OBJECTIVE: Nedocromil sodium (nedocromil) improves the clinical condition of asthmatic subjects but its mechanism of action is not fully understood. This study aimed to determine whether nedocromil alters the ability of contractile and relaxant non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic neural (NANC) responses to stabilise tone by inhibiting or potentiating these responses in bronchial smooth muscle and, if

Density functional calculations have been used to compare various geometric, electronic and functional properties of iron and cobalt porphyrin (Por) and corrin (Cor) species. The investigation is focussed on octahedral MII/III complexes (where M is the metal) with two axial imidazole ligands (as a model of b and c type cytochromes) or with one imidazole and one methyl ligand (as a model of methylc

The diffusion of water vapour through pulp and paper was investigated experimentally in a diffusion cell. The diffusion cell consisted of two chambers differing in relative humidity. Any given sample was placed as a barrier between the two chambers. Two pulp qualities and eleven paper grades were included in the investigation. The diffusivities measured ranged from 2.1-10(-8) m2/s to 5.4.10(-6) m2

The developments in molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based capillary electrochromatography (CEC) achieved during the past years are reviewed in this article. The MIP is prepared using a templated polymerization reaction and results in a material with a high selectivity towards a predetermined target. The selectivity of the MIP is comparable to that of the biological antibodies, however, the MIP

We have studied the epitaxial growth and electrical performance of Al-free, GaAs-based, resonant tunnelling diodes (RTDs) including thin barriers of GaInP, GO, or GaAsxP1-x. n-Type tunnelling diodes have been fabricated and the symmetry in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, as well as the peak-to-valley ratios, are found to be sensitive probes for the inter-face quality in the heterostruct

Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL; AML M3) is identified by a unique t(15;17) translocation which fuses the PML gene to the retinoic acid receptor alpha gene (RARA). Reverse transcription coupled with the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been used to develop a diagnostic test for APL based on the PML-RARA fusion message. Separate PCR assays were designed to amplify either PML-RARA (15q+ der

The dynamic soil acidification model SAFE was applied to 44 forested sites in Skåne, southern Sweden, using available Swedish databases on present soil status, vegetation and deposition. Time series of deposition were derived for each site from present deposition in a generalized fashion by dividing deposition into different classes and scaling with deposition trends from the literature. This stud

We present an experimental observation of the electronic Doppler effect in resonant Auger spectra upon core excitation slightly above the carbon K edge of the CO molecule. Thus the electronic Doppler effect has been identified in above-threshold excitation, and in a transition of Pi symmetry. Ab initio calculations of the potential energy curves of the relevant states of CO and the wave packet tec

Musculoskeletal problems are very common, and clinical assessment is central to their appropriate management; however, many clinicians are not sufficiently competent to carry out this assessment. A standardized approach to the clinical assessment of a musculoskeletal problem is, therefore, necessary, whether the patient is presenting to primary care, rheumatology or orthopedics. Such a standardize

Selection on traits conferring reduced predation may be opposed by selection on other traits associated with reproduction. Here, we examined the hypothesis that traits associated with reproduction in Gammarus pulex are driven by predation. We studied G. pulex originating from ponds with two different kinds of predator regimes: (1) ponds with fish-often large, non-gap-limited predators and (2) pond

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants of two commercial cultivars were transformed with sense and antisense constructs of a chitinase class II gene in order to develop a transformation system for this gene in barley. Transformation of embryos with the two antisense constructs resulted in ten regenerated plants, while no plants could be obtained using the sense construct. The presence of the inserted

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) fate decisions between self-renewal and commitment toward differentiation are tightly regulated in vivo. Recent developments in HSC culture and improvements of human HSC assays have facilitated studies of these processes in vitro. Through such studies stimulatory cytokines critically involved in HSC maintenance in vivo have been demonstrated to also promote HSC self-r

The bit-search generator (BSG) was proposed in 2004 and can be seen as a variant of the shrinking and self-shrinking generators. It has the advantage that it works at rate 1/3 using only one LFSR and some selection logic. We present various attacks on the BSG based on the fact that the output sequence can be uniquely defined by the differential of the input sequence. By knowing only a small part o

Neuroblastoma is an embryonal tumour of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system (SNS). One of the master regulator genes for peripheral SNS differentiation, the homeobox transcription factor PHOX2B, is mutated in familiar and sporadic neuroblastomas. Here we report that inducible expression of PHOX2B in the neuroblastoma cell line SJNB-8 down-regulates MSX1, a homeobox gene important for embryon

The continuing growth of female life expectancy has resulted in a marked increase of women in years beyond the menopause. Women can nowadays expect to live one-third of their lives in a potential hormonal deficiency state. Women over 50 comprise 17% of the total population of any country in the modern western world. Any decision regarding their health issues will have a great impact on our limited

Highly glazed buildings are designed by architects to be airy, light and transparent with more access to daylight. Their energy efficiency, however, has become questioned. Therefore, energy simulations of single skin office buildings in Sweden were carried out, using a dynamic energy simulation tool. In order to study the impact of glass on the energy use during the occupation stage, office buildi

Background Organic acid anhydrides are low molecular weight industrial chemicals, able to cause rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma associated with specific IgE against hapten-carrier protein conjugate. Only a proportion of exposed workers develop IgE-associated allergy to acid anhydrides. Objective We determined whether genetic susceptibility, in particular, HLA Class II alleles may be a risk factor.