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Relapsing polychondritis ( RP) is an autoimmune disease that affects extra-articular cartilage. Matrilin-1-induced relapsing polychondritis (MIRP) is a model for RP and is useful for studies of the pathogenic mechanisms in this disease. There are indications that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II plays a major role in RP, since DR4(+) patients are more commonly affected than cont
In the airways of asthmatic patients, activated fibroblasts account for an excessive matrix production including proteoglycans (PGs). Transforming growth factor-beta. (TGF beta), metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) play key rotes in matrix turnover. It is unclear whether asthma therapy with combination of inhaled glucocorticoids and long-acting beta(2)-agonists affects me
This study reports the findings of how district nurses (n = 23) and hospital nurses (n = 9) in cancer care experienced social support in immediate connection with demanding care situations, as well as the effect of systematic clinical supervision. The study is based on their own accounts. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that there is a great ne
Investigating the electric field distribution around individual metallic nanoparticles is of significant importance for the understanding of the electromagnetic (EM) mechanism of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We report single gold-nanoparticle-enhanced Raman scattering of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by atomic force microscope (AFM) manipulation. The distance betwe
Carex digitata and Melica nutans are forest understorey herbs with wide European distributions and their northern range margins in Fennoscandia. The species have closely similar habitat requirements, occur in small populations in old forest stands on base-rich to neutral soils and have restricted dispersal abilities at the present day. This study investigates the structure of allozyme variation (1
The measurement of glycated hemoglobin is central in the monitoring of glycemic control in patients with diabetes. There are at least 30 different laboratory assays commercially available to measure the proportion of HbA1c in blood. In 1995 the IFCC established a Working Group (IFCC WG-HbA1c) to achieve international standardization of HbA1c measurement. The main achievements can be summarized as
Early erythroblasts from patients with refractory anemia (RA) and RA with ringed sideroblasts (RARS) show constitutive mitochondrial release of cytochrome c. Moreover, mature erythroblasts in RARS, but not in RA, display aberrant accumulation of mitochondrial ferritin (MtF). We analyzed cytochrome c release, MtF expression, and gene expression during erythrold differentiation in bone marrow cells
The ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19) is located in the small (40S) subunit and is one of 79 ribosomal proteins. The gene encoding RPS19 is mutated in approximately 25% of patients with Diamond-Blackfan anemia, which is a rare congenital erythroblastopenia. Affected individuals present with decreased numbers or the absence of erythroid precursors in the bone marrow, and associated malformations of var
During the past 20 yr, aquatic microbiologists have reported 2 strong patterns which initially appear contradictory. In pelagic systems, bacterial growth and biomass is well correlated with the growth and biomass of primary producers. However, bacterial respiration often exceeds net primary production, which suggests that bacteria are subsidized by external inputs of organic matter. We hypothesize
Background. Respiratory tract infections (RTI) in children is the most common cause of prescription of antibiotics. It is important to describe and analyse non-medical factors in order to develop more rational use of antibiotics. Objectives. To compare families with high and low concern about infectious illness with regard to social variables, perception of infection proneness and beliefs in antib
A detailed experimental investigation has been made of the pyrolysis-the first step in biomass combustion-of single birchwood particles. In addition to mass spectrometric and gravimetric analysis, the pyrolysis volatiles were characterized by different optical techniques. Absorption measurements showed a nearly featureless absorption in the ultraviolet spectral region with a continuously stronger
AIM: To study the interactions between human gastric carcinoma cell (HGCC) and human vascular endothelial cell (HVEC), and if the expression of sphingosine kinase (SPK) gene was involved in these interactions. METHODS: The specific inhibitor to SPK, dimethyl sphingosine (DMS), was added acting on HGCC and HVEC, then the cell proliferation was measured by MTT. The conditioned mediums (CMs) of HGCC
Objective and design: Leukocyte recruitment is a key feature in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) -provoked tissue injury. This study evaluated the role of P-selectin-glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) in CXC chemokine- and ischemia-reperfusion- induced leukocyte rolling and adhesion in the colon. Materials Balb/c mice were used in an inverted intravital fluorescence microscopy study of the microvascular bed
We have studied the mechanism of A- 769662, a new activator of AMP- activated protein kinase ( AMPK). Unlike other pharmacological activators, it directly activates native rat AMPK by mimicking both effects of AMP, i. e. allosteric activation and inhibition of dephosphorylation. We found that it has no effect on the isolated alpha subunit kinase domain, with or without the associated autoinhibitor
'Primitive intelligence' in audition refers to the capacity of the auditory system to adaptatively model the acoustic regularity and react neurophysiologically to violations of such regularity, thus supporting the ability to predict future auditory events. In the present study, event-related brain potentials to pairs of tones were recorded in 11 human newborns to determine the infants' ability to
