1. Salmeterol is a potent, selective and long acting beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist. In vitro, salmeterol exerts 'reassertion' relaxation of airways smooth muscle. Reassertion relaxation refers to the capacity of salmeterol to cause repeated functional antagonism of induced contraction when airway smooth muscle is intermittently exposed to, then washed free from, beta-adrenoceptor antagonists such as

In this study we have developed and validated a novel approach of transgene regulation in the brain. By using lentiviral vectors that incorporate promoters of genes that are up-regulated during different pathological states, we were able to regulate transgene expression in accordance with the disease process. When using a glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter, efficient disease regulation in gl

In a search for inhibitors of the inducible tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) promoter activity and synthesis, a new chlorinated cyclopentenone was isolated from fermentations of the ascomycete Mollisia melaleuca. The structure was determined by a combination of spectroscopic techniques. The compound blocked the inducible human TNF-alpha promoter activity and synthesis with IC50-values of 2.

An axillary brachial plexus nerve block by a transarterial approach is commonly used to achieve regional anaesthesia for hand surgery. We designed a retrospective study to evaluate efficacy and safety of the technique for acute and elective operations. Anaesthetic records of 189 of all 5520 patients (1996-2000) who had axillary brachial plexus blocks for hand surgery were reviewed, and results com

The level scheme of 87Mo was investigated with the reaction Ni-58(S-32, 2pn) at projectile energies of 110-130 MeV and the reaction Ca-40(Cr-50, 2pn) at 170 MeV. Extensive spectroscopic information was collected including gamma-gamma and neutron-gated gamma-gamma-coincidences as well as coincidences with identified 87Mo residues. Level lifetimes were studied with the RDDS and DSA methods. The angu

A simple computationally effective method is developed for solving the Ben Daniel - Duke equations for nanowire semiconductor heterostructures. The method allows eigenstates and associated energy levels of nanowires with varying cross- sectional shape and/ or varying composition to be obtained, and is based on expanding the envelope function eigenstates on local eigenstates of the corresponding cr

Objectives. Prospective studies have indicated that hyperinsulinaemia/insulin resistance is a risk factor for ischaemic heart disease (IHD), the risk decreasing with time of follow-up. Few studies have so far investigated the role of hyperinsulinaemia in the prediction of long-term total mortality. Setting. Section of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden

Background: Avascular necrosis of bone (osteonecrosis) can cause structural failure and subsequent deformation, leading to joint dysfunction and pain. Structural failure is the result of resorption of necrotic bone during revascularization, before new bone has formed or consolidated enough for loadbearing. Bone resorption can be reduced by bisphosphonates. If resorption of the necrotic bone could

The calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells ( NFAT) signaling pathway has been found to play a role in regulating growth and differentiation in several cell types. However, the functional significance of NFAT in the vasculature is largely unclear. Here we show that NFATc1, NFATc3, and NFATc4 are expressed in human myometrial arteries. Confocal immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis r

Background: COMP (Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein) is a matrix protein, which is currently studied as a potential serum marker for cartilage processes in osteoarthritis (OA). The influence of physical exercise on serum COMP is not fully elucidated. The objective of the present study was to monitor serum levels of COMP during a randomised controlled trial of physical exercise vs. standardised r

A positive and innovative organizational climate is of great importance in order to manage and adapt to change. Such a climate seldom evolves in organizations closely governed by rules and regulations. Because of ongoing organizational and technical changes within the Swedish Air Navigation Services Provider, a study concerning the organizational climate for changes and innovations was conducted t

Two synchronous bilateral breast carcinomas and their matched lymph node metastases from a 70-year-old man were cytogenetically analyzed. All four tumors were near-diploid, and except for the primary tumor from the right breast, had a 45,X,-Y clone in common. The loss of the Y chromosome was, however, common to all four tumors, whereas metaphase cells from peripheral blood lymphocytes showed a nor

We report on large-scale ab initio multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock calculations for important multiplets including the UV 0.01 multiplet, 2s(2)2p(2)P(J-)2s2p(24)P(J'), in O IV. The resulting transition probabilities should be accurate to +/- 5%-10% for intersystem lines and 1% or better for permitted lines. We present new calculations of line emission coefficients using these transition probabilit

A set of new polymers that can be used as phase forming components in aqueous two-phase systems is presented. All polymers studied have thermoseparating properties i.e. form one separate polymer enriched phase and one aqueous solution when heated above the critical temperature. This property makes the polymers attractive alternatives to the polymers used in traditional aqueous two-phase systems su

We have generated attosecond pulse trains in an ensemble of randomly aligned nitrogen molecules. Measurements of the high-order harmonic relative phases and amplitudes allow us to reconstruct the temporal profile of the attosecond pulses. We show that in the considered spectral range, the latter is very similar to the pulse train generated in argon under the same conditions. We discuss the possibl

A pool of heparan sulphate-binding proteins (HSBPs) from Helicobacter pylori culture supernates was obtained by sequential ammonium sulphate precipitation and affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose, The chromatographic procedure yielded one major fraction that contained proteins with heparan sulphate affinity as revealed by inhibition studies of heparan sulphate binding to H. pylori cells. P