Atherosclerosis is a key factor in vascular disease, and cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor that may induce an inflammatory response and enhance plaque formation in arteries. Thromboxane (Tx) is one key inflammatory mediator involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. The present study was designed to test if lipid soluble smoking particles (DSP) enhance TxA(2) receptor (TP)

To obtain further information on the polyploid dynamics of the the Dactylorhiza incarnata/maculata polyploid complex and the origin of the allotetraploid D. sphagnicola ( Orchidaceae), plastid DNA variation was studied in 400 plants from from Sweden and elsewhere in Europe and Asia Minor by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLPs) and sequencing. All

The zinc chloride-mediated acetylation of the optically active silyl enol ether 2a gave the beta-diketone 3a (48%) together with the regio- and stereoselectively chlorinated compound 4 (27%). The yield of 4 increased to 70% by starting from the O-acetyl derivative 2c. The chlorination most likely occurs via neighboring group participation by the endo acetoxy group.

Bacillus subtilis StoA is an extracytoplasmic thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase (TDOR) important for the synthesis of the endospore peptidoglycan cortex protective layer. Here we demonstrate that StoA is membrane-associated in B. subtilis and report the crystal structure of the soluble protein lacking its membrane anchor. This showed that StoA adopts a thioredoxin-like fold with N-terminal and intern

To examine the association of baseline and lifetime ethanol intake with cancer of the pancreas in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Included in this analysis were 478,400 subjects, of whom detailed information on the intake of alcoholic beverages at baseline and over lifetime was collected between 1992 and 2000. During a median follow-up time of 8.9 years, 55

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of treatment, visual function, and other factors on vision-targeted health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with early glaucoma. Design: Randomized clinical trial. Participants: Two hundred fifty-five patients with newly detected open-angle glaucoma and repeatable early visual field (VF) defects, 50 to 80 years old (66% female). Methods: Patients were ran

Water service delivery to most residents of peri-urban areas of greater Maputo depends largely on alternative service providers. mostly in the form of small-scale independent providers (SSIPs). This paper discusses the present and long-term challenges facing SSIPs in supplying quality water of sufficient quantity in peri-Urban Maputo and possible human health risks associated with the consumption

One important issue in the study of individual differences in cognitive abilities has been the question whether abilities tend to become more differentiated with increasing age. The present study examines age-related differentiation in the structure of cognitive abilities among children 3 × 2013; 7 years of age, using data from the recently undertaken Swedish standardisation of the Wechsler Presch

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the enzymes produced by Trichoderma reesei Rut C30 and the good extracellular beta-glucosidase-producing mutant Trichoderma atroviride TUB F-1663 to that of commercial preparations in the enzymatic hydrolysis and the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of steam-pretreated spruce (SPS). The concentrated TUB F-1663 enzyme was f

PURPOSE: To develop consensus regarding clinical disease severity classification systems for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema that can be used around the world, and to improve communication and coordination of care among physicians who care for patients with diabetes. DESIGN: Report regarding the development of clinical diabetic retinopathy disease severity scales. PARTICIPANTS: A g

The general aim of this thesis is to investigate the interaction processes that occur in group dialogues when teacher students work in small groups, using net based asynchronous dialogues to solve a problem in the area of environmental sustainability. More specifically, the interest is to determine whether students’ net based dialogues give rise to patterns of dominance/subordination similar to th

Ex vivo gene transfer to the CNS has so far been hampered by instability of transgene expression. To avoid the phenomenon of transgene down-regulation, we have employed strong, constitutive promoters and compared this expression system with the inducible Tet expression system incorporated in a single plasmid vector or in lentiviral vectors. Plasmid-based transgene expression directed by the consti

Globally significant increases in the riverine delivery of nutrients and suspended particulate matter have occurred with deforestation. We report here significant increases in streamwater transport of dissolved silicate (DSi) following experimental forest harvesting at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH, USA. The magnitude of the streamwater response varied with the type of disturbance with

When a protein molecule approaches a charged surface, its protonation state can undergo dramatic changes due to the imposed electric potential. This has a large impact on adsorption strengths that may be enhanced by several kT. Using mesoscopic simulation techniques as well as analytical theories, we have investigated this regulation mechanism and demonstrate how it is influenced by salt concentra

Prevailing approaches of planning and strategy making, which traditionally deal with the states of systems in terms of fixed goals, fail to acknowledge the process nature of sustainable development. Using a system dynamics approach and relying on the concept of viability loops, the paper aims to illustrate a practical implementation of sustainable development with an urban water system as an examp

Cystatin C, a major extracellular cysteine proteinase inhibitor, is deposited as amyloid in brain haemorrhage patients with hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy (HCCAA). A disease-causing mutation on the genetic level results in the substitution Leu68-->Gln (L68Q) in cystatin C, which causes protein instability. Besides carrying the L68Q substitution, cystatin C in amyloid deposits isolated fr

Veres, D., Lallier-Verges, E., Wohlfarth, B., Lacourse, T., KEravis, D., Bjorck, S., Preusser, F., Andrieu-Ponel, V. & Ampel, L.: Climate-driven changes in lake conditions during late MIS 3 and MIS 2: a high-resolution geochemical record from Les Echets, France. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2008.00066.x. ISSN 0300-9483. A new set of geochemical data obtained from a long sediment sequence from t

The mass spectrometer is capable of making rapid, repetitive multicomponent analyses with measurement times as short as a second or less. Mass spectrometers used to be too expensive to be used for process analyses, but simpler and cheaper versions have been developed during the last decade. Mass spectrometers are commonly used within the petrochemical industry, but their use for fuel gas streams i