We investigated the smooth muscle contraction in response to noradrenaline (NA), endothelin-1 (ET) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the omental artery and vein segments from a 67-year-old woman with idiopathic orthostatic hypotension. The blood vessels were obtained during the abdominal surgery and investigated in vitro. Noradrenaline, endothelin-1 and 5-hydroxytryptamine all induced a contractio

Investigations of chemical bonding and electronic structure features for polycrystalline (porphyrinato)nickel (II) (NiP, the simplest Ni porphyrin), (5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)nickel (II) (NiTPP) and (2-aza-21-carba-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)nickel (II) (N-confused NiTPP, NiNCTPP) have been performed by means of high-resolution soft x-ray absorption and x-ray photoemission spectr

Previous evidence has shown that stromal cell-derived inducing activity (SDIA), produced by the mouse PA6 stromal cell line, promotes dopaminergic differentiation of mouse, monkey and human embryonic stem cells in vitro. To examine whether PA6 stromal cells can enhance the yield of dopaminergic differentiation from neural progenitors, we generated neurospheres from embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5) (midb

Individual forager behaviors should affect per capita intake rates and thereby population and consumer-resource properties. We consider and incorporate conspecific facilitation and interference during the separate foraging-cycle stages in a functional response model that links individual behavioral interactions with consumer-resource processes. Our analyses suggest that failing to properly conside

Candida albicans, an important pathogenic yeast, activates all three pathways of the complement system. To understand how this yeast evades the effects of the activated system, we have analyzed the binding of the classical pathway inhibitor C4b-binding protein (C4BP) by C. albicans. Purified native as well as recombinant C4BP bound dose dependently to the yeast and hyphal forms, as shown by multip

Evidence from sedimentology and conodont biostratigraphy is used to reinterpret the mid-Homerian (Late Wenlock) succession on Gotland, Sweden. A new conodont zonation includes from below: the Ozarkodina bohemica longa Zone (including five subzones), the Kockelella ortus absidata Zone and the Ctenognathodus murchisoni Zone (two taxa are named, Ozarkodina bohemica longa and Pseudooneotodus linguicor

Protein C inhibitor (PCI) is a heparin-binding serine proteinase inhibitor belonging to the family of serpin proteins. Here we describe that PCI exerts broad antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens. This ability is mediated by the interaction of PCI with lipid membranes, which subsequently leads to their permeabilization. As shown by negative staining electron microscopy, treatment of E

Background A main goal in nursing care of persons with chronic heart failure (HF) is to strengthen their health related quality of life (HRQoL). This presupposes knowledge about the relation between heart failure and HRQoL. Existing studies have shown incongruent results about whether HRQoL is affected differently depending on age or sex of elderly persons with chronic HF. Aim This study aimed

Impaired degradation of amyloid beta (A beta) peptides could lead to A beta accumulation, an early trigger of Alzheimer's disease (AD). How A beta-degrading enzymes are regulated remains largely unknown. Cystatin C (CysC, CST3) is an endogenous inhibitor of cysteine proteases, including cathepsin B (CatB), a recently discovered A beta-degrading enzyme. A CST3 polymorphism is associated with an inc

The cytotoxicity and photocytotoxicity of trans-[RuCl2(DMSO)4] and cis-[RuCl2(DMSO)4] complexes was tested in two melanoma cell lines, human (SK-MEL 188) and mouse (S91). The trans isomer was found to be more effective for cell growth inhibition than its cis analogue both in the presence and in the absence of illumination. However, the antiproliferative activity of both isomers was significantly e

Background: Contact allergy to and allergic contact dermatitis from methyldibromoglutaronitrile (MDBGN) have been frequently reported since the 1990s. Objective: This study was initiated to help determine the optimal test preparation for MDBGN and to help determine the clinical relevance of such a contact allergy. Method. In 38 patients with positive (32 patients) or doubtful (6 patients) patch-te

The present study involves the synthesis of sulfonated poly(3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane), sPTMPO, by end-capping the hydroxy-groups in the PTMPO with 1,4-butane sultone. A series of the polymer with different degrees of substitution was investigated. Furthermore, the subsequent use of the sulfonated PTMPO as the acidic component in proton conducting membranes was explored. The membranes were

In this study we aimed to assess in vivo, the vasodilator effects of adrenomedullin, proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) and amylin in human skin vasculature and compare the responses to the effects mediated by the endogenenous neuropeptides calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P and to examine the mRNA expression of calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CL-R) and receptor-

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; filgrastim) during induction chemotherapy with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, prednisone) or CNOP (doxorubicin replaced with mitoxantrone) in elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) improves time to treatment failure (TTF), complete remission (C

We report the observation of antibunched emission from single self-assembled InAs quantum dots under various conditions. We have measured the correlation function of the photon emission pertaining to single emission lines from single quantum dots under continuous and pulsed laser excitation, as well as under continuous white light excitation. The measurements were performed under different excitat

The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework of lexical meaning, broadly along the lines of Cognitive Semantics (Langacker 1987). Within the proposed model, all aspects of meaning are to be explained in terms of properties of ontologies in conceptual space, i.e. properties of content ontologies and schematic ontologies and construals which are imposed on the conceptual structures on the occ

Research on the biology of the tumor stroma has the potential to lead to development of more effective treatment regimes enhancing the efficacy of drug-based treatment of solid malignancies. Tumor stroma is characterized by distorted blood vessels and activated connective tissue cells producing a collagen-rich matrix, which is accompanied by elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP), indicating a