Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the formation of intracytoplasmic inclusions, which contain α-synuclein (α-syn) protein. While most profound neurodegeneration is seen in the dopamine (DA) synthesizing neurons located in the ventral midbrain, it is unclear why some DA cell groups are more susceptible than others. In the midbrain, the degeneration of the substantia nigra (SN) DA neurons

To elucidate if an effect of propofol on endothelium-dependent relaxation could contribute to propofol-induced vasodilation, smooth muscle relaxation of isolated human omental artery and vein segments precontracted by endothelin-1 were measured. Substance P induced a concentration-dependent relaxation (mean +/- SEM) in both artery (63 +/-8.4% of precontraction, n = 9) and vein (60+/-11%, n = 7). T

Host-related and environmental factors for tuberculosis have usually been investigated separately using different study designs. Joint investigation of the genetic, immunologic, and environmental factors at play in susceptibility to tuberculosis represents an innovative goal for obtaining a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease. In this paper, the authors describe methods being u

Under normal conditions about 50% of the placental venous return bypasses the liver through the ductus venosus. This blood flow is preferentially directed toward the foramen ovale and provides optimum oxygenation to the fetal heart and brain. Absence of the ductus venosus is a rare vascular anomaly, the significance of which has been disputed. We distinguish the pattern in which the liver is entir

dc sputter deposition of stoichiometric Al2O3 is usually difficult due to the formation of an oxidized layer on the target surface, which reduces the deposition rate drastically and causes charge buildup and arcing at the target. To avoid this situation the arrival rate ratio O2/Al must be high enough at the substrate position that a stoichiometric film can form but low enough at the target that a

With a large number of sequenced microbial genomes available, tools for identifying groups or classes of proteins have become increasingly important. Here we present an improved pattern for the identification of cell wall-attached proteins (CWPs), a group of proteins with diverse and important functions in gram-positive bacteria. This tripartite pattern is based on analysis of 65 previously descri

Objective: The proteoglycan decorin stabilizes collagen whereas biglycan and hyaluronan disrupt well-organized collagen. The aim was to compare hyaluronan and proteoglycans in human fetal membranes obtained before and after spontaneous labour at term. Study design: Prelabour samples of fetal membranes (N = 9) were obtained from elective caesarean sections and regionally sampled from over the cervi

We here describe the methods for the isolation of distinct hematopoietic subpopulations, as defined by their immune phenotype by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and how these cells can be analyzed even at a single-cell level for the gene expression of a number of transcription factors and other differentiation markers.

We analyze the hp-version of the streamline diffusion finite element method for the Vlasov–Fokker–Planck system. For this method we prove the stability estimates and derive sharp a priori error bounds in a stabilization parameter δ ~ min(h/p, h2/σ), with h denoting the mesh size of the finite element discretization in phase-space-time, p the spectral order of approximation, and σ the transport cro

The extraction procedure for analysis of the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) in blanched leguminous vine peas was optimized. For this purpose, 25 pea samples from different cultivars and of different maturity were chosen at random. The effect of blanching was also studied in four cultivars. The yield of oligosaccharides was almost double on average when extracted with 50% ethanol as compa

Preschoolers’ prosocial and aggressive behaviors were explored longitudinally, with a focus on the inferred underlying motives of these behaviors. Forty-four children (initially 22–40 months) were observed in naturalistic interactions with peers, during a two-month period for each of three consecutive years. Three categories of prosocial behavior (requested, altruistic, and non-altruistic) and thr

Objective. To provide recommendations on the use of disease-modifying agents in the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) and to ensure that treatment will be available to those patients who may benefit. Methods. An initial draft of the consensus statement was prepared by the Steering Committee and amended in the light of written comments from a group of MS specialists. At a subsequent workshop, t

A number of numerical algorithms have been developed for various special classes of DAEs. This paper describes a new variable step size, constraint preserving integrator for general non-linear fully implicit higher index DAEs. Numerical implementation issues are discussed. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the new method.

Reaction of the tetradentate ligand N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N, N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl) amine (L - OH) with MoO2Cl2 in methanol in the presence of NaOMe and PF6- results in the formation of [MoO2(L - O)] PF6. Similarly, the reaction of N-(2-mercaptobenzyl)- N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl) amine (L -SH) with MoO2(acac)(2) leads to the formation of [MoO2(L - S)](+). The dioxo-molybdenum complex [MoO2(L - O)](+)

Here we studied whether glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), given as a single bolus injection before an intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion, can protect the nigrostriatal dopamine neurons against the toxin-induced damage and preserve normal motor functions in the lesioned animals. GDNF or vehicle was injected in the striatum (25 microg), substantia nigra (25 microg) or