BACKGROUND Due to a global warming-related increase in heatwaves, it is important to obtain detailed understanding of the relationship between heat and health. We assessed the relationship between heat and urgent emergency room admissions in the Netherlands. METHODS We collected daily maximum temperature and relative humidity data over the period 2002-2007. Daily urgent emergency room admissi...

This study was undertaken to monitor Fe, Zn and Cu contents in several maternal tissues and the products of conception of rats submitted to moderate food restriction during pregnancy. Two groups of female rats, nonpregnant (NP) and pregnant (P1), were fed ad libitum. A second group of pregnant rats (restricted diet, P2) was fed for 14 days with the same intake as NP, then the intake was increas...

Preterm infants often require supplemental oxygen due to lung immaturity, but hyperoxia can contribute to an increased risk of respiratory illness later in life. Our aim was to compare the effects of mild and moderate levels of neonatal hyperoxia on markers of pulmonary oxidative stress and inflammation and on lung architecture; both immediate and persistent effects were assessed. Neonatal mice...

BACKGROUND Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the Central Nervous System that is immunologically mediated in genetically susceptible individuals. IL-21, a cytokine produced by TCD4(+) cells, particularly by Th-17 cells, is believed to play an important role in the MS pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE This study was performed to investigate the impact of genetic p...

Chronic viral infection is often associated with the dysfunction of virus-specific T cells. Our studies using Il21r-deficient (Il21r-/-) mice now suggest that interleukin-21 (IL-21) is critical for the long-term maintenance and functionality of CD8+ T cells and the control of chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in mice. Cell-autonomous IL-21 receptor (IL-21R)-dependent signalin...

The molecular characterization of the mutations in hemophilia A patients is hampered by the large size of the factor VIII gene and the great heterogeneity of mutations. In this study, we have performed a protocol involving multiplex polymerase chain reaction in which 19 exons were amplified in four different combinations followed by nonradioactive single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP...

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of aerobic training on serum FGF21 levels and glucose in women with type II diabetes mellitus. Women with type II diabetes mellitus were divided into two groups including control (n=14) and aerobic training (n=14) the mean levels of serum FGF21, glucose were measured in all participants after 8 weeks exercise. The mean of FGF21 levels after exer...

Introduction Little is known about the patterns of women׳s alcohol consumption over their reproductive life course. This study identifies trajectories of alcohol consumption by mothers over 21 years of their reproductive life course and examines baseline predictors of these trajectories. Methods Data were obtained from a prospective cohort study of 3715 women in Brisbane, Queensland, Australi...