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Astrocytes are, as normal constituents of the brain, promising vehicles for ex vivo gene delivery to the central nervous system. In the present study, we have used a lentiviral vector encoding glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to transduce rat-derived primary astrocytes, in order to evaluate their potential for long-term transgene expression in vivo and neuroprotection in a rat mo

Culture of intact arteries is a frequently employed experimental model for investigating the mechanisms governing the regulation of vascular endothelin receptors. Endothelin type A (ETA) and type B (ETB) receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells are up-regulated in organ culture and the enhanced vasoconstriction mimics the changes that occur in cardiovascular disease. The effect of organ culture o

Regional levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein were measured in the rat brain using enzyme immunoassay following seizures evoked by hippocampal kindling stimulations. One stimulation, which induced a brief, single episode of epileptiform activity in hippocampus and piriform cortex but not in parietal cortex or striatum, gave rise to a transient increase of brain-derived neurotrophic

The aim of the study was to quantify the workload on the upper extremity for fundamental work tasks during machine milking. Eleven milkers working in a loose-housing system with a milking parlour participated in the study. Muscle activity for the biceps and the forearm flexors, as well as positions and movements of the wrists were simultaneously measured by electromyography and electrogoniometry w

The macroscopic appearance and microstructure in the dilute corner of the ternary monoolein (MO)-sodium oleate (NaO)-water ((H2O)-H-2) system have been investigated by visual inspection and by using direct structural imaging with light microscopy and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The microstructural transformations that take place between the micellar phase (binary NaO-(H2O)-H-2 axis

PURPOSE. To investigate in vivo morphology of corneal filaments. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Over a 12-year period, 19 patients with corneal filaments (7 with keratoconjunctivitis sicca and 12 with other surface diseases) were examined with the slit lamp and photographed by non-contact photomicrography. RESULTS. The filaments appeared as variously long and thick threads, attached at one or both ends to

Few studies have presented three-dimensional car-driving postural information. This laboratory study investigated drivers' preferred postures, preferred interior dimensions and how they characterise their postures. The minimum-maximum intervals of preferred angles corresponded well with other experimental studies and were larger than intervals for comfort, strength and alertness defined on the bas

The uniaxial chain alignment of low molecular weight poly(9,9-bis(ethylhexyl)fluorene-2,7-diyl) (PF2/6) in thin films cast atop rubbed polyimide templates is characterized by polarized optical absorption spectroscopy, carbon K near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS), and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) in response to thermal annealing and increasing film thickne

The thermoresponsive copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with 1-vinylimidazole (VI), poly(NIPAM-VI), synthesized by radical polymerization has been used to purify the histidine-tagged green flourescent protein (His-tag GFP) from recombinant E. coli by metal-chelate affinity precipitation. The purified protein was immobilized on the BIAcore sensor chip by carbodiimide coupling. Affinity bind

The paper investigates the possibility of using environmental management systems (EMSs) as a tool for the environmental management of supply chains. Based on interviews with environmental managers of selected companies, the paper highlights the importance of taking a long-term perspective in terms of both the cooperation with suppliers and developing the supply chain perspective for EMSs. The role

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate ethnic differences in self reported health in the city of Malm, Sweden, and whether these differences could be explained by psychosocial and economic conditions.DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: The public health survey in Malm 1994 was a cross sectional study. A total of 5600 people aged 20-80 years completed a postal questionnaire. The partici

In situ monitoring of traffic-generated nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions using long-path absorption spectroscopy is reported. High-sensitivity detection of NO2 is achieved by employing two-tone frequencymodulation spectroscopy at a visible absorption band using a tunable high-power diode laser operated around 635 nm. A real-time absorption spectrometer is accomplished by repetitively applying a re

Purpose: To determine whether a short-term, problem-based educational intervention leads to increased research activity among health care practitioners. Subjects and Methods: Participant's success was evaluated as a composite of 2 outcomes. These were (1) reporting results for the project designed during the practicum and (2) conducting subsequent research activities. The study population included

HIV-1 protease has a broad and complex substrate specificity, which hitherto has escaped a simple comprehensive definition. This, and the relatively high mutation rate of the retroviral protease, makes it challenging to design effective protease inhibitors. Several attempts have been made during the last two decades to elucidate the enigmatic cleavage specificity of HIV-1 protease and to predict c

BACKGROUND: Adolescent smokers are often unsuccessful in quitting and difficult to retain in cessation programs. In health promotion, focusing on the right target groups is essential. Aim. The aim was to examine if adolescent occasional smokers differ from daily smokers, and if possible differences could be useful for targeted smoking cessation programs. METHODS: Ninety-one percent of all teenager

Nonlinear exciton relaxation processes, exciton-exciton annihilation, and amplified spontaneous emission were investigated in thin films of ladder-type poly(para-phenylene) under excitation by femtosecond light pulses. Both processes become apparent at similar excitation intensities, however their properties are very different. They cause different exciton relaxation kinetics and their intensity d

Autofluorescence is a nuisance in the field of fluorescence imaging and tomography of exogenous molecular markers in tissue, degrading the quality of the collected data. In this letter, we report autofluorescence insensitive imaging using highly efficient upconverting nanocrystals (NaYF4: Yb3+ /Tm3+) in a tissue phantom illuminated with near- infrared radiation of 85 mW/cm(2). It was found that im