Multivariate analysis such as principal-components analysis (PCA) and partial-least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) have been applied to peptidomics data from clinical urine samples subjected to LC/MS analysis. We show that it is possible to use these methods to get information from a complex set of clinical data. The aim of the work is to use this information as a first step in the further

BACKGROUND: We studied the effect on skin papillomas of topical application of a complex of α-lactalbumin and oleic acid (often referred to as human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells [HAMLET]) to establish proof of the principle that α-lactalbumin-oleic acid kills transformed cells but not healthy, differentiated cells. METHODS: Forty patients with cutaneous papillomas that were resistant t

The MYCN proto-oncogene is frequently amplified in a subgroup of highly aggressive neuroblastomas. The molecular mechanism(s) by which the overexpressed MYCN contributes to an aggressive tumor cell behavior is not well understood. Recently, it was reported that the ID2 gene is a direct target for the MYCN and MYC transcription factors, and that ID2 expression and MYCN amplification correlate posit

Objectives: To investigate whether amniotic fluid concentrations of non protein bound iron (NPBI) vary with growth in healthy fetuses and also offer a reference curve in the second trimester of pregnancy. Design and methods: Amniotic fluid concentrations of NPBI were measured by HPLC in 118 women with physiological singleton pregnancies, who underwent amniocentesis for fetal karyotype between week

Competitive breath-hold divers try to achieve maximum times, depths, or distances underwater, thereby risking hypoxic syncope. In the present study, the cardiorespiratory responses to dynamic apnea (simultaneously initiated apneas and dynamic leg exercise) were investigated in 10 breath-hold divers. The divers performed 60 s dynamic apneas with the face in air (A) or face immersed in cold water (A

The Bodmer miscellaneous codex contains not only P72 (Jude, 1-2 Peter), but eight other biblical and Christian writings as well. Three independent sections (I-II-III) of the codex have been identified and a different sequence than the traditional is suggested as original. There are strong connections between sections I and III and they probably followed in sequence. The most significant connection

By use of time-resolved spectroscopy it is possible to separate light scattering effects from chemical absorption effects in samples. In the study of propagation of short light pulses in turbid samples the reduced scattering coefficient and the absorption coefficient are usually obtained by fitting diffusion or Monte Carlo models to the measured data by use of numerical optimization techniques. In

Early B cell factor (EBF)-1 is a transcription factor known to be of critical importance for early B lymphocyte development. EBF-1 has been shown to directly interact with and regulate expression of a set of genes involved in the functional formation of the preB cell receptor, but the dramatic phenotype observed in the EBF-1-deficient mice suggests that several additional genes are activated by th

During translation, the ribosome and several of its constituent proteins undergo structural transitions between different functional states. Protein L12, present in four copies in prokaryotic ribosomes, forms a flexible "stalk" with key functions in factor-dependent GTP hydrolysis during translocation. Here we have used heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy to characterize L12 conformation and dynamics i

The effects of enzyme structure and activity on the degradation of model cellulose substrates were investigated by ellipsometry for the cellulase Humicola insolens GH45. The inactive variant D10N was found to adsorb at the cellulose surface but also to be incorporated into the cellulose films to an extent that depended on pH. For the native protein, the initial adsorption monitored for the inactiv

Telomerase activity has been suggested to be critically involved in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal. However, it has been unclear whether human HSCs have telomerase activity and how telomerase activity is regulated within the HSC and progenitor pool. Here, we isolated living cord-blood (CB) CD34+ cells with up-regulated human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression by using

The function of six porcine left lung allografts was studied after pulmonary (140 mL/kg) and bronchial (50 mL/kg) artery perfusion with Perfadex (Kabi Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) at room temperature, followed by 24-hour storage of the lungs in an atelectatic state in 6 degrees to 8 degrees C Perfadex, which is a low-potassium-dextran solution. Left lung transplantation was done followed by right p

Slipped-strand mispairing at sites containing so-called coding repeats (CRs) can lead to phase variation of surface proteins in Gram-negative bacteria. This mechanism, believed to contribute to virulence, has so far not been identified in a Gram-positive bacterium. In the genome of the Gram-positive human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, we identified pentanucleotide CRs within a putative signal s

Time-resolved transmittance was used to extract in vivo optical properties of leaves of green plants experimentally. In time-resolved transmittance measurements an ultrashort light pulse is directed onto the surface of the object and the transmitted light is measured with a time resolution in the range of picoseconds. A table-top terawatt laser was used to generate 200 fs light pulses at 790 nm wi