Membrane type 1-matrix metalloprotease (MT1-MMP or MMP-14) is a major activator of pro-MMP-2 and is essential for skeletal development. We show here that it is required for branching morphogenesis of the submandibular gland but not the lung. Instead, in the lung, it is essential for postnatal development of alveolar septae. Lung development in Mmp14-/- mice is arrested at the prealveolar stage wit

TNF-α is present in atherosclerotic lesions, activates endothelial adhesion molecule expression, stimulates the release of proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases and promotes smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration. Taken together these observations suggest that TNF-α may be functionally involved in early atherosclerosis development. To further evaluate this hypothesis we c

International politics is often portrayed as a hegemonic discipline, dominated by US scholarship. Exploring the consequences of recent upheavals in world affairs for international politics research, the article suggests that the end of the cold war has exposed certain weaknesses in the US center which may be turned into advantages for the Scandinavian periphery. Specifically, Scandinavian research

Postural control ensures stability during both static posture and locomotion by initiating corrective adjustments in body movement. This is particularly important when the conditions of the support surface change. We investigated the effects of standing on a compliant foam surface using 12 normal subjects (mean age 26 years) in terms of: linear movements at the head, shoulder, hip and knee; EMG ac

A four-year study of species composition of the zooplankton community was conducted at Lagoa Comprida, a coastal lagoon. Forty-two species of rotifers were recorded and illustrated. All rotifer species, except Lecane boettgeri Koste, 1986 and Macrochaetus kostei, Jose de Paggi, Branco & Kozlowsky-Suzuki, 2000, have already been found in other areas of Brazil. Some factors, which probably favor

A model is developed using a thermal network analysis approach. An experimental setup is designed and built to validate the model. The model is based on an inverse thermal network analysis using a singular value decomposition algorithm. The data from the experiments are used to determine the thermal conductances using inverse model's unsteady- and steady-state forms. The model development and expe

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterise the familial association of pancreatic cancer with other malignancies. METHODS: Relative risks (RRs) of pancreatic cancer according to family history of cancer were calculated using the updated Swedish Family-Cancer Database, which includes over 11.5 million individuals. Estimates were based on Poisson regression. RRs of tumours for individuals

A new sensing technology platform integrating magnetic permeability detection and a two-site heterogeneous immunoassay in a one-step analysis is described. As a platform model, measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP), a cardiac and inflammation marker, were performed in a rapid (11.5 min) high-sensitivity (hs) procedure with a low detection limit (0.2 mg/L) and accuracy (CV = 11%). The two-site h

One of the more frequently applied methods for integrating controls on primary production through satellite data is the Light Use Efficiency (LUE) approach. Satellite indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and the Shortwave Infrared Water Stress Index (SIWSI) have previously shown promise as predictors of primary production in several dif

Collagen induced arthritis (CIA) is a common mouse model for rheumatoid arthritis. Two sets of truncated peptides derived from type II collagen have been prepared and tested for binding to A(q), a MHC-II molecule associated with development of CIA. Binding to A(q) correlated well with predictions from a computer-based model. T-cell hybridomas, obtained in CIA, were also used to study the ability o

We prove under quite general assumptions the existence of a bounded positive solution to the semilinear Schrodinger equation in R-n, n greater than or equal to 3. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Our aim was to quantify the intestinal metabolic fate of dietary alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG). Female pigs In = 6; 21 d old) were implanted with arterial, venous, portal and gastric catheters and an ultrasonic portal flow probe and fed a corn and soybean meal-based diet. On (t)he day of the experiment, the pigs received a 4-h intragastric infusion of sodium AKG at a rate equivalent to 0, 2.5, 5 or 10

Background Several studies among dermatological patients have shown a link between various chronic dermatological diseases and mental morbidity. Objectives To explore the association between self-reported skin morbidity and psychosocial factors in the general population. Methods This population-based cross-sectional study is part of the Oslo Health Study conducted during 2000–2001. All individua

A microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method has been developed for determination of zearalenone in wheat and corn by LC-MS with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface (APCI). Matrix effects were minimized by use of matrix-matched standard curves for quantification of the analyte. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was 30 ng g(-1) in wheat and 20 ng g(-1) in corn. The r

We consider a Fermi pencil-beam model in two-space dimensions (x,y), where x is aligned with the beam’s penetration direction and y together with the scaled angular variable z correspond to a, bounded symmetric, transversal cross-section. The model corresponds to a forward–backward degenerate, convection dominated, convection–diffusion problem. For this problem we study some fully discrete numeric

A high respiratory rate associated with the use of small tidal volumes, recommended for acute lung injury (ALI), shortens time for gas diffusion in the alveoli. This may decrease CO2 elimination. We hypothesized that a postinspiratory pause could enhance CO2 elimination and reduce PaCO2 by reducing dead space in ALI. In 15 mechanically ventilated patients with ALI and hypercapnia, a 20% postinspir