Galectin-3 (Gal-3), an endogenous lectin, exhibits ro- and anti-inflammatory effects in various disease conditions. In order to explore the role of Gal-3 in KT-cell-dependent pathology, we induced hepatitis in C57BL/6WT and al-3-deficient mice by using specific ligand for KT cells: alpha-galactosylceramide, glycolipid Ag presented by CD1d. The injection of alpha-galactosylceramide significantly en

The anticoagulant vitamin K-dependent protein S (PS) circulates in plasma in two forms, 30% free and 70% being bound to the complement regulatory protein C4b-binding protein (C4BP). The major C4BP isoform consists of 7 alpha-chains and 1 beta-chain (C4BP beta(+)), the chains being linked by disulfide bridges. PS binds to the beta-chain with high affinity. In plasma, PS is in molar excess over C4BP

Depression is frequently associated with inflammation. Animal studies have shown that peripheral inflammation induces depressive-like behaviour, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. A distinction between sickness- and depressive-like behaviour has been proposed. We hypothesize that the behavioural distinction is due to changes in the central production of immune mediators. As a model of p

Reducing emissions from forest degradation and deforestation, conserving and enhancing forest carbon stocks, and sustainably managing forests (REDD+) has emerged as one of the most anticipated climate change mitigation tools. This paper aims to understand and identify the underlying discourses that have dominated the emergence of REDD+, by identifying the key story lines in the policy and academic

Purpose. We assessed the association between smoking cessation and prospective weight change in the European population of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Physical Activity, Nutrition, Alcohol, Cessation of smoking. Eating out of home And obesity (EPIC-PANACEA) project. Methods. The study involved more than 300,000 healthy volunteers, recruited between 1992 and 200

1. "Review of Violent Protest, Contentious Politics and the Neoliberal State, edited by Seraphim Seferiades & Hank Johnston," Contemporary Sociology, 44:4, 2015. 552-554.

Studies have shown that immigrants residing in Spain have lower risks of delivering low birthweight (LBW) and preterm babies despite their socioeconomic disadvantages (the healthy migrant paradox). However, less is known about other important perinatal outcomes derived from birth weight and gestational age such as macrosomia and post-term birth. This paper aims to compare the main indicators relat

Measurements of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in blood are widely used as diagnostic, predictive and prognostic marker of prostate disease. The selective detection of molecular forms of PSA can contribute clinically to meaningful enhancements of the conventional PSA-test. As it is plausible that an in-depth search for structural variants of PSA gene products may increase our ability t

Wheat (Triticum spp.) histones H1, H2, H3, and H4 were extracted, and H1 was further purified. The effect of these histones on specific fungi that may or may not be pathogenic to wheat was determined. These fungi included Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium solani, Fusarium graminearum, Penicillium digitatum, Penicill

I recently bought a used book, a withdrawn ex-library copy of the second edition of Sidney Joel-Cohen's legendary textbook "Abdominal and Vaginal Hysterectomy. New Techniques Based on Time and Motion Studies" (1). The book is not only a masterpiece describing gynecological surgery techniques, my copy also has by written notes, stickers and stamps with a story to tell. The book is signed and was de

We present microparticle image velocimetry measurements of suspended microparticles of diameters from 0.6 to 10 mu m undergoing acoustophoresis in an ultrasound symmetry plane in a microchannel. The motion of the smallest particles is dominated by the Stokes drag from the induced acoustic streaming flow, while the motion of the largest particles is dominated by the acoustic radiation force. For al

The combination of glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been suggested as an approach to target obesity, since the two hormones have complementary action on body weight. We examined whether complementary action of the two hormones also exist on insulin secretion. Female C57BL/6 mice were injected intravenously with glucose with or without GLP-1, glucagon or the combination of GLP-1 and

The aim was to explore the utility for staging and prognostic impact of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin 20 (CK20), guanylyl cyclase C (GCC), CUB (complement protein subcomponents C1r/C1s, urchin embryonic growth factor, and bone morphogenic protein 1) containing domain protein 1 (CDCP1) and mucin 2 (MUC2) mRNA levels in mesenteric lymph nodes of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Lymph

By investigating both semi-natural and experimentally implemented pH variation in nutrient-poor sandy grasslands, we examined how soil decalcification may influence the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal biomass in plant roots and in the soil, as well as the allocation of carbon (C) to AM fungal biomass. We estimated the amount of AM fungal mycelium, by using the fatty acid 16:1 omega 5, in the ro

The ability to detect a virtualized environment has both malicious and non-malicious uses. This paper reveals a new exploit and technique that can be used to remotely detect VMware Workstation, VMware Player and VirtualBox. The detection based on this technique can be done completely passively in that there is no need to have access to the remote machine and no network connections are initiated by

Nanodiscs are self-assembled nanostructures composed of a belt protein and a small patch of lipid bilayer, which can solubilize membrane proteins in a lipid bilayer environment. We present a method for the alignment of a well-defined two-dimensional layer of nanodiscs at the air-water interface by careful design of an insoluble surfactant monolayer at the surface. We used neutron reflectivity to d

This study examines the influence of health conditions experienced during the individual's first year of life on the incidence of sickness absence during adulthood. Using a sample of approximately 9000 biological siblings from 17 countries of origin and living in Sweden during the time period 1981-1991, sibling fixed effect models are estimated. This approach is combined with the use of an exogeno

In type 1 diabetes, there is a rapid loss of glycemic control immediately after onset of the disease. We aimed to determine if the deterioration of glycemic control that occurs early after the onset of insulin-deficient diabetes could be blunted by treatment with recombinant fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Normal C57BL/6J mice made diabetic by a single high dose injection of streptozotocin (S