Diabetes and obesity have long been known to be related. The recently characterized adipocyte hormone resistin (also called FIZZ3/ADSF) has been implicated as a molecular link between impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and obesity in mice. A search for sequence variants at the human resistin locus identified nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) but no coding variants. An investigation into th

In this investigation, the modulating effects of non-immune human IgG and rheumatoid factors (RFs) on antigen-antibody complexations were studied. Non-immune human IgG, as well as RF, were found to inhibit the binding of antigen to specific antibodies of both human and rabbit origin. In addition, human immunoglobulins were also able to modify the composition of preformed antigen-antibody complexes

Many promising robotics research results were obtained during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Some examples include Cartesian force control and advanced motion planning. Now, 20 years and many research projects later, many technologies still have not reached industrial usage. An important question to consider is how this situation can be improved for future deployment of necessary technologies. To

According to landscape theory proteins do not fold by localised pathways, but find their native conformation by a progressive organisation of an ensemble of partly folded structures down a folding funnel. Here, we use kinetics and protein engineering to investigate the shape of the free-energy profile for two-state folding, which is the macroscopic view of the funnel process for small and rapidly

Popular Abstract in Swedish Den här avhandlingen är ett bidrag till utvecklingen av en metodik som gör det möjligt att med hjälp av fossila pollen d.v.s. pollen som lagrats i mossar och sjöar, rekonstruera historiska och förhistoriska landskap så precist som möjligt vad gäller utbredning av skog, olika typer av öppen mark samt vegetationens sammansättning. Den tolknings metodik som för närvarande Fossil pollen records retrieved from peat and lake sediments have great potential for quantifying past plant cover. This thesis is a contribution to the development of a palynological interpretation tool for reconstructing past cultural landscapes in terms of plant abundance and distribution. The aims of this thesis are (1) to explore pollen-vegetation relationships in the ancient, traditional cul

Autoimmune thyroid disease is common among women of childbearing age. Thyroid autoantibodies are predominantly of the immunoglobulin G (IgG)-type and pass the placental barrier from mother to child. Recent studies have suggested a pathogenetic role for transplacentally transmitted autoantibodies in the development of autoimmune disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate if children a

Role of R-(-)-deprenyl in adhesion of neuronal and non-neuronal cells. The beneficial effect of the anti-parkinsonian monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor, R-(-)-deprenyl has been shown in a number of different diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis or tumor formation. The role of the cytoskeleton, the main component of cell adhesion, has been suggested in the development

The subject of this study is the re-intensified dispute between rhetoric and philosophy in the times of the Second Sophistic. The focus of our investigation has been on two authors of this period who have left behind treatises the explicit purpose of which is to attack or defend rhetoric: Sextus Empiricus who is sharply criticising rhetoric and Aelius Aristides who is defending it. Our purpose has

The synthesis and contents of extracellular non-collagenous matrix macromolecules was studied in early and late human osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage obtained at surgery for sarcomas in the lower extremities (normal and early OA) or for total knee replacement (late stage OA). The early OA samples were those that had some fibrillation in the joint by visual examination. One group had fibrillation in

A typology of churched and unchurched religions is developed and then used to analyse the status of unchurched spirituality in the United States, Sweden, and Japan. In the United States, churched religions remain strong, while most of those who say they have no religious preference are quite religious, merely unchurched. In Sweden, the lack of participation in the state church seems to be more tha

Proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) is a G protein-coupled receptor related to the thrombin receptor. PAR-2 can be activated by trypsin and by synthetic peptides corresponding to the new amino terminus generated by activating proteolytic cleavage. We show in this report that intravenous injection of PAR-2 agonist peptides has dramatic effects on arterial blood pressure in anesthetized rats. Th

The article presents the outlines of an integrative theory of meaning based on the concept of value, understood both as a biological and as a socio-cultural category, synthesizing ideas from evolutionary and developmental psychology, semiotics and cybernetics. The proposal distinguishes between four types of meaning systems, cue-based, associational, mimetic and symbolic, forming an evolutionary a

Atmospheric deposition of N and S appears to have caused nutrient imbalance in Norway spruce stands in southern Sweden. This calls for a change of forest management to procedures that promote nutrient balance. Studies have shown lower soil acidity in Norway spruce/deciduous mixed stands than in spruce monocultures, but the tree nutrient status in such mixtures has not been much investigated so far

The cyclisation conditions for the formation of bicyclo[2.2.2]octan-2,6-di one (1) from 3-substituted cyclohexanones 2 and 3 have been re-investigated. Use of a medium consisting of isobutyric anhydride and trifluoroacetic acid resulted in a simplified and reproducible method for large-scale synthesis of this compound.