The healthy vaginal ecosystem is maintained by the interaction of the vaginal epithelium and the microflora, where lactobacilli and occasionally bifidobacteria play an important role. Imbalances in the dominance of lactobacilli may lead to bacterial vaginosis or yeast vaginitis. Probiotics may be a means to secure a favourable microbial balance in the vagina and, as the normal vaginal flora ascend

The maximum limits of the Eurasian ice sheets during four glaciations have been reconstructed: (1) the Late Saalian (> 140 ka), (2) the Early Weichselian (100-80 ka), (3) the Middle Weichselian (60-50 ka) and (4) the Late Weichselian (25-15 ka). The reconstructed ice limits are based on satellite data and aerial photographs combined with geological field investigations in Russia and Siberia, and w

Glacontryphan-M, a novel calcium-dependent inhibitor of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels expressed in mouse pancreatic beta-cells, was recently isolated from the venom of the cone snail Conus marmoreus (Hansson, K., Ma, X., Eliasson, L., Czerwiec, E., Furie, B., Furie, B. C., Rorsman, P., and Stenflo, J. ( 2004) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 32453-32463). The conserved disulfide-bonded loop of the contryp

We construct small-amplitude steady periodic water waves with constant vorticity. Among these are certain waves with the property that in a frame moving with the wave there is a 'critical layer' with closed streamlines in the fluid. These waves, which do not exist in the irrotational setting, are studied in detail. In particular we give a full description of the particle paths. (C) 2008 Elsevier I

Cholestasis is a major complication in sepsis although the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of P-selectin and leukocyte recruitment in endotoxemia- associated cholestasis. C57BL/6 mice were challenged intraperitoneally with endotoxin ( 0.4 mg/ kg), and 6 h later the common bile duct was cannulated for determination of bile flow and biliary excret

We conducted pooled and meta-analyses of the association of the calpain-10 gene (CAPN10) polymorphisms SNP-43, Indel-19 and SNP-63 individually and as haplotypes with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 3237 patients and 2935 controls of European ancestry. In the pooled analyses, the common SNP-43*G allele was associated with modest but statistically significant increased risk of T2D (odds ratio (OR) = 1.11

It is well known that teenagers with chronic diseases have problems complying with their treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patient's knowledge of haemophilia and his compliance to prophylactic treatment, and the age at which the patient took over the responsibility for his disease and to create educational material for teenagers and adolescents. This was a prospective multicentr

Objective: To evaluate the effect of compression hosiery during standing work. Design: An open study, comparing symptoms and plethysmographic findings before and after treatment. Setting: University hospital, vascular surgery. Subjects: Forty-eight female volunteers with a standing profession. Methods: Visual analogue scale to evaluate symptoms and foot volumetry to study venous function before an

Acute synovitis was induced in rabbit knee joints by intraarticular injection of preformed bovine serum albumin (BSA) -anti BSA immune complexes (ICs). Polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNGs) which had migrated into joints injected with ICs were degranulated and contained ICs as revealed by electron microscopy and were activated as revealed by the measurement of chemiluminescence (CL). In contrast,

Objective. To test the hypothesis that oral creatine supplements with exercise are more effective than exercise alone in improving muscle function in patients with established dermatomyositis or polymyositis receiving chronic medical therapies who are clinically weak yet stable. Methods. In a 6-month, 2-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, patients were randomized to receive oral cre

The effectiveness of extracting p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE from aged contaminated soil samples by means of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was evaluated. Two soil samples, which were contaminated more than 10 years ago, were used in the investigation. The static extraction time was optimised and then validated against the total sum of target analytes obtained from multiple sequential extractions. T

The film of sIgA lining the intestinal epithelium plays a role in the regulation of the commensal microflora and prevention of pathogen invasion. We show that, in the absence of intentional immunization, all sIgA in the gut is produced by B-1a B cells. We also show that B-1a B cells and sIgA derive from lineage-negative precursors found in the fetal liver and located in the spleen after birth. The

The influence of amylopectin (Ap) (in the form of high amylopectin potato starch, HAPP) on the rheological properties of its mixtures with amylose (Am) has been studied in small-deformation oscillatory rheometry during relatively long times (6 h). The absence of HAPP granule remnants in the samples has been considered important; therefore HAPP, Am, and HAPP-Am mixtures have been prepared at 140deg

We examined the relation between the islet NO system and islet hormone secretion induced by either the non-glucose nutrient alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC) or, in some experiments, glucose. KIC dose dependently stimulated insulin but inhibited glucagon secretion. In a medium devoid of any nutrient, the NO synthase (NOS)-inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) induced an increase in b

Circling behaviour in unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rats is interpreted as being opposite in direction to the side of the brain with highest striatal dopaminergic activation. Ipsiversive rotation indicates an action on the intact striatum, while contraversive rotation demonstrates an effect on dopamine receptors in the denervated striatum and is taken as predictive of symptomatic benefit in Parkinson

In this study, the signal cascade transducing carbachol stimulation into c-fos expression in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells was investigated. 1,2-Diacylglycerol formation and c-fos expression were mediated via stimulation of muscarinic M1 receptors and the first 5 min of receptor stimulation were critical for these events. Application of 1,2-dioctanoylglycerol induced c-fos expression and this, as we