Statins inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and protect against ischaemic stroke. It has become increasingly apparent that the beneficial effects of statin therapy may extend beyond lowering of serum cholesterol. The present study was done to explore possible pleiotropic statin effects at the level of the cerebral vascular smooth muscle. Lovastatin, lovastatin acid, simvastatin and pravastatin, were

The ADAM ( a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family consists of multidomain cell-surface proteins that have a major impact on cell behavior. These transmembrane-anchored proteins are synthesized as proforms that have ( from the N terminus): a prodomain; a metalloprotease, disintegrin-like-, cysteine-rich, epidermal growth factor-like, and transmembrane domain; and a cytoplasmic tail. The 90-kDa m

The assumption that mental disorder is a cause of crime is the foundation of forensic psychiatry, but conceptual. epistemological. and empirical analyses show that neither mental nor crime, or the causation implied, are clear-cut concepts. "Mental" denotes heterogeneous aspects of a per-son such as inner experiences. cognitive abilities, and behaviour patterns described in a non-physical vocabular

Succession is one of the most studied processes in ecology and succession theory provides strong predictability. However, few attempts have been made to influence the course of succession thereby testing the hypothesis that passing through one stage is essential before entering the next one. At each stage of succession ecosystem processes may be affected by the diversity of species present, but th

A large protein was purified from bovine kidney, using selective extraction with EDTA to solubilize proteins anchored by divalent cation-dependent interactions. An antiserum raised against the purified protein labeled the apical cell surface of the epithelial cells in proximal tubules and the luminal surface of small intestine. Ten peptide sequences, derived from the protein, all matched the recen

Alkaline sphingomyelinase (Alk-SMase) is a key enzyme in the intestinal tract for digestion of dietary sphingomyelin (SM), which generates lipid messengers with cell-cycle regulating effects. The enzyme is significantly decreased in ulcerative colitis and colon cancer. Based on this information, we wanted to investigate whether the enzyme had preventive effects against murine colitis. We report he

We present a multidisciplinary description of the Upper Ordovician carbonate mounds which are found throughout the central Baltic Sea and which were studied in detail on the island of Gotland. These mounds were the subject of intense exploration between 1974 and 1992 and a total of 323 shallow wells were completed in more than 100 mounds on Gotland. Many of these were put into production and a tot

The image quality in SPECT studies of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) performed with 99mTc-HMPAO is degraded by scattered photons. The finite energy resolution of the gamma camera makes the detection of scattered photons unavoidable, and this is observed in the image as an impaired contrast between grey and white matter structures. In this work, a Monte Carlo simulated SPECT study of a rea

The 3-ethoxycarbonyl-4-quinolone compound I has previously been identified via a database search as an interesting lead compound for ligand binding at the benzodiazepine site of GABA(A) receptors (Kahnberg et al. J. Mol. Graphics Modelling 2004, 23, 253-261). Pharmacophore-guided optimization of this lead compound yielded a number of high-affinity ligands for the benzodiazepine site including comp

The role of orbital polarization for ultrafast charge transfer between an atomic adsorbate and a substrate is explored. Core hole clock spectroscopy with linearly polarized x-ray radiation allows to selectively excite adsorbate resonance states with defined spatial orientation relative to the substrate surface. For c(4x2)S/Ru(0001) the charge transfer times between the sulfur 2s(-1)3p(*+1) antibon

Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s have been functionalised with alkyl side chains carrying phosphonic acid and bis(phosphonic acid) in order to investigate their properties as membrane materials. The phosphonated and bisphosphonated polymers were synthesised via lithiation of poly(arylene ether sulfone)s, followed by reactions with triethyl 3-phosphonopropionate and tetraisopropyl vinylidenediphosphona

Pig meat shows natural variations in the concentrations of precursors of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which may affect formation of HCAs in cooked pig meat. To study this, 26 pigs with an inherent genetic variation (carriers and noncarriers of the RN- allele) were subjected to different feeding regimes (conventional feed compared with feed composed according to organic standards). In addition, the

Host-pathogen interactions that allow Helicobacter pylori to survive and persist in the stomach of susceptible individuals remain unclear. Human beta-defensins ( hBDs), epithelial-derived antimicrobial peptides are critical components of host-defense at mucosal surfaces. The role of H. pylori-mediated NF-kappa B and epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) activation on beta-defensin expression wa

The binding site of immunoglobulin G (IgG) to herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1-induced Fc receptor was investigated using human IgG Fc intermediate (Fc(i)) fragments, fragment D of staphylococcal protein A (SPA) and chemically modified human IgG. Human IgG Fc(i) fragment composed of one Cgamma2 and two Cgamma3 domains, bound strongly to HSV-1-infected cells. Fragment D, a monovalent subunit of SP

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex genetic disorders more frequently observed in males. Skewed X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is observed in heterozygous females carrying gene mutations involved in several X-linked syndromes. In this study, we aimed to estimate the role of X-linked genes in ASD susceptibility by ascertaining the XCI pattern in a sample of 543 informative mothers of child

In the Silurian, Baltica and Laurentia collided to form the Caledonian orogenic belt. During this process, nappes derived from the pre-collisional Baltic margin, from outboard terranes of Baltica, and from exotic terranes of probable Laurentian origin, respectively, were thrust upon the indenting Baltica. The Middle Allochthon is a tectonostratigraphic level inferred to represent the rifted Neopro