This paper discusses narratives of polar adventure tourism from a multidisciplinary perspective of play. Reviewing discussions on the motivation behind this subject, it examines two concurrent approaches in particular: risk and insight theories. Based on empirical evidence obtained from a winter trekking trip to an Artic tourism destination, the paper argues that these theories may be particular c

Most models to predict biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer use pretreatment serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), clinical stage and prostate biopsy Gleason grade. We investigated whether human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2) and free prostate-specific antigen (fPSA) measured in pretreatment serum enhance prediction. We retrospectively measured total PSA (tPSA), fPSA and hK2 in preoperat

Abstract is not available

Aims/hypothesis. Fat accumulation in the liver has been shown to be closely correlated with hepatic insulin resistance and features of insulin resistance, also independently of body weight. It remains to be established how fat in the liver correlates with that in other depots, and whether any association differs between men and women. Methods. Liver fat (assessed using proton spectroscopy), intra-

The objective of this study was to calculate indicative ranges of production costs and assess the main sources of cost for a number of energy crops, both annual and perennial, on a regional level in Europe. The production costs were calculated in terms of the economic compensation required by the farmer in order to grow the crop, and therefore include not only the cost of cultivation, but also the

A new member of the human cystatin multigene family has been cloned from a genomic library using a cystatin C cDNA probe. The complete nucleotide sequence of a 4.3-kilobase DNA segment, containing a complete gene with structure very similar to those of known Family 2 cystatin genes, was determined. The novel gene, called CST4, is composed of three exons and two introns. It contains the coding info

Cerebral ischaemia is associated with elevated levels of endothelin B (ETB) receptors in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA). This up-regulation of ET receptors occurs via de novo transcription involving mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of inhibition of the MAP kinase/ERK kinase (MEK)1/2 on ET receptor alteration, brain damage, and

Introduction: The role of the exocrine pancreas in regulating gut microflora colonization is unclear. The main objective in the current study was to assess the effect of pancreatic fluid on the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Methods: The antibacterial activity of pure pig pancreatic juice collected from catheterized, healthy, conscious, and anesthetized pigs was investigated with multir

PURPOSE: The rectoanal inhibitory reflex has been studied using various methods, e. g., anometry and electromyography. The aim of this study was to apply ultrasound for direct visualization of the rectoanal inhibitory reflex. METHOD: The rectoanal inhibitory reflex was induced in ten healthy females (age range, 21 - 55 years) by injection of small amounts of water (7, 12, and 20 ml), into the rect

Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder presenting with chorea, dementia, and extensive striatal neuronal death. The mechanism through which the widely expressed mutant HD gene mediates a slowly progressing striatal neurotoxicity is unknown. Glutamate receptor-mediated excitotoxicity has been hypothesized to contribute to the pathogenesis of HD. Here we show that trans

Matrilin-3 is a recently identified member of the superfamily of proteins containing von Willebrand factor A-like domains and is able to form hetero-oligomers with matrilin-1 (cartilage matrix protein) via a C-terminal coiled-coil domain. Full-length matrilin-3 and a fragment lacking the assembly domain were expressed in 293-EBNA cells, purified, and subjected to biochemical characterization. Reco

Type II collagen (CII) is a candidate cartilage-specific autoantigen, which can become post-translationally modified by hydroxylation and glycosylation. T cell recognition of CII is essential for the development of murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and also occurs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The common denominator of murine CIA and human RA is the presentation of an immunodominant CII-deri

All 54 species of Hieracium sect. Vulgata known from the Swedish province of Ostergotland are described. Keys and simple illustrations of all species are given. Notwithstanding that the Hieracium-flora of this province is still relatively badly known, the aim has been to summarise all available information to facilitate forthcoming more intense investigations.

Antimony-vanadium-oxide catalysts were prepared with various Sb/V ratios and were used for propene ammoxidation. It was observed that antimony in excess of the amount required for forming SbVO4 was required to have a catalyst that is selective to acrylonitrile formation. Characterisation of catalysts with FTIR revealed partial reduction of the oxidised phase Sb0.92V0.92O4 upon use to form Sb0.95V1

Many enzymes of the bacteriochlorophyll and chlorophyll biosynthesis pathways have been conserved throughout evolution, but the molecular mechanisms of the key steps remain unclear. The magnesium chelatase reaction is one of these steps, and it requires the proteins BchI, BchD, and BchH to catalyze the insertion of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX upon ATP hydrolysis. Structural analyses have shown tha

Mutations in the Aristaless related homeobox (ARX) gene are associated with a broad spectrum of disorders, including nonsyndromic X-linked mental retardation, sometimes associated with epilepsy, as well as syndromic forms with brain abnormalities and abnormal genitalia. Furthermore, ARX mutations have been described in a few patients with autism or autistic features. In this study, we screened the

Neuropathic pain is a common consequence of damage to the nervous system. We here report a genetic analysis of development of neuropathic pain-like behaviors after unilateral photochemically-induced ischemic sciatic nerve injury in a panel of inbred rat strains known to display different susceptibility to autoimmune neuroinflammation. Pain behavior was initially characterized in Dark-Agouti (DA; R