Eyes of the hoverfly Eristalis tenax are sexually dimorphic such that males have a fronto-dorsal region of large facets. In contrast to other large flies in which large facets are associated with a decreased interommatidial angle to form a dorsal 'acute zone' of increased spatial resolution, we show that a dorsal region of large facets in males appears to form a 'bright zone' of increased light ca

Two separate citrate synthases from the extremely thermophilic bacterium Rhodothermus marinus have been identified and purified. One of the enzymes is a hexameric protein and is the first thermostable, hexameric citrate synthase to be isolated. The other is a dimeric enzyme, which is also thermostable but possesses both citrate synthase and 2-methyl citrate synthase activities. 2-Methyl citrate sy

GaSb/GaAs quantum dot systems are fabricated using MBE under various growth modes. The as-grown samples are studied with in situ synchrotron radiation XPS covering the As 3d, Sb 4d and Ga 3d core levels and the valence band region. The XPS spectra show dramatic changes with the growth modes, reflecting changes in the local electronic structure and chemical environments of the surface and interface

Adenoviral vector-mediated transfer of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can be a powerful approach to lung cancer therapy. However, the efficiency of adenoviral vector gene transfer and the sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in the context of adenoviral vector gene transfer have yet to be characterized in primary lung cancers. In this study, we investigated the e

The molecular pathways regulating lymphoid priming, fate, and development of multipotent bone marrow (BM) stem/ progenitor cells that continuously replace thymic progenitors remain largely unknown. Herein, we show that fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) figand (FI)-deficient mice have distinct reductions in the earliest thymic progenitors in fetal, postnatal, and adult thymus. A critical role of FL

Purpose: To assess the additional value of subtraction ictal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) coregistered to MRI (SISCOM) for localization of the epileptogenic zone in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy scheduled for invasive video-EEG (VEEG) before epilepsy surgery by a descriptive study from clinical practice. Methods: Forty-nine consecutive epilepsy patients between Januar

Background: Several studies have shown impaired mental well-being and performance in physicians work on call, but knowledge of the physiological effects is scarce. The aims of the present study were to investigate if there was a metabolic stress response in the restitutional phase after night-call duty, indicating potential negative health effects, and determine whether there were differences betw

We used exposure to microwaves from a global system for mobile communication (GSM) mobile phone (915 MHz, specific absorption rate (SAR) 37 mW/kg) and power frequency magnetic field (50 Hz, 15 mu T peak value) to investigate the response of lymphocytes from healthy subjects and from persons reporting hypersensitivity to electromagnetic field (EMF). The hypersensitive and healthy donors were matche

In recent years, the question of what determines compliance with international regulatory agreements has gained an increasingly prominent position on the research agenda through a burgeoning literature on international regime effectiveness and international legal systems. The contemporary debate is framed in terms of two alternative perspectives on compliance: enforcement or management. The two pe

Objective: The aim of this study was the validation of the criteria defining a significant mucocutaneous-bleeding history in type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD). Subjects and methods: To avoid selection bias, 42 obligatory carriers (OC) of type 1 VWD were identified from a panel of 42 families with type 1 VWD enrolled by 10 expert centers. OC were identified by the presence of an offspring and ano

BACKGROUND.: We conducted this prospective longitudinal multicenter study to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients with oral carcinoma at diagnosis, and after 1 and 5 years in relation to tumour location and treatment modality. METHODS.: One hundred twenty-two patients (mean age, 61; 62% males) with oral carcinoma were evaluated with standardized HRQL questionnaires, the E

Both increase of the glucose concentration and activation of purinoceptors are known to affect pancreatic alpha-cells. Effects obtained with various purino derivatives at 2.8 and 8.3 mmol/ liter glucose have been taken to indicate that external ATP is less potent than adenosine as a stimulator of glucagon release. However, when making a corresponding comparison at 20 mmol/ liter glucose, we observ

The objective of this study was to evaluate estimated and measured donor renal function in predicting graft function long-term and to identify donor criteria associated with nonacceptable graft prognosis. In 200 consecutive cadaver donors creatinine clearance was measured at explantation and estimated using the Cockcroft formula on admission serum creatinine. Graft function was evaluated in recipi

Studies were performed in guinea pigs to elucidate alterations in endogenous uterine norepinephrine (NE) levels and changes in the contractile response to exogenous NE following local sympathetic denervation, oophorectomy, or treatment with sex steroids. Both in intact and oophorectomized animals the myometrial NE concentration was reduced after sex steroid treatment (0.5 microgram 17-beta-estradi

Introduction: The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) may be initiated by a number of underlying conditions such as acute pancreatitis. The association between the local inflammatory reaction, the systemic response, and potential concomitant dysfunction of remote organs is not quite clear. Aim: To evaluate whether severe acute pancreatitis in the rat affects energy metabolism in the pan

Lysozyme (Lyz), chymotrypsinogen (Cht), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were used as model proteins capable of forming water-soluble polyelectrolyte complexes with linear synthetic polyanions. The complex formation with sodium poly(methacrylate) (PMA), sodium poly(acrylate) (PAA), sodium poly(anetholsulfonate) (PAS), and potassium poly(vinylsulfate) (PVS) markedly reduced the