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Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta regulates vascular development through two type I receptors: activin receptor-like kinase (ALK) 1 and ALK5, each of which activates a different downstream Smad pathway. The endothelial cell (EC)-specific ALK1 increases EC proliferation and migration, whereas the ubiquitously expressed ALK5 inhibits both of these processes. As ALK1 requires the kinase activity

BACKGROUND: Ventilator resetting is frequently needed to adjust tidal volume, pressure and gas exchange. The system comprising lungs and ventilator is so complex that a trial and error strategy is often applied. Comprehensive characterization of lung physiology is feasible by monitoring. The hypothesis that the effect of ventilator resetting could be predicted by computer simulation based on a phy

This study aims to analyse mental symptoms, psychotropic drug use and alcohol consumption, in immigrant women born in Finland, the other Nordic countries, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and countries outside Europe, compared with Swedish-born women, and furthermore, to study if age at immigration may have an influence. All women (n = 10,766) aged 50 - 59 years and living in the Lund area of southe

BACKGROUND: If lungs from subjects dying of heart attacks could be used for transplantation, the lung donor shortage could be radically reduced. The aim of this study was to investigate, in an experimental survival model, the results of lung transplantation using lungs from non-heart-beating donors. METHODS: The left lung, topically cooled to 25 degrees C for 2 hours in situ after 5 minutes of cir

Homosexual mounting is a common behaviour in bed bugs as male sexual interest is directed towards any newly fed individual. The only mode of copulation in the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is by traumatic insemination, where the male pierces the female abdomen with his needle-like penis. Homosexual mating would result in abdominal injuries in mounted males, as males lack the female counterada

In response to the pressures of predation, parasitism and competition for limited resources, several groups of (mainly) tropical bees and wasps have independently evolved a nocturnal lifestyle. Like their day-active (diurnal) relatives, these insects possess apposition compound eyes, a relatively light-insensitive eye design that is best suited to vision in bright light. Despite this, nocturnal be

We studied Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus at two localities in Ghana during the winter. In the north (Tono), the birds arrived from late September and conducted a rapid moult soon after arrival. Towards the end of moult, birds accumulated fat and disappeared from the site. In the south (Tafo), birds arrived from mid-November in fresh plumage. This seemed to be the final wintering ar

A machine-learning and a string-matching approach to automated subject classification of text were compared, as to their performance, advantages and downsides. The former approach was based on an SVM algorithm, while the latter comprised string-matching between a controlled vocabulary and words in the text to be classified. Data collection consisted of a subset from Compendex, classified into six

Free fatty acids (FFA) have generally been proposed to regulate pancreatic insulin release by an intracellular mechanism involving inhibition of CPT-1. The recently de-orphanized G-protein coupled receptor, FFA(1)R/GPR40, has been shown to be essential for fatty-acid-stimulated insulin release in MIN6 mouse insulinoma cells. The CPT-1 inhibitor, 2-bromo palmitate (2BrP), was investigated for its a

The cysteinyl leukotriene(1) (CysLT(1)) receptor (CysLT(1)R) enhances survival and proliferation of intestinal cells via distinct pathways. Here, we have demonstrated that there is significant endogenous production of CysLTs from both non-tumour-and tumour-derived intestinal epithelial cells. Treatment of two non-tumour cell lines, Int 407 and IEC-6, with CysLT1R antagonists led to shrinkage and d

The involvement of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene in uterine corpus cancer was investigated by single-stranded conformation polymorphism and sequence analysis of its exons 4 to 10. Mutations were found in 12 (18.5%) of 65 cases. Ten of these 12 were single-base substitutions (8 missense and 2 nonsense mutations), whereas 2 were frame-shifting mutations. TP53 gene mutations correlated significantly

Statins are known to exert a number of biological effects apart from reducing cholesterol synthesis. The results of recent studies indicate that patients treated with pravastatin have a lower prevalence of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These observations prompted us to examine the effects of pravastatin on Alzheimer’s peptide (Aβ1–42)-induced pro-inflammatory activation in the human glioma c

Histidine decarboxylase (HDC) occurs in ECL cells in the oxyntic mucosa of rat stomach. It is activated by gastrin. Refeeding of fasted rats or treatment with the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole promptly raised the serum gastrin concentration and consequently the HDC activity and the HDC protein content of the oxyntic mucosa. The food- and omeprazole-induced increase in HDC mRNA expression in the

BACKGROUND: The contact system triggers the kallikrein-kinin cascade, liberating bradykinin from high-molecular-weight kininogen. Effectors of the contact system have proinflammatory and vasoactive properties. Vasculitis is a condition characterised by inflammation around vessel walls, leading to secondary tissue damage for which the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Our aim w

OBJECTIVE: Early enteral nutrition with fiber-containing solutions plus Lactobacillus may reduce bacterial translocation and minimize the incidence of infections after surgery. METHODS: In a prospective, randomized trial in three groups (n = 30/group) of patients after major abdominal surgery, we compared our previous regimen with parenteral nutrition or fiber-free enteral nutrition (group A) with

Background. Autonomic nerves and humoral factors regulate pancreatic secretion. Nerves containing nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) are in close proximity and located within cholinergic, adrenergic and sensory nerve bundles. Yet, the interactive mechanisms between various nerve populations remain elusive. Aims: To evaluate the role of endogenous NO in basal exocrine pancreatic secretion in the extr

BACKGROUND: Earlier studies have shown that physical exercise and a higher workload increase muscle strength and improve gait and balance at all ages for both sexes. Published studies have, so far, failed to investigate the functional performance of elderly individuals concerning their long-term physical activity and variables of daily living. OBJECTIVE: To compare elderly women who participate in

Early discharge and home rehabilitation (EDHR) for stroke patients seems logical as an alternative to rehabilitation in stroke units, as these patients often show impaired ability to perform activities of daily living. The objective of this review is to present the effects of EDHR for stroke patients on health, quality of life and costs, and to describe the physiotherapy provided. Seventeen random

Some groups have to face threats and dangers professionally with maintained cognitive functioning, which implies a need to know both the extent to which maladaptive reactions occur and the factors that may affect it. This study examines self-reported reactions and performance when facing risks and dangers on peacekeeping observer missions. The sample consisted of 154 military observers.,A self-mad