Metallo-beta-lactamases are bacterial enzymes that may function with either one or two zinc ions bound in the active site. In this work, the binding of benzylpenicillin to mono-zinc metallo-beta-lactamase from Bacillus cereus has been investigated in a docking procedure applying a combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical method as the final step. It is demonstrated that the substrate can b

Lumenal entry of plasma (mucosal exudation) is a key feature of airway inflammation. In airways challenged with histamine-type mediators and allergen the mucosal exudation response occurs without causing epithelial derangement and without increased airway absorption. In contrast, reactive oxygen metabolites may cause mucosal damage. In this study, involving guinea-pig airways, we have examined eff

Evidence-based medicine is a corner stone in treatment decision making and large randomised, clinical trials are usually designed in order-to provide highly significant results. This study was conducted in order to find out to what extend a "real life" patient population with obstructive lung disease could fit into criteria commonly used in clinical research trials. As a secondary aim of the study

Caloplaca sqtthfca Khodosovtsev & Sschting is described from Ukrainian Artemisia - Festuca steppes near the Black Sea. It grows on twigs of small shrubs of Halocnemum strobilaceum and Limonium sp.on salty soils, and is characterued by greenish grey areoles or squamules with punctiform to confluent soralia and zeorine apothecia with a conspicuous white pruina.

Two UV lines of Fe II at 2507/2509 Å are extremely bright inspatially resolved HST/STIS spectra of dense gas condensations (the socalled Weigelt blobs) close to the central star of eta Carinae. Thelines also appear unresolved in HST/FOS spectra of the star AE And.Under normal conditions the lines should hardly be observable. Based onrecent studies of the formation of thelambdalambda2507/2509 lines

Previously [The abstract has been shortened somewhat, and the headings removed, in order to conform to journal style], we have observed vestibular asymmetry in about one-third of healthy senior citizens and in about two-thirds of subjects with previous hip fractures and no other significant ailments. Wrist fractures are considered a harbinger of hip fractures. If vestibular asymmetry is correlated

Immunoglobulins (Ig), particularly IgE, are believed to be crucially involved in the pathogenesis of asthma and, equally, in allergic models of the disease. To validate this paradigm we examined homozygous mutant C57BL/6 mice, which are B cell deficient, lacking all Ig. Mice were immunized intraperitoneally with 10 micrograms ovalbumin (OVA) plus alum, followed by daily (day 14-20) 30 min exposure

The vitamin K-dependent and ubiquitously expressed 82 kDa glycoprotein product of the growth-arrest-specific-gene 6, Gas6, shows 44% sequence identity to the anticoagulant protein, protein S. Both proteins share further the same domain organization. A short loop region, 4 epidermal growth factor-like modules and an SHBG-like region follow the N-terminal Gla-domain, which confers membrane-binding c

PURPOSE: We evaluated whether biennial screening with prostate specific antigen (PSA) only is sufficient to detect prostate cancer while still curable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In Goteborg, Sweden 9,972 men 50 to 65 years old were randomized to PSA screening. During 1995 and 1996 these men were invited for a first PSA screening and invited during 1997 and 1998 for a second screening. The screening p

st nematode-trapping fungi are dependent on specific hyphal structures on or in which nematodes can be trapped mechanically or by adhesion. These structures are a prerequisite for the ability of the fungus to invade a host and are thus crucial for survival as well as virulence. The diversity of trapping structures is large and highly dependent on the environment of the fungus. Within one single sp

Case records of 417 patients, from a well-defined area, who were hospitalized because of blunt renal trauma during the period 1950-1979 were analyzed. The incidence increased during the final decade, corresponding to a rising incidence of motor traffic accidents and sports injuries. Young patients, between 10 and 29 years of age, were responsible for the increase and half of all patients were in t

In recent years, human embryonic stem cells have been established, and somatic stem cells derived from various adult organs have been identified and characterized to differentiate into various kinds of functional cells. There have been attempts to use functional cells induced from such stem cells for tissue regeneration and cell therapy. The method is expected to become an important treatment for

The antithrombotic effect of bovine activated protein C (bAPC) given with or without bovine protein S (bPS) was investigated in a rat model of deep arterial injury. A segment of the left common carotid artery was isolated between vascular clamps and opened longitudinally. An endarterectomy was performed and the arteriotomy was closed with a running suture, whereafter the vessel was reperfused by r

Research shows that there are often problems with cooperation between rehabilitation professionals within vocational rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to describe employers' experiences of how cooperation between different rehabilitation professionals can be improved in a vocational rehabilitation planning process. Ten employers who had sent their employees to vocational rehabilitation at

Background Now lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) has become one of the most effective methods for the management of some cases of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We evaluated the mid-term effects of LVRS on pulmonary function in patients with severe COPD. Methods Ten male patients with severe COPD aged 38-70 years underwent LVRS and their pulmonary function was assessed bef

Together with its ligand, stem cell factor, the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit is a key controlling receptor for a number of cell types, including hematopoietic stem cells, mast cells, melanocytes and germ cells. Gain-of-function mutations in c-Kit have been described in a number of human cancers, including testicular germinomas, acute myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Stimulat

Affinity proteins were covalently immobilised on silicon microchips with overall dimensions of 13.1 x 3.2 mm, comprising 42 porous flow channels of 235 mum depth and 25 pm width, and used to develop microfluidic immunosensors based on horseradish peroxidase (HRP), catalysing the chemiluminescent oxidation of luminol/p-iodophenol (PIP). Different hydrophilic polymers with long flexible chains (poly