In neonatal retinal explants cultured long-term green cones are missing. Recently it was reported that thyroid hormone beta2 receptors (TR-beta2) are essential for these green cones to differentiate. Therefore transcript level of these receptors was investigated in our mouse retinal explants. However, thyroid receptors function as heterodimers with retinoid receptors (RR); so the fate of selected

Background New treatment strategies for early rheumatoid arthritis are evolving rapidly. We aimed to compare addition of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine) with addition of a tumour necrosis factor antagonist (infliximab) to methotrexate in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Methods We undertook a randomised trial in 15 rheumatology uni

Recent studies show that plant organ positioning may be mediated by localized concentrations of the plant hormone auxin. Auxin patterning in the shoot apical meristem is in turn brought about by the subcellular polar distribution of the putative auxin efflux mediator, PIN1. However, the question of what signals determine PIN1 polarization and how this gives rise to regular patterns of auxin concen

The objective of the present study was to assess the performance and recent improvements of the land surface scheme used operationally in the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in a Scandinavian boreal forest climate/ecosystem. The previous (the 1999 scheme of P. Viterbo and A. K. Betts) and the new (Tiled ECMWF Surface Scheme for Exchange Processes over Land, TESSEL) surfa

Structural and mechanistic aspects of orthoplatination of acetophenone and benzaldehyde oximes by the platinum(II) sulfoxide and sulfide complexes [PtCl2L2] (2, L = SOMe2 (a), rac-SOMePh (b), R-SOMe(C6H4Me-4) (c), and SMe2 (d)) to afford the corresponding platinacycles cis-(CS)-[Pt-II(C6H3-2-CR'=NOH-5-R)CI(L)] (3, R, R' = H, Me) have been investigated. The reaction of acetophenone oxime with sulfo

We investigated the variation in concentration of orientation among nocturnally migrating passerine birds. Using tracking radar, we recorded flight tracks of birds during spring and autumn migration and, with the aid of concurrent wind recordings, we calculated heading directions. The concentrations of track and heading directions were compared between seasons and also between different categories

In a prospective pilot study nested in the EPIC-Oxford cohort, we examined the seroprevalence of antibodies against the L1 antigen of 38 human papilloma virus (HPV) types among 39 cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) for whom plasma was collected prior to diagnosis (incident) and 80 controls. Fifteen cases having already developed SCC at blood collection (prevalent) were also tested. T

Ovarian carcinomas (OCs) often exhibit highly complex cytogenetic changes. Abnormal chromosome segregation at mitosis is one potential mechanism for genomic rearrangements in tumors. In this study, OCs were demonstrated to have dysfunctional short telomeres, anaphase bridging, and multipolar mitoses with supernumerary centrosomes. When normal human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cells were tran

Red blood cells (RBCs) with the Do(null) phenotype lack all antigens in the Dombrock blood group system, i.e. Do(a), Do(b), Gy(a), Hy and Jo(a). Sequence analysis of DNA from one proband with the Do(null) phenotype revealed a single nucleotide mutation of t to c in the donor splice site of DO (IVS1 + 2t > c), with outsplicing of exon 2. Analysis of a second proband revealed a homozygous nonsense m

The pioneering papers published more than one century ago by Theodor Boveri opened the way to extensive research on the mechanism linking chromosomal abnormalities to the pathogenesis of cancer. As a result of this effort, robust theoretical and empirical evidence correlating cytogenetic damage to early stages of cancer in humans was consolidated, and an increased cancer risk was postulated in hea

Treatment of arthritic synovial fluid with hyaluronidase reduced the recovery of mononuclear cells as well as their in vitro IgA and IgG synthesis. Hyaluronidase should be avoided in the treatment of synovial fluid when unselected mononuclear cell populations are required.

Some consequences of chaos in the nucleus are discussed. The decay-out from superdeformed band occurs in a region where normal-deformed states may be chaotic, and it is shown how the distribution of decay-out matrix elements may reveal the degree of chaos. The decay-out is mediated by doorway states that are not resolved in the A=190 region, but experimentally seen in 59Cu. A model for the decay-o

n northern Europe, a long history of land use has led to profound changes within forest ecosystems. The white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) is one of several specialised forest species whose populations have declined. Conservation management directed at this species’ habitat has made it a de facto umbrella species for conservation of the biodiversity associated with forests rich in deci

Emission of volatile org. compds. (VOCs) during drying of wood particles for particleboard manuf., or for prodn. of refined biofuels, is a potential environmental problem. The aim of this work is to study the emissions of VOCs during drying, and the influence on the emissions by different drying parameters. The expts. have mainly been done in a batch fluidized bed dryer, but measurements have also

Mutations in the gene encoding laminin alpha 2 chain cause congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A. In skeletal muscle, laminin alpha 2 chain binds at least two receptor complexes: the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex and integrin alpha 7 beta 1. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder, we performed gene expression profiling of laminin alpha 2 chain-deficient mouse limb

This study was performed to investigate the relation between IgG autoantibodies against human C-reactive protein (antiCRP) and disease activity measures in serial serum samples from 10 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), of whom four had active kidney involvement during the study period. The presence of anti-CRP was analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The cut-off for posit

OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors of carcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tract in men. METHODS: Newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed patients, 35-70 years old, were interviewed between 1995 and 1997 in Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany and Italy. Population controls were frequency-matched by age and region. Adjusted odds ratios and 95%-confidence intervals were estimated by logistic re

Electrophoresis was used to compare variation in hordein polypeptide patterns and isozymes in five marginal populations ofHordeum secalinum (four Swedish and one Danish population) and four populations along the Atlantic coast from Denmark to Spain. Hordein patterns were uniform within and among Swedish and Danish populations whereas the materials from France and Spain were divergent. The banding