CagA seropositivity is an important risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma and duodenal ulcer. However, CagA seropositivity is also found in Helicobacter pylori-seronegative subjects. Is CagA seropositivity in these subjects a sign of a past H. pylori infection, or does it represent a false-positive reaction? This study investigates the intensity of the CagA immune reaction and the variation in Ca

We have determined the solution structure of an albumin binding domain of protein G, a surface protein of group C and G streptococci. We find that it folds into a left handed three-helix bundle similar to the albumin binding domain of protein PAB from Peptostreptococcus magnus. The two domains share 59% sequence identity, are thermally very stable, and bind to the same site on human serum albumin.

A compact laser-plasma proximity x-ray lithography system suitable for laboratory-scale low-volume nanometer patterning is presented. The laser-plasma source, which is based on a fluorocarbon liquid-jet target, generates high-brightness lambda = 1.2-1.7 nm x-ray emission with only negligible debris production. The Au/SiNx x-ray mask is fabricated by employing ion milling and a high-contrast e-beam

Objective: To determine the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely preterm infants born before 27 weeks' gestation in Sweden during a 3-year period. Methods: A national, prospective, population-based study was performed in Sweden from April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2007. The ophthalmologic part of the study was separately organized, and screening for ROP was performed beginning po

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a hormone with well-known secretory and trophic effects on the pancreas. This also is true for epidermal growth factor (EGF), which acts in a paracrine and autocrine way. The aim was to study the influence of CCK on cell proliferation in rat pancreas with special reference to the expression of EGF, the EGF receptor, and phosphorylated tyrosine. Twenty-four male Sprague-Daw

Powdery mildew is a common disease of field pea, Pisum sativum L., and is caused by the ascomycete fungus Erysiphe pisi. It can cause severe damage in areas where pea is cultivated. Today breeders want to develop new pea lines that are resistant to the disease. To make the breeding process more efficient, it is desirable to find genetic markers for use in a marker-assisted selection (MAS) strategy

In most environmental models of Parkinson's disease (PD), a single neurodegenerative agent is introduced to cause nigrostriatal clopamine depletion. However, cell loss in human PD often might derive, at least in part. from multiple toxins or vulnerabilities, any one of which alone does not inevitably lead to chronic dopamine depletion. In the present research, male C57BL/6J mice were systemically

Bilayer-forming lipids were shown to be ineffective in sustaining the enzymatic activity of violaxanthin de-epoxidase. On the other hand, non-bilayer-forming lipids, regard-less of their different chemical character, ensured high activity of violaxanthin de-epoxidase, resulting in conversion of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin. Our data indicates that the presence of lipids forming reversed hexagonal st

An almost k-wise independent sample space is a small subset of m bit sequences in which any k bits are “almost independent”. We show that this idea has close relationships with useful cryptologic notions such as multiple authentication codes (multiple A-codes), almost strongly universal hash families and almost k-resilient functions. We use almost k-wise independent sample spaces to construct new

An all-diode-laser-based spectrometer is used for the simultaneous detection of methane, oxygen and water vapour. This is accomplished using a 760-nm diode laser and a 980-nm diode laser in conjunction with difference-frequency generation to 3.4 mum in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. Each of the output wavelengths is resonant with one of the molecular species. Simultaneous recordings

A multicentre study was performed in Sweden and the Netherlands, comparing effects of two prophylactic regimens in 128 patients with severe haemophilia, born 1970-90. 42 Swedish patients (high-dose prophylaxis), were compared with 86 Dutch patients (intermediate-dose prophylaxis). Patients were evaluated at the date of their last radiological score according to Pettersson. Annual clotting factor c

This paper addresses an important gap in the literature intersection between network theory and networked innovation by developing a theoretical framework on how to leverage learning alliances across extra- and intra-corporate levels to support both exploration and exploitation of innovation to secure its creation and its implementation. A detailed case of the Volvo C70 development is analysed wit

Objectives. We examined the socioeconomic distribution of adolescent exposure to bullying internationally and documented the contribution of the macroeconomic environment. Methods. We used an international survey of 162305 students aged 11, 13, and 15 years from nationally representative samples of 5998 schools in 35 countries in Europe and North America for the 2001-2002 school year. The survey u

Background: Mortality in a population is regarded as an accurate and valid measure of the population's health. There are a few international studies, predominantly cross- sectional, of mortality among all foreign- born compared with an indigenous population, and the results have varied. No Swedish longitudinal study describing and analysing mortality data was found in a literature review. Methods:

Folate concentrations in rosehips and commercial rosehip products and factors affecting folate retention during drying were investigated. On the basis of the raw material studied during 3 years, rosehips were shown to be a rich folate source, 400-600 g/100 g based on dry matter and 160-185 g/100 g based on the fresh weight (edible part). Rosehips are not often consumed fresh; therefore, drying to

A methodology for safety verification using barrier certificates has been proposed recently, Conditions that must be satisfied by a barrier certificate can be formulated as a convex program, and the feasibility of the program implies system safety, in the sense that there is no trajectory starting from a given set of initial states that reaches a given unsafe region. The dual of this problem, i.e.

Three major PITX2 isoforms are differentially expressed in human, mice, zebrafish, chick, and frog tissues. To demonstrate differential regulation of gene expression by these isoforms we used three different promoters and three cell lines. Transient transfection of Chinese hamster ovary, HeLa, and LS-8 cell lines revealed differences in PITX2A and PITX2C activation of the PLOD1 and Dlx2 promoters,