TnBgl1A from the thermophile Thermotoga neapolitana is a dimeric beta-glucosidase that belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1), with hydrolytic activity through the retaining mechanism, and a broad substrate specificity acting on beta-1,4-, beta-1,3- and beta-1,6-linkages over a range of glyco-oligosaccharides. Three variants of the enzyme (TnBgl1A_E349G, TnBgl1A_E349A and TnBgl1A_E349S), mu

Previous studies on healthy subjects have shown that the intake of 6 g Cinnamomum cassia reduces postprandial glucose and that the intake of 3 g C. cassia reduces insulin response, without affecting postprandial glucose concentrations. Coumarin, which may damage the liver, is present in C. cassia, but not in Cinnamomum zeylanicum. The aim of the present study was to study the effect of C. zeylanic

Recent investigations have indicated that different solvation methods give qualitatively different results for the nonpolar solvation contribution to ligand-binding affinities. Therefore, we have calculated the nonpolar solvation contribution to the free energy of benzene binding to the T4 lysozyme Leu99Ala mutant using thermodynamic integration (TI) and three approximate methods. The total bindin

Much of the Baltic Sea is currently classified as 'affected by eutrophication'. The causes for this are twofold. First, current levels of nutrient inputs (nitrogen and phosphorus) from human activities exceed the natural processing capacity with an accumulation of nutrients in the Baltic Sea over the last 50-100 years. Secondly, the Baltic Sea is naturally susceptible to nutrient enrichment due to

Blue mussels and reeds were explored as a new biomass type in the Kalmar County of Sweden to improve renewable transport fuel production in the form of biogas. Anaerobic digestion of blue mussels and reeds was performed at a laboratory-scale to evaluate biogas production in a two-stage dry digestion system. The two-stage system consisted of a leach bed reactor and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanke

Background Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a cell-mediated autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of the pancreatic islet cells. The use of cryopreserved cells is preferable to the use of freshly isolated cells to monitor clinical trials to decrease assay and laboratory variability. Methods The T-Cell Workshop Committee of the Immunology of Diabetes Society compared two widely accepted T-cell fr

Enantioselective hydrogenation of tiglic acid effected by diastereomers of the general formula [(μ-H)2Ru3(μ3-S)(CO)7(μ-P-P*)] (P-P* = chiral Walphos diphosphine ligand) strongly supports catalysis by intact Ru3 clusters. A catalytic mechanism involving Ru3 clusters has been established by DFT calculations.

This paper examines the relationship between income taxes and the decision to become self-employed using data from Sweden. By making it possible to track a large number of individuals over extended time periods and across a number of tax rate changes while controlling for important additional determinants, available tax-return information from Sweden allows for statistical estimation of the influe

Recoil-induced rotational excitation accompanying photoionization has been measured for the X, A, and B states of N-2(+) and CO+ over a range of photon energies from 60 to 900 eV. The mean recoil excitation increases linearly with the kinetic energy of the photoelectron, with slopes ranging from 0.73 x 10(-5) to 1.40 x 10(-5). These slopes are generally (but not completely) in accord with a simple

Although hip osteoarthritis (OA) is common, its etiology is poorly understood. Specifically, it is not known whether hip OA is associated with abnormal relationships among the anthropometric and musculoskeletal characteristics that are associated with OA in general.

China is currently promoting indigenous technology development thought support of Chinese firms and, arguably, by restricting operations of foreign multinational firms. This policy seems to overlook the impact of foreign firms on technology development in local firms. For instance, technology might leak out to local firms though spillovers. Moreover, competition from foreign firms might force loca

The human pathogen Haemophilus influenzae causes mainly respiratory tract infections such as acute otitis media in children and exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We recently revealed the crystal structure of H. influenzeae protein E (PE), a multifunctional adhesin that is involved in direct interactions with lung epithelial cells and host proteins. Based upon th

BACKGROUND: Mortality in previously incarcerated individuals is known to be elevated, with high proportions of drug-related deaths. However, there is less documentation of whether specific substance use patterns and other clinical characteristics predict increased mortality in the group. METHODS: This is a follow-up study of mortality and causes of death in ex-prisoners with substance use problems

The calcium-sensitizing Rho A/Rho kinase pathway has been suggested to play a role in the control of nongenital vascular smooth muscle. Rho-associated kinases (ROKs) cause calcium-independent modulation of smooth muscle contraction, and have been demonstrated in the bladder, prostate, and corpus cavernosum. Until now, it is not known whether ROKs and related proteins play a role in the control of

Tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (tTGAs) represent the first evidence of celiac disease (CD) development. Associations of HLA-DR3-DQA1*05:01-DQB1*02:01 (i.e., DR3-DQ2) and, to a lesser extent, DR4-DQA1*03:01-DQB1*03:02 (i.e., DR4-DQ8) with the risk of CD differ by country, consistent with additional genetic heterogeneity that further refines risk. Therefore, we examined human leukocyte antig

Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are important nosocomial pathogens that form biofilms on implanted materials. We compare the antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria in new (established during 24hours) and mature (established during 120hours) enterococcal biofilms. Mature biofilms contained more bacteria and were much more tolerant to antibiotics, including rifampicin-containing combinati

Objective To assess the accuracy of the Wells rule for excluding deep vein thrombosis and whether this accuracy applies to different subgroups of patients. Design Meta-analysis of individual patient data. Data sources Authors of 13 studies (n=10 002) provided their datasets, and these individual patient data were merged into one dataset. Eligibility criteria Studies were eligible if they enrolled