Objective. Recently, it was reported that treatment with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) has a strong lipid-lowering effect in healthy individuals. The mechanism behind this has not been established. The aim of the present investigation was to study the effect of ACTH on the plasma lipoprotein pattern in patients treated with a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor. Design

Because of conflicting evidence about several fundamental issues, long-distance animal navigation has yet to be satisfactorily explained. Among the unsolved problems are the nature of genetic spatial control of migration and the relationships between celestial and magnetic compass mechanisms and between different map-related cues in orientation and homing, respectively. In addition, navigation is

This study was aimed to characterize the ability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to differentiate into osteoblasts in vitro. Twenty-three women and 20 men at late adulthood (52-92 years of age) were selected for the study. MSCs were isolated and cultured in vitro and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, secretion of amino-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP), type III

We report lifetime measurements for three of the 5d(9)6p levels in An II and relativistic multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) calculations of lifetimes and transitions probabilities in this ion. The work was motivated by significant disagreements between previous experimental 5d(9)6p lifetimes, obtained by means of the beam-foil (BF) method and theoretical data based on Hartree-Fock calculations

Despite their success in different segments of the food industry, membranes are not well-established in the beet and cane sugar industry. A comprehensive overview on the potential applications of membranes in both the beet and cane sugar industry is given. The part on the beet sugar industry focuses on pulp press water recycling, pectin production from beet pulp, beet juice purification, demineral

Laminin-8 (alpha4beta1gamma1) is one of the major laminin isoforms expressed in vascular endothelial basement membranes. Here we show that deletion of laminin-8 in mice affects angiogenesis under pathological conditions. Murine tumor models used in laminin alpha4-deficient mice results in hyperneovascularization and significant promotion of tumor growth and metastasis. The higher tumor growth rate

When Sephadex beads (0.45mg/kg b.w) are instilled intratracheally into rats, a granulomatous alveolitis with giant cell formation and fibrosis occurs. Moreover, the events in the alveolar region are paralleled by an eosinophil-dominated peribronchitis/bronchiolitis and perivasculitis. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) shows a very distinct feature with an early pronounced neutrophil increase, followed

New basis sets of the atomic natural orbital (ANO) type have been developed for the main group and rare gas atoms. The ANO's have been obtained from the average density matrix of the ground and lowest excited states of the atom, the positive and negative ions, and the dimer at its equilibrium geometry. Scalar relativistic effects are included through the use of a Douglas-Kroll Hamiltonian. Multico

Background: The " Lister family complex," an extensive Swedish family with autosomal dominant Parkinson disease, was first described by Henry Mjones in 1949. On the basis of clinical, molecular, and genealogic findings on a Swedish and an American family branch, we provide genetic evidence that explains the parkinsonism in this extended pedigree. Methods: Clinical methods included a detailed neuro

The aim of this study was to describe the types and extent of eating difficulties, the need for assistance when eating, the nutritional status and pressure ulcers in consecutive patients (n = 162) admitted for stroke rehabilitation over a period of 1 year. Structured observations and assessments of eating, nutritional status (subjective global assessment of nutritional status), pressure ulcers and

First, in the absence of pair correlation the properties of one-particle orbits of neutrons in nuclei close to the neutron drip line are briefly reviewed for both weakly bound neutrons and the neutrons in the continuum. The low-lying states in the continuum, which are close to the Fermi level, are of immediate importance for pair correlation and deformations of those nuclei. Then, the Hartree-Fock