Search results

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disease of the upper airway mucosa that also affects leukocytes in bone marrow and peripheral blood. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is a receptor for unmethylated CpG dinucleotides found in bacterial and viral DNA. The present study was designed to examine the expression of TLR9 in the nasal mucosa and in leukocytes derived from different cellular comp

Host genetic variations play a significant role in conferring predisposition to infection. in this study, we examined the immune mechanisms underlying the host genetic predisposition to severe Staphylococcus aureus infection in different mouse strains. Whereas C57BL/6 mice were the most resistant in terms of control of bacterial growth and survival, A/J, DBA/2, and BALB/c mice were highly suscepti

We retrospectively studied local recurrence of giant cell tumour in long bones following treatment with curettage and cementing in 137 patients. The median follow-up time was 60 months (3 to 166). A total of 19 patients (14%) had at least one local recurrence, the first was diagnosed at a median of 17 months (3 to 29) after treatment of the primary tumour. There were 13 patients with a total of 15

New laser stepwise heating Ar-40-Ar-39 dates (415 +/- 1.8 and 414 +/- 2 Ma) from the Etive Dyke Swarm in the SW Grampian Highlands of Scotland indicate that the dykes are 10-20 Ma older than previously assumed. The dykes constitute the final phase of the Late Caledonian Granites in the region, which themselves define the end of the Caledonian Orogeny, therefore these dates can be taken as the end

A sensor device based on a single polymer cantilever and optical readout has been developed for detection of molecular recognition reactions without the need of a reference cantilever for subtraction of unspecific signals. Microcantilevers have been fabricated in the photoresist SU-8 with one surface passivated with a thin fluorocarbon layer. The SU-8 surface is sensitized with biological receptor

In isolated conjugated polymers two explanations are in discussion for the redshift of the emission on a picosecond time scale-exciton energy transfer (EET) between conjugated segments along the chains and conformational changes of these segments themselves, i.e., torsional relaxation. In order to resolve this question we perform femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption measurements of the e

Determination of pK(a) values of titrating residues in proteins provides a direct means of studying electrostatic coupling as well as pH-dependent stability. The B1 domain of protein G provides an excellent model system for such investigations. In this work, we analyze the observed pK(a) values of all carboxyl groups in a variant of PGB1 (T2Q, N8D, N37D) at low and high ionic strength as determine

By exposing photosystem II (PSII) samples to an incrementing number of excitation flashes at room temperature, followed by freezing, we could compare the Mn-derived multiline EPR signal from the S-2 oxidation state as prepared by 1, 5, 10, and 25 flashes of light. While the S-2 multiline signals exhibited by these samples differed very little in spectral shape, a significant increase of the relaxa

The Ljusdal Batholith (LjB) is a major component of the central Svecofennian Domain in Sweden. It is separated from the Bothnian Basin to the north by the 1.82-1.80 Cia crustal-scale Hassela Shear Zone (HSZ). The LjB has emplacement ages of 1.86-1.84 Cia, is mainly alkali-calcic, metaluminous, has epsilon(Nd) values between -0.3 and + 1.2 and was formed in a magmatic arc setting. During the Svecok

Patients with hemophilia have an impaired thrombin Generation and therefore form loose fibrin hemostatic plugs that are easily dissolved by fibrinolysis. This prevents maintained hemostasis in these patients, resulting in a severe bleeding disorder. Recombinant (F)VIIa has been shown to enhance thrombin generation on already thrombin-activated platelets in the absence of FVIII and FIX. An efficacy

The southern slopes of the mountain ridge Kolmarden along the northern border of the province Ostergotland ill south-eastern Sweden have a very rich flora and varied geomorphology. Several rare and locally endemic microspecies of Hieracium have been described or reported from the area but no hieraciologist has visited the region since c. 1930. In 2004, the present author walked c. 50 km in this ar

A new electrochemical reactor, three-phase three-dimensional electrode reactor, was designed and used to investigate the removal of formic acid from simulated wastewater. The experimental results were assessed in term of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency. The results showed that the three-phase three-dimensional electrodes could effectively remove formic acid. Its COD removal efficie

Continuing our work toward a system mimicking the electron-transfer steps from manganese to P680+ in photosystem II (PS II), we report a series of ruthenium(II)-manganese(II) complexes that display intramolecular electron transfer from manganese(II) to photooxidized ruthenium(III). The electron-transfer rate constant (kET) values span a large range, 1 × 105-2 × 107 s-1, and we have investigated di

Habituation signifies a decreased response to a constant or repeated stimulus or environment. Although habituation is a fundamental form of nonassociative learning, little is known about its ontogenesis. Here, locomotor activity of postnatal ferrets within individual open field sessions was quantitatively analysed. The patterns of activity revealed a gradual shift across developmental time between

The interactions between chelating agents and metal oxide particles play important roles for the distribution and availability of metal ions in aquatic environments. In this work, the adsorption of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) onto goethite (alpha-FeOOH) was studied as a function of pH, time, and background electrolyte concentration at 25.0 degrees C, and the molecular structures of the surf

Cerebral ischaemia is associated with elevated levels of endothelin B (ETB) receptors in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA). This up-regulation of ET receptors occurs via de novo transcription involving mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of inhibition of the MAP kinase/ERK kinase (MEK)1/2 on ET receptor alteration, brain damage, and