BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and other spondylarthritides (SpA) impose great impact on the individual in addition to the costs on society, which may be reduced by effective pharmacological treatment. Industry independent health economic studies should complement studies sponsored by industry. OBJECTIVE: To study secular trends in baseline health utilities in pa

Post-translational modifications of proteins significantly affect their structure and function. The carbamylation of positively charged lysine residues to form neutral homoitrulline occurs primarily under inflammatory conditions through myeloperoxidase-dependent cyanate (CNO-) formation. We analyzed the pattern of human IgG(1) carbamylation under inflammatory conditions and the effects that this m

Structural chromosome rearrangements may result in the exchange of coding or regulatory DNA sequences between genes. Many such gene fusions are strong driver mutations in neoplasia and have provided fundamental insights into the disease mechanisms that are involved in tumorigenesis. The close association between the type of gene fusion and the tumour phenotype makes gene fusions ideal for diagnost

We report a rapid and highly efficient approach to generate mice in which the hematopoietic system is derived from embryonic stem (ES) cells. We show that ES cells injected into blastocysts from the c-kit deficient W41/W41 mouse strain have a clear advantage over the W41/W41 blastocyst-derived inner cell mass cells in founding the hematopoietic system. Fetal liver HSCs from W41/W41 blastocyst comp

3C protease of Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) plays an essential role in the viral replication cycle, and therefore, emerged as an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of human diseases caused by CVB3 infection. In this study, we report the first account of the molecular impact of the T68A/N126Y double mutant (MutantBound) using an integrated computational approach. Molecular dynamics simulat

Introduction. Both short and long sleep duration may increase risk of type 2 diabetes (diabetes). We studied if short and long sleep durations were associated with insulin resistance (IR) and insulin secretion in individuals without diabetes, and if the associations remained after we excluded individuals who reported more frequent and severe complaints of sleep apnea and insomnia. Participants and

In this paper we discuss a characterization of anti-structurable algebras in connection with their relation with $(-1,-1)$-Freudenthal Kantor triple systems.

Research regarding expressive language performance in children born with cleft palate is sparse. The relationship between articulation/phonology and expressive language skills also needs to be further explored.

Light harvesting by photosynthetic organisms is nature’s way to use solar energy for biomass growth. The process starts with light absorption in so-called antenna pigments, and is followed by transfer of the excited-state energy to reaction center proteins, where the energy is converted to an electrochemical gradient across the photosynthetic membrane (1). This potential is used to drive all energ

Soil samples were collected in six South American countries in a total of 71 different 1 ha forest plots across the Amazon Basin as part of the RAINFOR project. They were analysed for total and exchangeable cations, C, N, pH with various P fractions also determined. Physical properties were also examined and an index of soil physical quality proposed. A diverse range of soils was found. For the we

Santiago was one of the first cities outside the OECD to implement a tradable permit program to control air pollution. This article looks closely at the program's performance over the past 10 years, stressing its similarities and discrepancies with trading programs implemented in developed countries and analyzing how it has reacted to regulatory adjustments and market shocks. Studying Santiago's e

This study compares students' experiences of two types of criteria-based assessment: in text commentary and rubric-articulated feedback, in an assessment design combining the two feedback channels. The main aim is to use students' responses to shed light on how feedback strategies for formative assessment can be optimised. Following action research methodology, the study discusses key categories o

Aims: To explore whether gender differences in the Scandinavian Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients exist in the areas of key clinical parameters, complications, and medication. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 890 (416 female) pancreatic insufficient CF patients were evaluated regarding chronic infection, body mass index, lung function, medication, and diabetes, as well as data of Pseudomonas infection

Aerodynamic performance and energetic savings for flight in ground effect are theoretically maximized during hovering, but have never been directly measured for flying animals. We evaluated flight kinematics, metabolic rates and induced flow velocities for Anna's hummingbirds hovering at heights (relative to wing length R 5.5 cm) of 0.7R, 0.9R, 1.1R, 1.7R, 2.2R and 8R above a solid surface. Flight

Introduction. To study whether the frequently reported association between depressive symptoms and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components are secondary to the use of antidepressant medication and to established diabetes or cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Patients and methods. A population-based, random sample of 4,967 women and men aged 18-75 years. MetS was defined according t

The solution of the forward problem in fluorescence molecular imaging strongly influences the successful convergence of the fluorophore reconstruction. The most common approach to meeting this problem has been to apply the diffusion approximation. However, this model is a first-order angular approximation of the radiative transfer equation, and thus is subject to some well-known limitations. This