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BACKGROUND: In children, a gastrostomy button was placed as the initial feeding tube, using laparoscopy and a modified surgical technique. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a new surgical procedure developed at our institution would result in fewer postoperative complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-two consecutive children with nutritional problems underwent a video-assis
The seasonality of the NEE of the northern boreal coniferous forests was investigated by means of inversion modelling using eddy covariance data. Eddy covariance data was used to optimize the biochemical model parameters. Our study sites consisted of three Scots pine (1. Pinus sylvestris) forests and one Norway spruce (1. Picea abies) forest that were located in Finland and Sweden. We obtained tem
This study investigates exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), which are used as flame retardants in electronic equipment, in a group of technicians with intense computer work. Thirteen PBDE congeners and TBBPA were quantified in serum from 19 computer technicians. Previously investigated groups of hospital cleaners with no computer experience, and cl
The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether or not temperament dimensions are stable over time. Twenty-six patients (21 women and five men) filled in the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) both at admission after a suicide attempt (index) and at follow-up 5 years later. KSP changes were significantly associated with low severity of psychiatric symptoms and no reported reattemp
OBJECTIVES: To compare the prognostic significance of chromosome aberrations, DNA ploidy, and S-phase fraction (SPF) in prostate adenocarcinomas and to compare the sensitivity of metaphase cytogenetics with flow cytometry (FCM) in detecting abnormal tumor clones. METHODS: Prostate adenocarcinomas from 57 men were previously successfully analyzed with metaphase cytogenetics. Archival material from
Structural equilibrium properties of transient networks formed by microemulsion droplets and ABA triblock copolymers in solution have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation. The droplets were represented by soft spheres, and the polymers were represented by junctions connected by harmonic bonds with an angular potential regulating the intrinsic chain stiffness. The interaction parameters were sele
Objective. To describe the prevalence, characteristics, attribution, and clinical significance of neuropsychiatric (NP) events in an international inception cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Methods. The study was conducted by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC). Patients were enrolled within 15 months of fulfilling the American College of Rheumatolo
Previous studies on patients with breast cancer, who received postsurgical irradiation, displayed a markedly suppressed inflammatory response in the lung of smoking patients compared to nonsmokers. The aim of the present study was to investigate further the effect of exposure to tobacco smoke on the development of irradiation-induced pneumonitis in the rat. Four groups of animals were used: contro
Objective: To study the achievability of device weaning in patients receiving left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as a bridge to transplantation. Methods: Eighteen consecutive patients receiving a LVAD between September 1997 and June 2002 were included in the study. During a four-month follow-up, patients were repeatedly evaluated with right heart catheterization and echocardiography and, if f
Human exposure to methylmercury occurs mainly via consumption of fish. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of freshwater fish consumption on mercury levels in hair, blood, urine, and end-exhaled air. Twenty subjects without dental amalgam fillings were recruited from sport-fishing societies. They ranged in age from 61 to 87 yr. Six individuals ate freshwater fish at least once a
ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is usually caused by aspiration of pathogenic bacteria from the oropharynx. Oral decontamination with antiseptics, such as chlorhexidine (CHX) or antibiotics, has been used as prophylaxis against this complication. We hypothesised that the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum 299 (Lp299) would be as efficient as CHX in reducing th
The complexes trans-[PtPh(OTf)(PMe2Ph)(2)] (1) and trans- [PtPh(OTf)(PPh3)(2)] (4) were synthesized from the corresponding chloro complexes in moderate yields. Complex I is slowly hydrolyzed in solution, giving the dinuclear hydroxo-bridged complex [Pt(mu-OH)(PMe2Ph)(2)](2)(CF3SO3)(2) (6), which was characterized by X-ray crystallography. In solution I and 4 undergo fast solvolysis to give the cor
An analytical quantitative high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for simultaneous determination of all mercaptobenzothiazole derivatives in the mercapto mix patch testing standard. The stability of the mercaptobenzothiazoles constituting the mercapto mix was studied both in petrolatum and in buffer solution at pH 6.5, with and without glutathione. In petrolatum vehicle, d
The BIA method, based on assessment of patients in activities, was developed to enable reliable assessment of clients' occupational functioning. The method evaluates the patient's ego functions and capacity for activity and participation. The aims of this study were to examine inter-rater reliability for the BIA method and to compare the experiences of staff working with the BIA with those of staf
A selective extraction technique based on the combination of membrane assisted solvent extraction and molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction for triazine herbicides in food samples was developed. Simazine, atrazine, prometon, terbumeton, terbuthylazine and prometryn were extracted from aqueous food samples into a hydrophobic polypropylene membrane bag containing 1000 mu L of toluene as the a
In epidemiological studies, Helicobacter pylori infection is usually detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, infection can spontaneously clear from the mucosa during the progression of atrophy and could lead to substantial under-detection of infection and underestimation of its effect on gastric cancer (GC) risk. Antibodies detected by western blot are known to persist long
Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry is not adequate for the determination of some potentially hazardous trace elements, such as Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb at low concentration in PM2.5 atmospheric aerosol particles. Therefore, a method has been developed for the determination of these elements in atmospheric aerosol particles using high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace ato
Isomeric ratios have been measured for high-spin states in Po-198,200,206,208(84), At-208,209,210,211(85), Rn-210,211,212,213,214(86), Fr-208,211,212,213,214(87), Ra-210,211,212,214,215(88), and Ac-215(89) following the projectile fragmentation of a 1 AGeV U-238 beam by a Be-9 target at GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung. The fragments were separated in the fragment separator (FRS) and
