Many animals are known to preferentially mate with partners that are dissimilar at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in order to maximize the antigen binding repertoire (or disease resistance) in their offspring. Although several mammals, fish or lizards use odour cues to assessMHCsimilarity with potential partners, the ability of birds to assessMHC similarity using olfactory cues has not

The aggregation of the 42-residue form of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ42) is a pivotal event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The use of chemical kinetics has recently enabled highly accurate quantifications of the effects of small molecules on specific microscopic steps in Aβ42 aggregation. Here, we exploit this approach to develop a rational drug discovery strategy against Aβ42 aggregation that uses as

This thesis employs an international comparative perspective to empirically analyse the Czech energy transition between 1830 and 2010. It addresses the utilization of energy in shaping modern economic growth through structural and technological change and the implications of those changes on specialization and foreign trade. New historical data is collected and utilized to investigate the impact o

There is a strong political desire to reduce the use of fossil fuels in road transport. In this paper, the use of e-bikes (of the pedelec type) in Sweden is analysed by focusing on changes in travel behaviour and their corresponding effects on CO2 emissions. The aim is to analyse the effect on CO2 emissions due to the use of e-bikes. The analysis is carried out on the possible differences in chang

BACKGROUND: We previously identified dermicidin (DCD), which encodes a growth and survival factor, as a gene amplified and overexpressed in a subset of breast tumors. Patients with DCD-positive breast cancer have worse prognostic features. We therefore searched for specific molecular signatures in DCD-positive breast carcinomas from patients and representative cell lines.METHODS: DCD expression wa

An alteration of energy balance is the immediate cause of the so-called cachexia. Although alterations of energy intake are often associated with cachexia, it has lately became clear that an increased energy expenditure is the main cause of wasting associated with different types of pathological conditions, such as cancer, infections or chronic heart failure among others. Different types of molecu

Approximately half of all cancer patients present with cachexia, a condition in which disease-associated metabolic changes lead to a severe loss of skeletal muscle mass. Working toward an integrated and mechanistic view of cancer cachexia, we investigated the hypothesis that cancer promotes mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle. We subjected mice to in vivo phosphorous-31 nuclear magnetic re

INTRODUCTION: Cachexia is a wasting condition that manifests in several types of cancer. The main characteristic of this condition is a profound loss of muscle mass.METHODS: By using a microarray system, expression of several hundred genes was screened in skeletal muscle of rats bearing a cachexia-inducing tumor, the AH-130 Yoshida ascites hepatoma. This model induced a strong decrease in muscle m

BACKGROUND: Cachexia is a wasting condition that manifests in several types of cancer, and the main characteristic is the profound loss of muscle mass.METHODS: The Yoshida AH-130 tumor model has been used and the samples have been analyzed using transmission electronic microscopy, real-time PCR and Western blot techniques.RESULTS: Using in vivo cancer cachectic model in rats, here we show that ske

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of the present investigation was to examine the anti-wasting effects of theophylline (a methylxantine present in tea leaves) on a rat model of cancer cachexia.METHODS: The in vitro effects of the nutraceuticals on proteolysis were examined on muscle cell cultures submitted to hyperthermia. Individual muscle weights, muscle gene expression, body composition

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is an anabolic factor for skeletal muscle and several reports have described its important role as a regulator of energy homeostasis. In this study, we analyzed the effects of IL-15 on adipocyte differentiation using the 3T3-L1 preadipose cell line. The data show that IL-15 tends to reduce the rate of adipocyte proliferation, induces apoptosis, and partially stops differenti

The hypothesis we tested was that administering corticotropin-releasing factor receptor agonists preserves muscle mass during cancer that is related to changes in tissue gene expression. cDNA microarrays were used to compare mRNAs from muscle and adipose tissues of non-treated and agonist-treated tumor-bearing rats. In muscle of non-tumor-bearing agonist-treated animals we observed decreased expre

In fast- and slow-twitch limb and heart muscles of cachectic rats, redox balance and muscle structure were explored. The nature of the oxidatively modified proteins also was identified in these muscles. Reactive carbonyls, hydroxynonenal (HNE)- and malondialdehyde (MDA)-protein adducts, and antioxidant enzyme levels were determined in limb and heart muscles of cachectic (7 days after inoculation o

I boken "En lundensisk litteraturhistoria. Lunds universitet som litterärt kraftfält" presenteras cirka 200 författare från 1600-talet till i dag. Haquin Spegel, Bengt Lidner, Clas Livijn, Esaias Tegnér, Hjalmar Gullberg, Majken Johansson, Göran Sonnevi, Sigrid Combüchen, Lina Wolff – alla har de anknytning till Lunds universitet. Författarpresentationerna kompletteras med tematiska tvärsnitt om ä

Cancer patients commonly suffer from cachexia, a syndrome in which tumors induce metabolic changes in the host that lead to massive loss in skeletal muscle mass. Using a preclinical mouse model of cancer cachexia, we tested the hypothesis that tumor inoculation causes a reduction in ATP synthesis and genome-wide aberrant expression in skeletal muscle. Mice implanted with Lewis lung carcinomas were

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The abnormalities associated with cancer cachexia include anorexia, weight loss, muscle loss and atrophy, anaemia and alterations in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. The aim of the present investigation was to examine the anti-wasting effects of some nutraceuticals such as genistein, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate and diallyl sulphide (DAS).METHODS: The in

C2C12 cells exposed to hyperthermia (41 degrees C) experienced an increase in both protein synthesis and degradation. The addition of IL15 under hyperthermic conditions resulted in an important increase in protein synthesis with no changes in protein degradation, except when cells overexpressed PPARdelta. The PPARdelta agonist GW501516 exerted similar effects on protein synthesis to IL15. Expressi