1. In the feline lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS), the distribution of the carbon monoxide (CO) producing enzymes haem oxygenase (HO)-1 and -2 was studied by immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy, the HO activity was measured and the possible role for CO as a mediator of relaxation was investigated. 2. HO-2 immunoreactivity was abundant in nerve cell bodies of the submucosal and myenteric

Aim: To determine whether pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 levels are increased in early pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes and whether gestation age influences levels. The possible use of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 as a pre-screening biomarker to reduce the need for performing oral glucose tolerance tests in pregnant women was also investigated. Methods: Pregnant wo

The aim of the study was to examine which neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor types that are coupled to inhibition of sensory C fiber-mediated contractions of the guinea pig bronchi. NPY and PYY evoked a concentration-dependent inhibition of the electrically stimulated contractions. The Y1 receptor-selective antagonist BIBP3226 (1 microM) evoked a rightward shift of the NPY-induced response. Also the Y1

1. Electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) of rabbits produced ocular inflammation consisting of conjunctival hyperaemia, miosis and protein extravasation into the aqueous humour, reflected by the so-called aqueous flare response (AFR): the maximal reduction in pupil size was 3.8 +/- 0.1 mm (s.e. of mean, n = 16) while the maximal AFR was 28.1 +/- 2.8 (arbitrary units). 2. ECT also caused release of sub

The proposal that endogenously produced carbon monoxide (CO) may act as a biological messenger has remained controversial. Carbon monoxide is generated by haem oxygenase isoenzymes in the degradation of haem-containing molecules. Certain metalloporphyrins, which are inhibitors of haem oxygenase, have been widely used as pharmacological tools in order to establish a messenger role for CO in the bra

The distribution of the carbon monoxide (CO) producing enzymes haem oxygenase (HO) type 1 and 2 were studied in the feline lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS), as were HO activity and functional effects of CO. HO-2 immunoreactivity was observed in nerve cell bodies in the submucosal and myenteric plexus, nerve fibres, non-neuronal cells surrounding smooth muscle bundles, and in arterial endothelium,

In order to identify the signal epitopes of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) molecule, the conformation of the NPY molecule was pertubated by a systematic double D-amino acid replacement of neighbouring residues. These NPY-analogs were examined for receptor affinity and on biological activity. The rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus were used for binding characteristics on Y1 and Y2 binding sites, respect

Spectrally resolved ultraviolet (UV) absorption cross sections of SO2 in combustion environments at temperatures from 1120 to 1950 K were measured for the first time in well-controlled conditions through applying broad band UV absorption spectroscopy in specially designed one-dimensional laminar flat flames. The temperature was observed to have a significant effect on the absorption cross-section

1. Carbon monoxide (CO), produced by haem oxygenase through degradation of haem, has been claimed to be a neuromessenger and a possible regulator of vascular tone. We examined whether the haem oxygenase inhibitor, zinc protoporphyrin-IX (ZnPP) and other porphyrins affect the relaxation evoked by various agents in the rat isolated aorta. 2. Pretreatment with ZnPP (0.1 mM) virtually abolished the re

Brain centers possessing a suite of neuroanatomical characters that define mushroom bodies of dicondylic insects have been identified in mantis shrimps, which are basal malacostracan crustaceans. Recent studies of the caridean shrimp Lebbeus groenlandicus further demonstrate the existence of mushroom bodies in Malacostraca. Nevertheless, received opinion promulgates the hypothesis that domed cente

Old age is associated with an enhanced susceptibility to stroke and poor recovery from brain injury, but the cellular processes underlying these phenomena are not well understood. Potential mechanism underlying functional recovery after brain ischemia in aged subjects include neuroinflammation, changes in brain plasticity-promoting factors, unregulated expression of neurotoxic factors, or differen

Neural stem cell lines represent a homogeneous source of cells for genetic, developmental, and gene transfer and repair studies in the nervous system. Since both gene transfer of neurotrophic factors and cell replacement strategies are of immediate interest for therapeutical purposes, we have generated BDNF-secreting neural stem cell lines and investigated to what extent different endogenous level

The suspension of embryonic locus coeruleus (LC) was transplanted into outbred albino rat hippocampus after its preliminary 6-hydroxy-dopamine-induced denervation. Immunohistochemical and morphometric analysis revealed that 3 months after the transplantation, embryonic noradrenergic LC cells which have completed their histogenesis in recipient hippocampus, appear as differentiated multipolar and f

The responsibilities for delivery of care in Sweden is divided between the regions and the municipalities. The regions run the hospitals and the primary care centres (PCCs) whereas the municipalities are responsible for homecare nursing and nursing homes. The homecare nurses and the doctors they need to seek advice from, thus belong to different organizations/contexts. As more patients with multi-

The idea of ‘sustainability as a real utopia’ elaborated on here builds on sociologist Erik Olin Wright’s emancipatory social science and is a heuristic for interdisciplinary research on emancipatory alternatives that move society towards achieving sustainability. Starting from the proposition that socially relevant environmental problems are rooted in how social structures and institutions intera

We show first results for the elastic scattering of neutrons off oxygen and calcium isotopes obtained from ab initio optical potentials. The potential is derived using self-consistent Green's function theory (SCGF) with the saturating chiral interaction NNLOsat. Calculations are compared to available scattering data and show that it is possible to reproduce low energy scattering observables in med