Meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) are small venomous snakes whose range in Hungary has been greatly fragmented by anthropogenic habitat disturbance (especially, agriculture). We obtained DNA from a total of eight Hungarian snakes. Genetic variability at the major histocompatibility (Mhc) class I loci was much lower for these snakes than for specimens from two large Ukrainian populations. Within two H

Aims: To study the expression of mucins in peripheral airways in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods and results: Peripheral lung sections from smokers with COPD (n = 9) and age-matched controls including smokers (n = 11) and lifelong non-smokers with normal lung function (n = 6) were stained with alcian blue, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and by immunohistochemistry o

To further develop and evaluate a pharmacophore model previously proposed by Cook and co-workers (Drug Des. Discovery 1995,12,193-248) for ligands binding to the benzodiazepine site of the GABA(A) receptor, 40 new flavone derivatives have been synthesized and their affinities for the benzodiazepine site have been determined. Two new regions of steric repulsive interactions between ligand and recep

Microbial biomass and soil respiration rate decreased after application of 150 kg NH4NO3–N∙ha−1 to different coniferous forest podzols. The decrease was already found 3 months after fertilization and was still evident after 3–5 years. Changes in pH, organic matter, or water content in the soils could not explain the decreases. In laboratory experiments, several unfertilized forest soils were treat

The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot appointed an expert panel to provide evidence-based guidance on the management of osteomyelitis in the diabetic foot. Initially, the panel formulated a consensus scheme for the diagnosis of diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) for research purposes, and undertook a systematic review of the evidence relating to treatment. The consensus diagnostic sc

A new approach to the estimation of activity coefficients in sea water has been established using statistical mechanics. The distribution of particles (ions and nonelectrolytes) are simulated with a Monte Carlo method combined with a particle insertion technique that allows calculation of the activity coefficients. The simulations are based on the primitive model of electrolytes and accounts for b

Potato is an important crop for starch production, but there are limitations regarding the genetic variation of starch quality. in maize, starches with various properties have been available for a long time by mutational breeding. Amylose starch from potatoes differs from cereal amyloses in several functionally important aspects, such as a higher degree of polymerization. Areas of application in w

In order to improve the accuracy of SPECT measurements, correction methods have to be used. Two different scatter correction techniques-the dual-window (DW) technique and the convolution (CV) technique-were compared using projection data, simulated by the Monte Carlo method. Comparison with measured data was also made to validate the accuracy of the Monte Carlo code. The main goal was to investiga

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between history of induced abortion and preterm delivery in various parts of Europe, and according to the main cause of preterm birth. METHODS: We used data from a case–control survey, the EUROPOP study; 2938 preterm births and 4781 controls at term from ten European countries were included. Based on national statistics, w

PDCD1, an immunoreceptor involved in peripheral tolerance has previously been shown to be genetically associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). PDCD1 has two ligands whose genes are located in close proximity on chromosome 9p24. Our attention was drawn to these ligands after finding suggestive linkage to a marker (gata62f03, Z = 2.27) located close to their genes in a genome scan of Icel

Academic archaeology of the twentieth century has strangely ignored warfare and violence as relevant aspects of past human activity despite sufficient evidence of war-related traumata, weaponry, warrior burials, and war-celebrative iconographies. Instead - and relatively independently of paradigmatic shifts - two commemorative tales about warriors and peasants in the European societies of the Ston

Previous case-control studies have suggested that a high intake of animal foods and its associated nutrients are associated with an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma, although data from prospective studies are limited. We report here on the relationship between macronutrient intake and renal cell carcinoma incidence among 435,293 participants enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation

Administration of insulin with premeal boluses of short-acting insulin using a new injection device (Novopen) was compared with a conventional three times daily injection regimen regarding aspects of quality of life and metabolic control in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Eighteen C-peptide-negative patients with IDDM (16 men, two women, aged 31.0 ± 7.4 years, duration of diabetes 13.

The laminin receptor integrin alpha 6 chain is ubiquitously expressed in human and mouse hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. We have studied its role for homing of stem and progenitor cells to mouse hematopoietic tissues In vivo. A function-blocking anti-integrin alpha 6 antibody significantly reduced progenitor cell homing to bone marrow (BM) of lethally irradiated mice, with a corresponding

Purpose: To identify target genes of clinical significance for patients with malignant peripheral-nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), an aggressive cancer for which no consensus therapy exists. Materials and Methods: Biopsies and clinical data from 51 patients with MPNST were included in this study. Based on our previous research implicating chromosome arm 17q amplification in MPNST, we performed gene exp

The remarkable progress of cryoelectron microscopy and crystallography in elucidating ribosomal structure and function continues. Most recently, two papers about complete 70S ribosomes from Thermus thermophilus at 2.8- and 3.7-angstrom resolution give us more details about the conformations of bound transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules; the bridges between subunits; the locations and roles of proteins, m