Aims/hypothesis Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma coactivator-lp (PGC-1 beta, also known as PPARGCIB) expression is reduced in skeletal muscle from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and in elderly subjects. Ala203Pro, a common variant in the PGC-1 beta gene is associated with obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the PGC-1 beta Ala203Pro polymorphism influen

BACKGROUND: Renal failure in cirrhotic patients is a severe complication and endotoxemia might be involved. We investigated the effect of endotoxin on renal function of cirrhotic rats and the potential protective role of N-acetylcysteine (NAC). MATERIAL/METHODS: Hepatic cirrhosis was generated in a rat model by carbon tetrachloride. Both cirrhotic and normal rats were insulted by endotoxin intrave

In more than one-third of patients with a histological high-grade malignant soft tissue sarcoma metastasis develops despite local control of the primary tumour. Hence, adjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly used for these relatively chemoresistant tumours which requires improved prognostication to exclude low-risk patients from overtreatment. We assessed the value of stepwise prognostication in a s

Cell migration plays a central role in processes such as development, wound healing and cancer metastasis. Here we describe a novel interaction between DDR1, a receptor tyrosine kinase activated by collagen, and the phosphoprotein DARPP-32 in mammary epithelial cells. DARPP-32 expression was readily detected in non-transformed mammary cell lines, but was strongly reduced or even absent in breast t

This paper presents some functional differences as well as similarities observed when comparing the newly discovered cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) from Trametes Villosa (T.v) with the well-characterized one from Phanerochaete chrysosporium (P.c.). The enzymes were physically adsorbed on spectrographic graphite electrodes placed in an amperometric flow through cell connected to a flow system. In t

The number of copies of DNA in human cells can be measured using array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), which provides intensity ratios of sample to reference DNA at genomic locations corresponding to probes on a microarray. In the present paper, we devise a statistical model, based on a latent continuous-index Markov jump process, that is aimed to capture certain features of aCGH data, i

BACKGROUND: Little information exists on the effects of drugs with cardiovascular action in hypothermia, and some findings have indicated paradoxic effects of dopamine in this setting. As we have not found any data on the electrophysiologic and contractile effects of dopamine on the heart in hypothermia, we decided to study this in pig myocardium, since pigs have a cardiovascular system more simil

This study investigates the influence on the realism of confidence judgments of four different factors, the individual, the knowledge domain (crystallized and fluid intelligence), gender and cognitive style (Need-for-Cognition, NfC). Seventy-nine high-school students answered questions on word knowledge (WORD) and logical/spatial ability (DTK), both tests were administered on three occasions with

A new chemical reactor, the Open Plate Reactor, is being developed by Alfa Laval AB. It combines good mixing with high heat transfer capacity into one operation. With the new concept, highly exothermic reactions can be produced using more concentrated reactants. A nonlinear model of the reactor is derived and a control system is developed. For temperature control a cooling system is designed and e

The objective was to investigate if healthy elderly people respond and adapt differently to postural disturbances compared to middle-aged people. Thirty middle-aged (mean age 37.8 years, range 24–56 years) and forty healthy elderly subjects (mean age 74.6 years, range 66–88 years) were tested with posturography. Body sway was evoked by applying pseudorandom vibratory stimulation to the belly of th

Mineral magnetic, organic carbon and pollen studies of two varved Holocene lake-sediment sequences in the boreal forest of northern Sweden indicate that significant environmental changes took place between c. 6000 and 5700 BC. This interval is characterized by an increase in mineral-matter accumulation, which is a proxy for winter-snow accumulation, and a statistically significant decrease in tota

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is associated with cardiac disease and increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. We investigated cardiac structural and functional parameters before and after successful parathyroidectomy in asymptomatic PHPT patients. Methods and Results: Forty-nine PHPT patients (age: 62.9 +/- 11 years, 5 men) and 48 healthy control subjects, matched

We followed-up for mortality and cancer incidence 1088 healthy non-smokers from a population-based study, who were characterized for 22 variants in 16 genes involved in DNA repair pathways. Follow-up was 100% complete. The association between polymorphism and mortality or cancer incidence was analyzed using Cox Proportional Hazard regression models. Ninety-five subjects had died in a median follow

Empirical evidence for changed timing of migration in birds is emerging from both American and Euro-African migration systems. These changes are usually interpreted as a consequence of changes in climate. Responses in timing of migration and breeding may differ among species, and the adaptive significance is not well understood. There is a lack of theoretical understanding about time-shifts in lif

Resuscitation with pure oxygen at birth after fetal asphyxia may aggravate brain damage by inducing pro-inflammation. The toll-like receptors (TLRs) may serve a pro-inflammatory role in hyperoxemia during ischemia-reperfusion. Sixteen near-term fetal sheep (132-136 d) were subjected to 10 min of cord occlusion, delivery and mechanical ventilation with 100% O-2 (n = 8), or 21% O-2 (n = 8) for 30 mi

Background: There is controversy regarding the influence of ketamine and its enantiomers on cerebral haemodynamics at increased intracranial pressure (ICP). This study was designed to compare cerebrovascular responses, with particular respect to ICP, to bolus injections of racemic, S(+)- and R(-)-ketamine in an experimental model of intracranial hypertension. Methods: Nine pigs were anaesthetised

The hottest developments in the fields of cancer research, neuroscience, genomics and proteomics, anti-virals and more, with a pick of the key research papers in these areas.

The interaction between bacteriophage T4 DNA and cationic gemini surfactants was studied by the use of fluorescence microscopy. Upon addition of surfactant, DNA undergoes a transition from random coil to globule, with an intermediate coexistence region. The state behavior of a DNA-gemini surfactant system was found to depend on spacer length, valency, head group size, and tail length. A series of