From cultures of Mycogone cervina, a mycophilic fungus growing on the fruit bodies of ascomycete Paxina acetabulum, two new peptaibols (cervinin, N-Ac-Leu-Aib-Pro-Aib-Leu-Aib-Pro-Ala-Aib-Pro-Val-red-Leu (1) and the red-Leu O-acetylated derivative 2) were isolated. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. They exhibited weak antibacterial as well as cytotoxic activitie

Samples from patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) that were randomized to fusidic acid (n = 59) or metronidazole (n = 55) therapy for 7 days were cultured for Clostridium difficile in feces on days 1, 8 to 13, and 35 to 40. Of the patients who were culture positive only before treatment, 77% (36/47) were permanently cured (no treatment failure and no clinical recurrence),

The dissociation of DNA-cationic surfactant complexes with the addition of a negative amphiphile was studied by fluorescence microscopy (FM). The unfolding of DNA molecules previously compacted with cationic surfactant was shown to be dependent on the anionic surfactant chain length; lower amounts of a longer-chain surfactant were needed to release DNA into solution. However, we observed no depend

Comprehensive palliative care programs are often implemented on a community level, and to evaluate such interventions, randomization by cluster (community) may be the only feasible method. In trials randomizing individual subjects, the importance of proper concealment has been stressed, In cluster randomized trials, however, concealment of individual patient allocation is often impossible. The fol

Incubation of rat adipocytes with wortmannin, a potent and selective phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor, completely blocked the antilipolytic action of insulin (IC50 = 100 nM), the insulin-induced activation and phosphorylation of cGMP-inhibited cAMP phosphodiesterase (cGI-PDE) as well as the activation of the insulin-stimulated cGI-PDE kinase (IC50 = 10-30 nM). No direct effect

The interference between extrinsic and intrinsic losses in x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) is treated within a Green's-function formalism, without explicit reference to final states. The approach makes use of a quasiboson representation of excitations and perturbation theory in the interaction potential between electrons and quasibosons. These losses lead to an asymmetric broadening of the

Trisomy 8 as the sole abnormality is the most common karyotypic finding in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), occurring in approximately 5% and 10% of the cytogenetically abnormal cases, respectively. However, despite the high frequency of +8, much remains to be elucidated as regards its epidemiology, etiology, clinical impact, association with other chromosomal abno

På begravningsgudstjänsten möts två yrkesgrupper: prästen och begravningsentreprenören. Undersökningar visar att detta möte oftast präglas av ett samarbete där man upplever att man kompletterar varandras arbetsuppgifter och ansvarsområden. Det finns emellertid få strategier och reflektioner bakom detta samarbete, vilket blir tydligt när en konfliktsituation uppstår. I artikeln betonas behovet av a

The tire is a significant part for control of a vehicle. For a well-working brake system the contact properties between the tire and the ground is the limiting factor for a safe braking. To get optimal performance it is important that the system can utilize all friction resources. The brush tire model was a popular method in the 1960's and 1970's before the empirical approaches became dominating.

The various granule subtypes of the human neutrophil differ in propensity for exocytosis. As a rule, granules formed at late stages of myelopoiesis have a higher secretory potential than granules formed in more immature myeloid cells. Neutrophils contain four closely related alpha-defensins, which are stored in a subset of azurophil granules. These defensin-rich azurophil granules (DRG) are formed

Aims - To describe and evaluate the efficacy and safety of intra-arterial fibrinolysis and the clinical outcome in SAH patients with thromboembolic complications during endovascular coiling of a ruptured aneurysm. (Paper I) - To describe the use and feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially diffusion and perfusion imaging, in three patients treated endovascularly for various ce

This study presents a non-computerized calculation procedure for steady state two-dimensional conductive heat losses through thermal bridges. The heat flow is divided into distinct flow paths based on physical considerations. A resistance is derived analytically for each flow path. These resistances are combined into a net work. The network simulates the construction. Calculating the total resista

What is the relative contribution of genetic and various environmental factors to variation in the ability to mount an immune response? We measured antibody responsiveness to diphtheria-tetanus vaccine during the winter in free-ranging blue tits with a known nestling history to investigate (1) if nutritional status during the nestling stage has persistent effects on an individual's immune defence

Using in situ hybridization, hormone-sensitive lipase was found to be expressed in a stage-dependent manner in Sertoli cells of rat testis. No expression was found in Leydig cells but expression in spermatids could not be excluded. These results suggest a role for hormone-sensitive lipase in the metabolism of lipid droplets in Sertoli cells, in contrast to its previously proposed function in stero