Individual genome-wide scans of blood pressure (BP) and hypertension (HT) have shown inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was any consistent evidence of linkage across multiple studies with similar ethnicity. We applied the genome-search meta-analysis method (GSMA) to nine published genome-wide scans of BP (n=5) and HT (n=4) from Caucasian populations. For e

A systematic comparison of the effect of architectural modifications to the network structure on the internal microstructure of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) based hydrogels showed that the addition of a second component to the network significantly increased the proportion of macropores in the network. The second components considered were short poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAM) chains grafted t

During liquefaction of the ejaculate, the semen coagulum proteins semenogelin I (SEMG1) and semenogelin II (SEMG2) are degraded to low molecular mass fragments by kallikrein-related peptidase 3 (KLK3), also known as prostate-specific antigen. Semenogelin molecules initiate their own destruction by chelating Zn2+ that normally would completely inhibit the proteolytic activity of KLK3. In a similar

The recently introduced Gas in Scattering Media Absorption Spectroscopy (GASMAS) technique is applied to the study of various wood samples. Molecular oxygen in the pores of the strongly scattering material is detected using diode laser spectroscopy around 760 nm. Diffuse light propagation in these media is studied by time-dispersion measurements. Furthermore, anisotropy related to the fibre struct

The related Axl, Sky and Mer receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are increasingly being implicated in a host of discrete cellular responses including cell survival, proliferation, migration and phagocytosis. Furthermore, their ligands Gas6 and protein S are characteristically dependent on vitamin K for expression of their functions. The Gas6/Axl system is implicated in several types of human cancer a

Helicobacter pylori is able to utilize several lectin-like, protein-carbohydrate interactions for binding to mucins, cell surfaces, and extracellular matrix proteins. As determined by hemagglutination assays and binding of radiolabeled bacteria to glycosphingolipids on thin-layer chromatograms, strains of gastric helicobacters and enterohepatic helicobacters, including Helicobacter canis, Helicoba

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are pleiotropic secreted proteins, structurally related to transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and activins. BMPs play pivotal roles in the regulation of embryonic lung development and branching of airways and have recently been considered to influence inflammatory processes in adults due to their chemotactic activity on fibroblasts, myocytes, and inflammatory

The problem addressed in this text is the problem of identifying conditions according to which it is possible to distinguish between a descriptive theory and a normative theory. What makes a descriptive theory descriptive and a normative theory normative? Focus is on subjective expected utility theories where it seems open to debate whether the appropriate use is normative or descriptive. My discu

BACKGROUND: Maternal use of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has recently been associated with an increased risk for certain malformations. METHODS: Using the Swedish Medical Birth Register, we identified women who had reported the use of SSRIs in early pregnancy and studied their infants, born between July 1, 1995 and the end of 2004. Congenital malformations were identified from

Objective. To analyze the genetic impact of allelic variants of the protein tyrosine phosphatase N22 (PTPN22) and HLA-DRB1 alleles on IgG autoantibody formation directed toward an immunodominant conformational epitope (C1(III); amino acid residues 359-369) of type 11 collagen (CII) in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Sera obtained at study inclusion from an inception cohort of RA patients

Aims To investigate cognitive abilities and adaptive skills in children and adolescents with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and correlate the findings to the cytosine-thymine-guanine (CTG) repeat expansion size. Method Cognitive level was assessed in 55 children and adolescents with DM1 (31 males, 24 females; mean age 12y 1mo, SD 5y 1mo; range 2y 7mo-21y 5mo) divided into the following categories

The purpose of this study was to develop a method based on artificial neural networks for interpretation of captopril renography tests for the detection of renovascular hypertension caused by renal artery stenosis and to assess the value of different measurements from the test. A total of 250 99mTc-MAG3 captopril renography tests were used in the study. The material was collected from two differen

Human and pig cystic and pig hepatic arteries were suspended in tissue baths and the effect of alpha-adrenoceptor selective drugs, prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) and vasopressin were investigated. Prazosin fulfilled the criteria for competitive antagonism in concentrations 10(-9)-10(-7) M. The pA2-values were 9.53 in human cystic, 9.74 in pig cystic, and 9.57 in pig hepatic artery. Rauwolscin

We have performed a comparison of ten models that predict the temporal behavior of laser-induced incandescence (LII) of soot. In this paper we present a summary of the models and comparisons of calculated temperatures, diameters, signals, and energy-balance terms. The models were run assuming laser heating at 532 nm at fluences of 0.05 and 0.70 J/cm(2) with a laser temporal profile provided. Calcu

PURPOSE: To identify regional arterial input functions (AIFs) using factor analysis of dynamic studies (FADS) when quantification of perfusion is performed using model-free arterial spin labelling. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Five healthy volunteers and one patient were examined on a 3-T Philips unit using quantitative STAR labelling of arterial regions (QUASAR). Two sets of images were retrieved, one w

Southern Sweden has long been exposed to an increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition. We investigated the effects of this supply on the Sphagnum mire vegetation in SW Gotaland by comparing above-ground tissue concentrations of N and P and biomass variables in five vascular plant and two Sphagnum species collected during three periods since 1955 at 81 sites representing three vegetation types, vi

A novel minicolumn chromatgraphic method to monitor the production of inclusion bodies during fermentation and anenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system allowing direct analysis of the particles with surface-displayed antigens are described. A 33-kDa protein containing 306 amino acids with three sulfur bridges produced its inclusion bodies wits labeled with polyclonal antibodies against 1