a semi-natural (garden) environment and studied over a 2-year

Fourteen sites in 13 streams were surveyed to address the importance of food quality and quantity on trophic position, carbon signature, and growth rate of noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) by combining the analyses of gut content, stable isotopes, and RNA-DNA ratio. The gut content analysis showed an omnivorous feeding habit, but total animal food sources contributed more to the nitrogen and carbo

Abstract in Undetermined To ensure that sufficient image quality is obtained in diagnostic radiology, the image quality of clinical radiographs has to be evaluated. We present two methods herein for evaluating antero-posterior (AP) radiographs of the lumbar spine. One was using image criteria, including six anatomical details (absolute method). In the other, the visibility of anatomical details re

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the development of handicap in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed 8 years from onset. METHODS: The study group consisted of 106 patients participating in a prospective early RA study. The mean duration of joint symptoms at inclusion was one year. The patients were assessed at least once annually. Disability was measured with the Health Assessment Questionnaire

Cutting tool spontaneous failure such as, edge fracture and chipping are common phenomena in the metal cutting process, especially when difficult workpiece materials which have poor cutibility are met in the machining process. The tool failures are often caused by high mechanical and thermal stresses acting in it. Monitoring stresses acting in a cutting edge during machining process can provide mo

dsDNA in bacteriophages is highly stressed and exerts internal pressures of many atmospheres (1 atm = 101.3 kPa) on the capsid walls. We investigate the correlation between packaged DNA length in A phage (78-100% of WT DNA) and capsid strength by using an atomic force microscope indentation technique. We show that phages with WT DNA are twice as strong as shorter genome mutants, which behave like

Water–biomolecule interactions have been extensively studied in dilute solutions, crystals, and rehydrated powders, but none of these model systems may capture the behavior of water in the highly organized intracellular milieu. Because of the experimental difficulty of selectively probing the structure and dynamics of water in intact cells, radically different views about the properties of cell wa

Important corrections to BFKL evolution are obtained from non-leading contributions and from non-linear effects due to unitarisation or saturation. It has been diffcult to estimate the relative importance of these effects, as NLO effects are most easily accounted for in momentum space while unitarisation and saturation are easier in transverse coordinate space. An essential component of the NLO co

This is a case study of managerial identity work, based on an in-depth case of a senior manager and the organizational context in which she works. The article addresses the interplay between organizational discourses, role expectations, narrative self-identity and identity work Identity is conceptualized in processual terms as identity work and struggle. The article illuminates fragmentation as we

OBJECTIVE: To determine 1. whether maternal fever during term labour is associated with acidaemia at birth and neonatal infection and 2. whether fetal tachycardia precedes maternal fever and is associated with neonatal infection. DESIGN: Retrospective matched-pair case-control study. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and forty-eight newborn infants whose mothers developed fever during term labour (cases) and

This study prospectively evaluated the rate of biologic response to desmopressin (DDAVP) in 66 patients with type I or 2 von Willebrand disease (VWD), each of whom had, on the basis of available records, a clinically significant bleeding history and at least one of the following laboratory abnormalities: bleeding time (BT) longer than 15 minutes, ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:RCo) less than 10

Three-terminal ballistic junctions (TBJs) are fabricated from a high-mobility InP/In0.75Ga0.25As heterostructure by electron-beam lithography. The voltage output from the central branch is measured as a function of the voltages applied to the left and right branches of the TBJs. The measurements show that the TBJs possess an intrinsic nonlinearity. Based on this nonlinearity, a novel room-temperat

Bleach plant effluent is treated in the ultrafiltration plant at Stora Enso Nymblla pulp and paper mill. The plant is the largest of its kind in the world, with a total membrane area of 4800 m(2) (2900 m(2) on the softwood line and 1900 m(2) on the hardwood line) and a processing capacity of 400 m(3) bleach plant effluent per hour. The ultrafiltration plant has been in operation since 1995. The op

This is a prospective study of 100 consecutive stroke patients. Within 24 h after stroke onset they were asked specifically about swallowing complaints and subjected to a clinical examination including neurologic examination, Mini-Mental test, and Barthel score. Dysphagic patients were examined with the repetitive oral suction swallow test (the ROSS test) for quantitative evaluation of oral and ph

In 1980, Sweden was a highly regulated economy with several state monopolies and low levels of economic freedom. Less than twenty years later, liberal reforms turned Sweden into one of the world's most open economies with a remarkable increase in economic freedom. While there is resilience when it comes to high levels of taxes and expenditure shares of GDP, there has been a profound restructuring

Objective: To outline the best available method of measurement for detecting progression of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip especially in therapeutic trials. Method A Medline search of articles related to progression of hip CA was performed. A group of experts met over a 1.5-day session to review available literature and new research. Specific questions were addressed in order to reach a consensus

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between individual health beliefs and risk factors for coronary heart disease. DESIGN: Health beliefs indices, formed by factorial analysis of ratings of statements on health related matters in a questionnaire, were related to risk factors for coronary heart disease, assessed with physical examinations and self reports of medical history and habits. SETTING: An