Deficit sialylation of vascular endothelium, circulating cells and macromolecules has been associated with the development of atherosclerosis. On the other hand, an elevated serum level of sialic acid is a long-lasting marker of atherosclerosis and complications from atherosclerosis. One may speculate that the inverse associations with atherosclerosis risk are due to some common underlying cause.

We sought to identify factors related to short-term outcome of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes treated in a multidisciplinary system until healing was achieved. Consecutively presenting patients with diabetes and worst foot ulcer (Wagner grade 1-5, below ankle) (n = 2,511) were prospectively followed and treated according to a standardised protocol until healing was achieved or until death.

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a clinically heterogeneous disease in which the risk of disease is influenced by complex genetic and environmental contributions. Alleles of HLA-DRB1, IRF5, and STAT4 are established susceptibility genes; there is strong evidence for the existence of additional risk loci. Methods We genotyped more than 500,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)

Here we present data to demonstrate how partitioning of a hydrophilic enzyme can be directed to the hydrophobic detergent-enriched phase of an aqueous two-phase system by addition of short stretches of amino acid residues to the protein molecule. The target enzyme was the industrially important endoglucanase I, EGI (endo-1,4-beta-D-glucan-4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4, Cel7B) of Trichoderma reese

The major processes significant for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) characteristics are species transport, electrochemical reactions, electronic and ionic transport, heat transfer, and temperature distribution. Of particular significance is an accurate determination of the temperature distribution because material properties, chemical kinetics, and transport properties depend heavily on the temperatu

Our objective was to document how intake of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v affects the concentrations of fecal organic acids during and after metronidazole treatment in 19 patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. Fecal samples were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. After intake of metronidazole a significant decrease in total short-chain fatty acids was seen in the pla

Breast cancer patients with c-erbB-2-positive tumours seem to benefit from anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy. The predictive value of c-erbB-2 for taxane sensitivity is not yet clear. The purpose of this study was to assess whether c-erbB-2 expression is associated with clinical sensitivity to docetaxel (T) or sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (MF). A total of 283 patients with me

In Fanconi anemia (FA) C mice tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) have key roles in the pathogenesis of bone marrow failure. In FA subjects TNF-alpha was found to be increased in the serum and overproduced by patient-derived B-cell lines. In acquired aplastic anemia, a disease in which, similarly to FA, marrow failure occurs, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma act as late

While individual data form the base for much empirical analysis in education, this is not the case for analysis of technical efficiency. In this paper, efficiency is estimated using individual data which is then aggregated to larger groups of students. Using an individual approach to technical efficiency makes it possible to carry out studies on a wide range of student constellations; e.g. entire

These practice guidelines for the biological treatment of substance use disorders were developed by an international Task Force of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP). The goal during the development of these guidelines was to review systematically all available evidence pertaining to the treatment of substance use disorders, and to reach a consensus on a series of p

EXAFS spectroscopy was used to study Pb(II) and Hg(II) adsorption complexes on goethite (alpha-FeOOH) in the presence of Cl-. At pH 7, the dominant Pb(II) species are bonded to edges of FeO6 octahedra and are similar to complexes that occur in the absence of Cl-. At pH less than or equal to 6, Pb(II)-chloro ternary complexes predominate and are bonded to corners of FeO6 octahedra. At pH 6.5, linea

Biodegradable macroporous cryogels with highly open and interconnected pore structures were produced from dextran modified with oligo L-lactide bearing hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) end groups in moderately frozen solutions. Tissue responses to these novel scaffolds were evaluated in rats after dorsal subcutaneous implantation, iliac submuscular implantation, auricular implantation, or in calvar

The neuronal soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex is essential for synaptic vesicle exocytosis, but its study has been limited by the neonatal lethality of murine SNARE knockouts. Here, we describe a viable mouse line carrying a mutation in the b-isoform of neuronal SNARE synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) The causative I67T missens

Open-loop simulated moving bed (SMB) has been used for immobilized metal affinity chromatographic (IMAC) purification of his-tagged beta-glucosidase expressed in E. coli. A simplified approach based on an optimized single column protocol is used to design the open-loop SMB. A set of columns in the SMB represent one step in the chromatographic cycle i.e. there will be one set each of columns for lo

The theme of the Internet and the public sphere now has a permanent place on research agendas and in intellectual inquiry; it is entering the mainstream of Political communication studies. The first part of this presentation briefly pulls together key elements in the public sphere perspective, underscoring three main analytic dimensions: the structural, the representational, and the interactional.

Human C4b-binding protein (C4BP) protects host tissue, and those pathogens able to hijack this plasma glycoprotein, from complement-mediated destruction. We now show that the first two complement control protein (CCP) modules of the C4BP alpha-chain, plus the four residues connecting them, are necessary and sufficient for binding a bacterial virulence factor, the Streptococcus pyogenes M4 (Arp4) p

This paper reviews Olof Thorin's contributions to mathematical analysis, actuarial mathematics, and probability theory, though in reversed order. In probability theory he is known for his path-breaking work on infinite divisibility. In actuarial mathematics he contributed significantly to the ruin problem. However, his international fame very much relies on his work in mathematical analysis and hi

Testing models of macroevolution, and especially the sufficiency of microevolutionary processes, requires good collaboration between molecular biologists and paleontologists. We report such a test for events around the Late Cretaceous by describing the earliest penguin fossils, analyzing complete mitochondrial genomes from an albatross, a petrel, and a loon, and describe the gradual decline of pte

This study was to elucidate the physiological effects of dynamic apneas, as performed as a discipline in breath-hold diving for recreational or competitive purposes. Therefore, cardiovascular and respiratory effects of apneas with simultaneously initiated exercise were investigated in ten trained breath-hold divers. They performed maximum duration apneas with face immersion (26 degrees C) under re