The mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) is considered to be an important mediator of apoptosis and necrosis, and is specifically blocked by cyclosporin A (CsA). CsA has been shown to exert a potent neuroprotective action in vivo when allowed to cross the blood–brain barrier in various animal models of acute neurological insults and neurodegenerative disease. The neuroprotective effect of C

In the present work the genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain QM9414 was used to produce full-length Ce17B (endoglucanase I, EGI) under the control of the constitutive Aspergillus nidulans gpdA promoter in the presence of glucose. However, the full-length Ce17B enzyme was found to be truncated to lower molecular weight components in the culture broth. Truncation of recombinant proteins pr

We have studied the electrical properties of cement mortars in the frequency range 10-3 to 107 Hz. The bulk d.c. conductivity was distinguished from electrode polarization effects at low frequencies as well as from a frequency dispersion at high frequencies. The bulk conductivity displays a dramatic variation with the water content of the samples. A percolation threshold can be seen at very low wa

Elevated ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation has been reported to have few effects on plants but to alter the soil microbial community composition. However, the effects on soil microorganisms have to be mediated via plants, because direct radiation effects are only plausible on the uppermost millimeters of soil. Here, we assessed secondary effects of UVB on soil microbes. The responses in the dominant p

Enzymatic acrylation is a process of potentially strong interest to the chemical industry. Direct esterification involving acrylic acid is unfortunately rather slow, with inhibition phenomena appearing at high acid concentrations. In the present study the acrylation of I-octanol catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozym (R) 435) was shown to be as much as an order of magnitude

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) expresses a receptor that binds the Fc portion of IgG. This HSV-1 Fc gamma-binding protein is, like protein A of Staphylococcus aureus, known to bind human IgG1, IgG2 and IgG4 but not IgG3 subclasses. However, IgG3 with the allotype Gm(s+)(t+), prominent in the Oriental population, reacts with protein A. This prompted us to investigate the reactivity of Oriental

Activation of Th1 lymphocytes, IFN-gamma production and macrophage activation are crucial in defense against Mycobacteria. In developing countries, Th2 activation and IL-4 production have been associated in vitro with tuberculosis and with poor clinical outcome after treatment. Serological markers of Th1 [soluble lymphocyte activation gene (LAG)-3] and Th2 (IgE, soluble CD30, and CCL22/macrophage-

Polysulfones and polyphenylsulfones having pendant phenyl groups with sulfonic acid units have been prepared by lithiation of the respective polymer, followed by reaction with 2-sulfobenzoic acid cyclic anhydride. The resulting ionomers were cast into membranes and properties such as thermal stability, ion-exchange capacity, water sorption and proton conductivity were evaluated. These membranes pr

In this paper, we consider the problem of oil molecular transport between nonequilibrium microemulsion oil droplets in water. In particular, we have investigated the kinetics of solubilization of big oil drops by smaller microemulsion droplets transforming a bimodal size distribution into an equilibrium microemulsion with a unimodal size distribution. The process involves the diffusion of oil mono

This paper treats the problem of calculating the macroscopic effective properties of dielectric mixtures where both the inclusions and the background medium can be anisotropic. For this homogenization process, the Maxwell Garnett -type approach is used where the inclusions are assumed to be spherical and embedded in a homogeneous background medium. The anisotropy of the background medium has to be

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether cadmium concentrations in kidney (K-Cd), blood (B-Cd) or urine (U-Cd) could reveal previous occupational cadmium exposure at a metal smelter. METHODS: The study included 90 smelters and 35 controls (B-Cd and U-Cd determination). In a subgroup (N = 33), K-Cd was also determined. RESULTS: B-Cd (median 4.6; range 0.5-53 nmol/L), U-Cd (0. 29; 0.

A recent study reported an association between the brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) promoter T-381C polymorphism (rs198389) and protection against type 2 diabetes (T2D). As replication in several studies is mandatory to confirm genetic results, we analyzed the T-381C polymorphism in seven independent case-control cohorts and in 291 T2D-enriched pedigrees totalling 39 557 subjects of European origin

Our objective was to investigate the expression of different cytochromes P450 3A (CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7) and P-glycoprotein (ABCBI) genes along the human large intestine in paired tumour and normal samples. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure CYP3A4-, CYP3A5-, CYP3A7- and ABCB1-specific mRNA expression, and Western blot analysis was used to measure me

Aneurysms of the pancreaticoduodenal artery are rare and may be associated with celiac artery stenosis or occlusion. Twenty-eight patients are reported in the literature. The diagnostic findings and therapeutic alternatives of four additional patients form the basis of this report. One patient with ruptured pancreaticoduodenal aneurysm was successfully treated by transcatheter embolization, and on

Different theoretical models describing the influence of the operating parameters are treated in this paper. The osmotic pressure, gel layer and resistance in series models are presented. The influence of different operating parameters, such as the operating pressure, temperature, cross-flow velocity and concentration is demonstrated. The complex fouling phenomenon is reviewed. Finally, various pr

A new O induced structure on Rh(111) displaying a (2root3 x 2root3)R30degrees periodicity with an oxygen coverage of 2/3 has been studied by high resolution core level spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and density functional theory. Although O favors fcc hollow sites in all other known phases, it occupies both fcc and hcp sites in this structure, which cannot be explained by pairwise ad

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine with asthma-like symptoms ("ski asthma") is frequent in elite cross-country skiers. To further the understanding of "ski asthma", 10 nonasthmatic, nonatopic controls and 30 adolescent elite skiers were investigated by bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Nine skiers were atopic without allergy symptoms. Compared with controls, the macroscopic