Chondroadherin, a member of the leucine-rich repeat family, has previously been demonstrated to be fragmented in some juveniles with idiopathic scoliosis. This observation led us to investigate adults with disc degeneration. Immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that non-degenerate discs from three different age groups show no chondroadherin fragmentation. Furthermore, the chondroadherin fragments

CYLD is a deubiquitination enzyme that regulates different cellular processes, such as cell proliferation and cell survival. Mutation and loss of heterozygosity of the CYLD gene causes development of cylindromatosis, a benign tumour originating from the skin. Our study shows that CYLD expression is dramatically downregulated in basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer in humans. Reduced

New neurons, originating from the subventricular zone, are continuously integrating into neuronal circuitry in the olfactory bulb (OB). Using a transgenic sensor mouse, we found that adult-born OB interneurons express microRNA-125 (miR-125), whereas the pre-existing developmentally generated OB interneurons represent a unique population of cells in the adult brain, without miR-125 activity. Stable

Quadruply bonded metal complexes of rhenium and molybdenum have been prepared with tetrachlorocatechol. Structural characterization on the [Re-2(Cl(4)Cat)(4)](2-) anion has shown that it consists of distorted square-planar Re(Cl(4)Cat)(2) units linked by a short (2.2067 angstrom) quadruple Re-Re bond. The addition of tetrachlorocatechol to molybdenum acetate was used to prepare the isoelectronic m

The associations between immune-related conditions and multiple myeloma (MM) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) have previously been investigated with inconsistent results. In a large population-based study, we identified 19 112 patients with MM, 5403 patients with MGUS, 96 617 matched control subjects, and 262 931 first-degree relatives. We calculated odds ratios (ORs)

This article discusses the role of the protein corona in delivery systems with tagged nanoparticles and how knowledge of the protein corona can help in optimizing delivery. The basic question is whether and how the binding of proteins and other biomolecules at the nanoparticle surface interfere with the interaction between a tag and its receptor. This is an interesting problem in many respects, bu

The functional role of herbivores in tropical rainforests remains poorly understood. We quantified the magnitude of, and underlying controls on, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycled by invertebrate herbivory along a 2800m elevational gradient in the tropical Andes spanning 12 degrees C mean annual temperature. We find, firstly, that leaf area loss is greater at warmer sites with lower foliar pho

BACKGROUND: Fractional shortening (FS) by echocardiography is considered to represent the short-axis contribution to the stroke volume (SV), also called short-axis function. However, FS is mathematically coupled to the amount of myocardium, since it rearranges during atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD). The SV is the sum of the volumes generated by 1) reduction in outer volume of the heart,

Purpose: To assess and correlate the levels of inflammatory mediators in the eyes from non-diabetic and diabetic subjects without retinopathy (NDR), with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) or with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) to corresponding erum levels. Methods: The levels of interleukin 1β, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were analysed by an EL

Aims: To examine whether genetic variants that predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes (T2D) could predict the development of diabetes after gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: 13 SNPs (FTO rs8050136, CDKAL1 rs7754840 and rs7756992, CDKN2A/2B rs10811661, HHEX rs1111875, IGF2BP2 rs1470579 and rs4402960, SLC30A8 rs13266634, TCF7L2 rs7903146, PPARG rs1801282, GCK rs1799884, HNF1A rs116928

By using large scale numerical simulations, we obtain fractal structure, which develops at originally planar flame fronts due to the hydrodynamic Darrieus-Landau (DL) instability bending the fronts. We clarify some important issues regarding the DL fractal flames, which have been debated for a long time. We demonstrate an increase of the flame propagation speed with the hypothetic channel width, w

Protein dynamics on the millisecond time scale commonly reflect conformational transitions between distinct functional states. NMR relaxation dispersion experiments have provided important insights into biologically relevant dynamics with site-specific resolution, primarily targeting the protein backbone and methyl-bearing side chains. Aromatic side chains represent attractive probes of protein dy

The zinc(II) coordination chemistry of the bioinspired bis(tetradentate) ligand 3,5-bis{bis[2-(1-methylimidazolyl)methyl]aminomethyl}pyrazole (L) was studied in detail both in solution and in the solid state. Six different species were determined in aqueous solution by means of potentiometry within the pH range 211, namely mononuclear [ZnH2L]4+, dinuclear [Zn2L]4+, [Zn2H1L]3+ and [Zn2H2L]2+, as we

It is demonstrated that textural parameters calculated from functional pulmonary CT data have the potential to provide a robust and objective quantitative characterisation of inhomogeneity in lung function and classification of lung diseases in routine clinical applications. Clear recommendations are made for optimum data preparation and textural parameter selection. A new set of platform-independ

Migration causes temporal and energetic constraints during plumage development, which can compromise feather structure and function. In turn, given the importance of a good quality of flight feathers in migratory movements, selection may have favoured the synthesis of feathers with better mechanical properties than expected from a feather production constrained by migration necessities. However, n

A bench scale aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor (ASMBR) was used to treat diluted palm oil mill effluent (POME). For further improving the effluent quality and reduction of bio-fouling, powdered activated carbon (PAC) and zeolite were used as bio-fouling reducers (BM). We compared the performances of ASMBR without BFR (called BFR0) with ASMBR using BFR, namely 2 g/L PAC (BFR1), 4 g/L PAC (BFR2

An influential interpretation of the strong growth performance in Western Europe in the 1950s and 1960s stresses the importance of wage restraint, trade unions holding back wages to increase investments. This article questions that interpretation, using a wage regression approach with eighty-five to ninety-six years of data on wages, inflation, unemployment, productivity, and other variables in De

The endwall heat transfer characteristics at the turn section in a two-pass square channel have been examined experimentally using a liquid crystal thermal imaging technique. The effects of periodic ribs on the endwall heat transfer are also discussed. Results indicate that the heat transfer at the turn section in the absence of ribs is dominated by the flow impingement. Close to the impingement r

No single aetiological factor has been proven to cause long-standing groin pain in athletes and no sole operative technique (either open or laparoscopic) has been shown to be the preferred method of repair. The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether there are any differences in the return to full sporting activity following laparoscopic repair of groin pain in athletes.

Human recognition of the actions of other humans is very efficient and is based on patterns of movements. Our theoretical starting point is that the dynamics of the joint movements is important to action categorization. On the basis of this theory, we present a novel action recognition system that employs a hierarchy of Self-Organizing Maps together with a custom supervised neural network that lea