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Previous studies identified serine, cysteine and metalloproteases in normal aqueous humours (AH) and suggested that a balance between proteases and their inhibitors may play a role in the modulation of the AH outflow. We aimed to determine whether secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), a serine protease inhibitor, is present in AH of patients with cataract and other eye pathologies. AH was

Tissue firmness and stiffness are functions of tissue and cell wall structure, water status and temperature, and their interactions. This investigation elaborates the physiological basics of temperature and water status effects on firmness of fresh intact carrots and radish tubers. The results can add to a better understanding of the mechanical properties at least of these succulent plant storage

• The ability of the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora and the nematode egg parasite Verticillium chlamydosporium to colonize barley (Hordeum vulgare) and tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) roots was examined, together with capability of the fungi to induce cell wall modifications in root cells. • Chemotropism was studied using an agar plate technique. Root colonization was investiga

Objective. The present experimental study explored pathomorphological changes and calcium depositions in the tympanic membrane during experimental acute otitis media caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in myringotomized and nonmyringotomized ears. Material and methods. A rat model of experimental acute otitis media caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae was employed Sixteen Sprague-

Design. In a longitudinal study, 335 children ages 8, 11 and 14, first studied in 1989 were followed-up on two occasions in 1991 and 2002. The subjects filled in questionnaires on pain, the first two times in school, the last as a postal survey. Purposes. To determine if headache and back pain during the school years were transitory or if they grew into pain problems in adulthood; to determine pre

During endurance flight most birds do not feed and have to rely on their body reserves. Fat and protein is catabolised to meet the high energetic demands. Even though the hormonal regulation of migration is complex and not yet fully understood. the adrenocortical hormone corticosterone crystallizes to play a major role in controlling physiological traits in migratory birds during flight. However,

Background The contribution of genetic variation in DNA repair genes to gastric cancer (GC) risk remains essentially unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the relative contribution of DNA repair gene polymorphisms to GC risk and severe chronic atrophic gastritis (SCAG). Method A nested case control study within the EPIC cohort was performed including 246 gastric adenocarcinomas and 1175 ma

Butterflies of the genus Papilio have polarisation-sensitive photoreceptors in all regions of the eye, and different spectral types of receptor are sensitive to different e-vector orientations. We have studied the consequences of this eye design for colour vision in behavioural tests and find that Papilio spp. see false colours due to the polarisation of light. They discriminate between vertically

The incidence of allergy is steadily increasing, but the molecular mechanisms involved in the allergic immune response are still not fully understood. In particular, further investigations focusing on dendritic cells, which are central in orchestrating the immune response, are needed. The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of myeloid leukaemia-derived cell lines, such as KG-1,

Three rotational bands in Kr-74 were studied up to (in one case one transition short of) the maximum spin I-max of their respective single-particle configurations. Their lifetimes have been determined using the Doppler-shift attenuation method. The deduced transition quadrupole moments reveal a modest decrease, but far from a complete loss of collectivity at the maximum spin I-max. This feature, t

The oral contraceptive pill is associated with a modest increase in the risk of early-onset breast cancer in the general population, but it is possible that the risk is higher in certain subgroups of women. The relative risk of breast cancer associated with oral contraceptive use has been reported to be higher for African-American women than for white women. African-American women also have a high

Many common diseases are known to have genetic components, but since they are non-Mendelian, i.e. a large number of genetic factors affect the phenotype, these components are difficult to localize. These traits are often called complex and analysis of siblings is a valuable tool for mapping them. It has been shown that the power of the affected relative pairs method to detect linkage of a disease

The phase behavior of aqueous mixtures of a nonionic surfactant, hexaethylene glycol dodecyl ether (C12E6), was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (C-13 NMR) spectroscopy, The T-X phase diagram of this system was constructed from the DSC results. Comparison of the phase diagram with

I. Previous work has shown that wing wear increases mortality rate in bumblebees. Two proximate explanations have been suggested to account for this: increased energy flight costs and increased predation risk due to reduced manoeuvrability. 2. Wing wear was mimicked by experimentally clipping the forewing distal trailing edge, causing a 10% wing area reduction. Experimental and sham control bumble

Coexistence among unequal conspecific interferers should be unlikely to persist if stronger interferers always experience a relative fitness increment from their higher foraging rates. In this study, we suggest that decreased relative costs to weaker interferers with increasing temporal fluctuations in prey availability may be a mechanism enhancing coexistence of unequal conspecific interferers. P

The endosymbiotic theory for the origin of mitochondria requires substantial modification. The three identifiable ancestral sources to the proteome of mitochondria are proteins descended from the ancestral alpha -proteobacteria symbiont, proteins with no homology to bacterial orthologs, and diverse proteins with bacterial affinities not derived from alpha -proteobacteria. Random mutations in the f