When the bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine was introduced in the 1920s, it was suggested that BCG occasionally had nonspecific beneficial effects on mortality beyond the specific protection against tuberculosis. Considering that BCG has since then become the most used vaccine in the world, surprisingly few studies have been undertaken into the effect of BCG on general mortality and morbidity.

We have previously described the efficient guidance and unidirectional sliding of actin filaments along nanosized tracks with adsorbed heavy meromyosin (HMM; myosin II motor fragment). In those experiments, the tracks were functionalized with trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and surrounded by hydrophilic areas. Here we first show, using in vitro motility assays on no

Development of artificial neural network (ANN) models using real plant data for the prediction of fresh steam properties from a brown coal-fired boiler of a Slovenian power plant is reported. Input parameters for this prediction were selected from a large number of available parameters. Initial selection was made on a basis of expert knowledge and previous experience. However, the final set of inp

The concept of a fair and optimal allocation was recently introduced by Sun and Yang [Sun, N., Yang, Z., 2003. A general strategy proof fair allocation mechanism. Economics Letters 81, 73-79]. This note states some basic properties of fair and optimal allocations and provides a simple algorithm for identifying them. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved.

Recent studies have shown that ethanol exposure of reaggregation cultures of fetal rat brain cells causes an increased activity and amount of catalase, and also an increased activity of the oligodendrocyte marker enzyme 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP). In the present study, reaggregation cultures were grown in the presence of 40 mM ethanol during 17 days, corresponding to a peri

A method for purification of recombinant apolipoprotein A1 in aqueous two-phase systems has been studied. A mutant of apolipoprotein A-I, the Milano variant, was expressed in E. coli. Phase systems containing ethylene oxide (EO)-propylene oxide (PO) random copolymers have been used. These polymers are thermoseparating and have the ability to separate into one water-rich and one polymer-rich phase

cAMP stimulation and Rho kinase inhibition are shown to decrease microvascular permeability during noninflammatory conditions, most likely by decreasing contractility of actomyosin filaments in the endothelial cell, but their effects on permeability during inflammatory conditions are not clarified. The objective of this in vivo study, performed on the autoperfused and denervated calf muscle of the

The influence of the reaction conditions on the enantioselectivity of reactions catalysed by lipases or hydroxynitrile leases (HNLs) in organic solvents was investigated. The lipases catalysed kinetic resolution of chiral secondary alcohol, or chiral carboxylic acids and the HNLs catalysed asymmetric addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes. The temperature effects on enantioselectivity, were stu

Although many effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on retinal function have been attributed to GABA(A) and GABA(C) receptors, specific retinal functions have also been shown to be mediated by GABA(B) receptors, including facilitation of light-evoked acetylcholine release from the rabbit retina (Neal and Cunningham [1995] J. Physiol. 482:363-372). To explain the results of a rich set of experi

Biodegradable supermacroporous PHEMA cryogels were produced by combining two cross-linkers, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and a newly developed disulfide water soluble crosslinker, N,N'-bis(methacryloyl)-L-cystine. The biodegradable PHEMA cryogels were prepared with gel fraction yields up to 70% and were characterized by highly interconnected pores of micrometer size and good mechanical stabili

Background. Although the topic of pain among older people has received increasing interest, little is still known about how pain is experienced or handled by those who no longer manage independently but depend on professionals for help with daily living. Developing pain management for older people requires such knowledge. Aim. To explore sense of self, sense of pain, daily living with pain, sense

The redshank (Tringa totanus) is declining throughout Europe and to implement efficient conservation measures, it is important to obtain information about the population genetic structure. The aim of the present study was two-fold. First, we analysed the genetic variation within and between populations in the Baltic region in southern Scandinavia. Evidence of genetic structure would suggest that d

This study investigates the role of political journalism in European Union (EU) constitution-making. It is asked whether and to what extent quality newspaper journalists act as an impartial mediator or as an active promoter of normative debates on European integration across national media spheres. The ratification period of the EU Constitutional Treaty (CT) (November 2004-June 2005) is analysed a

Selective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) at 40 degrees C, 400 bar and 60 min was used to selectively remove bioavailable PCBs from a naturally contaminated limnic sediment. The extraction decreased the sediment concentrations of the nine studied PCBs by 54% (on average). Chironomid larvae were thereafter cultured in pre-extracted sediment as well as in untreated sediment to study the differe

Projected body frontal area is used when estimating the parasite drag of bird flight. We investigated the relationship between projected frontal area and body mass among passerine birds, and compared it with an equation based on waterfowl and raptors, which is used as default procedure in a widespread software package for flight performance calculations. The allometric equation based on waterfowl/

The spread of cancer cells to regional lymph nodes through the lymphatic system is the first step in the dissemination of breast cancer. In several human cancers including those of the breast and prostate, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) is associated with lymph node metastasis. Our study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of VEGF-C on metastasis of poorly invasi