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In “Weighing Lives” (2004) John Broome criticizes a view common to many population axiologists. This is the view that population increases with extra people leading decent lives are axiologically neutral: they make the world neither better nor worse, ceteris paribus. Broome argues that this intuition, however, attractive, cannot be sustained, for several independent reasons. I respond to his criti

This study explored the role of secreted fibroblast-derived factors in prostate cancer growth. Analyses of matched normal and tumor tissue revealed up-regulation of CXCL14 in cancer-associated fibroblasts of a majority of prostate cancer. Fibroblasts overexpressing CXCL14 promoted the growth of prostate cancer xenografts, and increased tumor angiogenesis and macrophage infiltration. Mechanistic st

A way to determine the depth of an embedded fluorescent object, for example deep-lying tumors marked with a fluorescent probe, is to detect fluorescent light that has propagated through the medium at two different wavelength bands. A ratio can then be calculated between the corresponding intensities. The wavelength regions should be chosen such that there is a difference in the absorption in the m

The central complex is a group of neuropils in the center of the insect brain. It consists of four major subunits: the upper and lower divisions of the central body (CBU, CBL), the protocerebral bridge (PB), and the paired noduli. A distinctive feature of the central complex is a modular architecture characterized by rows of 16 columns, intersected in the central body by stacks of layers. Evidence

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of an estradiol (E2)–progesterone substitution protocol on the endometrial expression of estrogen-sensitive genes during the peri-implantation period. METHODS: Peripheral blood and endometrial biopsies were obtained from 13 infertile women both in a natural cycle (NC), on days 5 and 7 after ovulation (NC5, NC7), and in an artificial (sub

Objective. To study the clinical recovery from acute otitis media ( AOM) in children, 2-16 years of age, managed with or without treatment with phenoxymethylpenicillin ( PcV). Design. An open, prospective randomized trial. Children aged between 2 and 16 years, presenting with one- or double-sided AOM ( without perforation) with symptom duration of less than four days, were included. The children w

Background: While plasma-derived concentrates containing large amounts of von Willebrand factor (VWF) are effective in treating von Willebrand disease (VWD), optimal dosing remains to be fully characterized. Objectives: To determine the feasibility of dosing Haemate P-(R) VWF/factor VIII (FVIII) concentrate based on pharmacokinetics (PK) in the management of surgical subjects with VWD. Methods: VW

Cathepsin B is a papain-like cysteine protease showing both endo- and exopeptidase activity, the latter due to a unique occluding loop that restricts access to the active site cleft. To clarify the mode by which natural protein inhibitors manage to overcome this obstacle, we have analyzed the structure and function of cathepsin B in complexes with the Trypanosoma cruzi inhibitor, chagasin. Kinetic

Bral1, a brain-specific hyaluronan-binding protein, has been cloned recently. To gain insight into the role of Bral1, we generated a specific antibody against this protein. We have examined the detailed localization pattern of Bral1 protein and compared it with that of other members of the lectican proteoglycan family, such as brevican and versican, with which Bral1 is predicted to interact. The i

Semmelweis’s work predates the discovery of the power of randomization in medicine by almost a century. Although Semmelweis would not have consciously used a randomized controlled trial (RCT), some features of his material—the allocation of patients to the first and second clinics—did involve what was in fact a randomization, though this was not realised at the time. This article begins by explain

Saccharomyces kluyveri is a petite-negative yeast, which is less prone to form ethanol under aerobic conditions than is S. cerevisiae. The first reaction on the route from pyruvate to ethanol is catalysed by pyruvate decarboxylase, and the differences observed between S. kluyveri and S. cerevisiae with respect to ethanol formation under aerobic conditions could be caused by differences in the regu

Aims: The aim of the study was to compare alcohol use, consequences and common risk factors between American and Swedish college students. Methods: A secondary comparative analysis from one American and two Swedish studies in college settings. Results: Swedish freshmen report higher alcohol use than US freshmen students. Swedish residence hall students report higher alcohol use than US residence h

Fimbriae target bacteria to different mucosal surfaces and enhance the inflammatory response at these sites. Inflammation may be triggered by the fimbriae themselves or by fimbriae-dependent delivery of other host activating molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Although LPS activates systemic inflammation through the CD14 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathways, mechanisms of epithelial ce

Migration is the regular seasonal movement of animals from one place to another, often from a breeding site to a nonbreeding site and back. Because the act of migration makes it difficult to follow individuals and populations year round, our understanding of the ecology and evolution of migrating organisms, particularly binds, has been severely impeded. Exciting new advances in satellite telemetry

The partial phase diagram of D2O/n-octyl-beta-D-alkyl-glucoside(C(8)G(1))/n-octane has been determined at T = 25 degrees C. The diagram contains a funnel-shaped micellar phase originating from the water corner of the phase diagram D2O/C(8)G(1) with the stern forming a narrow three-phase region, in which the three phases in equilibrium are two microemulsions of similar composition and an excess oil

Here we report an EPR signal that is induced by a pH jump to alkaline pH in the S3 state of the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II. The S3 state is first formed with two flashes at pH 6. Thereafter, the pH is changed in the dark prior to freezing of the sample. The EPR signal is 90-100 G wide and centered around g = 2. The signal is reversibly induced with a pK = 8.5 ± 0.3 and is very stabl

The size and charge-selective properties of the glomerular barrier are partly controversial. Glomerular sieving coefficients (theta) for proteins have rarely been determined noninvasively before in vivo. Therefore, theta was assessed vs. glomerular filtration rate (GFR; Cr-51-EDTA clearance) in intact rats for radiolabeled myoglobin, kappa-dimer, neutral horseradish peroxidase (nHRP), neutral huma

BACKGROUND. The aim of this study was to compare Perfadex with Euro-Collins solution regarding 24-hour preservation of endothelium-dependent relaxation and vascular smooth muscle function. METHODS. The infrarenal aorta of 72 isogenic rats was studied in organ baths as fresh controls, after 24 hours of cold (4 degrees C) storage, and after 24-hour storage followed by transplantation and examination