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Members of the bone morphogenetic protein-1/tolloid (BMP-1/Tld) family of metalloproteinases, also known as procollagen C-proteinases (PCPs), control multiple biological events ( including matrix assembly, cross-linking, cell adhesion/migration and pattern formation) through enzymatic processing of several extracellular substrates. PCP activities on fibrillar procollagens can be stimulated by anot

High quality salmon smolts are essential for aquaculture, enhancement programs and wild populations. However, intensification of aquaculture smolt production and changes in natural habitats can cause sub-optimal environmental conditions, which may result in poor smolt quality. The salmon brain, as the integrator of environmental information, plays a focal role in relaying this information through

The withdrawal reflex system has been extensively used as a model system for studies of pain related mechanisms, sensorimotor integration, learning and memory. For a long time, this system was assumed to be organised as a flexion reflex system. However, recent studies indicate that this system has a modular organisation, each module performing a detailed and functionally adapted sensorimotor trans

We present processing technology and characterization results for InP/GaInAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) three-terminal ballistic junction (TBJ) devices manufactured using nanoimprint lithography (NIL). To transfer sub-100 nm features into a high-mobility InP-based 2DEG material, we used SiO2/Si stamps made using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. After NIL, the resist res

The aims of the present study were to compare the levels of mRNA and protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, -3, -8 and -9 in human cervical tissue in preterm and term labor as well as not in labor and to determine if corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) has an effect on MMP-1, -3 and interleukin (IL)-8 secretion in both preterm and term cervical fibroblasts. Cervical biopsies wer

The distribution of neutral and charged polymers with different flexibilities between two spheres of varying volume connected by a short and narrow cylinder has been investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The uncharged chain displayed mostly a single-sphere occupancy due to the high conformational entropy penalty of crossing the cylindrical domain, whereas for the charged polymer a double-sphere

Several lines of evidence suggest that a calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist may serve as a novel abortive migraine treatment. Here we present data on a human cell line and isolated human vessels for such an antagonist, BIBN4096BS. On SK-N-MC membranes, radiolabelled CGRP was displaced by both CGRP-(8-37) and BIBN4096BS, yielding pK(i) values of 8.5 and 11.4, respectively. F

Background: This study explores the long-term experience of involuntary childlessness among 14 Swedish women 20 years after their infertility treatment. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted. Results: The childlessness had had a strong impact on all the women’s lives and was for all a major life theme. The effects were experienced both on a personal level and on interpersonal and social leve

Two pairs of chiral stationary phases (CSPs) with different C-2-symmetric central parts were prepared and evaluated by chromatography of a series of structurally different racemates. Within each pair, the selectors on which the CSPs are based had different lengths of their achiral spacers. The CSPs based on selectors with short spacers showed higher enantioselectivity than the phases incorporating

Objective Most epidemiologic studies have suggested an increased risk of breast cancer with increasing alcohol intake. Using data from 274,688 women participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (EPIC), we investigated the relation between alcohol intake and the risk of breast cancer. Methods Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) based on Cox proportional hazard mo

A sensitive method for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) using a flow-injection capacitive biosensor is presented. SEB was purified from a crude culture filtrate of Staphylococcus aureus through three chromatographic steps. The first two steps were based on ion-exchange chromatography, and the last step was carried out on a gel filtration column. The SEB recovery values after the

Simple and computer attractive models for calculating radiation properties are still needed. This paper gives correlations for the Planck and Rosseland means of the extinction and scattering coefficients for both cylindrically and spherically shaped soot particles. The means are valid for temperatures between 400 and 2400 K and particle radii between 0.001 and 0.5 mum. The errors of these means ar

Gene expression profiling has revealed that circulating neutrophils rest between two major bursts of transcriptional and protein synthetic activities. The first occurs in the bone marrow. This equips the neutrophil with stocks of innate defense armory that are packaged into different granule subsets. The second burst occurs when the neutrophil exits circulation and migrates into tissues to find, c

We report the case of a patient with mild haemophilia A, due to a Tyr2105Cys mutation in exon 22 of the C1 domain, who developed a high-titre factor VIII inhibitor (maximum titre 1600 BU) with recurrent severe haemorrhages and fatal intracranial bleeding. Based on published data, it appears that although this mutation occurs rarely in patients with mild or moderate haemophilia A, it is frequently

AIM: To assess the prevalence of borderline isolated systolic hypertension (borderline ISH), and to examine its association with other cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional community-based study was carried out in 1993-1994 in Skara, Sweden, including 1109 randomly chosen subjects > or = 40 years old. Normotension (NT) was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 140 and diasto

It has been suggested that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the "essence of phylogeny." In contrast, much data suggest that this is an exaggeration resulting in part from a reliance on inadequate methods to identify HGT events. In addition, the assumption that HGT is a ubiquitous influence throughout evolution is questionable. Instead, rampant global HGT is likely to have been relevant only to pr