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Background The impact of social participation, trust, and the miniaturization of community on daily and intermittent smoking was investigated. Methods The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional study. A total of 13,715 persons answered a postal questionnaire, which represents 59% of the random sample. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between
Annual recurrent blooms of the toxic dinoflagellates Alexandrium catenella and Alexandrium minutum were detected from 2000 to 2003 in harbours along the Catalan coast. The interrelation study between the occurrence of the blooms and specific external conditions at the study sites demonstrated that different factors are required for the bloom of each Alexandrium species. Concentrations higher than
The etiologic role of physical activity in endometrial cancer risk remains unclear given the few epidemiologic studies that have been conducted. To investigate this relation more fully, an analysis was,undertaken in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC). During an average 6.6 years of follow-up, 689 incident endometrial cancer cases were identified from an analyti
A set of 165 strains of different staphylococcal species, 67 Staphylococcus aureus, 71 novobiocin-sensitive coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) and 27 novobiocin-resistant CNS was used. The oxacillin and methicillin MICs were recorded after 24 and 42 h of incubation at 35 degrees C and at 30 degrees C. Significantly higher MICs were recorded at 30 degrees C compared with 35 degrees C. While a p
A photochemistry study on nitrous oxide making use of site-selective excitation of terminal nitrogen, central nitrogen, and oxygen 1s-->3pi excitations is presented. The resonant Auger decay which takes place following excitation can lead to dissociation of the N(2)O(+) ion. To elucidate the nuclear dynamics, energy-resolved Auger electrons were detected in coincidence with the ionic dissociation
Objectives. Only a little research has focused on the evaluation of female sexual function. With sexual stimulation, the clitoris becomes engorged with blood and tumescent. Nevertheless, only little is known about the significance of the cyclic nucleotide-mediated signal transduction in the control of this process. We sought to elucidate the presence of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzymes 3, 4,
BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to evaluate some possible risk factors for hypospadias with special regard to parity, subfertility and maternal smoking. METHODS: With the use of the Swedish health registries, 3,262 infants with a diagnosis of hypospadias were identified among 1,413,811 infants born in 1983-96 with prospectively collected smoking exposure during pregnancy. Odds ratios (OR) an
There is current interest in fish consumption and marine omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids and breast cancer risk. Some in vitro and animal studies have suggested an inhibitory effect of marine n-3 fatty acids on breast cancer growth, but the results from epidemiological studies that have examined the association between fish consumption and breast cancer risk in humans are inconsistent. We examined fish
The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe the costs and process of implementing RFID technology to manage and control the rotation of returnable transport items. Due to the novelty of using RFID in logistics and supply chain management, in-depth case studies were conducted at two global firms in the retail industry to investigate how and why organisations implement and assess RFID techn
To obtain further information on the polyploid dynamics of the the Dactylorhiza incarnata/maculata polyploid complex and the origin of the allotetraploid D. sphagnicola ( Orchidaceae), plastid DNA variation was studied in 400 plants from from Sweden and elsewhere in Europe and Asia Minor by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLPs) and sequencing. All
The Jutulsessen nunataks (72degrees00'S; 2degrees30'E), Gjelsvikfjella, Dronning Maud Land (DML), consist mainly of migmatites of two types. A heterogeneous banded amphibolite facies gneisses; and a more homogeneous part. In the more homogeneous part, partial melts form along axial planes to tight folds. Numerous pegmatitic dykes occur in both migmatites. The homogeneous part of the migmatite has
Protein C inhibitor (PCI) is a serine protease inhibitor, displaying broad protease specificity, found in blood and other tissues. In blood, it is capable of inhibiting both procoagulant and anticoagulant proteases. Mechanisms that provide specificity to PCI remain largely unrevealed. In this study we have for the first time provided a full explanation for the marked size heterogeneity of blood-de
Proteinase 3 (PR3) is found in granules of all nentrophils but also on the plasma membrane of a subset of nentrophils (mPR3). CD177, another neutrophil protein, also displays a bimodal surface expression. In this study, we have investigated the coexpression of these two molecules, as well as the effect of cell activation on their surface expression. We can show that CD177 is expressed on the same
Objective Most epidemiologic studies have suggested an increased risk of breast cancer with increasing alcohol intake. Using data from 274,688 women participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (EPIC), we investigated the relation between alcohol intake and the risk of breast cancer. Methods Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) based on Cox proportional hazard mo
Background: Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a 56-kDa procarboxypeptidase. Proteolytic enzymes activate TAFI into TAFIa, an inhibitor of fibrinolysis, by cleaving off the N-terminal activation peptide (amino acids 1-92), from the enzyme moiety. Activated TAFI is unstable, with a half-life of approximately 10 min at 37 degrees C. So far, it is unknown whether the activation pep
The present study examined the influences of the muscle contraction (MCP) and relaxation (MRP) phases, as well as systole and diastole, on the blood velocity profile and flow in the conduit artery at different dynamic muscle contraction forces. Eight healthy volunteers performed one-legged dynamic knee-extensor exercise at work rates of 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 W at 60 contractions per minute. The ti
Certain derivatives and analogues of capsazepine are potent in vitro inhibitors of bronchoconstriction in human small airways. During an investigation of the dependency of the potency on the structural features of the capsazepinoids in the thiourea moiety (coupling region) and the 2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl moiety (C-region), it was revealed that capsazepinoids with a thiourea or an amide link betwee
The dorsal ocelli are commonly considered to be incapable of form vision, primarily due to underfocused dioptrics. We investigate the extent to which this is true of the ocelli of the locust Locusta migratoria. Locust ocelli contain thick lenses with a pronounced concavity on the inner surface, and a deep clear zone separating retina and lens. In agreement with previous research, locust ocellar le
The reproduction of female Siberian lemmings in the increase and peak phases of the lemming cycle was investigated in connection with a ship-borne expedition along the Siberian arctic tundra. The cycle phase of each studied lemming population was determined using demographic analyses, i.e. current density indices (captured lemmings per 100 traps per 24 h), information on previous density (frequenc
Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy, caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, is an autosomal recessive autoimmune disease characterized by the breakdown of tolerance to organ-specific antigens. The 545 amino acid protein encoded by AIRE contains several structural motifs suggestive of a transcriptional regulator and bears similarity to cellular prote
