Scolecodonts are common microfossils in Palaeozoic rocks, bearing witness to the extensive radiation of jawed polychacte worms during the Ordovician Period. Information on Ordovician scolecodonts is increasing, though it is still patchy and strongly skewed towards Baltica and Laurentia. Comparison of the faunas of these two palaeocontinents indicates that approximately 50% of the genera, but only

Objective: To identify the major aggrecanase-and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-generated aggrecan fragments in human osteoarthritis (OA) synovial fluid and in human OA joint cartilage. Method Aggrecan fragments were prepared by CsCl gradient centrifugation. Fragment distributions were compared with aggrecanase-1 (ADAMTS-4) and MMP-3 digested human aggrecan by analysis with neoepitope antibodies a

A disturbed proprioception has been described in patients with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knee. The relation to demographic data and to different commonly associated anatomical lesions, as well as to subjective knee function, was prospectively studied in 16 consecutive patients after an acute knee ligament injury. All patients had a complete rupture of the ACL, but variable asso

Plasmodium relictum (lineage P-SGS1) is a widespread malaria parasite that causes disease of different severity in different species of birds. However, experimental studies on the effects of this parasite on avian hosts are uncommon. We investigated development of this lineage in experimentally infected greenfinches Carduelis chloris and compared the obtained data with the literature information a

To explore the effect of different degrees of oestrogenization on male voiding, by treating adult castrated and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-maintained male mice with different doses of oestrogens, as exposure of male mice to excessive amounts of oestrogens can cause bladder outlet obstruction (BOO); in addition, male mice lacking oestrogen receptor (ER)alpha (ERKO) or ER beta (BERKO) were st

In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the presence of acute synovial inflammation is an indication of the activity of the disease. It is an important finding because it often influences therapeutic decisions. However, acute synovitis may be difficult to detect by clinical examination, especially if a joint effusion also is present. As gadolinium tetra-azacyclododecane tetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA) c

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) represent the most frequent form of genetic variations. Some of the most sensitive methods for SNP genotyping employ synthetic oligonucleotides, such as the peptide nucleic acid (PNA). We introduce a new method combining allele-specific hybridization, PNA technology, and flow cytometric detection. We tested the design by genotyping a Danish basal

Primary structural information of anhydride binding to endogenous proteins is of interest in order to determine the mechanism causing the type-I allergy seen in many anhydride-exposed workers. In addition, studies on specific protein adducts may generate new methods for biological monitoring. In this study, the binding of hexahydrophthalic anhydride (HHPA) to human hemoglobin (Hb) in vitro was inv

Shikimic acid is one of several industrially interesting chiral starting materials formed in the aromatic amino acid pathway of plants and microorganisms. In this study, the physiology of a shikimic acid producing strain of Escherichia coli (derived from W31 10) deleted in aroL (shikimic acid kinase II gene), was compared to that of a corresponding control strain W31 10) under carbonand phosphate-

The adsorption of colloids with varying sizes and charges onto a surface carrying both negative and positive charges representing a membrane has been investigated by using a simple model employing Monte Carlo simulations. The membrane is made of positive and negative charges (headgroups) that are allowed to move along the membrane, simulating the translational diffusion of the lipids, and are also

Two new long sediment cores (EC1 and EC3), recovered from different locations within the infilled basin at Les Echets, France, provide a new high-resolution record of terrestrial and lacustrine responses to climatic changes during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 3 and 2. The lithologies of the cores are described in detail and correlated with each other by stratigraphic marker horizons, fluctuations i

Density functional calculations have been used to investigate oxygen atom transfer reactions from the biological oxygen atom donors trimethylamine N-oxide (Me3NO) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to the molybdenum(IV) complexes [MoO(mnt)(2)](2-) and [Mo(OCH3)(mnt)(2)](-) (mnt = maleonitrile-1,2-dithiolate), which may serve as models for mononuclear molybdenum enzymes of the DMSO reductase family. The