We analysed and compared the functioning of UV-B screening pigments in plants from marine, fresh water and terrestrial ecosystems, along the evolutionary line of cyanobacteria, unicellular algae, primitive multicellular algae, charophycean algae, lichens, mosses and higher plants, including amphibious macrophytes. Lichens were also included in the study. We were interested in the following key asp

The portal appearance of enteral alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) and the effect of enteral or parenteral AKG on portal net appearance of glucose, short-chain fatty acids, alanine, aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, proline and insulin were investigated in three growing pigs. During the experimental samplings the pigs were fed hourly with a standard feed mix with 5% glucose (control), 5% AKG (enteral) or n

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) exhibit remarkable ability to differentiate into virtually all somatic tissue types. In this study, we investigated changes in mucin-type O-glycosylation, which have been associated with somatic cell differentiation and cancer. Expression profile of simple mucin-type O-glycans (Tn, sialyl-Tn, T), histo-blood group H and A variants and six polypeptide Ga1NAc-tran

There are strong indications that only a small fraction of grafts successfully engraft in clinical islet transplantation. One explanation may be the instant blood-mediated inflammatory reaction (IBMIR) elicited by tissue factor, which is produced by the endocrine cells. In the present study, we show that islets intended for islet transplantation produce tissue factor in both the transmembrane and

Galectin-4 belongs to a subfamily of galectins composed of two carbohydrate recognition domains within the same peptide chain. The two domains have all the conserved galectin signature amino acids, but their overall sequences are only approximately 40% identical. Both domains bind lactose with a similar affinity as other galectins, but their respective preferences for other disaccharides, and larg

Fabrication and characterization of amperometric bienzyme L-glutamate sensitive microelectrodes are the prerequisite for monitoring changes Of L-glutamate concentration at glutamate-secreting cell cultures. The design of the glutamate microelectrodes is based on incorporating L-glutamate oxidase and horseradish peroxidase into a redox-hydrogel containing PVI19-dmeOs as the redox mediator and immob

A method based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the characterization of static mixers using the Z factor, helicity and the rate of striation thinning is presented. These measures were found to be well-suited for the characterization of static mixers as they reflect the pressure drop, the formation of secondary flow, i.e. vortices, and their effect on the mixing process. Two commercial sta

The effects of a single course of antenatal betamethasone on S100B protein concentration were investigated in Fisher 344 rats. On day 20 of gestation, pregnant rats were injected twice 8 h apart with either (1) 170 mu g kg(-1) body weight betamethasone ("clinically-equivalent dose", equivalent to 12 mg twice, 24 h apart in humans), (2) half of this dose (equivalent to 6 mg) or (3) vehicle. We repo

Numerous polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods have been developed and used increasingly to screen vertebrate blood samples for the diagnosis of haemosporidian blood parasites (Sporozoa, Haemosporida), but a rigorous evaluation of the sensitivity of these methods for detecting mixed infections of different haemosporidian species belonging to the same and different genera and subgenera is l

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence and describe characteristics of preventable adverse drug events (pADEs) in ambulatory care. DATA SOURCES: Studies were searched in PubMed (1966-March 2007), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-December 2006), the Cochrane database of systematic reviews (1993-March 2007), EMBASE (1980-February 2007), and Web of Science (1945-March 2007). Key words inclu

It is commonly accepted that among recent fishes the lungfishes are the closest relatives of the tetrapods. According to this hypothesis, the tetrapods, lungfishes and coelacanths constitute a group of specialized fishes (Sarcopterygii) to the exclusion of other bony fishes. Here, we describe basal relationships among gnathostome (jawed) vertebrates as reconstructed by analysis of complete mitocho

Systemic vasculitis associated with autoantibodies to neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens (ANCA) is the most frequent cause of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Renal failure at presentation carries an increased risk for ESRD and death despite immunosuppressive therapy. This study investigated whether the addition of plasma exchange was more effective than intravenous methylprednisolone in the a

These final results on e(+) e(-) W+ W- production cross-section measurements at LEP2 use data collected by the DELPHI detector at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. Measurements of total cross-sections, W angular differential distributions and decay branching fractions, and the value of the CKM element |V-cs| are compared to the expectations of the Standard Model. These results supersede all v

It is widely accepted that the bioavaiiability, toxicity, and mobility of trace metals are highly dependent on complexation reactions with functional groups in natural organic matter (NOM). In this study, the coordination chemistry of Cd in NOM was investigated by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Soil organic matter (SOM) from different types of organic soils and dissolved or

We recently demonstrated that the LKB1 tumour suppressor kinase, in complex with the pseudokinase STRAD and the scaffolding protein MO25, phosphorylates and activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). A total of 12 human kinases (NUAK1, NUAK2, BRSK1, BRSK2, QIK, QSK, SIK, MARK1, MARK2, MARK3, MARK4 and MELK) are related to AMPK. Here we demonstrate that LKB1 can phosphorylate the T-loop of all

Fractures of the femoral neck, that is, "cervical hip fractures" constitute 53% of all fractures of the proximal femur (hip fractures) according to the Swedish National Hip Fracture Register linked to SAHFE (Standardised Audit of Hip Fractures in Europe). The most reproducible classification system divides cervical hip fractures into undisplaced (33%) and displaced (67%). Hip fractures are common

Companies belonging to the same industrial branch are subject to similar economical influences. Hence, the time series of their stocks can show similar trends implying a correlation. Financial correlation matrices measure the unsystematic correlations between time series of stocks. Such information is important for risk management. It has been found by Laloux et al that the correlation matrices ar

We present results of ideal epitaxial nucleation and growth of III-V semiconductor nanowires on silicon substrates. This addresses the long-time challenge of integrating high performance III-V semiconductors with mainstream Si technology. Efficient room-temperature generation of light on silicon is demonstrated by the incorporation of double heterostructure segments in such nanowires. We expect th

Objective The aim of this study was to quantify the global burden of osteoporotic fracture worldwide. Methods The incidence of hip fractures was identified by systematic review and the incidence of osteoporotic fractures was imputed from the incidence of hip fractures in different regions of the world. Excess mortality and disability weights used age- and sex-specific data from Sweden to calculate