Concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and its receptor are increased in human prostate cancer. Prostate cancer LNCaP-IL-6+ cells, established after prolonged treatment with IL-6, have been found to acquire a growth advantage. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may accelerate the growth of various tumours by stimulation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). To understand better the regulation of pr

Rationale: Budesonide/formoterol and tiotropium are commonly used maintenance treatments for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Combining these medications may provide additional benefits. Objectives: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of budesonide/formoterol added to tiotropium in patients eligible for inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta(2)-agonist combination therapy.

Familial defective apolipoprotein B100 (FDB) is a genetic disorder in which low density lipoproteins (LDL) bind defectively to the LDL receptor, resulting in hypercholesterolemia and premature atherosclerosis. FDB is caused by a mutation (R3500Q) that changes the conformation of apolipoprotein (apo) B100 near the receptor-binding site. We previously showed that arginine, not simply a positive char

Hypoxia is common in many solid tumours, including breast cancer. Hypoxia triggers the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha), and HIF-1 alpha has been associated with an impaired prognosis in breast cancer and down-regulation of the oestrogen receptor (ER), potentially affecting the treatment efficiency of antioestrogens. The role of HIF-1 alpha regarding prognostic and trea

We report two new cases of liver glycogen synthase deficiency (GSD0). The first patient presented at the age of 8 months with recurrent hypoglycemic seizures. The second patient presented at 14 months with asymptomatic incidental hyperglycemia. Glucose monitoring in both patients revealed daily fluctuations from fasting hypoglycemia to postprandial hyperglycemia. Genetic analysis of the GYS2 gene

Abstract in UndeterminedSoil fungal biomass, determined by the fluorescein diacetate (FDA) method, was studied during a 3 yr period in three horizons in a mature and a clear-cut pine forest in Sweden with and without slash left on the ground. In the organic soil layer the amount of hyphae showed a similar seasonal periodicity at all three sites, and this periodicity was correlated to the soil mois

Associations between occupational factors and characteristics of the social network in people with persistent mental illness were investigated. Participant groups (N = 103) representing three types of daily occupations working or studying, visiting community-based activity centers, and having no regular daily occupation-were selected for the study. Participants were assessed regarding social inter

OBJECTIVE In childhood onset GH deficiency (GHD) a reduction in left ventricular mass (LV-mass) and impairment of systolic function as well an impairment in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) has been shown. The aim of the present study was to assess if a low GH dose resulted in an improvement in morphological and functional parameters of these organs. DESIGN AND PATIENTS Eleven patients with childh

Electropolymerization of a new phenothiazine derivative (bis-phenothiazin-3-yl methane; BPhM) on glassy carbon (GC) electrode generates a conducting film of poly-BPhM. in stable contact with the electrode surface. The heterogeneous electron-transfer process corresponding to the modified electrode is characterized by a high rate constant (50.4 s(-1), pH 7). The CC/poly-BPhM electrode shows excellen

To verify the fundamental Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule for the first time experimentally, we measured the helicity dependent total photoabsorption cross section with circularly polarized real photons and longitudinally polarized nucleons in the photon energy range 0.68-1.82 GeV with the tagged photon facility at ELSA. The experiment was carried out with a 4pi detection system, a circularly

This book constitutes the refereed research proceeding of the 13th European Software Process Improvement Conference, EuroSPI 2006, held in Joensuu, Finland in October 2006. The 18 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 62 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on SPI (Software Process Improvement) processes, SPI and risk management, measurement,

A method is described for the assay of lipoprotein lipase, using a stable, radioactive substrate emulsion. Fatty acid-labeled trioleoylglycerol was emulsified by homogenization in glycerol with lecithin as detergent. This anhydrous emulsion was stable for at least six weeks. Substrate solutions for enzyme assay were prepared by diluting the emulsion with buffer containing serum and albumin. The fa

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity have been coupled to short telomere length in peripheral blood. The biological background to this observation is not obvious from the literature. In this study we have analyzed a large set of known risk factors for CVD in relation to telomere length in blood cells on a merged cohort of 989 individuals recruited in the Malmo Diet and Cancer Cohort (MDCC) and

Conventional lipomas harbor karyotypic changes that could be subdivided into four, usually mutually exclusive, categories: rearrangement, in particular through translocations, of chromosome bands 12q13-15, resulting in deregulation of the HMGA2 gene, loss of material from or rearrangement of chromosome 13, supernumerary ring or giant marker chromosomes, and aberrations of chromosome band 6p21. In