Glacontryphan-M, a novel calcium-dependent inhibitor of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels expressed in mouse pancreatic beta-cells, was recently isolated from the venom of the cone snail Conus marmoreus (Hansson, K., Ma, X., Eliasson, L., Czerwiec, E., Furie, B., Furie, B. C., Rorsman, P., and Stenflo, J. ( 2004) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 32453-32463). The conserved disulfide-bonded loop of the contryp

We consider the origin of the anomalously high intensity of theultraviolet Fe II lambda 2507/2509 A lines observed with high spatialand spectral resolutions from gas blobs (GBs) near Carinae. This rareeffect in stellar spectra is attributable to a combination of severalfactors: (1) the high hydrogen density (>10^{8} cm^{-3}) that ensuresthe blocking of the Lyman continuum by GBs and, accordingly,

We construct small-amplitude steady periodic water waves with constant vorticity. Among these are certain waves with the property that in a frame moving with the wave there is a 'critical layer' with closed streamlines in the fluid. These waves, which do not exist in the irrotational setting, are studied in detail. In particular we give a full description of the particle paths. (C) 2008 Elsevier I

In many studies, particularly in the field of systems biology, it is essential that identical protein sets are precisely quantified in multiple samples such as those representing differentially perturbed cell states. The high degree of reproducibility required for such experiments has not been achieved by classical mass spectrometry-based proteomics methods. In this study we describe the implement

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Type 1 diabetes in children is characterised by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells and the presence of certain risk genotypes. In adults the same situation is often referred to as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). We tested whether genetic markers associated with type 1 or type 2 diabetes could help to discriminate between autoimmune and non-autoimmune diab

Cholestasis is a major complication in sepsis although the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of P-selectin and leukocyte recruitment in endotoxemia- associated cholestasis. C57BL/6 mice were challenged intraperitoneally with endotoxin ( 0.4 mg/ kg), and 6 h later the common bile duct was cannulated for determination of bile flow and biliary excret

Optimal migration theory depends to a large extent on the range equation, that is, a function relating potential distance moved to fuel load. Such range equations derived from aerodynamic principles exist for birds. I derive an analogous range equation for animals that run based on biomechanical principles. The range for animals that run is proportional to ln(1/+f), where f is the relative fuel lo

The conformational state of the pi-conjugated polyfluorene poly[9,9-bis(2-ethylhexyl)fluorene-2,7-diyl] is reconsidered. Contrary to the general opinion, this helical polymer is shown to organize in a giant repeat consisting of 21 monomer units. The length of the unit cell of 16.97 nm is suggested.

We conducted pooled and meta-analyses of the association of the calpain-10 gene (CAPN10) polymorphisms SNP-43, Indel-19 and SNP-63 individually and as haplotypes with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 3237 patients and 2935 controls of European ancestry. In the pooled analyses, the common SNP-43*G allele was associated with modest but statistically significant increased risk of T2D (odds ratio (OR) = 1.11

We describe a simple radioimmunoassay of beta-microseminoprotein, one of the three most abundant secretory proteins of the prostate gland. The detection limit of the assay is 1 microgram/L, and its precision, expressed as the total coefficient of variation, is less than 10% for values between 10 and 150 micrograms/L. Using this assay, we found that beta-microseminoprotein immunoreactivity was pres

It is well known that teenagers with chronic diseases have problems complying with their treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patient's knowledge of haemophilia and his compliance to prophylactic treatment, and the age at which the patient took over the responsibility for his disease and to create educational material for teenagers and adolescents. This was a prospective multicentr

Changes in soil texture, bulk density, pH, concentrations and stocks of OC, N, P and K before and after conversion of a 6-year-old Acacia senegal plantation to other land management systems (LMS) were investigated, after three cropping seasons, in the drylands of western Sudan. LMS included pure and intercropped sorghum (PS), roselle (PR) and grasses (PC) with A. senegal at high and low-tree densi

Objective: To evaluate the effect of compression hosiery during standing work. Design: An open study, comparing symptoms and plethysmographic findings before and after treatment. Setting: University hospital, vascular surgery. Subjects: Forty-eight female volunteers with a standing profession. Methods: Visual analogue scale to evaluate symptoms and foot volumetry to study venous function before an

A new experimental model, the two-tracer method (TTM), based on the planar laser-induced fluorescence technique (PLIF), is presented for the measurement of the local concentration of a fluorescent tracer in the liquid phase of a bubbly two-phase system. Light scattering and shading effects due to the bubbles were compensated for using the new model. The TTM results were found to give more accurate

Acute synovitis was induced in rabbit knee joints by intraarticular injection of preformed bovine serum albumin (BSA) -anti BSA immune complexes (ICs). Polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNGs) which had migrated into joints injected with ICs were degranulated and contained ICs as revealed by electron microscopy and were activated as revealed by the measurement of chemiluminescence (CL). In contrast,