Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder, often associated with a clinically aggressive behavior. No standard treatment has been established, but patients are usually treated with lymphoma-type regimens such as rituximab or combination chemotherapy. Recently, immunotherapies targeting IL-6 have proven effective and have been approved for this indication. H

Lightpath reconfiguration is a networking task that can be performed in order to improve resource utilization. The lightpath reconfiguration problem becomes nontrivial when a new set of lightpaths requires the release of resources previously seized by the (working) lightpaths currently in place, but, in order to ensure continuity of the traffic flow, the working lightpaths cannot be torn down befo

Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that also gives raise to widespread changes in peripheral organs and tissues. We tested the hypothesis that vascular dysfunction may occur in Huntington's disease by studying R6/1 mice which express exon 1 of the mutant huntingtin gene. We assessed arterial function in R6/1 and wild type (WT) mice using myography. Arterial contractility was larg

Human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells (HAMLET) is the first member in a new family of protein-lipid complexes that kills tumor cells with high selectivity. The protein component of HAMLET is α-lactalbumin, which in its native state acts as a substrate specifier in the lactose synthase complex, thereby defining a function essential for the survival of lactating mammals. In addition, α-lact

Abstract Objective. Several studies indicate that ethnicity may be a strong predictor of poor self-rated health (SRH). The aims of the present study were to investigate whether there was an association between ethnicity and poor SRH in subjects with type 2 diabetes and to determine if the association remained after adjusting for possible confounders such as age, gender employment, marital status,

Elevated brain levels of apolipoprotein D (ApoD) correlate with improved neurological recovery after experimental stroke. Hence, a pharmacological induction of ApoD in the postischemic brain could be beneficial for recovery after stroke. Here we investigated the effect of Clozapine, a compound that increases the expression of ApoD, in two rat models of experimental stroke. Rats were subjected to p

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: High birthweight and increased childhood growth are risk factors for type 1 diabetes. Relative birthweight is associated with HLA genotypes that confer a high risk of diabetes. Our aims were to test whether young children prior to clinical onset of type 1 diabetes have increased: (1) birthweight or birth length standard deviation scores (SDS); (2) height development SDS; or (3) BM

The fictitious crack model is a non-linear fracture mechanics representation which has been well known and generally accepted for application to concrete fracture for about 10 years. It is a general model which in principle is applicable to all kinds of materials. At present, however, practical and numerical difficulties prevent its application to many types of materials, particularly to metals. I

A large proportion of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) remain uncontrolled on basal insulin. Yet, there is limited understanding of how people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (PWUD) perceive control and insulin intensification and whether their perceptions differ from those of physicians. The purpose of the study was to investigate perceptions of control and views on insulin intensification amo

This is a further development of a specific questionnaire, the 3-set 4P, to be used for measuring former ICU patients' physical and psychosocial problems after intensive care and the need for follow-up. The aim was to psychometrically test and evaluate the 3-set 4P questionnaire in a larger population. The questionnaire consists of three sets: "physical", "psychosocial" and "follow-up". The questi

BACKGROUND: The reoperation rate after recurrent groin hernia surgery is more than twice that recorded for primary groin hernia procedures. The aim was to define the outcome from routine redo hernia surgery by analysing a large population-based cohort from a national hernia register. METHODS: All recurrent groin hernia operations registered in the Swedish Hernia Register from 1992 to 2008 were ana

The protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) receptors and cytosolic signaling proteins as well as the protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) have important roles in regulation of growth of the benign and malignant prostate gland. Here we studied expression of the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 in prostate cancer cell lines and in human prostatic tissues. SHP-1 is expressed at a high level in LNCaP prostat

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapy is a novel treatment for type 2 diabetes. It is executed either by GLP-1 mimetics or by dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors. In type 2 diabetes, the two strategies reduce hemoglobin A(1c) by 0.6% to 1.1% from baseline levels of 7.7% to 8.5%. They are efficient both in monotherapy and in combination with metformin or thiazolidinediones. Both treatments a

Disease predisposing germline mutations in cancer susceptibility genes may consist of large genomic rearrangements, including deletions or duplications that are challenging, to detect and characterize using standard PCR-based mutation screening methods. Such rearrangements range from single exons up to hundreds of kilobases of sequence in size. Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH)

Structure determination of superantigens and the complexes they form with immune receptors have over the years provided insight in their modes of action. This technique requires growing large and highly ordered crystals of the superantigen or receptor-superantigen complex, followed by exposure to X-ray radiation and data collection. Here, we describe methods for crystallizing superantigens and sup