b1 integrins are thought to play a central role in maintaining lymphocytes within mucosal epithelia via their interactions with extracellular matrix proteins and subepithelial cellular components within and underlying the basement membrane. In the current study type a (CD8abTCRab) and type b (CD8aaTCRcd and CD8aaTCRab) intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) subsets within the mouse small intestine were

A lab-scale continuous microalgal culture was grown on sterile-filtered wastewater in order to clarify the phosphorus removing mechanisms in a microalgal treatment step that treats residual phosphorus from a hydroponic wastewater treatment pilot plant. The phosphorus assimilation was dependent on algal biomass production, whereas the chemical precipitation was dependent on phosphorus load, i.e. an

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the amplifying function of the nucleus accumbens septi region (NAS) in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced rotational behaviour by implanting fetal dopamine (DA)-rich mesencephalic cell suspensions unilaterally in the NAS of rats previously subjected to combined mesostriatal (MS) and NAS 6-OHDA lesions. First, all the rats received a unilateral 6-

Recent research has improved the possibilities of assessing the influence of various factors on wound healing. Thus, PH. SANDBLOM (1944)(4), PH. SANDBLOM and A. MUREN (1953, 1954)(6,7) and B. ZEDERFELDT (1957)(8) and others have elucidated the effect of technical, local and physiological factors on the rate of healing of skin wounds. It has been shown (e.g. by B. ZEDERFELDT (1957)(8)) that various

This is a case report of a contact allergic reaction on the face due to a skin cleansing product containing the amphoteric surfactant sodium cocoamphoacetate, occurring in an atopic woman with multiple contact sensitivities. Because of its weak irritant properties, this surfactant is widely used in cosmetic products intended to be used for sensitive skin, including products for intimate, and baby

Neurobehavioral deficits in neuromotor function, verbal memory, executive function and attention found in patients with schizophrenia and their relatives have been suggested to be liability indicators or predictors of schizophrenia. It remains uncertain which of these neurobehavioral deficits are components of the illness itself or characteristics associated with genetic risk for it. The purpose o

We examine the evolutionary stability of year-round residency in territorial populations, where breeding sites are a limiting resource. The model links individual life histories to the population-wide competition for territories and includes spatial variation in habitat quality as well as a potential parent-offspring conflict over territory ownership. The general form of the model makes it applica

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by incompletely reversible airflow obstruction associated with inflammation in which monocytes/macrophages are the predominant inflammatory cells. The only known genetic factor related to COPD is inherited PiZZ deficiency of alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT), an inhibitor of serine proteases. Methods: We investigated the basal and LP

Dimorphism in pollen colour is rare among flowering plants, but occurs in two geographically and morphologically distinct subspecies of Nigella degenii (Ranunculaceae). We evaluated the role of genotype-by-environment interactions in the maintenance of two pollen morphs within each of these subspecies. Morph frequencies in a number of populations were related to current habitat conditions, and an

TheAcharian genusCetraria has not been scrutinised in the same way as the genusParmelia in terms of circumscription of segregate genera. A few generic names have been introduced, but mainly in checklists without any real indication of what these names stand for. After a detailed investigation of characters in the apothecia, conidiomata, anatomical structures, as well as morphology and secondary ch

The term osteoarthritis describes a common, age-related, heterogeneous group of disorders characterised pathologically by focal areas of loss of articular cartilage in synovial joints, associated with varying degrees of orsteophyte formation, subchondral bone change, and synovitis. joint damage is caused by a mixture of systemic factors that predispose to the disease, and local mechanical factors

Aim/hypothesis Hyperinsulinaemia maintains euglycaemia in insulin-resistant states. The precise cellular mechanisms by which the beta cells adapt are still unresolved. A peripherally derived cue, such as increased circulating fatty acids, may instruct the beta cell to initiate an adaptive programme to maintain glucose homeostasis. When this fails, type 2 diabetes ensues. Because mitochondria play

Two different self-adjoint Pauli extensions describing a spin-1/2 two-dimensional quantum system with singular magnetic field are studied. An Aharonov-Casher type formula is proved for the maximal Pauli extension and the possibility of approximation of the two different self-adjoint extensions by operators with regular magnetic fields is investigated.

Protein-based microarrays are among the novel class of rapidly emerging proteomic technologies that will allow us to efficiently perform global proteome analysis. However, the process of designing adequate protein microarrays is a major inherent problem. In this study, we have evaluated a protein microarray platform based on nonpurified affinity-tagged single-chain (sc) Fv antibody fragments to ge

Wnt-5a is a non-transforming Wnt protein. Since Wnt-5a mRNA and protein levels differ within and between tumours, the potential of Wnt-5a as a prognostic factor has been debated. We have previously shown that the lack of Wnt-5a protein is a predictor of shorter disease-free survival in human breast cancer. Recently, however, we also showed that the breast tumours lacking Wnt-5a protein had a high

BACKGROUND: Early age at first full-term pregnancy and increasing parity are associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. However, whether pregnancy decreases the risk of early-onset hereditary breast cancer is unknown. There is concern that pregnancy may increase breast-cancer risk in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations. We aimed to establish whether pregnancy is a risk factor for