Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Pneumococci can counteract the action of neutrophils with an antiphagocytic capsule and through electrochemical repulsion of antimicrobial peptides via addition of positive charge to the surface. Pneumococci are captured, but not killed in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Here, we study the role of the polysaccha

We have studied the influence of the InP spacer layer thickness on stacked InAs/InP quantum dots, using cross-sectional scanning tunnelling microscopy. We show that for a spacer layer thickness of up to 30 nm, the quantum dots are spatially correlated but for a separating distance of 50 nm the vertical ordering of the dots is lost. These values are the same as previously found for quantum dots in

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is an unusual tumor with highly characteristic histopathology and ultrastructure, controversial histogenesis, and enigmatic clinical behavior. Recent cytogenetic studies have identified a recurrent der(17) due to a non-reciprocal t(X;17)(p11.2;q25) in this sarcoma. To define the interval containing the Xp11.2 break, we first performed FISH on ASPS cases using YAC

Dystroglycan (DG) is a widely expressed extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor required for muscle viability, synaptogenesis, basement-membrane formation and epithelial development. As an integral component of the Dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex, DG plays a central role in linking the ECM and the cytoskeleton. Disruption of this linkage in skeletal muscle is the underlying cause in various

Natural exopolysaccharides (EPSs) from food-grade lactic acid bacteria have potential for development and exploitation as food additives and functional food ingredients with both health and economic benefits. In this study, we have examined the physiological capacity of EPS production in Pediococcus parvulus 2.6. EPS formation by P. parvulus 2.6 was found to be linked to biomass yields, provided t

Cluster N is a cluster of forebrain regions found in night-migratory songbirds that shows high activation of activity-dependent gene expression during night-time vision. We have suggested that Cluster N may function as a specialized night-vision area in night-migratory birds and that it may be involved in processing light-mediated magnetic compass information. Here, we investigated these ideas. We

Accumulation of boron in tumor tissue is an indispensable requirement for boron neutron capture therapy and it is important that the uptake is as high as possible. In this work we have studied the influence of electropermeabilization in vivo on the uptake of boron in normal and RG 2 glioma bearing Fischer 344 rats. Two different boron compounds, a sulfhydryl boron hydride (BSH) and a boronated por

Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C(16)TAB)-sodium perfluorooctanoate (C8FONa) and hexadecylpyridynium bromide (C16PyB)-(C8ONa catanionic semifluorinated mixtures have been studied by conductivity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and polarizing microscopy. The regular Solution theory, applicable for a limited fluorinated molar ratio, does not pred

In today’s software development organizations, methods and tools are employed that frequently lack sufficient evidence regarding their suitability, limits, qualities, costs, and associated risks. The need to select the best-suited method, technique or tool in a given business context is becoming more and more important. From a business perspective the trade-off between time-to-market, quality, and

Objective. To describe ultrasound characteristics of adnexal malignancies, i.e., borderline ovarian tumors, primary invasive ovarian epithelial cancer stage 1, primary invasive ovarian epithelial cancer stages 2–4, rare types of malignancy, and metastatic tumors. Methods. In a prospective international study involving nine European ultrasound centers, 1066 women with a pelvic mass judged to be

Large-scale protein conformational motions on nanosecond – microsecond time scales are important for many biological processes, but remain largely unexplored because of methodological limitations. NMR relaxation methods can access these time scales if protein tumbling is prevented, but the isotropy required for high-resolution solution NMR is then lost. However, if the immobilized protein molecule

The ability to predict surface defects in outer panels is of vital importance in the automotive industry, especially for brands in the premium car segment. Today, measures to prevent these defects cannot be taken until a test part has been manufactured, which requires a great deal of time and expense. The decision as to whether a certain surface is of acceptable quality or not is based on subjecti

This study reports carbon and water fluxes between the land surface and atmosphere in eleven different ecosystems types in Sub-Saharan Africa, as measured using eddy covariance (EC) technology in the first two years of the CarboAfrica network operation. The ecosystems for which data were available ranged in mean annual rainfall from 320 mm (Sudan) to 1150 mm (Republic of Congo) and include a spect

The ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) comprise a family of multidomain proteins with metalloprotease, cell adhesion, and signaling activities. Human ADAM12, which is implicated in diseases such as cancer, is expressed in two splice forms, the transmembrane ADAM12-L and the shorter and soluble ADAM12-S. ADAM12 is synthesized as a zymogen with the prodomain keeping the metalloprotease inacti

BACKGROUND. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of atrasentan (Xinlay), a selective endothelin-A receptor antagonist, in patients with metastatic hormone- refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). METHODS. This multinational, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 809 men with metastatic HRPC. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either atrasentan 10 mg per day

A conodont fauna including several species of Cordylodus was retrieved from two glacial siltstone boulders found on the shore of Lilltuppen, a small island immediately off the Swedish coast in the Gulf of Bothnia at c. 61 degrees N, 17 degrees E. The erratics are remnants of a poorly known level in the Swedish stratigraphic succession. They probably derive from a nearby point on the floor of the B

Spectral karyotyping (SKY) on metaphase spreads from 15 high hyperdiploid (>51 chromosomes) childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL), which typically display a poor chromosome morphology, was performed in order to investigate the pattern of numerical abnormalities, reveal the chromosomal origin of marker chromosomes, and identify translocations and other interchromosomal rearrangements not de

The influence of sorption on the mineralisation of 50 mug aniline l(-1) was examined in an aquifer material under batch conditions. The study was designed to distinguish the rates and extent of biodegradation of the sorbed and the dissolved trace organic and the contribution of sorbed and suspended bacteria to the degradation. Four different mathematical models were developed with different assump