There is overwhelming evidence that hypertension is an important risk factor for both macrovascular and microvascular complications in patients with diabetes, but the problem remains to identify appropriate goals for preventive therapies. A number of guidelines (the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2007, the Joint National Committee (JNC)-V

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is an organic polycation used extensively as a gene- and DNA vaccine delivery reagent. Although the DNA targeting activity of PEI is well documented, its immune activating activity is not. We recently reported that PEI has robust mucosal adjuvanticity when administered intranasally with glycoprotein antigens. Here we show that PEI has strong immune activating activity after

Aqueous two-phase systems have frequently been utilized as an efficient bioseparation tool in the downstream processing of different biomolecules. The poly(ethyleneglycol)/poly(acrylate)/salt system, already explored successfully for purification of proteins and plasmid DNA, is here presented as an alternative approach for the isolation of small DNA fragments generated during in vitro DNA polymera

New research indicates that firms combining the science-based STI (Science, Technology, Innovation) and the experience-based DUI (Doing, Using, Interacting) modes of innovation are more efficient when it comes to improving innovation capacity and competitiveness. With regard to innovation policy, the STI mode calls for a supply-driven policy, typically aimed to commercialize research results. The

Venous thromboembolism is common in the general population with increasing age as one of the most important risk factors. The care of hemophilia and von Willebrand disease has improved in recent decades, resulting in the expectation of a growing population of aging people with these disorders. Thrombosis seems rare in hemorrhagic disorders but studies documenting the true epidemiology are virtuall

A series of nine donor-acceptor polymers, including three new and six polymers from previous work, have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The investigation focuses on narrow band gaps and strong absorptions of the polymers, where experimentally determined first peak absorption energies range from 1.8 to 2.3 eV, and peak absorption coefficients vary between 19-67 L g(-1) cm(-1). A

The islets of Langerhans are key regulators of glucose homeostasis and have been known as a structure for almost one and a half centurys now. During the twentieth century several different cell types were described in the islets of different species and at different developmental stages. Six cell types with identified hormonal product have been described so far by the use of histochemical staining

The site-directed generation of a heterodinuclear FeIIICuII complex by using a new asymmetric dinucleating ligand FloH is reported. The iron(III) ion is introduced first on the preferential metal-binding site of the ligand that leads to the formation of the thermodynamically favored five-membered chelate rings upon metal-binding. Copper(II) is introduced in the next step. The stepwise metalation s

The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study is designed to identify environmental exposures triggering islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes (T1D) in genetically high-risk children. We describe the first 100 participants diagnosed with T1D, hypothesizing that (i) they are diagnosed at an early stage of disease, (ii) a high proportion are diagnosed by an oral glucose tole

To describe 2-year and long-term outcomes (five or ten years) after resective epilepsy surgery in children operated before the age of four years.

A central hurdle in developing small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) as therapeutics is the inefficiency of their delivery across the plasma and endosomal membranes to the cytosol, where they interact with the RNA interference machinery. With the aim of improving endosomal release, a poorly understood and inefficient process, we studied the uptake and cytosolic release of siRNAs, formulated in lipoplexe

Exposure to cadmium (Cd) has long been recognized as a health hazard, both in industry and in general populations with high exposure. Under the currently prevailing health risk assessment, the relationship between urinary Cd concentrations (U-Cd) and tubular proteinuria is used. However, doubts have recently been raised regarding the justification of basing the risk assessment on this relationship

The enforcement and implementation of separate aspects of sustainable development and environmental sustainability can be challenging and innovative due to the complexity of this task. Appropriate policy and legal approaches and tools can be needed for this purpose. In this article, the EU experience of developing the framework for sustainable transport biofuels and special structural elements for

Emphysema and liver cirrhosis can be caused by the Z mutation (Glu342Lys) in the serine protease inhibitor alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1AT), which is found in more than 4% of the Northern European population. Homozygotes experience deficiency in the lung concomitantly with a massive accumulation of polymers within hepatocytes, causing their destruction. Recently, it was proposed that Z-alpha 1AT po

In birds the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) organization differs both among and within orders; chickens Gallus gallus of the order Galliformes have a simple arrangement, while many songbirds of the order Passeriformes have a more complex arrangement with larger numbers of MHC class I and II genes. Chicken MHC genes are found at two independent loci, classical MHC-B and non-classical MHC-Y,

The 2s photoionization and subsequent Auger transition cascade in atomic Si were studied by means of synchrotron-radiation-induced electron spectroscopy. After the 2s photoionization, the core hole states decay predominantly by a two-step Auger transition cascade into the triply ionized [Ne]nl states. The ionization channels of the 2s core-ionized Si+ atoms to Si3+ ions were observed by measuring