BACKGROUND The relationship between coffee consumption and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been investigated in several studies with discrepant results. We examined the association between Italian-style (espresso and mocha) coffee consumption and CHD risk. METHODS We investigated 12,800 men and 30,449 women without history of cardiovascular disease recruited to the EPICOR prospective cohort ...

Coffee contains polyphenolic antioxidants and caffeine, which may favorably affect pulmonary function. Therefore, the authors studied cross-sectional associations (1987-1989) between coffee intake and pulmonary function in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, a population-based cohort study (analytic sample = 10,658). They also conducted analyses stratified by smoking status, since sm...

Macropinocytosis is a fundamental mechanism that allows cells to take up extracellular liquid into large vesicles. It critically depends on the formation of a ring of protrusive actin beneath the plasma membrane, which develops into the macropinocytic cup. We show that macropinocytic cups in Dictyostelium are organised around coincident intense patches of PIP3, active Ras and active Rac. These ...

BACKGROUND Darwin illustrated his sexual selection theory with male and female morphology of diving beetles, but maintained a cooperative view of their interaction. Present theory suggests that instead sexual conflict should be a widespread evolutionary force driving both intersexual coevolutionary arms races and speciation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We combined Bayesian phylogenetics, c...

Field Surveys of diabetes and other non communicable disease (NCD) (hypertension, coronary heart disease) are increasingly being performed in both developed and developing countries [1]. Recent studies have shown that the prevalence of diabetes is very high among migrant Asian Indians [2] and is also rising very rapidly within the Indian sub continent [3]. Indeed, recent World Health Organisati...

Leaking in water pipe is a critical issue in Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait where water is scarce. In-pipe robots can be dispatched to discover the network and inspect the inner surface of the pipe. This thesis describes the design and characterization of suction pads for in-pipe robots. The suction cups are made of hyperelastic materials that contain air channels inside. Instead of us...

BACKGROUND In aging societies such as that of Japan, it is important to characterize lifestyle-related factors that minimize the occurrence of silent brain infarction (SBI) among the middle aged population for preventing vascular dementia in older age. Little is known about the relationship between amount of coffee consumption and SBI. METHODS To assess the association between the amount of c...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Low bone mineral density (BMD) may jeopardize the initial component stability and delay osseointegration of uncemented acetabular cups in total hip arthroplasty (THA). We measured the migration of uncemented cups in women with low or normal BMD. PATIENTS AND METHODS We used radiostereometric analysis (RSA) to measure the migration of hydroxyapatite-coated titanium alloy...

Background: To determine the diagnostic effectiveness of (123I) ioflupane injection (DaTscanTM) in patients with early, clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndrome (CUPS), 122 clinical trial subjects with CUPS who had experienced motor and non-motor signs and symptoms up to 5 years prior to enrolment underwent DaTscan imaging. Design/methods: Of the 122 subjects recruited from 19 centers (US and...

BACKGROUND We examined the association between long-term habitual coffee consumption and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a prospective cohort study with 44,005 men and 84,488 women without history of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Coffee consumption was first assessed in 1986 for men and in 1980 for women and then repeatedly every 2 to 4 years; the fo...