Pinus sylvestris seedlings, colonised by ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi from either of two different soils (untreated forest soil and a limed soil from a clear cut area), were grown with or without biotite as a source of K. The biotite was naturally enriched in Sr-87 and the ratio of Sr-87/Sr-86 in the plant biomass was estimated and used as a marker for biotite weathering and compared to estimates of

The objectives of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are to reduce temporary symptoms due to inflammatory activity and, more importantly, to preserve function. The introduction of potent disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in recent years has increased the opportunities for effective treatment. However, these treatments come at a substantially higher cost than traditional DMARDs an

Infantile malignant osteopetrosis (IMO) is a fatal disease caused by lack of functional osteoclasts, and the only available treatment is hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. In the majority of patients, the TCIRG1 gene, coding for a subunit of a proton pump essential for bone resorption, is mutated. Oc/oc mice have a deletion in the homologue gene (tcirg 1) and die at 3 to 4 weeks, but c

OBJECTIVE: Acute renal failure is common in septic patients. Fenoldopam, a dopamine-1 receptor agonist, increases renal blood flow and may, therefore, reduce the risk of acute renal failure in such patients. Accordingly, we sought to determine the safety and efficacy of fenoldopam for the prevention of acute renal failure in septic patients. DESIGN: Prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled t

Plasma cell differentiation is induced in vitro by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation but can be blocked by including anti-CD40 antibodies. Using subtractive cDNA hybridization we have identified the cell surface protein Ly6C as differentially expressed on B cells stimulated with LPS only. Ly6C has been shown to be expressed on certain T cell subsets and on subsets of macrophages and NK cells, b

Hypophosphatasia is an inherited disorder characterized by defective bone mineralization and deficiency of serum and tissue liver/bone/kidney alkaline phosphatase (L/B/K ALP) activity. We report the characterization of ALPL gene mutations in a series of 11 families from various origins affected by perinatal and infantile hypophosphatasia. Sixteen distinct mutations were found, fifteen of them not

Eight cold-adapted, polygalacturonase-producing yeasts belonging to four species were isolated from frozen environmental samples in Iceland. They were identified as Cystofilobasidium lari-marini, Cystofilobasidium capitatum, Cryptococcus macerans and Cryptococcus aquaticus species by sequence analysis of rDNA regions. Growth behavior of the isolates was investigated. All strains could grow at 2°C.

Neuroblastoma is derived from the sympathetic nervous system and might arise as a result of impaired differentiation, retaining the neuroblastic tumor cells in the cell cycle. Thus, to understand the genesis of neuroblastoma, the study of mechanisms and genes regulating normal sympathetic development is of potential interest. The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors human achaete-scute hom

To find out whether IgG genes are involved in atopy we studied 26 of 101 laboratory technicians who had developed laboratory animal allergy (LAA). The genes for the constant region of the heavy chains of IgG subclasses were analyzed by serum Gm allotypes, representing products on allelic level of the IGHCG1, IGHCG2 and IGHCG3 on chromosome 14q32. There was a significantly increased frequency of th

Background and purpose Vascular dementia (VaD) has occasionally been associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), but the prevalence and significance of this counterintuitive relationship are poorly known. Therefore, we investigated the presence and characteristics of CAA in brains of VaD cases. Methods We examined temporal and parietal regions of the cerebral cortex of 26 consecutive VaD ca

For many applications, nanoparticles from the gas phase are of interest due to their physical properties. Especially for electronic or optoelectronic applications, the transfer from their random distribution in the gas phase onto flat. substrate surfaces has to be controlled because the particles are needed in exactly defined areas on the substrate. We demonstrate a parallel process for the transf

Kraft black liquor lignin is a biofuel that is separated from the cellulose during kraft pulping. Improved technology and energy integration in paper mills have led to an energy surplus at many mills. It is therefore of great interest to extract the lignin from the pulp mill and sell it as fuel to replace fossil fuel in other furnaces. The fractionation of kraft black liquor with a total dry matte

Clozapine has recently been associated with venous thromboembolism. The aim of this study was to describe three elderly patients in whom olanzapine therapy was associated with venous thromboembolism. During a 4-month period at the same psychogeriatric clinic, three elderly patients (an 89-year-old male, a 78-year-old male and an 83-year-old female) developed deep venous thrombosis shortly after tr

Learning of classically conditioned eyeblink responses depends on mechanisms within the cerebellum. It has been suggested that climbing fibres from the inferior olive transmit the unconditioned stimulus signal to the cerebellum. We have previously shown that the pathway from the deep cerebellar nuclei to the inferior olive inhibits olivary activity. It is known that repeated presentation of the co

Abstract. In this paper we examine subalgebras on two generators in the univariate polynomial ring. A set, S, of polynomials in a subalgebra of a polynomial ring is called a canonical basis (also referred to as SAGBI basis) for the subalgebra if all lead monomials in the subalgebra are products of lead monomials of polynomials in S. In this paper we prove that a pair of polynomials ff; gg is a can

Although the biological properties of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) have been well characterized, structural insights into the interaction between SEA and major histocompatibilty complex (MHC) class II have only been obtained by modeling. Here, the crystal structure of the D227A variant of SEA in complex with human MHC class II has been determined by X-ray crystallography. SEA(D227A) exclusiv