During the formation of peribronchial fibrosis in asthma, remodeling of connective tissue is due to an increase in deposition of extracellular matrix components like that of specific types of collagens and proteoglycans. By taking bronchial biopsies, we were able to isolate cell cultures derived from asthmatic patients and healthy volunteers, which provides a good model system to study differences

Background: Surgical trauma evokes a systemic cytokine response which is enhanced in patients with colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to locate the origin of the systemic cytokine response to colorectal surgery. Methods: The concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were analysed in systemic and mesenteric venous blood in 12 patients operated on

Migratory birds can use a magnetic compass for orientation during their migratory journeys covering thousands of kilometers. But how do they sense the reference direction provided by the Earth's magnetic field? Behavioral evidence and theoretical considerations have suggested that radical-pair processes in differently oriented, light-sensitive molecules of the retina could enable migratory birds t

Phytochemical investigations on the most active EtOAc extract led to the isolation of 9 flavonoids [quercetin (1), quercetin 3-O-beta-glucopyranoside (2), quercetin 3-O-beta-galactopyranoside (3), quercetin 3-O-(2 ''-O-galloyl)-beta-glucopyranoside (4), quercetin 3-O-(2 ''-O-galloyl)-beta-galactopyranoside (5), quercetin 3-O-(6 ''-O-galloyl)-beta-glucopyranoside (6), quercetin 3-O-(6 ''-O-galloyl)

Every tripotent e of a generalized Jordan triple system of second order uniquely defines a decomposition of the space of the triple into a direct sum of eight components. This decomposition is a generalization of the Peirce decomposition for the Jordan triple system. The relations between components are studied in the case when e is a left unit.

The interaction between DNA and positively charged dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) and DODAB/disteroylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) monolayers at the air-aqueous interface was studied by a combination of the surface film balance and Brewster angle microscopy. In presence of DNA, the &UPi;-A isotherm of the cationic monolayer shifts to larger mean molecular areas due to the electrostat

The influence of gender, age, residential area, and socioeconomic status on the blood and serum levels of 13 trace elements was studied in boys and girls living in two Swedish cities with different socioeconomic and environmental characters. The same groups of adolescents were sampled twice, at ages 15 (n = 372) and 17 (n = 294) years. All the investigated factors were shown to be of importance. A

The effects of heavy-metal-containing sewage sludge on the soil microbial community were studied in two agricultural soils of different textures, which had been contaminated separately with three predominantly single metals (Cu, Zn, and Ni) at two different levels more than 20 years ago. We compared three community-based microbiological measurements, namely, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis

Gene expression for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family ligands and receptors was analyzed with in situ hybridization after two focal ischemic insults of different severities. Focal ischemia was induced in rats by either 30 min or 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), causing damage to the striatum only, or involving also the parietal cortex, respectively. We found

Population synchrony over various geographical scales is known from a large number of taxa. Three main hypotheses have been put forward as explanations to this phenomenon. First, correlated environmental disturbances (so called Moran effect). Moran showed that at least for linear models, the population synchrony would exactly match that of the corresponding environment. Second, the migration, or d

An initial-boundary value problem to a system of nonlinear partial differential equations, which consists of a hyperbolic and a parabolic part, is taken into consideration. The problem is discretised by a compact finite difference method. An approximation of the numerical solution is constructed, at which the difference scheme is linearised. Nonlinear convergence is proved using the stability of t

Objective. To study lymphocyte markers in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial pneumonitis (IP) compared with idiopathic IP. Methods. Paraffin-embedded lung biopsy specimens from patients with RA (n = 15) and from those without RA (n = 16), all of whom had a diagnosis of either nonspecific IP or usual IP, were studied. Tissue sections from each patient were reviewed by a pathologist,

The amount of large and old trees has decreased in the boreal forests during the last centuries of forestry. Such trees are important habitats for epiphytic lichens and there is a growing concern for lichen species that are associated with large and old trees. However, only little is known about the relative importance of tree size versus age as determinants of lichen diversity. Here we have deter

This paper focuses on older peoples’ needs as pedestrians by examining their perceptions of the outdoor environment in both bare-ground and snow/ice conditions. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used, including focus group interviews, participant observations, and questionnaires. The results show that older people consider accessibility/usability issues as very important and that the import

Cationic iron carbonyl cyclohexadiene complexes were employed in the derivatization of the 3-OH position of unprotected and protected methyl beta-D-galactopyranosides using two different approaches, giving access to galactopyranosides with an aromatic or cyclohexadienoic functionality in this position. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A feasibility study and two interlaboratory exercises on the determination of selected heterocyclic amines (HAs) in beef extract, organised in the framework of a European project, are presented. The aim of these exercises was to improve the quality of the laboratories and to evaluate the performance of a standardised analytical method and also the methods currently used by each of the participants