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This book chapter discusses and evaluates four different efforts to extend human life: Normalize ageing, Optimize ageing, Retard ageing and postpone death, and Eliminate or overcome ageing and death. I suggest that improved treatment of disease and handicap at all ages should be welcomed. As a secondary effect, this may in many cases result in an extension of individual lives. However, the direct
Relationships between 24-h urinary excretion and body burden of 137Cs obtained in a south-Swedish population, together with data from the literature, were applied to urine samples collected in 1994-95 from adult subjects living in Russia, in order to estimate their average body burden of 137Cs. Estimates obtained through creatinine normalisation of the 137Cs content in the Russian urine were a fac
Cytokines play an important role in the regulation of homeostasis and inflammation. A de-regulated cytokine function can subsequently promote chronic inflammation. This is supported by clinical evidence showing the beneficial effect of inhibiting TNF-alpha through injection of antibodies and soluble receptor in disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. Systemic anti-TNF-alpha the
A simple selective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method was developed for the determination of desorption behaviour of PCBs in sediments. This method was applied to determine the distribution of individual PCB congeners among sites of differing bonding strengths in two Swedish sediments (Lake Järnsjön and Baltic bay Orserumsviken). Four different PCB fractions were distinguished in each sed
This work aims to evaluate the predictive strength of the relative seriality, parallel and Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB) normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models regarding the incidence of radiation pneumonitis (RP), in a group of patients following lung cancer radiotherapy and also to examine their correlation with pulmonary function tests (PFTs). The study was based on 47 patients who r
Mechanically strong and flexible membranes with very high local concentrations of immobilized proton-conducting phosphonic acid have been achieved by grafting poly(vinylphosphonic acid) side chains onto polysulfones. The graft copolymers were prepared by anionic polymerization of diethyl vinylphosphonate initiated from lithiated polysulfones, followed by quantitative cleavage of the ester function
In this review holographic interferometry and electron speckle pattern interferometry are discussed as efficient techniques for diffusion measurements in biochemical and pharmaceutical applications. Transport phenomena can be studied, quantitatively and qualitatively, in gels, liquids and membranes. Detailed information on these phenomena is required to design effective chromatography bioseparatio
The taxonomic status of populations of rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) is still enigmatic. Northern populations differ from southern ones in breeding phenology, song characteristics and head ornaments used as mating signals. We conducted a molecular analysis using mitochondrial DNA sequencing to test if there is a gene flow barrier between northern (subtropical) populations and southern
Emission source functions are extracted from correlation functions constructed from charged pions produced at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at s(NN)=200 GeV. The source parameters extracted from these functions at low k(T) give first indications of a long tail for the pion emission source. The source extension cannot be explained solely by simple kinematic considerations. The possible role of a
Objectives: To investigate if the detection of celiac disease (CD) in children was improved by using alternative conjugates for assessment of tissue transglutaminase (tTG) autoantibodies. Methods: Serum samples from 108 biopsy confirmed CD children and 42 control subjects were investigated for the presence of autoantibodies with tTG coated microplates using protein A (PA), protein G (PG), anti-IgG
C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is a plasma glycoprotein involved in regulation of the complement system. C4BP consists of seven alpha-chains and one unique beta-chain, all constructed of repeating complement control protein (CCP) modules. The beta-chain, made up of three CCPs, binds tightly to vitamin K-dependent protein S, a cofactor to anticoagulant activated protein C. When bound to C4BP, protein S
A certified reference material (CRM) for radionuclides in fish sample IAEA-414 (mixed fish from the Irish Sea and North Seas) is described and the results of the certification process are presented. Nine radionuclides (K-40, Cs-137, Th-232, U-234, U-235, U-238, Pu-238, Pu239+240 and Am-241) were certified for this material. Information on massic activities with 95% confidence intervals is given fo
In the spectrum of an emission-line region ejected from the massive star Eta Carinae, called the strontium filament (SrF), forbidden lines from many elements, in particular [Sr II] and [Ti II], are observed. These lines are strong in this specific region and valuable for plasma diagnostics. Forbidden lines are not easily produced in laboratory light sources and the atomic parameters for these line
The CO2 source and sink distribution across Europe can be estimated in principle through inverse methods by combining CO2 observations and atmospheric transport models. Uncertainties of such estimates are mainly due to insufficient spatiotemporal coverage of CO2 observations and biases of the models. In order to assess the biases related to the use of different models the CO2 concentration field o
