Background: Mast cell-derived prostaglandin D-2 (PGD(2)), may contribute to eosinophilic inflammation and mucus production in allergic asthma. Chemoattractant receptor homologous molecule expressed on TH2 cells (CRTH2), a high affinity receptor for prostaglandin D-2, mediates trafficking of TH2-cells, mast cells, and eosinophils to inflammatory sites, and has recently attracted interest as target

Hypothesising that systemically and intrathecally produced nitric oxide might play different roles in the EAE pathogenesis, we administered the NOS inhibitor N-nitro-methyl-L-arginine-ester intrathecally or systemically via osmotic minipumps to DA rats with MOG induced EAE. We demonstrate an protective effect of the NOS inhibitor on EAE severity, the extent of CNS inflammation, and demyelination.

The risk of gastric cancer (GC) associated with dietary intake of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and endogenous formation of nitroso compounds (NOCs) was investigated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The study included 521 457 individuals and 314 incident cases of GC that had occurred after 6.6 average years of follow-up. An index of endogenous NOC (ENOC) fo

Aims/Hypothesis: Islet amyloid polypeptide ( IAPP) reduces food intake and body weight in laboratory animals. In addition, IAPP appears to regulate nutrient metabolism. In the present studies, we investigated the effect of chronic IAPP treatment on different aspects of energy homeostasis. Methods: IAPP was infused ( 25 pmol/kg/min) from subcutaneous osmotic pumps for 2 - 7 days. Rats in 2 saline-i

Background Ex vivo gene therapy and cell replacement in the nervous system may provide therapeutic opportunities for neurodegenerative disorders. The development of optimal gene marking procedures for human neural stem cells (hNSCs) is crucial for the success of these strategies, in order to provide a correct understanding of the biology of transplanted cells. Methods hNSCs were modified to expres

Two previously published surface complexation models of phenylphosphonate on aged gamma-Al2O3 and boehmite (gamma-AlOOH), respectively, have been examined by means of FTIR and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The spectral features of adsorbed phenylphosphonate were studied as a function of pH and total phenylphosphonate concentration. No evidence for a phase transformation into a three-dimensional aluminum

The formation of deposition patterns in the cooling zone during operation of a horizontal evaporation/condensation nanoparticle generator was studied to obtain information about flow conditions during particle formation. Quartz reactor tubes were used together with a simple light attenuation measurement to characterize deposition as a function of axial location. Results for the onset and pattern o

The polarisation pattern of skylight offers many arthropods a reference for visual compass orientation. The dung beetle Scarabaeus zambesianus starts foraging at around sunset. After locating a source of fresh droppings, it forms a ball of dung and rolls it off at high speed to escape competition at and around the dung pile. Using behavioural experiments in the field and in the laboratory, we show

Recent progress on the nature of short-duration gamma-ray bursts has shown that a fraction of them originate in the local Universe. These systems may well be the result of giant flares from soft gamma-repeaters (highly magnetized neutron stars commonly known as magnetars). However, if these neutron stars are formed via the core collapse of massive stars then it would be expected that the bursts sh

This paper describes a bandpass amplifier topology for the GHz range using Q-enhancing that allows a systematic design approach to be used to control linearity, noise and power consumption. Frequency selectivity is achieved by a negative feedback network using a LC tank and a positive feedback networks using a resistor to achieve Q-enhancing. The feedback networks are fully passive in order to min

The Exeter stem and impacted, morselized allograft bone and cement were used in the revisions of 18 consecutive femoral components (17 patients). The primary arthroplasty had been done because of osteoarthritis. All of the femoral components were revised for the first time because of aseptic loosening. The migration pattern of the Exeter stem after revision was studied using roentgen stereophotogr

A brief description of the operational principles of an Electron Beam Ion Trap is given with specific reference to the currently under development/construction Shanghai EBIT. This is followed by an introduction to some of the frontier physics problems of highly charged ions that can be studied with such devices. Also a discussion of the use of EBITs as a powerful tool in hot-plasma diagnostics is

We recently described a method to compute accurate quantum mechanical free energies [Rod, T. H.; Ryde, U. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2005, 94, `138302]. The method, which we term quantum mechanical thermodynamic cycle perturbation (QTCP), employs a molecular mechanics force field to sample phase space and, subsequently, a thermodynamic cycle to estimate QM/MM free energy changes. Here, we discuss the method

Introduction: Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and alpha-ketoglutaric acid (AKG) in growing rats stimulate a change in the proportion of N excretion via urine and faeces, in favour of faecal excretion. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of oral supplementation of PHA and AKG on pathways of nitrogen excretion and serum levels of urea in uraemic conditions induced by nephrectomy. Material a

The structure of the N = Z nuclei Zn-60, Ga-62, Ge-64 and Kr-72 has been investigated at GASP. Total Routhian surface (TRS) calculations have been performed for the N = 36, 38 and 40 Kr isotones. In the case of Kr-72 the four quasi-particle g(9/2) alignment is observed to be significantly delayed in rotational frequency with respect to the heavier Kr isotopes. Such a delay contradicts the predicti

In this paper, the inverse scattering problem of amultilayer structure is analysed with the Fisher information matrix and the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB). The CRLB quantifies the ill-posedness of the inverse scattering problem in terms of resolution versus estimation accuracy based on the observation of noisy data. The limit for feasible inversion is identified by an asymptotic eigenvalue analys

Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) are used for verification of the delivered dose during IMRT treatment of head and neck carcinomas. The TLDs are put into a plastic tube, which is placed in the nasal cavities through the treated volume. In this study, the dose distribution to a phantom having a cylindrical air cavity containing a tube was calculated by Monte Carlo methods and the results were co

Metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors are formed on bulk InAs substrates by atomic-layer deposition (ALD) of HfO2. Prior to film growth, InAs substrates receive a wet-chemical treatment of HCl, buffered HF (BHF), or (NH4)(2)S. Hafnium dioxide films are grown using 75 ALD cycles with substrate temperatures of 100, 200, and 300 degrees C. Substrate temperature is found to have a significant inf