Nocturnal animals relying on vision typically have eyes that are optically and morphologically adapted for both increased sensitivity and greater information capacity in dim light [1]. Here, we investigate whether adaptations for increased sensitivity also are found in their photoreceptors by using closely related and fast-flying nocturnal and diurnal bees as model animals. The nocturnal bee Megal

Recent clinical studies have highlighted that female sex hormones represent potential neuroprotective mediators against damage caused by acute and chronic brain diseases. This evidence has been confirmed by experimental studies documenting the protective role of female sex hormones both in vitro and in vivo, although these studies did not specifically focus on Huntington's disease (HD). We therefo

This paper introduces a new substrate for reverse-phase protein microarray applications based on macroporous silicon. A key feature of the microarray substrate is the vastly surface enlarging properties of the porous silicon, which simultaneously offers highly confined microarray spots. The proof of principle of the reverse array concept was demonstrated in the detection of different levels of cyc

Inter-alpha-inhibitor (IalphaI) is a 180-kDa serum protein consisting of three polypeptides. Two of these, the heavy chains 1 and 2 (H1 and H2), are of 75-80 kDa and have similar amino acid sequences. The third polypeptide, bikunin, has a molecular mass of 25 kDa and contains a 7-kDa chondroitin sulfate chain that is covalently linked to the C-terminal amino acid residues of H1 and H2. IalphaI has

We study the equations modelling the evolution of electromagnetic fields in chiral media with dispersion. We prove existence and uniqueness of solutions of these equations and provide estimates for the error of the optical response approximation for chiral media.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to study the effects of isradipine, a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, on mother and fetus in the treatment of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: The investigation was performed as a two-group, parallel, double-blind multicenter study of isradipine versus placebo. Fifty-four women were randomized to treatment with isradipine slow-release capsules

Purpose: Chromosomal instability (CIN) is believed to have an important role in the pathogenesis of urothelial cancer (UC). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether disturbances of mitotic segregation contribute to CIN in UC, if these processes have any effect on the course of disease, and how deregulation of these mechanisms affects tumor cell growth. Experimental Design: We developed molecu

Selected phage clones expressing a peptide with high binding affinity for recombinant human lactoferrin or von Willebrand factor (vWF) were covalently coupled to macroporous poly(dimethylacrylamide) monolithic column. Large pore size (10–100 μm) of macroporous poly(dimethylacrylamide) makes it possible to couple long (1 μm) phage particles as ligands without any risk of blocking the monolithic col

Background Patients with severe asthma are often inadequately controlled on existing anti-asthma therapy, constituting an unmet clinical need. Objective This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the ability of omalizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody, to improve disease control sufficiently to enable inhaled corticosteroid reduction in patients with severe aller

We describe the histologic findings of 31 tissue samples from 21 cases in 19 different patients taken 1 to 48 months after revision arthroplasty and impaction grafting in the hip (Lubinus SP-II prosthesis Waldemar Link, Hamburg, Germany, or Charnley Elite prosthesis, Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ) and the knee (Link Rotation Knee Waldemar Link). One month after surgery, a fibrous stroma

This work addresses the balance between temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) and partial volume effects (PVE) in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and investigates the impact of the choice of spatial resolution and smoothing. In fMRI, since physiological time courses are monitored, tSNR is of greater importance than image SNR. Improving SNR by an increase in voxel volume may be of negl

The 14-3-3 proteins, once thought of as obscure mammalian brain proteins, are fast becoming recognized as major regulators of plant primary metabolism and of other cellular processes. Their presence as large gene families in plants underscores their essential role in plant physiology. We have examined the Arabidopsis thaliana 14-3-3 gene family, which currently is the largest and most complete 14-

The homogenization of cubically arranged, homogeneous spherical inclusions in a background material is addressed. This is accomplished by the solution of a local problem in the unit cell. An exact series representation of the effective relative permittivity of the heterogeneous material is derived, and the functional behavior for small radii of the spheres is given. The solution is utilizing the tr

The present communication considers possibilities of how to improve surveillance programs for sexually transmitted infections and some conditions not yet included among the 'established' sexually transmitted infections. An extended list of sexually transmitted infection agents is proposed for monitoring and a syndrome-based surveillance program for what and when to screen pregnant women is discuss

Conditioning lesions of peripheral nerves improve axonal regeneration after injury and involve changes in expression of proteins required for axonal growth. Integrin alpha7beta1 expression in motor and sensory neurons increases following nerve lesions and motor axon regeneration is impaired in alpha7 integrin KO mice (J. Neurosci. 20, 1822-1830). To investigate the role of alpha7beta1 integrin in

Aims: Network for Pharmacoepidemiology (NEPI) Antidiabetes Study-Eye is a randomized placebo-controlled Swedish trial investigating if treatment with sulphonylurea, in addition to dietary regulation and increased exercise, delays the development of retinopathy in subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Methods: Subjects were surveyed in primary care with repeated fasting blood glucose measu

Far from being an extinct phenomenon, piracy still exists in the modern world and is a growing menace to the security and safety of shipping. Using the data on attacks against vessels reported between 1996 and 2005 merged with the data on the total world merchant fleet, this article inquires whether acts of piracy are a truly random occurrence. Results show that both flag of registry and type of v