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Interactions between transmembrane helices play a key role in almost all cellular processes involving membrane proteins. We have investigated helix-helix interactions in lipid bilayers with synthetic tryptophan-flanked peptides that mimic the membrane spanning parts of membrane proteins. The peptides were functionalized with pyrene to allow the self-association of the helices to be monitored by py

Background: Gallstone ileus is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Enterolithotomy as a single procedure is recommended to minimize complications. The trauma could potentially be reduced further by using a laparoscopic technique. Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients with gallstone ileus operated by a laparoscopic or open approach between 1992 and 2004 were studied retrospective

The capacity of regenerating nerve fibres to grow through a perforated silicon chip was tested using the silicone chamber model for nerve regeneration. The chips were fabricated as circular membranes, 4 mm in diameter, thickness 60 microns, with a perforated area, 2 mm in diameter, in the centre. Three types of chips were fabricated utilizing anisotropic etching. The chips were glued with silicone

BACKGROUND: After a myocardial infarction (MI), many patients and their partners experience problems with marital and sexual life. METHODS: A Swedish national survey was carried out to obtain knowledge on the information provided by cardiac health care professionals on the subject of sexual function and coexistence after an MI. It consisted of a questionnaire that was designed, tested, and sent to

Samples from the Boda Limestone and immediately overlying strata at Osmundsberget in de Siljan region have produced an excellent Hirnantian isotope excursion (HICE) curve, in which the excursion interval is about 22 m thick and the HICE reaches maximum delta C-13 values of between +5 parts per thousand and +6 parts per thousand. Both the HA and HB stratigraphic unconformities are recognized in the

The aim of this study was to optimize the use of BMD measurements in case finding strategies. The use of clinical risk factors with and without BMD was explored in a random sample of the Sheffield female population greater than or equal to75 years of age. The use of clinical risk factors alone could identify women well above or well below a threshold of fracture risk. BMD assessment can be confine

The prevalence of swallowing impairment increases with age and is a major health care problem in the elderly. It has been assumed that age-related changes in nerves and muscles hamper muscle strength and coordination of swallowing. However, it is unclear what impairment is related to primary aging and what is the consequence of diseases prevalent in the elderly (secondary aging). In order to quant

Major efforts to develop antibody microarray technology to enable global proteome analysis to be performed in a facile manner are under way. In this process, the design and the properties of the substrate will play crucial roles. In the present study, we have developed novel, highly biocompatible solid supports for microarrays, using adsorbed recombinant human single-framework antibody fragments a

The local structure of Cd(II) surface complexes adsorbed onto manganite (gamma-MnOOH) has been investigated by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Adsorption experiments were carried out within the pH range 7.4-9.8 and with surface coverage from 2.2 to 8.9 mu mol/m(2). Quantitative analysis of the EXAFS spectra shows little difference in the local coordination environmen

The sorption behavior of three benzyl alcohol derivatives with different hydrophobicities into sonicated and extruded DODAC dispersions has been studied using NMR spectroscopy and NMR diffusometry. We show that there is an increased sorption into a sonicated dispersion below the phase-transition temperature (Tm) as compared to an extruded dispersion. This may be explained by the incomplete lipid c

This article studies the role of dispersion of atrial refractoriness (DAR) in the genesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). A 20-polar Halo catheter or a 40-polar basket catheter was placed in the right atrium and a 10-polar catheter in the coronary sinus in 21 patients with paroxysmal AF. Bipolar electrograms during AF were recorded from 7 to 16 sites in both atria. As control, electrograms during AF

All stars are formed in some form of cluster or association. These environments can have a much higher number density of stars than the field of the galaxy. Such crowded places are hostile environments: a large fraction of initially single stars will undergo close encounters with other stars or exchange into binaries. We describe how such close encounters and exchange encounters will affect the pr

The influence on the crack growth rate for a short edge crack under fatigue loading due to changes in crack length, grain size, load range and grain boundary configuration, is investigated under quasi-static and plane strain conditions. The geometry is modelled by distributed dislocation dipole elements in a boundary element method approach and the plasticity is described by discrete dislocations.

Laminin (LN) {alpha}2 chain deficiency in humans and mice leads to severe forms of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD). Here, we investigated whether LN{alpha}1 chain in mice can compensate for the absence of LN{alpha}2 chain and prevent the development of muscular dystrophy. We generated mice expressing a LN{alpha}1 chain transgene in skeletal muscle of LN{alpha}2 chain deficient mice. LN{alpha}1

Rheology and phase separation were investigated for aqueous mixtures of two oppositely charged hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes. The typical phase separation, normally seen for oppositely charged polymer mixtures, is dramatically reduced by the presence of hydrophobic modification, and phase separation is only detected close to the point of charge neutralization. While the two polyelectro

In as tationary stochastic process the wave-length and amplitude are defined as the difference in time and height between a crest and the following trough. The distributions of these quantities are of great practical importance, but no closed form expressions are known at present. In previous papers we have presented an approximation which gives correct upper and lower bounds, regardless of the co