Several strains of group G streptococci (GGS) form aggregates when grown in vitro. Aggregating strains interact with fibrinogen, and this study reports the isolation of a novel self-associating and fibrinogen-binding protein of GGS, denoted protein FOG. Sequencing of the fog gene revealed structural similarity with M proteins of both GGS and group A streptococci (GAS). Analogous to GAS, GGS were f

The toxicity of different phenols to the soil bacterial community was studied in the laboratory using the leucine incorporation technique. The effects of environmental factors such as pH, temperature and binding strength to soil particles were also assessed in order to deduce confounding effects due to the chemical and physical conditions in the soil from which the bacterial community was extracte

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis with prostate cancer has been reported to increase the risk of subsequent tumours. However, specific data on individuals with a parental history are not available so far. METHODS: On the basis of the nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database including 18,207 primary invasive prostate cancers, standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to estimate the relative risks of sub

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) are central in allergy as regulators of the Th1/Th2 balance. We have recently demonstrated a unique transcriptional profile of DCs in patients with ongoing allergy compared with healthy subjects and shown that crosstalk between DCs and memory T cells affects the transcriptional profile of T cells. However, the transcriptional profile of DCs educated by T cells in

Nutrient availability is of major importance for plant productivity. When estimating long-term sustainability from a nutrient perspective it is therefore interesting to focus on long-term changes in the soil nutrient pools when comparing different forest types. Here, we have highlighted some factors of importance for long term nutrient sustainability (e.g., several forest rotations) and pointed ou

Stereoselectivity has been known to play a role in drug action for 100 years or more. Nevertheless, chiral drugs have been developed and used as racemates, neglecting the fact that they comprise mixtures of two or more compounds which may have quite different pharmacological properties. A very limited access to pure enantiomers in the past has been responsible for this unsatisfactory state of affa

he voluminous tax competition literature suggests that increased economic integration leads to reduced tax rates and suboptimal levels of government spending as countries compete for mobile factors of production. Integration may influence not only the size of the government but also the structure of public spending. Comprehensive studies analyzing the effect of integration on the overall structure

A novel type of limited double-moment scheme for bulk microphysics is presented here for cloud-systemresolving models (CSRMs). It predicts the average size of cloud droplets and crystals, which is important for representing the radiative impact of clouds on the climate system. In this new scheme, there are interactive components for ice nuclei (IN) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). For cloud ic

A theoretical analysis of the microdialysis ethanol technique in skeletal muscle is presented, and a model governing the transport of ethanol from the microdialysis probe to the capillaries in the muscle tissue is proposed. The model is derived under the assumption of a steady-state situation, and an analytical solution is found for the outflow-to-inflow ratio of ethanol in the perfusate. Theoreti

The folding kinetics of bovine acyl-CoA binding protein was studied by N-15 relaxation dispersion measurements under equilibrium conditions. Relaxation dispersion profiles were measured at several concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl). The unfolding rate constant (k(u)) was determined under conditions favoring folding, for which the folding rate constant (k(f)) dominates the relaxation

Purpose. To describe conceptions, as registered by a semi-structured interview, of exercise as treatment among sixteen middle-aged patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis. Method. Sixteen patients ( aged 39 - 64) with symptomatic, radiographic knee osteoarthritis and previous participants in an exercise intervention, were interviewed. The qualitative data obtained were analysed using

ZnWO4, ZnWO4 : Fe and ZnWO4 : Mo crystals were investigated by the methods of time-resolved spectroscopy in the temperature range of 4.2-300 K. It is shown that the Mo and Fe impurities significantly reduce the light yield of ZnWO4. The main 2.5 eV emission of ZnWO4 and the 1.77 eV emission band of ZnWO4 : Mo are shown to originate from the triplet excited state of the WO6 and MoO6 complex, respec

Scattered vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-immunoreactive nerves were found in the striated muscle of the hind limb of the cat, where they usually were associated with small blood vessels. VIP-immunoreactive nerves were also demonstrated in the sciatic nerve; after ligation an abundance of intensely immunoreactive VIP fibres were seen proximal to the ligation. Intraarterial infusion of VIP

Controlled oxidation reactions catalyzed by the large, proton-pumping complexes of the respiratory chain generate an electrochemical gradient across the mitochondrial inner membrane that is harnessed for ATP production. However, several alternative respiratory pathways in plants allow the maintenance of substrate oxidation while minimizing the production of ATE We have investigated the role of lig

Our objective was to compare the effects of surgical and device closure of atrial septal defects (ASDs) on atrioventricular plane function. In healthy individuals, both short- and long-axis motion contribute to ventricular pump function. Short-axis function (i.e., the amplitude and velocity of atrioventricular plane movements) may be evaluated by M-mode and Doppler tissue imaging. The study group