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Endothelial cells are among the main physiological targets of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). In endothelial cells TNF-alpha elicits a broad spectrum of biological effects including differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT), an endogenous inhibitor of serine proteases plays a vital role in protecting host tissue from proteolytic

Background: Renalase (gene name RNLS), a recently discovered enzyme with monoamine oxidase activity, is implicated in the degradation of catecholamines. Recent studies delineate a possible role of this enzyme in blood pressure (BP) maintenance and cardiac protection and two single nucleotide polymorphisms, RNLS rs2576178 A > G and rs2296545 C > G have been associated with hypertension. The latter

The widespread use of artificial nestboxes has led to significant advances in our knowledge of the ecology, behaviour and physiology of cavity nesting birds, especially small passerines Nestboxes have made it easier to perform routine monitoring and experimental manipulation of eggs or nestlings, and also repeatedly to capture, identify and manipulate the parents However, when comparing results ac

Background: Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) represents a noninvasive technology that allows visualization of the colon without requiring sedation and air insufflation. A second-generation colon capsule endoscopy system (PillCam Colon 2) (CCE-2) was developed to increase sensitivity for colorectal polyp detection compared with the first-generation system. Objective: To assess the feasibility, accurac

The pine sawfly, Diprion jingyuanensis Xiao et Zhang, is a serious pest of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) in the northern parts of China. The general biology of this recently described sawfly species is little known and in the present study we used a synthetic pheromone to monitor its flight period and to evaluate the possibility to use pheromone traps as a tool for estimating and predic

Invariant NKT cells (iNKT cells) are characterized by a semi-invariant TCR comprising an invariant a-chain paired with beta-chains with limited BV gene usage which are specific for complexes of CD1d and glycolipid Ags like a-galactosylceramide (a-GalCer). iNKT cells can be visualized with a-GalCer-loaded CD1d tetramers, and the binding of mouse CD1d tetramers to mouse as well as to human iNKT cell

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) exhibit remarkable ability to differentiate into virtually all somatic tissue types. In this study, we investigated changes in mucin-type O-glycosylation, which have been associated with somatic cell differentiation and cancer. Expression profile of simple mucin-type O-glycans (Tn, sialyl-Tn, T), histo-blood group H and A variants and six polypeptide Ga1NAc-tran

Dynamic models complement existing time series of observations and static critical load calculations by simulating past and future development of chemistry in forest and lake ecosystems. They are used for dynamic assessment of the acidification and to produce target load functions, that describe what combinations of nitrogen and sulfur emission reductions are needed to achieve a chemical or biolog

Objectives: To investigate determinants of joint destruction and reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not treated with bisphosphonates or hormone replacement therapy and to evaluate if there are common markers of erosive disease and bone loss. Methods: BMD was measured using dual x ray absorptiometry and joint damage was examined by x ra

Chagasin is a protein produced by Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas' disease. This small protein belongs to a recently defined family of cysteine protease inhibitors. Although resembling well-known inhibitors like the cystatins in size (110 amino acid residues) and function (they all inhibit papain-like (Cl family) proteases), it has a unique amino acid sequence and structure. We

The distribution of sediment-dispersed extraterrestrial chromite grains and other Cr-rich spinels (> 63 mu m) has been studied in Middle Ordovician Orthoceratite Limestone from two quarries at Kinnekulle, southern Sweden. In the Thorsberg quarry, all similar to 3.2 m thick sequence of beds previously shown to be rich in fossil meteorites is also rich in sediment-dispersed extraterrestrial chromite

Affinity proteins were covalently immobilised on silicon microchips with overall dimensions of 13.1 x 3.2 mm, comprising 42 porous flow channels of 235 mum depth and 25 pm width, and used to develop microfluidic immunosensors based on horseradish peroxidase (HRP), catalysing the chemiluminescent oxidation of luminol/p-iodophenol (PIP). Different hydrophilic polymers with long flexible chains (poly

[NiFe] hydrogenases catalyse the reaction H2 <-> 2H(+) + 2e(-). Several states of the enzyme have been observed by spectroscopic methods. Among these, the two most oxidized states, called the unready Ni-A and Ni-SU states, have been especially intriguing, because they take a much longer time to activate than the corresponding ready Ni-B and Ni-SI states. It has recently been suggested that the unr

Background: An allogeneic antitumour effect has been reported for various cancers. We evaluated the experience of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in 124 patients from 21 European centres. Patients and methods: Reduced intensity conditioning and peripheral blood stem cells from an HLA-identical sibling (n = 106), a mismatched related (n = 5)

Context: SHBG regulates free sex steroid levels, which in turn regulate skeletal homeostasis. Twin studies have demonstrated that genetic factors largely account for interindividual variation in SHBG levels. Glucuronidated androgen metabolites have been proposed as markers of androgenic activity. Objective: Our objective was to investigate whether polymorphisms in the SHBG gene promoter [(TAAAA)(n

Popular Abstract in Swedish Den här avhandlingen består av fem papper (A-E) som samtliga är tillämpningar av Rice's formel. Tillämpningsområdena är inom oceanografi och miljö. De tre första papperna behandlar egenskaper hos mötande havsvågor, det vill säga vågor som ett fartyg möter när det seglar på havet. Papper A syftar till att hitta en formel för att räkna ut intensiteten av sådana vågor. SpThis thesis is based on five papers (A-E), all treating various applications of Rice's formula. The areas of application are oceanographic and environmental problems. The first three papers treat properties of encountering waves, that is, waves that a ship encounters while sailing on the ocean. Paper A addresses the problem of computing the intensity of such waves and, in particular, the intensit