The present study aimed to evaluate the health risk of heavy metals (iron, zinc, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, lead, and mercury), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the workplace in a secondary oil re-refining factory. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, samples were collected and analyzed using the NIOSH 1501 method at eight sa...

Several studies have demonstrated that the sensitivity of a commercially available PCR test for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (Roche Diagnostics) is affected by the cellular quality of the endocervical swab specimens. The cellular adequacies of 1,633 female endocervical swab specimens were assessed and compared with the results of C. trachomatis detection obtained by ligase chain react...

BACKGROUND In 1996, the Dutch National Coordination Center for Travelers' Health Advice (LCR) was established to improve uniformity in health advice to travelers and in the quality of national vaccination centers. In this study, we evaluate the influence of LCR guidelines on the quality of travel clinics in the Netherlands. METHODS In 1997 and 2001, questionnaires regarding implementation of ...

PURPOSE In myeloma, B cells and plasma cells show a clonal relationship. Clonotypic B cells may represent a tumor-initiating compartment or cancer stem cell responsible for minimal residual disease in myeloma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We report a study of 58 patients with myeloma at time of diagnosis or relapse. B cells in bone marrow were evaluated by multicolor flow cytometry and sorting. Clonal...

OBJECTIVE Molecular biology techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ligase chain reaction (LCR) are routinely used in research for detection of C trachomatis DNA in synovial samples, and these methods are now in use in some clinical laboratories. This study aimed at determining the method best suited to molecular diagnosis of C trachomatis by examining four standard DNA preparati...

Locus control regions (LCRs) are defined by their ability, in transgenic assays, to direct high-level, tissue-specific expression of linked genes at all sites of integration examined and at moderately constant levels per gene copy. The most extensively examined LCR is that associated with the b-globin locus in mammals, where the b-globin genes reside in a linear array and are usually arranged i...

We analyse the impact of Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on demand for central bank reserves in euro area with difference-in-differences estimation techniques. Using a novel dataset and an identification strategy that exploits cross-country heterogeneity regulatory treatment LCR purposes prior to announcement harmonised standard as quasi-natural experiment, we find evidence points LCR-induced re...

We investigated the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 52 polymorphism in the persistence of HPV infection, which is a predictor for cervical lesions. Cervical samples obtained at 6-month intervals were tested for HPV-52 in 1055 women; 41, 12, and 58 women had persistent, transient, and unclassified HPV-52 infections, respectively. HPV-52 isolates were analyzed by polymerase chain-reaction...

This paper considers second-order statistics of wireless communication system with microand macrodiversity reception in correlated gamma shadowed Nakagami-m fading channels. Macrolevel is of selection combining (SC) type and consists of two base stations (dual diversity) while N-branch receiver employing maximal ratio combining (MRC) is implemented on microlevel. Level crossing rate (LCR) and a...