Calcium plays a central role in maintaining vascular tone. Recent studies indicate that there are continuous relationships between systemic calcium metabolism and BP, as over the whole range of normal and raised BPs there is an inverse correlation between plasma ionised calcium concentration and BP. Twenty-two subjects with normal or moderately elevated BP participated in the present study, undert

This study investigated how the outdoor environments at nursing homes for older persons were experienced and used to gain knowledge with implications for design. Focus group methodology was used to explore staff's view of how the residents experienced and used the outdoors. Two main themes and ten sub-themes were the result when the focus group interviews were analyzed. Theme one, being comfortabl

BACKGROUND: The house dust mite (HDM) Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is an important source of allergens, which can cause allergic conditions. The cysteine protease activity of Der p 1 may enhance the potency of this major mite allergen through cleavage of CD23 and CD25 from the surface of immune cells, IgE independent mast cell activation, increases in epithelial cell permeability and inactivatio

Blood group Duffy gene (FY) promoter in Duffy-negative individuals contains a point mutation in the GATA1 protein-binding motif, which was suggested to be responsible for erythroid suppression of FY. We developed two transgenic mouse lines with FY from both Duffy phenotypes. Transgenic mice with FY from Duffy-positive phenotype expressed Duffy protein both in red blood cells (RBCs) and non-erythro

Electron-ion-ion coincidence measurements carried out at discrete resonances near the N 1s threshold in ammonia are reported. The measured coincidence spectra show clear alignment of the molecule upon resonant core-electron excitation. The coincidence data are analyzed to extract information about the molecule in the excited state by simulating the alignment and the dissociation processes. Dynamic

Tendon injuries can occur in athletes and workers whose tasks involve repetitive, high-force hand activities, but the early pathophysiologic processes of tendinopathy are not well known. The purpose of this animal study was to evaluate the effects of cyclical tendon loading on the densities of cells producing growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), its receptor, vascular

The aim of the present study was to evaluate in young animals the dynamics of calvarial bone healing when exposing a bone defect to continuous forces for up to 13 weeks. Six-week-old rabbits after a sagittal suture strip craniectomy were randomized for either of the following protocols: (1) no spring was applied (n = 7); (2) a titanium-molybdenum alloy (TMA) lower-force spring was inserted across

Background Cell and animal experiments have shown that beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) may be involved in myelination. Objective Here, we assess the association of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) BACE1 activity with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods BACE1 activity and levels of secreted amyloid precursor protein (APP) and amyloid-beta (A beta) isoforms were analyzed in CSF from 100 patients with

We have developed an integrative analysis method combining genetic interactions, identified using type l diabetes genome scan data, and a high-confidence human protein interaction network. Resulting networks were ranked by the significance of the enrichment of proteins from interacting regions. We identified a number of new protein network modules and novel candidate genes/ proteins for type 1 dia

The amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) and its pathogenic byproduct beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) play central roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Reduction in levels of the potentially toxic Abeta is one of the most important therapeutic goals in AD. Recent studies have shown that bivalent metals such as iron, copper, and zinc are involved in APP expression, Abeta deposition,

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 signalling mediates communication between growth factor receptors and the cell nucleus and has been linked to several key events in the transformation process such as proliferation and invasion. We therefore sought to delineate the degree of phosphorylated ERK1/2 in breast cancer and potential links to upstream receptors such as VEGFR2, ErbB2, downst

Dispersion studies in three ice-covered lakes are presented. One of the lakes has a large river through-flow. In the other two lakes, small seiche-induced currents are generated through wind action on the ice cover. Dispersion coefficients are computed from five dye experiments lasting from ½ day to 16 days. These coefficients are related to measured current velocities. The turbulence in the river

Glucose, enzymatically released from pulp fiber sludge, was combined with inorganic salts and used as a growth medium for Alcaligenes eutrophus, a gram-negative strain producing poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). By controlling the concentrations of the inorganic salts in the growth medium, almost 78% of the cell mass was converted to pure PHB. Efforts were made to find conditions for bacterial growt

Migratory frugivorous birds disperse the seeds of many plant species, forming mutualistic associations that render frugivores a priority for conservation in many habitats worldwide. We analysed the distribution of seed-dispersing frugivorous passerines in southern Spain, which is an important area for the conservation of European birds during winter. Frugivorous birds showed similar regional abund

A two-dimensional mean-field Hamiltonian is constructed in analogy with the three-dimensional Nilsson model and applied to a quantum dot.

This article by the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition summarizes available information on the effects of adding prebiotic oligosaccharides to infant and follow-on formulae. Currently there are only limited studies evaluating prebiotic substances in dietetic products for infants. Although administration of prebiotic oligosaccharides has the potential to increase the total number of bifidobacteria in f

ntroduction: Correlation function analysis was applied to endocardial electrograms to investigate conduction patterns along the coronary sinus (CS) during sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial tachycardias. Methods and Results: Eighteen recordings were obtained from 14 patients suffering from supraventricular tachycardias. Five atrial fibrillation(AF) recordings were compared to 10 SR recordings and 3 ecto

In this article we discuss the notion of ‘interaction’, ‘participation’ and ‘the public’ in artistic work, specifically within the context of the exhibition The Invisible Landscapes (curated by Miya Yoshida, Malmö Konstmuseum, 2003) and etherSound (created by Henrik Frisk), a sound installation displayed in that exhibition. In this work the audience is invited to participate in the creation of new