Cartilage and tendon extracellular matrices are composed of collagens, proteoglycans, and a number of noncollagenous proteins. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is a prominent such protein, structurally related to the thrombospondins. We found that native COMP binds to collagen I/II and procollagen I/II and that the interaction is dependent on the divalent cations Zn2+ or Ni2+, whereas Ca

The T-13910 variant located in the enhancer element of the lactase (LCT) gene correlates perfectly with lactase persistence (LP) in Eurasian populations whereas the variant is almost nonexistent among Sub-Saharan African populations, showing high prevalence of LP. Here, we report identification of two new mutations among Saudis, also known for the high prevalence of LP. We confirmed the absence of

The formation of nanostructures with controlled size and morphology has been the focus of intensive research in recent years(1-10). Such nanostructures are important in the development of nanoscale devices and in the exploitation of the properties of nanomaterials(9). Here we show how tree-like nanostructures ('nanotrees') can be formed in a highly controlled way. The process involves the self-ass

Some preliminary tests at the crystallography beamline I711 at the MAX II synchrotron in Lund, Sweden, have shown that it is possible to use acoustical levitation to keep a droplet of liquid and solid (powder) samples in an X-ray beam for a sufficient time for collection of the X-ray diffraction pattern.

The conventional view that female reproductive success is unlikely to benefit from multiple mating has come under strong challenge in recent years. In the present study, we demonstrate that the time wild-caught reproductive female water pythons (Liasis fuscus) spent in the laboratory prior to oviposition affected both hatching success and the number of male microsatellite alleles detected in the b

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been reported to be useful in the differential diagnosis between abscesses and cystic or necrotic tumours. However, experience is still limited and the true sensitivity and specificity remain to be determined. Our purpose is to describe a ring-enhancing metastasis of adenocarcinoma with a DWI pattern similar to that reported for abscesses. The tumour had a diam

Objectives: To assess the interval change of the minimal joint space width (MJS) in radiographs of the tibiofemoral (TF) joint and of the patellofemoral (PF) joint with a 2-year follow-up in middle-aged people with longstanding knee pain with or without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) and to study the precision of the MJS measurements. Design: In the format of a prospective study of early OA the

The monotremes, the duck-billed platypus and the echidnas, are characterized by a number of unique morphological characteristics, which have led to the common belief that they represent the living survivors of an ancestral stock of mammals. Analysis of new data from the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of a second monotreme, the spiny anteater. and another marsupial, the wombat. yielded clear s

Numerous studies of the processes of visual word recognition in the left and right cerebral hemispheres have attempted to control for confounding differences in the retinal placement (and hence visual acuity) of the beginnings of words by re-orientating normally-horizontal words vertically. However, despite the popularity of this approach, little is known about the precise effects that vertically

We have screened 17 Southern Sweden individuals/families with suspected hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) for mutations in the DNA-mismatch repair genes hMLH1, hMSH2 and hMSH6 using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, protein truncation test and direct DNA sequencing. The families were selected on the basis of a family history of HNPCC-related tumors or the occurrence of meta

We examined the role of a striatal lesion in the development of L-DOPA-induced abnormal involuntary movements (AlMs) using the double lesion rat model of striatonigral degeneration (SND), the underlying neuropathological substrate of parkinsonism associated with multiple system atrophy (MSA-P), in comparison to a Parkinson's disease (PD) rat model. L-DOPA administration reliably induced AlMs in SN

The stability of DNA in solution and the phase behavior in mixtures with dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) were investigated. By means of circular dichroism, UV absorption, and differential scanning calorimetry, we found that for dilute solutions of DNA with no addition of salt the DNA molecules are in the single-stranded conformation, whereas the addition of a small amount of NaBr, 1 mM, is

LH2 complexes from Rb. sphaeroides were modified genetically so that lycopene, with I I saturated double bonds, replaced the native carotenoids which contain 10 saturated double bonds. Tuning the S, level of the carotenoid in LH2 in this way affected the dynamics of energy transfer within LH2, which were investigated using both steady-state and time-resolved techniques. The S I energy of lycopene

The electronic coupling strength within columns of discotic liquid crystals is investigated using core-level Coexisting well-ordered and disordered regions are identified in thin films of tetra-alkoxy-substituted phthalocyanines with the aid of near edge X-ray absorption fine structure and photoelectron spectroscopies. These different regions Lire used to derive a lower limit for the intermolecula

Urogenital problems in the elderly female population are experienced by one third of women from the age 50 years and onward. Symptoms from the lower urinary tract include incontinence, urethritis, and recurrent urinary tract infections. Atrophic changes within the bladder neck and urethra could be corrected by estrogen administration even at doses so low that endometrial proliferation is avoided.

In many applications, such as remote sensing or wave slamming on ships and offshore structures, it is important to have a good model for wave slope. Today, most models are based on the assumption that the sea surface is well described by a Gaussian random field. However, since the Gaussian model does not capture several important features of real ocean waves, e.g. the asymmetry of crests and troug