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Alkaline sphingomyelinase (Alk-SMase) is a key enzyme in the intestinal tract for digestion of dietary sphingomyelin (SM), which generates lipid messengers with cell-cycle regulating effects. The enzyme is significantly decreased in ulcerative colitis and colon cancer. Based on this information, we wanted to investigate whether the enzyme had preventive effects against murine colitis. We report he

We present a multidisciplinary description of the Upper Ordovician carbonate mounds which are found throughout the central Baltic Sea and which were studied in detail on the island of Gotland. These mounds were the subject of intense exploration between 1974 and 1992 and a total of 323 shallow wells were completed in more than 100 mounds on Gotland. Many of these were put into production and a tot

The image quality in SPECT studies of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) performed with 99mTc-HMPAO is degraded by scattered photons. The finite energy resolution of the gamma camera makes the detection of scattered photons unavoidable, and this is observed in the image as an impaired contrast between grey and white matter structures. In this work, a Monte Carlo simulated SPECT study of a rea

The 3-ethoxycarbonyl-4-quinolone compound I has previously been identified via a database search as an interesting lead compound for ligand binding at the benzodiazepine site of GABA(A) receptors (Kahnberg et al. J. Mol. Graphics Modelling 2004, 23, 253-261). Pharmacophore-guided optimization of this lead compound yielded a number of high-affinity ligands for the benzodiazepine site including comp

The role of orbital polarization for ultrafast charge transfer between an atomic adsorbate and a substrate is explored. Core hole clock spectroscopy with linearly polarized x-ray radiation allows to selectively excite adsorbate resonance states with defined spatial orientation relative to the substrate surface. For c(4x2)S/Ru(0001) the charge transfer times between the sulfur 2s(-1)3p(*+1) antibon

Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s have been functionalised with alkyl side chains carrying phosphonic acid and bis(phosphonic acid) in order to investigate their properties as membrane materials. The phosphonated and bisphosphonated polymers were synthesised via lithiation of poly(arylene ether sulfone)s, followed by reactions with triethyl 3-phosphonopropionate and tetraisopropyl vinylidenediphosphona

Pig meat shows natural variations in the concentrations of precursors of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which may affect formation of HCAs in cooked pig meat. To study this, 26 pigs with an inherent genetic variation (carriers and noncarriers of the RN- allele) were subjected to different feeding regimes (conventional feed compared with feed composed according to organic standards). In addition, the

Host-pathogen interactions that allow Helicobacter pylori to survive and persist in the stomach of susceptible individuals remain unclear. Human beta-defensins ( hBDs), epithelial-derived antimicrobial peptides are critical components of host-defense at mucosal surfaces. The role of H. pylori-mediated NF-kappa B and epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) activation on beta-defensin expression wa

The binding site of immunoglobulin G (IgG) to herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1-induced Fc receptor was investigated using human IgG Fc intermediate (Fc(i)) fragments, fragment D of staphylococcal protein A (SPA) and chemically modified human IgG. Human IgG Fc(i) fragment composed of one Cgamma2 and two Cgamma3 domains, bound strongly to HSV-1-infected cells. Fragment D, a monovalent subunit of SP

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex genetic disorders more frequently observed in males. Skewed X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is observed in heterozygous females carrying gene mutations involved in several X-linked syndromes. In this study, we aimed to estimate the role of X-linked genes in ASD susceptibility by ascertaining the XCI pattern in a sample of 543 informative mothers of child

In the Silurian, Baltica and Laurentia collided to form the Caledonian orogenic belt. During this process, nappes derived from the pre-collisional Baltic margin, from outboard terranes of Baltica, and from exotic terranes of probable Laurentian origin, respectively, were thrust upon the indenting Baltica. The Middle Allochthon is a tectonostratigraphic level inferred to represent the rifted Neopro

Volatile anaesthetics may modulate cerebrovascular resistance, but their direct actions on human cerebral arteries are unknown. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of halothane and isoflurane at different MAC (0.4, 1.0 and 2.0) on contractions induced by depolarization (potassium) or receptor stimulation (prostaglandin F2 alpha) in isolated ring segments of human pial arteries. Nei

Workers at a copper and lead smelter in northern Sweden have a multifactorial exposure to a number of heavy metals. The concentrations of cadmium, copper and zinc in Liver, Lung, kidney and brain tissues have been deters mined by atomic absorption spectrometry in 32 deceased tong-term exposed male lead smelter workers, and compared with those of 10 male controls. Furthermore, copper and zinc Level

Mathematical morphology with spatially variant structuring elements outperforms translation-invariant structuring elements in various applications and has been studied in the literature over the years. However, supporting a variable structuring element shape imposes an overwhelming computational complexity, dramatically increasing with the size of the structuring element. Limiting the supported cl

Adduct formation between cationic reagents and targets on DNA are facilitated by the ability of DNA to attract cations to its surface. The electrostatic interactions likely provide the basis for the documented preference exhibited by cisplatin and related compounds for nuclear DNA over other cellular constituents. As an extension of a previous communication, we here present an investigation illust

We examined the effect of a range of pentobarbital concentrations on 0.5 microM gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-activated channels (10 +/- 1 pS) in inside-out or outside-out patches from rat cultured hippocampal neurons. The conductance increased from 12 +/- 4 to 62 +/- 9 pS as the pentobarbital concentration was raised from 10 to 500 microM and the data could be fitted by a Hill-type equation. At

Acoustophoresis in microfluidic structures has primarily been reported in silicon microfabricated devices. This paper demonstrates, for the first time, acoustophoresis performed in isotropically etched glass chips providing a performance that matches that of the corresponding silicon microdevices. The resonance mode characteristics of the glass chip were equal to those of the silicon chip at its f

Relationships between 24-h urinary excretion and body burden of 137Cs obtained in a south-Swedish population, together with data from the literature, were applied to urine samples collected in 1994-95 from adult subjects living in Russia, in order to estimate their average body burden of 137Cs. Estimates obtained through creatinine normalisation of the 137Cs content in the Russian urine were a fac