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Many men with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in serum do not have aggressive prostate cancer and undergo unnecessary biopsy. Retrospective studies using cryopreserved serum suggest that four kallikrein markers can predict biopsy outcome.
Objectives The aim of the study was to examine the predictive value of QRS duration and morphology during watchful waiting in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis (AS). Background QRS duration and morphology are associated with poor prognosis in many different populations, but the predictive value, particularly of the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), in asymptomatic patients with AS has n
The Tibetan highlands host the largest alpine grassland ecosystems worldwide, bearing soils that store substantial stocks of carbon (C) that are very sensitive to land use changes. This study focuses on the cycling of photoassimilated C within a Kobresia pygmaea pasture, the dominating ecosystems on the Tibetan highlands. We investigated short-term effects of grazing cessation and the role of the
Our knowledge of the binding sites for neutralizing Abs (NAb) that recognize a broad range of HIV-1 strains (bNAb) has substantially increased in recent years. However, gaps remain in our understanding of how to focus B cell responses to vulnerable conserved sites within the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env). In this article, we report an immunization strategy composed of a trivalent HIV-1 (clade
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a disease of complement dysregulation, characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure. Mutations in complement inhibitors are major risk factors for development of aHUS. The three aHUS patients reported in this study had several previously identified alterations in complement inhibitors; e.g. risk haplotypes in CD46 and fact
BACKGROUND: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the two major susceptibility genes involved in hereditary breast cancer. This study was undertaken to provide reliable population-based estimates of genetic influence and to characterize the nature and prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations in early-onset breast cancer.METHODS: In a series comprising all women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of
The MAKEDEP model is designed to produce the time series of atmospheric deposition and nutrient uptake and cycling needed by dynamic soil chemistry models such as SAFE. A range of new features were implemented in the MAKEDEP model including separate treatment of several tree compartments (e.g. root, stem, bark, branch, canopy) and variable nutrient content in the different compartments. The mo
A diffusion process on complex networks is introduced in order to uncover their large-scale topological structures. This is achieved by focusing on the slowest decaying diffusive modes of the network. The proposed procedure is applied to real-world networks like a friendship network of known modular structure, and an Internet routing network. For the friendship network, its known structure is well
In this paper, we study and compare a number of subspace-based methods for determining the the number of sinusoids in noise. These are based on the subspace orthogonality and and shift-invariance properties that are known from the MUSIC (multiple signal classification) and ESPRIT frequency estimators. The method based on the orthogonality property has not previously appeared in the literature. We
Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is one of the most commonly used animal models for Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). CIA is induced in susceptible mouse strains after immunization with heterologous type II collagen (CII). In mice of the H-2q haplotype rat CII (rCII) is used whereas in mice of the H-2r haplotype bovine CII is utilized. The broad objective of this thesis was to gain an understanding of th
In recent years, extreme flow events in rivers have become more frequent and caused numerous bridge failures worldwide. Such events increase headwater levels in the rivers that may cause water to flow over the bridge deck, referred to as bridge overtopping. This is one of the primary factors affecting bridge functionality, possibly leading to failure. In general, bridges are designed and construct
Aims/hypothesis. The aim of this study was to examine the putative role of mutations in the insulin promoter 1 (IPF1) gene in early-onset diabetes. Methods. We carried out mutation screening of the IPF1 gene in 115 Scandinavian families with at least two members with onset of diabetes younger than 40 years. The allele frequencies were also tested in 183 unrelated patients with late-onset Type II (
X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a hereditary defect of B-cell differentiation in man caused by deficiency of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK). A three-dimensional model for the BTK kinase domain, based on the core structure of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, was used to interpret the structural basis for disease in eight independent point mutations in patients with XLA. As Arg-525 of BTK has been
ABSTRACT Optimal breeding of mice is very important in biomedical science today. The understanding why some strains breed better and some worse enable scientists to create better in vivo models for human diseases. The aim of this thesis was to identify and characterize new genetic regions linked to reproductive performance and autoimmune inflammation in female mice. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA
The epithelia are the avascular layers of cells that cover the environment-exposed surfaces of the body. It appears that T cells localize to selected sites in or adjacent to epithelia via the selective expression of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors on T cells. These bind to counter-receptors and to chemokines expressed by epithelial cells. Recently, there has been an advance in our under
The therapeutic potential of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor ( GDNF) for Parkinson's disease is likely to depend on sustained delivery of the appropriate amount to the target areas. Recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors ( rAAVs) expressing GDNF may be a suitable delivery system for this purpose. The aim of this study was to define a sustained level of GDNF that does not affect the
About 25% of C2-deficient homozygotes have increased susceptibility to severe bacterial infections. C2-deficient homozygotes had significantly lower serum levels of IgG2, IgG4, IgD, and Factor B, significantly higher levels of IgA and IgG3 and levels of IgG1 and IgM similar to controls. Type I ( 28 bp deletion in C2 exon 6 on the [HLA-B18, S042, DR2] haplotype or its fragments) and type II ( non-t
