About Inverse Laplace Transform of a Dynamic Viscosity Function.

A dynamic viscosity function plays an important role in water hammer modeling. It is responsible for dispersion and decay of pressure and velocity histories. In this paper, a novel method for inverse Laplace transform of this complicated function being the square root of the ratio of Bessel functions of zero and second order is presented.

Oxygen utilization in newborns at delivery.

Aims: To evaluate the arteriovenous (AV) pH difference in cord blood as a possible indicator of fetal O(2)-utilization at delivery. Furthermore to examine which maternal, fetal and obstetrical factors lead to elevated O(2)-utilization.

Methods: In this retrospective study all singleton live births, delivered within a four-month period at the University Hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, were analyzed.

Type-specific antiviral antibodies to genital human papillomavirus types in mothers and newborns.

Type-specific antibodies to human papillomaviruses (HPVs) can be detected in most infected adult patients, and they have virus-neutralizing properties. However, there is a dearth of information on the seroprevalence of maternal and neonatal antibodies to HPV capsid antigens. Sera from 104 mothers, their newborns, and 3 twin pregnancies were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of specific IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies to virus-like particles of HPV-6, -11, -16, -18, and -31.

Specific serologic response to genital human papillomavirus types in patients with vulvar precancerous and cancerous lesions.

Objective: Antibodies to human papillomavirus are indicative for previous human papillomavirus exposure. Human papillomavirus antibody reactivities to vulvar precancerous lesions were reported poorly, and the role of human papillomavirus in some of these lesions is still unclear.

Study Design: In a direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, serum samples from 126 healthy control subjects, 97 women with lichen sclerosus with or without squamous hyperplasia, 78 women with vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, and 16 women with verrucous carcinoma were examined for immunoglobulin G and A antibodies to L1 virus-like particles of genital human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16, 18, and 31, cutaneous human papillomavirus type 8, bovine papilloma virus, and cottontail rabbit papilloma virus.

Tryptophan degradation during and after gestation.

In mice, activation of indoleamine-(2,3)-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme converting tryptophan to N-formyl-kynurenine, is required to achieve immunotolerance against the fetus and thus uncomplicated pregnancy. On the other hand, postpartum blues and depression appear to be related to reduced availability of tryptophan and serotonin. In healthy pregnant women with singleton pregnancies we consecutively analyzed kynurenine and tryptophan concentrations during pregnancy and postpartum.

Calgranulins in cystic fluid and serum from patients with ovarian carcinomas.

Ovarian cancer remains still associated with poor prognosis because it is diagnosed predominantly at advanced stages. Ovarian-specific tumor markers do not yet exist for early detection of the disease. At the search of diagnostic markers for ovarian cancer, proteomic-based approaches have focused on novel investigations of neoplastic processes in tumor patients.

Longitudinal study of tryptophan degradation during and after pregnancy.

In mice, activation of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme converting tryptophan to N-formyl-kynurenine, was found to be necessary requirement to achieve immunotolerance against the fetus and thus uncomplicated pregnancy. In plasma from 20 healthy pregnant women with singleton pregnancies we consecutively analyzed kynurenine and tryptophan concentrations during pregnancy (1 specimen at each trimester of gestation) and postpartum (week 6). None of the women had any signs of infection at the time of plasma sampling, but the study population was otherwise unselected.

Antibodies to human papillomavirus 16 L1 virus-like particles as an independent prognostic marker in cervical cancer.

Objective: Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types such as HPV-16 is a major risk factor for the development of cervical cancer. HPV-16 capsid antibodies are detectable in approximately 50% of patients with HPV-16 DNA-positive cervical cancer. We investigated the prognostic significance of HPV capsid antibodies for survival in patients with cervical cancer in comparison with conventional clinicopathologic features such as staging, histologic grading, histology, age, and treatment modality.