The anaphylatoxic peptide C3a is a pro-inflammatory mediator generated during complement activation, whose specific G protein coupled receptor is expressed on granulocytes, monocytes, mast cells, activated lymphocytes, and in the nervous tissue. We have generated RBL-2H3 cell clones stably expressing mutants of the human C3a-receptor (C3aR) with combined alanine (Ala) substitutions of ten C-termin

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: To correlate the changes in periarticular tissue levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and endothelin-1 (ET-1) to local pathophysiology in rats with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA). MATERIALS: The periarticular soft tissue was excised from sixty-six rats at different stages of AIA. METHODS: The samples were homogenized and the levels of immune like (LI) reactivities were deter

We reconstruct the Holocene range fluctuations of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) for northern and Central Europe. Based on 529 subfossil records and radiocarbon dating of critical finds, we provide evidence that E. orbicularis experienced a rapid range expansion with Holocene warming. Phylogeographic data argue for a colonization of northern and Central Europe from a glacial refuge lo

Age at menarche is a strong and consistent predictor of breast cancer risk in the general population, but has not been well studied in women with a family history of breast cancer. We conducted this study to examine whether the presence of a deleterious BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation influences age at menarche and to investigate whether or not there is an association between age at menarche and the risk

The Kidd (JK) blood group system is clinically important in transfusion medicine. Alloantibodies to antigens in this system may be produced following blood transfusion or during pregnancy and can result in serious haemolytic transfusion reactions and haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). JK antigens on erythrocytes are carried by glycoproteins with the capacity to transport urea through cell me

The inherent limitations of a specific pencil beam model have been studied when applied to a cylindrical geometry simulating the neck region. A comparison is made between measured and calculated absorbed dose in a cylindrical phantom. The goal is to quantify the deviations in the absorbed dose level, i.e., the dose per monitor unit, when photons are used for the treatment of head and neck tumours.

Purpose: A considerable fraction (30% to 70%) of families with verified or putative hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer fails to show mutations in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Our purpose was to address the genetic etiology of such families. Materials and Methods: We scrutinized a population-based cohort of 26 families from Finland that had screened mutation-negative by previous techniqu

The timing of the commencement of photosynthesis (P-*) in spring is an important determinant of growing-season length and thus of the productivity of boreal forests. Although controlled experiments have shed light on environmental mechanisms triggering release from photoinhibition after winter, quantitative research for trees growing naturally in the field is scarce. In this study, we investigated

Background The general lack of clear associations between diet and breast cancer in epidemiological studies may partly be explained by the fact that breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that may have disparate genetic associations and different aetiological bases. Method A total of 346 incident breast cancers in a prospective cohort of 17,035 women enrolled in the Malmo Diet and Cancer study (

BACKGROUND: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) require expression of transcription factor genes POU5F1 (POU class 5 homeobox 1), NANOG (Nanog homeobox), and SOX2 [SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2] to maintain their capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency. Because of the heterogeneous nature of cell populations, it is desirable to study the gene regulation in single cells. Large and potentia

In order to determine the occurrence and frequency of resistant strains of the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni and to establish baseline MICs in isolates from an environmental reservoir, the resistance profiles of 10 antimicrobial substances were determined for 137 C. jejuni isolates from wild birds in Sweden. Observed MICs were generally low, with only low to moderate incidence of resistance to th

In the bioconversion of lignocellulosic materials to ethanol, the cost of the raw material and the cost of the enzymes have been identified as the major costs for the product. In addition, many lignocellulosic materials contain considerable amounts of five-carbon sugars which are not easily fermented to ethanol. The possibility of improving the cost-intensive steps was investigated. The steam pre

A detailed analysis of the reaction mechanism of the reactive hydride composite (RHC) MgH2 + 2LiBH(4) MgB2 + 2LiH + 4H(2) was performed using high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry (HP-DSC) measurements and in situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements along with kinetic investigations using a Sievert-type apparatus. For the desorption the following two-step reaction ha

Currently much attention is focused on glutathione S transferase (GST)-induced suppression of apoptosis. The objective of our studies was therefore to see if GST isoenzymes rescue photoreceptors in retinal explants from rd1/rd1 mice, in which photoreceptors degenerate rapidly. Eyes from C3H rd1/rd1 and +/+ mice were collected at various time points between postnatal day (PN) 2 and PN28. Localizati

An ab initio coupled cluster investigation of the electric field gradient induced birefringence of three dipolar linear molecules—CO, N2O, and OCS—is presented. Special emphasis is given to the effect of triple excitations in the cluster operator on the so-called effective quadrupole center as well as to the accurate determination of the molecular electric quadrupole moment relative to this origin