A system for interstitial photodynamic therapy with delta-aminolaevulinic acid and multiple optical fibers has been developed. The system enables photodynamic treatment of large embedded tumor volumes and utilizes real-time measurements to allow on-line dosimetry. Important parameters such as light fluence rate, sensitizer fluorescence intensity, and changes in local blood oxygen saturation are me

OBJECTIVE: To measure intracellular and tissue pH in periarticular soft tissue during different phases of antigen induced arthritis in the rat. METHODS: pH was calculated using the following values: (1) the distribution of [14C]-dimethyl-oxazolidinedione; (2) the total tissue water and the extracellular space water volume, which was measured as [14C]-sucrose distribution in nephrectomized rats. Ex

For photon fields, separate dose distribution kernels have been generated for charged particles produced in the first interaction, for single and multiple scattered photons, including bremsstrahlung and annihilation. These kernels are applied in absorbed dose calculations for radiotherapy treatment planning using a convolution technique. The vast amount of kernel data required for 3D calculations

Iron deficiency (ID) and anaemia are common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The presence of anaemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in CHF, and ID is a major reason for the development of anaemia. Preliminary studies using intravenous (i.v.) iron supplementation alone in patients with CHF and ID have shown improvements in symptom status. FAIR-HF (Clinical Trials.

Gender differences and variations in inflammatory disease (e. g. atherosclerosis, neurological disorders, periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis) severity with female sex hormone level have been reported, suggesting that female sex hormones modulate the inflammatory response. Estrogens act on gene transcription via estrogen receptors alpha and beta. Identification of estrogen-regulated genes is a

Information on objectively assessed physical activity in elderly people is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate accelerometer measures in elderly women, and its relation to other indices of physical activity and bone density. A subset of 57 women, all 80 years old, (range 80.0-80.7) of the Malmo OPRA study was equipped with an MTI accelerometer for a period of 5-7 days. A 7-day activit

The article analyses how Islam, traditions and modernity are socially negotiated and reconstructed in the Arab Gulf states under the influence of globalization and new communication technologies. Although these concepts are subjected to 'reifications', they are important in the official rhetoric for the legitimization of political power. The author bases her study on conventional anthropological f

Gaussian wave models have been successfully used since the early 1950s to describe the development of random sea waves, particularly as input to dynamic simulation of the safety of ships and offshore structures. A drawback of the Gaussian model is that it produces stochastically symmetric waves, which is an unrealistic feature and can lead to unconservative safety estimates. The Gaussian model des

A combination of material-specific surface chemistry, sequence-specific DNA hybridization, and size exclusion on the nanometer scale can be combined for high-precision self-assembly of lipid vesicles (see figure) to localized surface-plasmon-resonance-active nanoholes in thin Au films on SiO2.

In this population-based study, we assessed the relation between socioeconomic and psychosocial conditions in 1,094 pregnant women and subsequent infantile colic by means of self-administered questionnaires measuring exposures in the 17th pregnancy week and telephone interviews at infant age 5 weeks. There was a higher risk of colic in infants born to younger mothers, mothers with low instrumental

Peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in lipoproteins and cell membrane phospholipids occurs in many situations in the body, both under normal and pathological conditions. Low-density lipoprotein is particularly prone to oxidation and is believed to be a pathogenetic component in atherogenesis. Both antibody responses and T-cell responses to oxidatively modified lipoproteins have been demons

CD4(+) T-cell entry to the intestinal mucosa is central to the generation of mucosal immunity as well as chronic intestinal inflammation, yet the mechanisms regulating this process remain poorly defined. Here we show that murine small intestinal CD4+ lamina propria lymphocytes express a heterogeneous but restricted array of chemokine receptors including CCR5, CCR6, CCR9, CXCR3, and CXCR6. CD4+ T-c

We analyzed the transcriptional program elicited by stimulation of normal human fibroblasts with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) using cDNA microarrays. 103 significantly regulated transcripts that had not been previously linked to PDGF signaling were identified. Among them, a cluster of genes involved in fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis, including stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), fatty

Environmental factors are thought to play a major role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. Because the use of ethanol is widespread, we assessed the role of ethanol intake on the propensity to develop chronic arthritis. Collagen type II-immunized mice were given water or water containing 10% (vol/vol) ethanol or its metabolite acetaldehyde. Their development of arthritis was assessed, as w

The Rician distribution of noise in magnitude magnetic resonance (MR) images is particularly problematic in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regions. The Rician noise distribution causes a nonzero minimum signal in the image, which is often referred to as the rectified noise floor. True low signal is likely to be concealed in the noise, and quantification is severely hampered in low-SNR regions. To

Objectives: The impact of social participation, trust and the miniaturization of community, i.e. the combination of high social participation and low trust, on cannabis smoking was investigated. Methods: The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional study. A total of 13,715 persons aged 18–80 years, of which 3,978 persons aged 18–34 years were included in this study, answered a pos