AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Although recent studies propose that epigenetic factors influence insulin expression, the regulation of the insulin gene in type 2 diabetic islets is still not fully understood. Here, we examined DNA methylation of the insulin gene promoter in pancreatic islets from patients with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic human donors and related it to insulin expression, HbA(1c) levels, BM

INTRODUCTION: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a severe peripheral arterial disease, characterized by rest pain, ulcers and gangrene in the legs. Gas6 is a vitamin K-dependent protein, which binds and activates the tyrosine kinase receptor Axl. Gas6-mediated Axl-signaling influences endothelial activation, neointima formation and immune regulation. Axl can be cleaved and soluble Axl (sAxl) is detec

The associations between depressive symptoms and deliberate self-harm were studied by means of a 2-wave longitudinal design in a community sample of 1052 young adolescents, with longitudinal data for 83.6% of the sample. Evidence was found for a bidirectional relationship in girls, with depressive symptoms being a risk factor for increased self-harm one year later and self-harm a risk factor for i

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the midterm outcomes and potential risk factors associated with the fascia suture technique (FST) for closure of femoral artery access sites after percutaneous endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Methods: Between April 2007 and April 2008, 100 consecutive EVAR cases were evaluated retrospectively. A third of the procedures were emergent (16 ruptured aneurysms). Of th

AIMS: To describe the mortality and causes of death among subjects with alcohol use disorder in comparison with those without alcohol disorder and to study whether mental disorders increase mortality in alcoholics. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data were analysed from the database of the Lundby Study, comprising 3563 subjects followed from 1947 to 1997. METHOD: A community-based sample was investigated in 1

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that resuscitation with crystalloids after brain trauma increases brain edema compared with colloids, but previous studies on the subject have been inconclusive. To test this hypothesis, the authors compared groups resuscitated with either colloid or crystalloid. METHODS: After fluid percussion injury, rats were subjected to a controlled hemorrhage of 20 ml/kg

One interestingway of measuring sorption isotherms and heats of sorption is the newly developed micro-calorimetric method. It turns out, however, that the adsorption kinetics must be proven to be rapid enough to fulfill the assumptions behind the theory for the determination of the isotherm to be valid. Here, the lower limit of the accepted rate of adsorption will be analyzed by making calculation

BACKGROUNDThe sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) is a valuable tool for prediction of fertility in vivo, with DNA fragmentation index (DFI) of 30% as a clinically useful cut-off level. Previous studies on fertile men have shown a high level of repeatability, with an intra-individual variability in DFI of ∼10%. However, conflicting data on how much the DFI fluctuates within individuals exist. T

Purpose The aims of the present study were to assess: (i) changes in coping by use of Multidimensional Pain Inventory profiles from baseline to follow-up, (ii) associations between Adaptive Coper (AC) profiles at follow-up and improvements in occupational performance (by Canadian Occupational Performance Measure COPM) and (iii) ability to predict AC profiles at follow-up by participants' baseline

OBJECTIVE: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative dementia, but it is often underdiagnosed and mistaken for Alzheimer's disease (AD) with sometimes lethal consequences. Over 35 studies have established the differences between DLB and AD in neuropsychological tests, but none have provided easy interpretations of common tests suitable for the clinician. The aim o

AIM: To characterize the colon microbiota in two women histologically diagnosed with collagenous colitis using a culture-independent method. METHODS: Biopsies were taken from the ascending colon and the total DNA was extracted. Universal bacterial primers were used to amplify the bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The amplicons were then cloned into competent Escherichia coli cells. The clones were sequen

Aim: Smoking and hypertension are known causes of stroke and dementia. This study was designed to test the longitudinal effect of lifestyle factors and hypertension on cerebral blood flow (CBF) in old age. Method: A study of an unselected population cohort of 703 men, born in 1914, has been in progress since 1968 and the last clinical examination occurred at age 69. CBF was examined in 129 survivo

Soil is a dynamic system in which microorganisms perform important tasks in organic matter transformations and nutrient cycles. Recently, some studies have started to focus on soil metaproteomics as a tool for understanding the function and the role of members of the microbial community. The aim of our work was to provide a review of soil proteomics by looking at the methodologies used in order to

BACKGROUND/METHOD: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in elderly patients with mental illness. Plasma tHcy is known to be associated with cardiovascular disease, renal impairment and negative lifestyle factors, and has been shown to predict mortality in human subjects. Epidemiological data on this topic in elderly patients with mental illness are missing. We therefore inves