A key step in lipolytic activation of adipocytes is the translocation of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) from the cytosol to the surface of the lipid storage droplet. Adipocytes from perilipin-null animals have an elevated basal rate of lipolysis compared with adipocytes from Wild-type mice, but fail to respond maximally to lipolytic stimuli. This defect is downstream of the p-adrenergic receptor-a

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,

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

Research on contact zones has paid relatively little attention to host-parasite interactions, although these situations have important but different implications depending on whether one considers the host or the parasite's perspective. We investigated both the role of a host contact zone in parasite expansion and whether parasites could influence contact zone dynamics. We studied the diversity an

Our knowledge of muscle function in chronic neurological disorders, the effects of exercise, and how the effects might translate into improvements in activities of daily living is very limited. By building a bridge between basic muscle physiology and clinical rehabilitation, our knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying muscle dysfunction in people with chronic neurological disorde

Antibody-based microarrays are a rapidly emerging technology that has advanced from the first proof-of-concept studies to demanding serum protein profiling applications during recent years, displaying great promise within disease proteomics. Miniaturized micro- and nanoarrays can be fabricated with an almost infinite number of antibodies carrying the desired specificities. While consuming only min

This paper provides an empirical analysis of market behaviour under ‘Tradable White Certificate’ (TWC) schemes. It focuses on the entire set of ‘flexibilities’ granted to obliged parties to meet a mandatory energy-saving target cost-effectively, i.e. range eligible measures, eligible end-use sectors, banking provision, market engagement of non-obliged parties, and trading as such. We found that ma

Gut barrier function is essential in critical illness and contributes to the systemic inflammatory response. Failure of the gut barrier includes both changes in microbial ecology, permeability and potential translocation, as well as local gut inflammatory response. The present review summarizes experiences made from acute pancreatitis, including pathophysiological mechanisms and ways of interventi

This study examines fuel use and metabolism in a group of long-distance migrating birds, red knots Calidris canutus (Scolopacidae), flying under controlled conditions in a wind tunnel for up to 10 h. Data are compared with values for resting birds fasting for the same time. Plasma levels of free fatty acids, glycerol and uric acid were elevated during flight, irrespective of flight duration (1-10h

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

Array Close Information Database is an online database for information about microarray cDNA clones. For each clone, the database contents include assigned UniGene cluster(s), location in the full-length transcript, assigned gene ontology terms and position in the genome assembly.

New data on the levels and long-range transport of plutonium in the Arctic Ocean, recorded in the course of two expeditions to this zone in, 1994 and 1996, are discussed in this paper. Specifically, approximately 100 plutonium measurements in surface and sub-surface water sampled at 58 separate stations throughout the Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Seas, as well as along latitudinal transects acro

Tapasin is a subunit of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). It associates with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. We show that tapasin interacts with beta- and gamma-subunits of COPI coatomer. COPI retrieves membrane proteins from the Golgi network back to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The COPI subunit-associated tapasin also interacts with MHC class I mole

Aerosols affect precipitation by modifying cloud properties such as cloud droplet number concentration (CDNQ. Aerosol effects on CDNC depend on aerosol properties such as number concentration, size spectrum, and chemical composition. This study focuses on the effects of aerosol chemical composition on CDNC and, thereby, precipitation in a mesoscale cloud ensemble (MCE) driven by deep convective cl

Enteral exposure of suckling rats to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) has been shown to induce growth and precocious functional maturation of the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the present study was to explore the mechanism of this action. Suckling rats, 14 d old, were fed a single dose of PHA (0.05 mg/g body weight) or saline. The binding of PHA to the gut epithelium and its effect on the morphology

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