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The purpose of the study was to investigate whether baseline quality of life (QoL) and changes in QoL scores from baseline are prognostic for time to progression (TTP) and/or overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced breast cancer receiving docetaxel (T) or sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (MF). QoL was assessed at baseline and before each treatment using the European Organization

Human embryonic stern cells (hESC) are now routinely cultured in many laboratories, and differentiation protocols are available to generate a large variety of cell types. In all ongoing ethical debate opinions of different groups are based oil varying sets of religious, historical, cultural and scientific arguments as well as oil widely differing levels of general information. We here give all ove

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant hereditary neurodegenerative disorder characterized by severe striatal cell loss. Dopamine (DA) has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. We have previously reported that transgenic mice expressing exon 1 of the human Huntington gene (R6 lines) are resistant to quinolinic acid-induced striatal toxicity. In this study we show

Crosstalk between insulin and cAMP signalling pathways has a great impact on adipocyte metabolism. Whilst Protein kinase B (PKB) is a pivotal mediator of insulin action, in some cells regulation of PKB by cAMP has also been demonstrated. Here we provide evidence that, in a phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase dependent manner, beta 3-adrenergic stimulation (using CL316243) in adipocytes induces PKB phos

A thermostable glycoside hydrolase family-10 xylanase originating from Rhodothermus marinus was cloned and expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris (SMD1168H). The DNA sequence from Rmxyn10A encoding the xylanase catalytic module was PCR-amplified and cloned in frame with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-factor secretion signal under the control of the alcohol oxidase (AOX1) promoto

Purpose: A scale assessing primary care physicians' priorities for genetic education (The Gen-EP scale) was developed and tested in five European countries. The objective of this study was to determine its factor structure, to test scaling assumptions and to determine internal consistency. Methods: The sample consisted of 3686 practitioners (general practitioners, gyneco-obstetricians, pediatricia

Females of many songbird species show a preference for mating with males that have larger song repertoires, but the advantages associated with this preference are uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that song complexity can serve as an indicator of male quality because the development of the brain regions underlying song learning and production occurs when young birds typically face nutritional an

Maximal utility of accessible data is attractive to all partners in clinical research, whether it directly improves patient care or more accurately allows identification of the safety and efficacy of a new drug or procedure. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has presented a guideline draft addressing digitization of electrocardiogram (ECG) data in clinical trials to improve the standards for

Abstract in Undetermined BACKGROUND: Testicular cancer (TC) patients have a high survival rate, and the question of post-therapy recovery of sperm production and its dependence on genetic predisposition is of major interest. METHODS: Ejaculates were obtained from 112 TC patients at one or more of the following time points: post-orchidectomy, or 6, 12, 24, 36 and 60 months post-therapy. The lengths

In order to elucidate the composition of the female sex pheromone of the northern (beech) winter moth, Operophtera fagata Scharf. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), ovipositor extracts of unmated, calling females were analysed by gas chromatography with simultaneous electroantennographic and flame ionization detection (GC-EAD/FID). Male antennal responses indicated three active components, two of which h

Two subspecies of Nigella degenii (Ranunculaceae) possess a dimorphism in pollen colour and vary extensively in frequency of the two morphs in natural populations. Here we investigate the role of selection on pollen colour during the pollination phase in the two subspecies and its potential contribution to the maintenance of this colour variation. In a combination of common garden experiments and

Smoking is the main risk factor for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) but genetic factors are of importance, since only a subset of smokers develops the disease. Sex differences have been suggested both in disease prevalence and response to environmental exposures. Furthermore, it has been shown that acquisition of 'addiction' to smoking is partly genetically mediated. Disease cases and

Lake and peat corings on three Azores islands in the central North Atlantic, resulted in the discovery of a 6000 year long lacustrine sequence in a small crater lake, Lake Caveiro, on the island of Pico. This island is dominated by Pico mountain (2351 m), Portugal's highest mountain, and the lake site is situated at 903 in asl. Two sediment profiles, one central and one littoral, were sampled. Due

An assessment of nutrient sustainability has been done for stands of European beech, Sycamore maple, European oak, Norway spruce, Larch, Grandis fir and Douglas fir at Bjornstorp Estate in southern Sweden. To estimate the nutrient sustainability, mass balance was calculated with respect to Ca, Mg, K, N and P. The release from mineral weathering was calculated using the PROFILE model. The leaching

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown possible neuroendocrine effects of GH. In the present study we investigated the incidence of mental disorders and the prevalence of mental distress and cognitive dysfunction in hypopituitary women with untreated GH deficiency compared to population-based controls.DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Thirty-three hypopituitary women with a median age of 64 years (range 39--77

We previously described a simplified quantitative hemolytic assay for classical pathway (CP) hemolytic function in serum that has been shown to correlate with the 50% hemolytic complement (CH50) assay. In the present study, we used this assay to compare CP functions; plasma levels of C3, C4, and C3dg; and ratios of C3dg to C3 in healthy individuals and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (S

The determination of drug-protein binding and free drug concentration in plasma applying the equilibrium sampling through membrane (ESTM) technique has been studied using supported liquid membrane extraction in a single hollow fibre without any membrane carrier. In the extraction setup, the donor phase (plasma or buffer) was placed in the vial, into which was immersed the hollow fibre with the acc