The vasoactive peptide angiotensin II (Ang II) has been implicated as a mediator of myocardial fibrosis. We carried out a comparative investigation of the effects of Ang II and its precursor Ang I on collagen metabolism and proliferation in cultured human cardiac fibroblasts. Cardiac fibroblasts responded to both Ang I and Ang II with concentration-dependent increases in collagen synthesis but no

This paper is about the recent discussions (known as Denkmalpflegediskussion) on the principles and practices of state heritage management in Germany. In an expert report commissioned by the prominent German politician Antje Vollmer from Dieter Hoffmann-Axthelm, a number of fundamental criticisms were made. They concern existing practices of state heritage management, some of which are said to ali

BACKGROUND: The issue of inequalities in health has generated much discussion and socioeconomic status is considered an important variable in studies of health. It is frequently used in epidemiological studies, either as a possible risk factor or a confounder and the aim of this study was to analyse the relation between socioeconomic status and risk of disability pension. METHODS: Five complete bi

Atherosclerosis involves the formation of inflammatory arterial lesions and is one of the most common causes of death globally. It has been evident for more than 20 years that adaptive immunity regulates the magnitude of the atherogenic proinflammatory response. T cells may also influence the stability of the atherosclerotic lesion and thus the propensity for thrombus formation and the clinical ou

Purpose To evaluate the image quality of clinical radiographs with two different methods, and to find correlations between the two methods. Methods Based on fifteen lumbar spine radiographs, two new sets of images were created. A hybrid image set was created by adding two distributions of artificial lesions to each original image. The image quality parameters spatial resolution and noise were mani

Background: Although many allergens in metalworking fluids (MWF) are identified, there are still some MWF components, which are not sufficiently investigated concerning their sensitizing properties. Objectives: To investigate sensitization to 10 frequently used MWF components, which are not part of the established MWF test series, in metalworkers with suspected occupational dermatitis due to MWF.

A set of new algorithms and software tools for automatic protein identification using peptide mass fingerprinting is presented. The software is automatic, fast and modular to suit different laboratory needs, and it can be operated either via a Java user interface or called from within scripts. The software modules do peak extraction, peak filtering and protein database matching, and communicate vi

If calcifuges are forced to grow on a calcareous soil, they usually develop chlorosis. However, total leaf iron (Fe) does not often correlate well with Fe deficiency symptoms. The extraction of 'active' Fe by 1 M HCl or Fe chelators, e.g., 1,10-phenanthroline, may reflect the relation between chlorosis and Fe-concentration in the leaves better than total Fe does. Extraction of 'active' Fe from lea

Background: Collaboration between relatives and nurses in acute care settings is sparsely investigated, and that mostly from nurses' point of view. Feasible and valid instruments are needed for assessing collaboration, its prerequisites and outcome. Objectives: To develop and test an instrument to assess, from the relatives' perspective, collaboration between relatives of frail elderly patients an

The suppressor of cytokine signalling 1 (SOCS1) is a natural inhibitor of cytokine and insulin signalling pathways and may also play a role in obesity. In addition, SOCS1 is considered a candidate gene in the pathogenesis of both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The objective was to perform mutation analysis of SOCS1 and to test the identified variations for association to T2D-rela

The isopropanol-soluble seed storage proteins, prolamins, were studied in 18 different genera of the tribe Triticeae by gel electrophoresis, Coomassie staining, and immunoblot assays. The monoclonal antibodies were originally raised against cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) hordein, and their reactions had been tested earlier on wild Hordeum species. The study showed that all the investigated

Members of the PAR-1/MARK kinase family play critical roles in polarity and cell cycle control and are regulated by 14-3-3 scaffolding proteins, as well as the LKB1 tumour suppressor kinase and atypical protein kinase C (PKC). In this study, we initially investigated the mechanism underlying the interaction of mammalian MARK3 with 14-3-3. We demonstrate that 14-3-3 binding to MARK3 is dependent on

Antibody-based microarrays is a rapidly evolving technology that has gone from the first proof-of-concept studies to more demanding proteome profiling applications, during the last years. Miniaturized microarrays can be printed with large number of antibodies harbouring predetermined specificities, capable of targeting high- as well as low-abundant analytes in complex, nonfractionated proteomes. C

The paper introduces the philosophy and current status of a benchmark for the evaluation of control strategies in wastewater treatment plants and also the forthcoming developments and future perspectives. The work has been carried out within the framework of two COST Actions (682 and 624) and in close collaboration with the IWA Task Group on Respirometry. The benchmark is a platform-independent si

Aim: Does metabolic control improve in children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), when modifying the quality of carbohydrates by introducing low glycaemic index (GI) foods? Methods: The inclusion criteria for the study was children with diabetes mellitus type 1, age from 7 to 11 years old, they should have a moderate glucose control with HbA1c between 7,5 to 8,5 and no allergy to ce

AIM: Antiplatelet therapy in order to reduce the platelet aggregability is widely used to prevent recurrent stroke events. Data from several studies indicates that the inter-individual variation concerning the ability of standard doses of aspirin to inhibit platelet aggregation is substantial. The rationale of the present study was to test whether platelet aggregation in whole blood was enhanced i

Background: Extravasation and luminal entry of plasma occurs continuously in the nose. This process is markedly facilitated in patients with symptomatic allergic rhinitis, resulting in an increased secretion of proteins. Identification of these proteins is an important step in the understanding of the pathological mechanisms in allergic diseases. DNA microarrays have recently made it possible to c