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Background: BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers are at substantially increased risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer. The incomplete penetrance coupled with the variable age at diagnosis in carriers of the same mutation suggests the existence of genetic and non-genetic modifying factors. In this study we evaluated the putative role of variants in many candidate modifier genes. Methods: Genot
Recent public debates about sexuality in India and Vietnam have brought the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people sharply into focus. Drawing on legal documents, secondary sources and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the urban centres of Delhi and Hanoi, this article shows how the efforts of civil society organisations dedicated to the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and tran
Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are a class of recently developed luminescent biomarkers that - in several aspects - are superior to organic dyes and quantum dots. UCNPs can emit spectrally narrow anti-Stokes shifted light with quantum yields which greatly exceed those of two-photon dyes for fluence rates relevant for deep tissue imaging. Compared with conventionally used Stokes-shifting fluoro
Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects young women and is characterized by inflammation in several organs including the kidneys, skin, joints, blood, and nervous system. Abnormal immune cellular and humoral responses play important roles in the development of the disease process. Impaired clearance of apoptotic material is a key factor contributing to ac
The content of zinc, iron, calcium and phytate in the 16 most consumed foods from 5 villages in a tropical rural area of Bolivia was analyzed. The fooditems were selected according to a completed food frequency questionnaire. Minerals were analyzed by atomic absorption and phytates by HPIC chromatography. The molar ratios of phytate:mineral are presented as indication of the mineral bioavailabilit
Clay minerals cannot only give information on sedimentary depositional environment but also the climate regime under which sediment was weathered. The successions of non-marine to marine Middle and Late Jurassic strata of the East European Platform show upwards increasing contents of smectite and decreasing contents of kaolinite. There is also an increasing smectite vs. kaolinite ratio laterally,
A series of samples of vanadia supported on monoclinic zirconia were prepared with nominal loadings from a half up to sixteen theoretical vanadia layers. The samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, high-resolution electron microscopy, Raman and diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy, and were used in the oxi
Release of cytotoxic granule proteins from activated eosinophil granules is considered to be a key pathogenic mechanism in eosinophilic diseases. Degenerated eosinophils and extracellular eosinophil granules have been repeatedly depicted. The present overview describes evidence that eosinophil lysis and distribution of free eosinophil granules (as opposed to 'classical degranulation') is an import
Reactions of cis-[PtCl(NH3)(CyNH2)(OH2)](+) (Cy = cyclohexyl) with thione-containing single-stranded oligonucleotides d(T8XT8) and d(XT16) (X = I-s6 or U-s4) and the mononucleotides 4-thiouridine ((UMP)-U-s4) and 6-mercaptoinosine ((IMP)-I-s6) have been studied in aqueous solution at pH 4.1. The reaction kinetics was followed using HPLC methodology as a function of ionic strength in the interval 5
Thoracic cirripedes are sessile crustaceans that use six pairs of thoracic appendages (the cirri) to catch and handle food. We used scanning electron microscopy to examine the cirri, which include one to three pairs of maxillipeds in six species of thoracican barnacles, in search of correlations between cirral setation and feeding mode. The species studied comprise both pedunculate and sessile for
Background: While the association between increased maternal age and congenital disorders has long been recognized, the offspring of older fathers are also at increased risk of congenital disorders related to DNA errors during spermatogenesis. Recent studies have drawn attention to an association between increased paternal age and increased risk of schizophrenia. The aim of the current study was t
This article presents two new models that give a perspective on green chemistry (GC). The first model is a classification model of different green chemistry activities, while the second model concerns green chemistry policy and knowledge areas (green chemistry principles, industrial biotechnology and "the green sector"). A broad view of green chemistry is used, where all activities with the aim of
The distribution of mRNA for pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) type 1 (PAC1) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) types 1 and 2 (VPAC1 and VPAC2, respectively) receptors was examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in human cerebral arteries and in trigeminal, otic, sphenopalatine and superior cervical ganglia. RT-PCR products of the expe
Vertebrate sex ratios are notorious for their lack of fit to theoretical models, both with respect to the direction and the magnitude of the sex ratio adjustment. The reasons for this are likely to be linked to simpilfying assumptions regarding vertebrate life histories. More specifically, if the sex ratio adjustment itself influences offspring fitness, due to sex-specific interactions among offsp
Background Colic affects at least 10% of newborns and parents seek help. The aim of this study was to present why infants whose parents sought help for colic, where not included in two colic trials and to describe the use and perceived effect of simethicone and probiotics amongst those infants who were included. Method A quantitative, descriptive sub-study based on unpublished data collected in
In view of global climate change and the increasing energy demand there is a need for renewable energy resources. This thesis discusses an energy-driven biorefinery concept based on the agricultural residues corn stover and wheat straw. The work is divided into two main parts. The first part is concerned with the effects of steam pretreatment and choice of acid catalyst on ethanol and biogas produ
Reviews and practice guidelines for paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) recommend cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) as the psychological treatment of choice, but note that it has not been sufficiently evaluated for children and adolescents and that more randomized controlled trials are needed. The aim of this trial was to evaluate effectiveness and optimal delivery of CBT, emphasizing c
