Innovating fire safety with recombinant hydrophobic proteins for textile fire retardancy.

Fire retardancy for textiles is important to prevent the rapid spread of fire and minimize damage to property and harm to human life. To infer fire-resistance on textile materials such as cotton or nylon, chemical coatings are often used. These chemicals are usually toxic, and economically and environmentally unsustainable, however, some naturally produced protein-based fire retardants could be an alternative.

[Is Icelanders' sleep duration getting shorter? Review on sleep duration and sleeping habits].

Sleep health promotion is an ever-increasing subject of public discourse in Iceland. Prominent claims made include that the duration of sleep among Icelanders is shortening, and that changing sleeping habits constitute a significant public health risk. Like many aspects of healthcare, commercial interests and sales hype can skew perception.

Segmented lateral dyke growth in a rifting event at Bárðarbunga volcanic system, Iceland.

Crust at many divergent plate boundaries forms primarily by the injection of vertical sheet-like dykes, some tens of kilometres long. Previous models of rifting events indicate either lateral dyke growth away from a feeding source, with propagation rates decreasing as the dyke lengthens, or magma flowing vertically into dykes from an underlying source, with the role of topography on the evolution of lateral dykes not clear. Here we show how a recent segmented dyke intrusion in the Bárðarbunga volcanic system grew laterally for more than 45 kilometres at a variable rate, with topography influencing the direction of propagation.

Is craniosacral therapy effective for migraine? Tested with HIT-6 Questionnaire.

Objective: To determine whether or not craniosacral therapy alleviates migraine symptoms.

Methods: A cross-over experimental design was used with twenty participants, aged between 20 and 50 years, who suffered from at least two migraine attacks per month. Participants were randomly assigned to two equal-sized groups, A and B.

Intrusion triggering of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull explosive eruption.

Gradual inflation of magma chambers often precedes eruptions at highly active volcanoes. During such eruptions, rapid deflation occurs as magma flows out and pressure is reduced. Less is known about the deformation style at moderately active volcanoes, such as Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, where an explosive summit eruption of trachyandesite beginning on 14 April 2010 caused exceptional disruption to air traffic, closing airspace over much of Europe for days.

The Styblo model 20 years later: what holds true?

The Styblo model is the result of international collaboration aimed at the expansion of national tuberculosis (TB) programs in partner countries. This model is the foundation of the DOTS strategy launched in the 1990s and which was subsequently expanded as a global strategy. This paper discusses the impact and relevance of this body of work.

Respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory viruses during the first 3 months of life promote a local TH2-like response.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections during infancy are considered to be a risk factor for developing asthma and possibly allergic sensitization.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the cytokines, chemokines, and eosinophil cationic protein in the nasopharyngeal secretions of infants < or = 7 months of age with RSV infections or other respiratory viral infections and healthy infants as controls. Groups were also analyzed according to age, < or = 3 months and >3 months, and the levels were compared within and between groups.

Resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs and practices in drug susceptibility testing in Moldova, 1995-1999.

Objective: To evaluate practices in initial drug susceptibility testing (DST) in Moldova, anti-tuberculosis drug resistance and the implications for tuberculosis control.

Methods: Retrospective record review in the national reference laboratory.

Results: Of 3463 cases, 57.

HPV subtypes and immunological parameters of cervical cancer in Iceland during two time periods, 1958-1960 and 1995-1996.

Objective: Cervical cancer is a disease caused in part by an infection with an oncogenic subtype of human papillomavirus (HPV). In this study we analysed all cervical cancer samples diagnosed in Iceland during two periods, 1958-1960 and 1995-1996, and asked whether significant changes in viral or immunological parameters had occurred over a period that spanned both significant changes in sexual attitude and the implementation of organized screening for cervical cancer.

Methods: Samples from 47 patients (46 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 1 adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC)) in the first period and 30 patients (20 SCC, 4 ASC, and 6 adenocarcinomas (AC)) in the later period were analysed for viral subtype and expression of Fas, FasL, MHC class I, p53 and apoptosis.

Decentralizing tuberculosis treatment: follow-up of patients during the transitional period.

Setting: Vientiane municipality, Laos.

Objective: To describe and evaluate the implementation of standardized registration and reporting procedures within the municipality in a period of decentralization. The purpose of the standardization was to obtain complete and reliable information on case-finding and treatment results.

Tuberculosis: trends and the twenty-first century.

The global burden of tuberculosis is enormous, even if estimates are somewhat uncertain. The forces counteracting control measures, namely demographic factors, drug resistance, HIV, migration, poverty and marginalization, are enormous as well. With accelerated reforms in tuberculosis programs important progress can be made towards the control of tuberculosis early in the 21st century.

Prevalence and annual risk of tuberculosis infection in Laos.

Setting: Laos, where the implementation of a national tuberculosis program started in 1995.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence (P) and annual risk of tuberculosis infection (ARTI) and relate this to case rates in the tuberculosis program.

Methods: Tuberculin survey in schools in Vientiane municipality and three provinces.

Low failure rate in standardised retreatment of tuberculosis in Nicaragua: patient category, drug resistance and survival of 'chronic' patients.

Setting: IUATLD collaborative programme, Nicaragua.

Objective: To analyse reported trends in the retreatment failure rate (2SRHZE/1RHZE/5R3H3E3), and assess demographic characteristics, drug resistance and survival in patients who fail retreatment.

Design: A retrospective, descriptive study.

Evaluation of a standardized recording tool for sputum smear microscopy for acid-fast bacilli under routine conditions in low income countries.

Setting: Laboratories performing sputum smear microscopy for tuberculosis in Benin, Malawi, Nicaragua and Senegal.

Methods: Analysis of computerized laboratory registers to ascertain workload, yield from serial smear examination, and demographic characteristics of examinees.

Results: Data from more than 60,000 examinees in 42 laboratories showed that the average number of smears examined per day ranged from 4 to 19 (mean 6) per country.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) in an Icelandic population: the role of HPV DNA testing based on hybrid capture and PCR assays among women with screen-detected abnormal Pap smears.

This study was based on 358 cases with abnormal smears referred for colposcopy and HPV DNA testing. We analysed: 1) the frequency of different grades of cyto- and histopathologic findings; 2) the frequency and relative amount of HPV DNA with the hybrid capture assay (HCA) in swabs, and the frequency of HPV with PCR in swabs (-S) and biopsies (-B); and 3) the frequency of HPV types according to the grade of the cyto- and histopathologic findings. Of all cases, 95% were positive with all HPV tests combined.

Successful management of a national tuberculosis programme under conditions of war.

Objective: To compare treatment results before and after introduction of short course tuberculosis chemotherapy and to identify factors affecting the results.

Design/setting: An eight-month chemotherapy regimen for smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis was introduced in Nicaragua in 1984 with external financial assistance. We performed a retrospective record review to compare treatment results before and after introduction of short-course chemotherapy.

Rapid deformation of the South flank of kilauea volcano, hawaii.

The south flank of Kilauea volcano has experienced two large [magnitude (M) 7.2 and M 6.1] earthquakes in the past two decades.

[Cytomegalovirus infections in healthy adults.].

Background: Primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in healthy adults are considered extremely rare. To study the extent of this problem in Iceland we undertook a two year (1989-1990) retrospective study of all new CMV infections in adults.

Methods: All positive tests for CMV antibodies in clinical samples (194) were identified in the sole virology laboratory in Iceland.

Tuberculosis case-finding in Nicaragua: evaluation of routine activities in the control programme.

Setting: The new International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) tuberculosis strategy developed in the 1980s in Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique, was simultaneously implemented in Nicaragua.

Objective: Present results of case-finding, identify trends in incidence and limitations in case-finding and reporting.

Design: Data are based upon the traditional reporting system until 1987, replaced as the programme was reorganized.

Characterization of immune complexes in multiple sclerosis by an antigen-specific immune complex radioimmunoassay.

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients containing various levels of Clq-reactive immune complexes (IC) and samples from age- and sex-matched controls were tested by an antigen-specific IC radioimmunoassay which detects IC containing myelin membrane-related antigens. Positive reactivity in the assay was significantly associated with IC-containing MS sera (P less than 0.005) but such an association was not observed with MS cerebrospinal fluid.

Mitogen and antigen stimulation of multiple sclerosis cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytes in vitro.

Responses of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood (PB) lymphocytes from 20 MS patients to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), measles, rubella, mumps and herpes simplex virus antigens were followed during periods of from 6 to 13 months. Up to 6 examinations, each with 1-5 stimulants, were performed with a lymphocyte blast transformation test. Most of the patients responded with their CSF cells to PHA (14/19) and at least to some of the viral antigens tested (15/20) during the follow-up.

Antibodies to measles virus in ankylosing spondylitis.

IgG antibodies to measles virus were measured by a solid-phase radio-immunoassay in serum specimens from 31 patients with confirmed ankylosing spondylitis (AS), from 8 patients with symptoms and signs resembling AS and from 39 patients hospitalized for various non-rheumatological disorders. The patients with AS and without iritis/uveitis had a 4-fold increased amount of measles antibodies in their serum specimens compared with the control patients (p less than 0.01).