Dissociative recombination of NH4+ and ND4+ ions: storage ring experiments and ab initio molecular dynamics.

The dissociative recombination (DR) process of NH4+ and ND4+ molecular ions with free electrons has been studied at the heavy-ion storage ring CRYRING (Manne Siegbahn Laboratory, Stockholm University). The absolute cross sections for DR of NH4+ and ND4+ in the collision energy range 0.001-1 eV are reported, and thermal rate coefficients for the temperature interval from 10 to 2000 K are calculated from the experimental data.

Cervical acid phosphatase: a biomarker of cervical dysplasia and a potential surrogate endpoint for colposcopy.

Background: In 2000, cervical acid phosphatase (CAP) has been recently described as a biomarker labeling abnormal squamous cells on Pap smears (USPTO #6,143,512). The enzyme activity is presented as a red, granular deposit on a modified Papanicolaou background. This unique property was utilized for development of MarkPap technology intended for cervical cancer screening.

Adolescents define sexual orientation and suggest ways to measure it.

Researchers disagree on how to assess adolescent sexual orientation. The relative importance of various dimensions (e.g.

Family history of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke among women who develop hypertension in pregnancy.

Objective: To assess familial cardiovascular risk factors in women developing hypertension in pregnancy.

Method: Of 2211 women delivering live births after enrollment in a pregnancy cohort study, 85 (3.8%) developed preeclampsia (antepartum systolic blood pressure greater than 140 or diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 plus proteinuria) and 142 (6.

Estrogen and androgen concentrations are not lower in the umbilical cord serum of pre-eclamptic pregnancies.

Reductions in breast cancer risk observed in daughters of pre-eclamptic pregnancies are hypothesized to be mediated by lower in utero estrogen concentrations. Whereas maternal urinary estriol excretion is generally lower in pre-eclamptic women, results for maternal blood concentrations are equivocal, and little is known about estrogen concentrations in the cord of pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Unconjugated estrogen and androgen concentrations were measured in mixed umbilical cord sera from 86 pre-eclamptic and 86 uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies, matched on length of gestation, maternal age, parity, and type of delivery.

[Preoperative radiologic evaluation of tumors of the renal parenchyma].

Renal cell carcinoma is frequently a matter of urological interest. In recent years there were significant improvements regarding the earlier diagnosis, more precise preoperative staging and appropriate therapy. One hundred patients (42-78 years old) with the preoperative diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma were analyzed.

Correlation of serum hormone concentrations in maternal and umbilical cord samples.

Evidence suggests that adult cancer risk of hormonally related tumors may be influenced by the in utero environment, and most speculation on the biological mechanism has focused on the hormonal component. Epidemiological studies investigating the biological nature of pregnancy and maternal factors associated with offspring's cancer risk have relied on maternal hormone measurements. The degree to which maternal hormone levels represent the fetal environment, however, is not widely known.

Surface chemistry on bimetallic alloy surfaces: adsorption of anions and oxidation of CO on Pt3Sn(111).

The microscopic structure of the Pt(3)Sn(111) surface in an electrochemical environment has been studied by a combination of ex situ low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and low-energy ion scattering (LEIS) and in situ surface X-ray scattering (SXS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) the clean-annealed surface produces a p(2 x 2) LEED pattern consistent with the surface composition, determined by LEIS, of 25 at. % Sn.

Estimating the lesbian population: a capture-recapture approach.

Study Objective: Little is known about the number of women who identify as lesbian. Estimates from the US range from 1% to nearly 10%. Accurate estimates are critical in order to meet lesbian's healthcare needs and to address health problems that may be more prevalent among them.

Practitioner's guide to fluoride.

The current health care trend is to provide evidence-based recommendations and treatment. Many literature reviews have shown fluoride's effectiveness against caries. The current use of fluoride in the prevention of dental caries is based on community, professional, and individual strategies.

Microsurgical DREZotomy for pain of spinal cord and Cauda equina injury origin: clinical characteristics of pain and implications for surgery in a series of 26 patients.

The result of the DREZotomy procedure used for the treatment of chronic intractable neuropathic pain caused by injuries at the T9-L4 spine level in 26 patients has been reported. For the purpose of identifying the most favorable pain pattern for DREZ surgery we retrospectively analyzed the effectiveness of surgical treatment on different forms of pain in the follow-up period of 13-50 months, 37 months on average. All pain forms were classified according to subjective sensory pain expression including the rhythm and topography of the pain.

Quantum phase slips in superconducting nanowires.

We have measured the resistance vs temperature of more than 20 superconducting nanowires with nominal widths ranging from 10 to 22 nm and lengths from 100 nm to 1 microm. With decreasing cross-sectional areas, the wires display increasingly broad resistive transitions. The data are in very good agreement with a model that includes both thermally activated phase slips close to T(c) and quantum phase slips (QPS) at low temperatures, but disagree with an earlier model based on a critical value of R(N)/R(q).

A novel X chromosome-linked genetic cause of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Objective: Unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion is a common women's health problem that affects approximately 1 of every 200 women who wish to have children. It has long been assumed that a large proportion of recurrent spontaneous abortion results from genetic problems, but no causative genes have been identified to date. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a subset of women with recurrent spontaneous abortion are carriers of X-linked recessive disorders that result in the loss of male pregnancies.

Physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in a developing population.

Purpose: Noncommunicable diseases are emerging in developing countries. However, few studies have been conducted in those countries to evaluate the role of physical activity in the development of cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated physical activity and its relationship to risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a large population (N = 799) of civil servants from Benin City, Nigeria.

Women's oral health across the lifespan.

To address women's oral health conditions, it is important that oral health care providers understand basic female physiology and reproductive biology and consider the complex interaction between the environment, biology, and psychosocial development of women. Most oral health issues are not gender-specific but rather are aspects of conditions that may affect women differently. Oral health care providers should recognize that using this information to provide competent care requires knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that are culturally and gender-sensitive.

Summary statement on quantitative cytochemistry (DNA and molecular biology): Task Force 8.

Objective: To reach consensus on the application of quantitative cytochemical analysis of chromosomal and DNA aneuploidy in cervical cytopathology.

Conclusion: The current Pap test has limited specificity to predict cancer and its truly progressive pre-malignant lesions. Infection with human papillomavirus may trigger genetic instability, hyperproliferation and immortalization of the cervical mucosa and cause cervical cancer.

[Clinical characteristics of chronic post-traumatic spinal neurogenic pain syndrome].

In order to define clinical features of chronic posttraumatic spinal neurogenic pain syndrome we have analyzed a group of 23 patients with posttraumatic neurogenic pain. Patients (21 males and 2 females) were aged from 22 to 59 years, averagely 35.8 years.

Behavioral risk factors for disease and preventive health practices among lesbians.

Objectives: This study compared the prevalence of health behaviors among lesbians and in the general population of women.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional community-based survey of 1010 self-identified lesbians 18 years or older.

Results: Compared with the general population of women, lesbians were more likely to report cigarette use, alcohol use, and heavy alcohol use.

Selective overexpression of the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor, HIF-2alpha, in placentas from women with preeclampsia.

Transcription factors orchestrate the development of extraembryonic tissues. Because placental hypoxia likely plays an important role in both normal and abnormal placentation, we have been investigating the hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) in the human placenta. In this report, we focus on the placentas from women with preeclampsia.

Life event stress and the association with spontaneous abortion in gravid women at an urban emergency department.

In this study, the authors hypothesized that life event stress is associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. Using a nested case-control design in an emergency department (N = 970), stress was measured using a life event inventory and a sample drawn from R. B.

Tunable charge-density wave transport in a current-effect transistor.

The collective charge-density wave (CDW) conduction is modulated by a transverse single-particle current in a transistorlike device. Nonequilibrium conditions in this geometry lead to an exponential reduction of the depinning threshold, allowing the CDWs to slide at much lower bias fields. The results are in excellent agreement with a recently proposed dynamical model in which "wrinkles" in the CDW wave fronts are "ironed" by the transverse current.

Substance use measures among women in early pregnancy.

Objective: Our purpose was to compare self-reported and biochemical measures for tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine exposures among women early in pregnancy.

Study Design: Women who were in the early stages of pregnancy and were examined in an inner-city emergency department were enrolled. Tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine use was measured by self-report and urinalysis.