Background: The activation peptide released from procarboxypeptidase B, CAPAP, is a marker of the activation of pancreatic enzymes in acute pancreatitis while anionic trypsinogen (AT) levels in urine relate to leakage of unactivated proenzymes. Data on these markers in patients suffering from severe acute abdominal disorders of nonpancreatic origin are lacking. Purpose: To examine levels of CAPAP

The effect of Bifidobacterium lactis (Bb-12) and Lactobacillus salivarius (UCC500) on the formation of carboxylic acids (CAs) was studied in the hindgut of rats fed pectin, inulin of low solubility, and lactitol. When the pectin diet was supplemented with Bb-12, the formation of CAs was larger throughout the colon of rats, due to increased formation of acetic acid (P < 0.01) and, in the distal par

The influence of aerosols, both natural and anthropogenic, remains a major area of uncertainty when predicting the properties and behaviour of clouds and their influence on climate. In an attempt to better understand warm cloud formation in a tropical marine environment, a period of intensive measurements took place in December 2004 in Puerto Rico, using some of the latest developments in online i

Objectives We have previously reported an increased cardiac workload in newborn preterm small (SGA) infants, but not in infants appropriate for gestational age (AGA). We hypothesized that these cardiovascular changes win persist at follow-tip at 5 years of age. Study design We assessed blood pressure, echocardiography, and shin perfusion with laser Doppler flowmetry in 22 SGA (S21 +/- 248 g. 28.5

Maternal effects have become an important field of study in evolutionary ecology and there is an ongoing debate regarding their adaptive significance. Some maternal effects can act to increase offspring fitness and are called 'adaptive maternal effects'. However, other maternal effects decrease offspring fitness and there is confusion regarding whether certain maternal effects are indeed adaptive

A study of the influence of spin-orbit coupling and dynamical electron correlation on the polarizabilities of the halogen atoms in a variational treatment is presented. It is shown that for the heavier homologs it is necessary to replace the averaged values by individual component polarizabilities for the J=3/2 and J=1/2 atomic states due to the large spin-orbit coupling. A high level of correlati

Tardigrades have achieved a widespread reputation for an ability to survive more than a century in an inactive, ametabolic state called cryptobiosis, However, a closer look at the empirical evidence provides little support for the claim that tardigrades are capable of century-long survival. Instead, current evidence suggests that a decade may more realistically represent the upper limit of cryptob

Eight healthy volunteers were exposed to purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by controlled inhalation. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) 3 hours after exposure revealed a pronounced neutrophilia, increase in lymphocytes, fibronectin concentration, and decrease in alveolar macrophage phagocytosis, as compared to a reference BAL.

Patients with hypertension have an increased activity in the endothelin system and an increased vascular tone, which predisposes them to target organ damage. In the present study, in vitro pharmacology, real-time PCR and immunofluorescence techniques were used to show enhanced endothelin type A (ETA) and type B (ETB) receptor contraction and expression in the left internal mammary artery from pati

Hydrolysis of cellulose by Trichoderma cellulases often results in a mixture of glucose, cellobiose, and low-mol-wt cellodextrins. Cellobiose is nonfermentable for most yeasts, and therefore it has to be hydrolyzed to glucose by beta-glucosidase prior to ethanol fermentation. In the present study, the beta-glucosidase production of one Penicillium and three Aspergillus strains, which were previous

Using the UNFCCC as a basis, and the objectives of estimating soil organic carbon (SOC) changes during the period 1900-2100, a spatially explicit database of climate, land cover and soil texture was compiled for a 262,000 km(2) region in semi-arid Sudan. The area is characterized by low input cultivation of millet, sorghum and sesame combined with livestock grazing. By integrating the database wit

The distribution, production, and decay of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were studied in 10 boreal lakes of differing physical-chemical characteristics. Diurnal and vertical fluctuations in H2O2 concentration were followed in the lakes by sampling at six depths three times per day. In addition, incubations of water filtered through 0.2-mu mesh were made under artificial irradiation to study the abiotic

Expression of the neuropeptide orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ/N) and its receptor, the opioid receptor-like receptor (ORL1), have been found to have a wide distribution in the central nervous system, and in brain areas involved in sensory perception in particular. The effects of OFQ/N on, e.g., sensory transmission are very complex, and a modulatory effect on pain perception has been suggested. We th

The accumulation of empirical evidence that outward-oriented developing countries have generally performed better than inward-oriented ones in terms of growth, industrialisation, job creation and other macroeconomic indicators provides an essential lesson for both policy-makers and development economists worldwide. The acknowledged importance of trade and non-traditional exports for development an

The adsorption of four different amphiphilic polymers to a model surface has been studied, and the effects of the adsorbed amphiphiles on the subsequent adsorption of fibrinogen (Fg) and human serum albumin (HSA) at the surfaces were investigated. The amphiphilic polymers were one commercially available ABA block copolymer, Pluronic PE9400 (PE94), composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (A-blocks) and po