Impact of a 5-day expedition to machu picchu on persons with multiple sclerosis.

Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) are less physically active than nondiseased persons and often report low self-efficacy levels. In the context of an awareness project to promote physical activity and participation in MS, we addressed the impact of training for and participation in a unique expedition. Medical events, relapses, and self-reported neurological worsening were followed from 6 months before and up to 4 months afterwards.

Carbon/electron source dependence of polychlorinated biphenyl dechlorination pathways for anaerobic granules.

The effect of acclimating anaerobic granules from commercial bioreactors with different carbon/electron sources on their ability to reductively dechlorinate a tri-(2,3,4-CB) and heptachlorobiphenyl (2,2',3,3',4,5,6-CB) was studied. The anaerobic granules were first grown in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors fed with two different mixtures of carbon/electron sources, i.e.

Identification of biologically active chemokine isoforms from ascitic fluid and elevated levels of CCL18/pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine in ovarian carcinoma.

Chemokines are important in leukocyte homeostasis, inflammation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Here, the molecular diversity of chemokines present in ovarian carcinoma was studied by purifying the proteins to homogeneity from ascitic fluid. Biologically active intact CCL2 and processed CXCL8, CCL3, and CCL18 isoforms were recovered.

Unexplained high transcortin levels in patients with various hematological disorders and in the relatives: a connection between these high transcortin levels and HLA antigen B12.

Forty-one our of 141 patients with various hematological disorders had serum transcortin values more than 2 sDs above the normal mean (relative risk vs. controls, 10.78).

Plasmapheresis combined with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide in uncontrolled active systemic lupus erythematosus.

A case is described of severe systemic lupus erythematosus, uncontrolled with moderate dosage of corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide, which responded quickly after 3 courses of plasmapheresis. The result obtained with combination corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide and plasmapheresis was maintained for more than 18 months.

A systematic survey of the HLA B27 prevalence in inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

HLA B27 has been tested systematically in 246 patients attending a rheumatology clinic for chronic inflammatory arthritis or spondylitis. Patients were allocated to nine groups: typical ankylosing spondylitis, ankylosing spondylitis with moderate involvement without peripheral arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis with moderate involvement and with peripheral arthritis, juvenile chronic arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, Yersinia arthritis, arthropathies of inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis, seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. Except for seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, a significant association with HLA B27 antigen was found in all groups.

Massive feto-maternal hemorrhage as a cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity.

11 cases of massive feto-maternal hemorrhage (FMH) detected at the Leuven Blood Transfusion Center are described. Based on these case reports, a review is given of the various theoretical and practical problems related to this complication, e.g.