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Part of the process of rehabilitation after a brain injury is the relearning of various daily tasks such as preparing food, managing finances, getting from one place to another and so forth. These tasks require learning on all levels from physical to cognitive. Remembering a PIN code for a bank card, for example, can become automatic and ‘in the fingers’ after much repetition. However, other tasks

The near-surface structure of the room-temperature ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide has been investigated as a function of temperature between 100 and 620 K. We used a combination of photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS), metastable induced electron spectroscopy (MIES), and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The valence band a

Helicobacter pylori is the most important cause of gastritis, peptic ulcers and the development of gastric cancer. The chronic active inflammation is dominated by neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells. Several interleukins (IL-8, IL-10 and IFN-gamma) are involved in the inflammatory process in the gastric mucosa. The aim of this study was to investigate the gastric inflammation in

Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion Consistent evidence underlines the utility of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing in the management of women with equivocal cervical cytological abnormalities, but not in case of low-grade lesions. We performed a meta-analysis including studies where the high-risk probe of the Hybrid Capture-II is used to triage these two cytological categories

BACKGROUND. We investigated the association of different subfractions of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2), such as total PSA (tPSA), complexed PSA (cPSA), free PSA (fPSA), "single-chain Intact fPSA" (fPSA-I), "multi-chain nicked fPSA" (fPSA-N), and total hK2 with volumes of total prostate gland, transition zone (tz), and prostate cancer (PCa) tissue in patient

Autoantibodies to insulin are often the first autoantibodies detected in young children with type 1 diabetes and can be present before the onset of clinical diabetes. These autoantibodies and their epitopes are, however, not well characterized. We explored the use of monoclonal antibodies and their recombinant Fab as reagents for epitope analysis. In this study we cloned and characterized the reco

Aggregation-prone proteins have been suggested to overwhelm and impair the ubiquitin/proteasome system (UPS) in polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders, such as Huntington's disease (HD). Overexpression of an N-terminal fragment of mutant huntingtin (N-mutHtt), an aggregation-prone polyQ protein responsible for HD, obstructs the UPS in cellular models. Furthermore, based on the accumulation of polyubiquit

The 7th Ammendment to the Cosmetics Directive of the European Commission (Directive 76/768/EEC2) bans the marketing of cosmetics containing animal-tested ingredients since March 2009. Excepted are only tests for repeated dose toxicity, for which the animal ban will come into effect by 2013. One major concern for cosmetics, i.e. the risk of containing skin (contact) sensitizers, has in the past bee

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to be an indicator of particle-induced toxicity. We used a novel instrument, called Particle Into Nitroxide Quencher (PINQ), for real-time quantification of ROS for assessment of indoor particle sources. Of the sources tested, cigarette smoke was found to contain the highest ROS concentration, several times higher than incense smoke and secondary organi

Background/Objectives: A novel patient group with chronic pulmonary fibrosis is emerging post COVID-19. To identify patients at risk of developing post-COVID-19 lung fibrosis, we here aimed to identify systemic proteins that overlap with fibrotic markers identified in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and may predict COVID-19-induced lung fibrosis. Methods: Ninety-two proteins we

Centrifugal compressors are widely used in turbocharged powertrains for Heavy-Duty applications. The volute of the centrifugal compressors is generally of the overhung type. The design of volutes is often neglected, and the shape of the volute is dictated by the packaging requirements of the engine. However, with the advent of Hydrogen-based propulsion systems, the efficiency of all the components

Group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) is an important bacterial pathogen causing over 700 million superficial infections and around 500.000 deaths due to invasive disease or severe post-infection sequelae yearly. In spite of this major impact on society, there is currently no vaccine available against this bacterium. GAS strains can be separated into >250 distinct emm (M)-types, and

We explore whether SAM2, a vision foundation model, can be used for accurate localization of eye image features that are used in lab-based eye tracking: corneal reflections (CRs), the pupil, and the iris. We prompted SAM2 via a typical hand annotation process that consisted of clicking on the pupil, CR, iris and sclera for only one image per participant. SAM2 was found to support better spatial pr

During the last decades, MgMg and alloys gained interest as degradable implant materials: its mechanical propertiesMechanical properties are close to bone and a second surgery for removing them can be avoided. Properties are gained from chemical composition and processing as they are responsible for microstructureMicrostructure development. However, this is not good enough in many cases. When the

Bacterial toxins, called superantigens, are produced by Staphylococcus aureus and are known to activate γδ T cells. γδ T cells contribute to long-lasting immunity against bacterial skin infections caused by S. aureus. γδ T cells are a distinct subgroup of T cells containing the T cell receptor (TCR) γ and δ chains. The γδ TCR harbouring the variable chains TRGV9/TRDV2 is the most common TCR in hum

CONTEXT: Melatonin regulates circadian rhythms and influences glucose metabolism. Altered melatonin secretion may contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but prospective population-based evidence is scarce.OBJECTIVE: To examine whether low nocturnal melatonin secretion is associated with an increased risk of incident T2D in adults.METHODS: This prospective cohort study, with follo

PROBLEM: The embryo is protected from immunologic rejection by the mother, possibly accomplished by immunosuppressive molecules located in the placenta. We investigated the distribution and biochemical properties in placenta of the immunosuppressive plasma protein alpha 1-microglobulin.METHOD OF STUDY: Placental alpha 1-microglobulin was investigated by immunohistochemistry and, after extraction,

Most group A streptococcal strains bind immunoglobulins (Ig) and fibrinogen to their cell walls. It is shown in this paper that the Ig-binding of three different strains was much weaker at 37 degrees C than at room temperature (20 degrees C), whereas the fibrinogen binding was unaffected by temperature. The binding properties and molecular sizes of two purified group A streptococcal cell surface p

Construction is claimed to be fragmented, contract focused, short sighted and characterised by price competition. These are typical aspects of what is considered the traditional market approach where each company is seen as autonomous and transaction oriented towards others. During the last few decades, numerous theoretical approaches have questioned these assumptions. Studies also on construction

Objective: Smooth muscle cells contribute significantly to lipid-laden foam cells in atherosclerotic plaques. However, the underlying mechanisms transforming smooth muscle cells into foam cells are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms regulating smooth muscle foam cell formation. Approach and results: Using human coronary artery smooth musc