Tumour angiogenesis and the levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor type I (PAI-I) are both informative prognostic markers in breast cancer. In cell cultures and in animal model systems, PAI-I has a proangiogenic effect. To evaluate the interrelationship of angiogenesis and the PAI-I level in breast cancer, we have evaluated the prognostic value of those factors in a total of 228 patients with p

Mycorrhizal short roots of Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud colonized by Suillus variegatus (Sow. ex Fr.) O. Kuntze or Paxillus involutus (Batsch) Fr. were collected 1->60 days after fungal contact. The proteins of the inoculated roots were extracted, electrophoretically separated, blotted and immunostained for alpha-tubulin and actin. The development of the mycorrhiza was also followed microscopical

Total oxidation of propane with oxygen in the absence and the respective presence of SO2 in the feed gas was studied over 1 wt% Pt on gamma -Al2O3 using transient experiments with TAP (temporal analysis of products) and in situ DRIFT spectroscopy. The TAP experiments confirm the promoting role of SO2 on the conversion of propane and, moreover, show an inhibiting effect from SO2 on the conversion o

Cartilage sections were cut from the middle zone of pig knee articular cartilage and attached to substrates in two different kinds of newly designed 'pressure cells', one for fluorescence the other for NMR measurements, The fluorescence cell was filled with buffer solution containing fluorescently marked 70 kDa dextran which was allowed to diffuse into the cartilage pores. A second glass surface w

Nitric oxide (NO) can modulate both tumor growth and antitumor immune responses. In order to elucidate the mechanism of curative therapeutic immunization with IFNgamma-producing glioma cells, we examined the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in tissue sections from immunized animals. There was a significantly enhanced iNOS expression both intratumorally and at the immunization s

The paper examines a higher-order ordinary differential equation of the form P[u]:= Sigma(j,k=0)(m) D(j)a(jk)D(k)u = gimel u, x is an element of [0, b), where D=i(d/dx), and where the coefficients a(jk), j, k is an element of [0,M], with a = 1, satisfy certain regularity conditions and are chosen so that the matrix (a(jk)) is hermitean. It is also assumed that m > 1. More precisely, it is proved,

Integrated models including optics, structures, control systems, and disturbances are important design tools for Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). An integrated model has keen formulated for the European ELT and it includes telescope structure, main servos, primary mirror segment control system, wind, optics, wavefront sensor, deformable mirror, and an AO reconstructor and controller. There are t

We demonstrate the assembly of nanoscale ferromagnetic single-electron transistors using atomic force microscopy for imaging as well as for nanoscale manipulation. A single 30 nm Au disc, forming the central island of the transistor, is manipulated with angstrom precision into the gap between a plasma-oxidized Ni source and drain electrodes. The tunnel resistances can be tuned in real time during

Background: The standard 12-lead ECG remains one of the basic investigations for the early detection and assessment of acute coronary syndromes. It is easy to perform, anywhere and anytime, and can be digitally transmitted within minutes to an emergency medical service for remote advice and triage. But the conventional ST-segment deviation criteria are of limited diagnostic accuracy. The purpose o

Background: Interleukin 1 beta ( IL- I beta) is found in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from asthmatic patients and plays an important role in normal immunoregulatory processes but also in pathophysiological inflammatory responses. The present study was designed to investigate if IL- I beta could be involved in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness and if transcriptional mechanisms, epithel

I examine the relationship between reproductive success and marker-based relatedness (MBR; inferred from variation at 21 microsatellite loci) of pair-mates in a semi-isolated population of great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) over a 12 year period. There was a negative relationship between egg-hatching success and MBR, but no association between MBR and three other components of fitness

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of radiotherapy in doses 14 to 20 Gy on eradication of carcinoma-in-situ (CIS) testis and on the Leydig cell function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients presented with unilateral testicular germ cell cancer and CIS of the contralateral testis. The CIS-bearing testis was treated with daily irradiation doses of 2 Gy, 5 days a week, to a cumulative dose of 20

Cutting edge deteriorations are attributed to higher mechanical and thermal stresses working on it during metal cutting. However, the stress estimation is a difficult task, especially when on-line estimation is desired. This paper presents a new approach for cutting edge mechanical stress estimation and load simulation. The approach can be applied in the implementation of on-line stress estimation

The ionizable amino acid side chains of proteins are usually located at the surface. However, in some proteins an ionizable group is embedded in an apolar internal region. Such buried ionizable groups destabilize the protein and may trigger conformational changes in response to pH variations. Because of the prohibitive energetic cost of transferring a charged group from water to an apolar medium,