Filetype
INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most frequent healthcare-associated infection in intensive care units and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Current diagnostic criteria lack specificity, leading to misclassification and unnecessary antibiotic use. Identifying patient subgroups with a common pathophysiological basis (pneumoclusters) may distinguish true VAP
The etiology of exercise-induced rib stress fractures (RSFs) in elite rowers is unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate thoracic muscle activity, movement patterns and muscle strength in elite rowers. Electromyographic (EMG) and 2-D video analysis were performed during ergometer rowing, and isokinetic muscle strength was measured in seven national team rowers with a history of RSF and
Background Open abdomen (OA) treatment often results in difficulties in closing the abdomen. Highest closure rates are seen with the vacuum-assisted wound closure (VAWC) technique. However, we have experienced occasional failures with this technique in cases with severe visceral swelling needing longer treatment periods with open abdomen. Feasibility and short-term outcome of a novel combination o
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of low dose dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in glucocorticoid treated female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Forty one women (>= 5 mg prednisolone/day) were included in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study for 6 months where DHEA was given at 30 mg/20 mg (<= 45/>= 46 y
In a 5-year study involving 119 postmenopausal women, zoledronic acid 4 mg given once-yearly for 2, 3 or 5 years was well tolerated with no evidence of excessive bone turnover reduction or any safety signals. BMD increased significantly. Bone turnover markers decreased from baseline and were maintained within premenopausal reference ranges. Introduction After completion of the core study, two cons
BACKGROUND: Degranulation of eosinophils in target tissues is considered a key pathogenic event in major chronic eosinophilic diseases. However, because of a lack of appropriate methods, little is known about degranulation of eosinophils in common eosinophilic diseases. METHODS: Using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis, a novel approach has been devised and validated to quantify eosi
During the last decades a striking decline has been observed for wild bees throughout central and north-western Europe, including Sweden. in an area of 64 km' in the parish of Stenbrohult, southern Smaland Andrena hattorfiana, Andrena humilis, Nomada armata and Panurgus hanksianus were studied (in Sweden red-listed as VU, EN, EN and VU). We present occurrence patterns in relation to habitat types
Object. Arterial vasospasm is the most common cause of delayed ischemic neurological deficits (DINDs) and one of the major causes of disability following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Current management of vasospasm involves intravascular volume expansion and hemodynamic augmentation with the goal of increasing cerebral blood flow (CBF). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of vol
Objective: To describe anthropometric characteristics of participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Design: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of a European prospective cohort study. Subjects: This analysis includes study populations from 25 centres in nine European countries. The British populations comprised both a population-based and a 'he
PURPOSE: To elucidate the role of leucine-rich proteoglycans lumican and fibromodulin in the sclera. METHODS: Lumican- and fibromodulin-null heterozygous mice were intercrossed to obtain wild-type (Lum(+/+)Fmod(+/+)), lumican-null (Lum(-/-)Fmod(+/+)), fibromodulin-null (Lum(+/+)Fmod(-/-)), and double-null (Lum(-/-)Fmod(-/-)) littermates. Axial length was measured on enucleated whole eyes, and ocul
The effects of hypothermia on hypoglycemic brain damage were studied in rats after a 30-min period of hypoglycemic coma, defined as cessation of spontaneous EEG activity. The rats were either normothermic (37 degrees C) or moderately hypothermic (33 degrees C). Morphological brain damage was evaluated after various periods of recovery. Hypothermic animals with halothane anesthesia never resumed sp
Atmospheric deposition of N and S appears to have caused nutrient imbalance in Norway spruce stands in southern Sweden. This calls for a change of forest management to procedures that promote nutrient balance. Studies have shown lower soil acidity in Norway spruce/deciduous mixed stands than in spruce monocultures, but the tree nutrient status in such mixtures has not been much investigated so far
A new beam blanking system was installed at the Lund Nuclear Microprobe and employed in proton beam lithography (PBL) for polymer microstructures fabrication. The blanker consists of two parallel plates connected to a high voltage generator. Measurement of the beam blanking time on a sample was performed by means of the standard PIXE system. The beam is blanked and returns to a sample within 200 n
Industrial energy systems involve many components where fluid flow, heat and mass transfer are the important transport processes. For design and development as well as investigation of innovative ideas, computational methods are of vital importance. Since the early pioneering works (by, e.g., the Spalding group) in the 1960s and 1970s, the development has been tremendous and nowadays CFD (computat
Body fatness has been associated with increased risk of a number of hormone-dependent cancers. Recent studies suggest that body mass index (BMI) may be related to meningiomas, which are more common in women than men, and for which estrogens are believed to play a role. Using data from a large European propective cohort, 203 incident cases of meningioma and 340 cases of glioma were included in the
This study focuses on the hygroscopic properties of submicrometer aerosol particles emitted from two small-scale district heating combustion plants (1 and 1.5 MW) burning two types of biomass fuels (moist forest residue and pellets). The hygroscopic particle diameter growth factor (Gf) was measured when taken from a dehydrated to a humidified state for particle diameters between 30 350 nm (dry siz
PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate, in a population-based setting, the surgical outcome in patients with rectal cancer according to the hospital volume. METHODS: Since 1995 all patients with rectal cancer have been registered in the Swedish Rectal Cancer Registry. Hospitals were classified, according to number treated per year, as low-volume, intermediate-volume, or high-volume hospit
The influence of pH on the relative importance of the two principal decomposer groups in soil, fungi and bacteria, was investigated along a continuous soil pH gradient at Hoosfield acid strip at Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdom. This experimental location provides a uniform pH gradient, ranging from pH 8.3 to 4.0, within 180 m in a silty loam soil on which barley has been continuously gro
Inflammatory challenges of the airway mucosa cause luminal entry of bulk plasma. Extravasation of plasma is well described but the routes for epithelial passage of plasma are largely unknown. Using colloidal gold (5 nm) as tracer we have now examined the fate of extravasated plasma in the airways. The tracer was given intravenously to anaesthetized, ovalbumin-sensitized guinea-pigs 2min prior to a
