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Background: Lead exposure, even at low levels, is associated with adverse health effects in humans. We investigated the determinants of individual lead levels in a general population-based sample of adults from Florence, Italy. Methods: Erythrocyte lead levels were measured (using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) in 454 subjects enrolled in the Florence cohort of the European Prospect
Prostate cancer radiotherapy workflows, solely based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are now in clinical use. In these workflows, intraprostatic gold fiducial markers (GFM) show similar signal behavior as calcifications and bleeding in T2-weighted MRI-images. Accurate GFM identification in MRI-only radiotherapy workflows is therefore a major challenge. C-arm X-ray images (CkV-images), acquire
BACKGROUND: Remodeling is an important long-term determinant of cardiac function throughout the progression of heart disease. Numerous biomolecular pathways for mechanosensing and transduction are involved. However, we hypothesize that biomechanical factors alone can explain changes in myocardial volume and chamber size in valve disease.METHODS: A validated model of the human vasculature and the f
BACKGROUND: Falls are common among older people with intellectual disability (ID) and are also a major contributor to injuries in this population. Yet, fall characteristics have only been sparsely studied, and the results are inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to investigate type of falls, places where they occurred and activities that caused them, as well as health outcomes and health
The catalytic domain of a xylanase from Rhodothermus marinus was produced in Escherichia coli. The catalytic domain belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family 10. The produced protein has a 22-amino acid leader peptide followed by a 411-amino acid truncated xylanase. The molecular mass was 48 kDa and the recombinant xylanase had a pI of 4.9. The pH and temperature optima for activity were determined to
Background: Nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neural factor (BDNF) are important for brain function and detectable in the blood. This study explored the longitudinal associations of physical activity and body fat with serum NGF and BDNF in children. Methods: Two waves of measurements were performed 2 years apart in 8- to 11-year-old children, including physical activity using the ActiGra
Non-conventional nixtamalized maize flours elaborated by a factory in Mexico were used for tortilla preparation. Tortillas were stored at 4°C for up to 72 h and the total starch, available starch, resistant starch and retrograded resistant starch were assessed. The traditional white tortilla, used as a control, showed higher protein and fat contents than blue maize tortilla, whereas a maize-bean m
Open testicular wedge biopsy has electively been performed prior to completion of maintenance therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 25 boys during 6 years were included in this prospective study. Three boys developed testicular enlargement while on maintenance therapy and biopsies confirmed testicular leukemia. The remaining 22 boys were biopsied at termination of maintenance therapy. Occult t
Researching intimacies and new media encompasses a wide variety of intersecting practices and relationships. This special issue presents contributions from researchers who are investigating practices of intimacy mediated either wholly or in part through new media in which a variety of different methodological opportunities and challenges are highlighted and discussed. Existing research has address
The solar neighbourhood contains disc stars that have recently crossed spiral arms in the Galaxy. We propose that boundaries in local velocity distributions separate stars that have recently crossed and been more strongly perturbed by a particular arm from those that haven't. Ridges in the stellar velocity distributions constructed from the second Gaia data release trace orbits that could have tou
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate what treatment methods physiotherapists in Sweden use for infants 0–24 months hospitalised with acute breathing difficulties due to lower respiratory tract infections. Material and methods: We constructed an anonymous digital survey for paediatric physiotherapists in Sweden. It was distributed by e-mail and was posted on professional websites.
HAMLET is a complex of human a-lactalbumin (ALA) and oleic acid and kills several Gram-positive bacteria by a mechanism that bears resemblance to apoptosis in eukaryotic cells. To identify HAMLET's bacterial targets, here we used Streptococcus pneumoniae as a model organism and employed a proteomic approach that identified several potential candidates. Two of these targets were the glycolytic enzy
A proportion of patients with severe asthma (SA) show poor responses to traditional asthma medications; however, it remains unknown why some patients remain persistently symptomatic. Our objective was to explore the use of laser-capture microdissection of specific epithelial structures combined with quantitative data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry to elucidate differences in protein com
Cucurbit crops have steadily increased in production over the last 50 years, particularly in Asia where pioneering technological advancements and genetic improvements have created new hybrid varieties. Generally, cucurbits are dependent on insect-pollination for fruit set and are popular species for pollination studies. This review systematically summarises pollination research conducted in the ma
