Whole cells of alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus AR-199, induced for beta-galactosidase activity, were used for the synthesis of 1-hexyl-beta-D-galactoside and 1-octyl-beta-D-galactoside, respectively, by transglycosylation reaction between lactose and the corresponding alcohol acceptor. The product yield was strongly influenced by the initial water content in the reaction mixture. Water content

BACKGROUND: The in vitro contracture test (IVCT) is the golden standard to diagnose malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS). A high reproducibility is important for a high validity of a test. METHODS: We have therefore analyzed IVCT in 838 patients, investigated in two laboratories. Each halothane and caffeine test was performed in two muscle strips. The test results were analyzed with respect

Zinc-positive neurons and terminals, known to be associated with the glutamatergic projections in the brain, can be demonstrated by the histochemical Timm method and later modifications thereof. The adult rat neocortex contain a uniform lamination of zinc-positive cells with specific projections to, e.g., the striatum. We have previously reported that fetal neocortical grafts implanted in the adul

Introduction: Transplanted islets, being avascular and denervated, receive blood vessels and nerves from the recipient. Reinnervation may account in part for the normalization of islet function in islet transplants. Whether reinnervation is possible to augment is not known. Aims and Methodology: To explore whether reinnervation of transplanted islets is augmented by local addition of growth factor

Background: The proteome of the serine protease prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and its enzymatic properties have been clarified only recently. We have developed a specific and sensitive method for the measurement of active PSA and used it to measure proPSA in blood. Methods: We used the synthetic peptide KGISSQY, which possesses a PSA-specific cleavage site, as substrate. To ascertain the specifi

Galectins form a family of structurally related carbohydrate binding proteins (lectins) that have been identified in a large variety of metazoan phyla. They are involved in many biological processes such as morphogenesis, control of cell death, immunological response, and cancer. To elucidate the evolutionary history of galectins and galectin-like proteins in chordates, we have exploited three ind

An air sampling method for the determination of isocyanates. aminoisocyanates and amines formed during the thermal degradation Of polyurethane (PUR) is presented. The method is based on the collection of air samples using impinger flasks containing di-n-butylamine (DBA) in toluene with a glass fibre filter in series. Isocyanates are derivatized with DBA to urea derivatives, and amines are derivati

A method was developed for the determination of benzene in urine. The sample was pumped through the donor channel of a membrane extraction unit with a micro-porous membrane, separating the donor channel from an identical acceptor channel purged with nitrogen. The analyte reached the acceptor channel by diffusion through the membrane and was then swept by the carrier to a solid sorbent tube, where

We report on the technique and results of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) in children with obstructive jaundice. Three patients aged 8 - 15 years were treated, two of them for a benign and one for a malignant stricture. Endoscopic treatment was not possible and all the PTBD procedures were done under general anaesthesia. One of the children was treated with external-internal drai

In this paper, tonogenesis in the four languages Northern Kammu, Blang, Hu and U is analyzed. For comparison, register development in Lamet is treated as well. All these languages belong to the Palaungic and Kammuic branches of the Mon-Khmer division of the Austroasiatic language family and are fairly closely related, but they have developed tone or register systems independently of each other. Th

Moving hybrid zones are receiving increasing attention. However, so far little is known about the proximate mechanisms underlying these movements. Signalling behaviour, by individuals engaged in interspecific sexual and aggressive interactions, may play a crucial role. In this study, we investigated song variation within a moving hybrid zone between two warblers, Hippolais polyglotta and H. icteri

Translocation of STIM1 and STIM2 from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane is a key step in store-operated calcium entry in the cell. We show by isothermal titration calorimetry that calmodulin binds in a calcium-dependent manner to the polybasic C-termini of STIM1 and STIM2, a region critical for their translocation to the plasma membrane ( K D

During formation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, proteins are synthesized for storage in granules. Whereas sorting of proteins into distinct subtypes of cytoplasmic granules may reflect the coordinated expression of the proteins contained in them, still the mechanism(s) for the retrieval of proteins from the constitutive secretion is unknown. To investigate the mechanisms of retrieval, nonmyeloi

A natural anticoagulant pathway denoted the protein C system provides specific and efficient control of blood coagulation. Protein C is the key component of the system and circulates in the blood as a zymogen to an anticoagulant serine protease.Activation of protein C is achieved on the surface of endothelial cells by thrombin bound to the membrane protein thrombomodulin. The endothelial protein C

Although dic(9;20)(p13.2;q11.2) is a characteristic abnormality in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias (BCP ALL), little is known about its clinical impact or the type and frequency of additional aberrations it may occur together with. We here review the clinical and cytogenetic features of a Nordic pediatric series of 24 patients with dic(9;20)-positive BCP ALL diagnosed 1996

Although there is abundant evidence that hyperglucagonaemia plays a key role in the development of hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes, efforts to understand and correct this abnormality have been overshadowed by the emphasis on insulin secretion and action. However, recognition that the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) exerts opposing effects on glucagon and insulin secretion has re

In our continuing research on cytotoxic components from the Formosan pteridophyte Thelypteris torresiana (GAUD.) ALSTONONE, two new compounds, a novel flavonoid, flavotorresin (1), and a flavonoid diglycoside, multi-florin C (2), along with five known compounds, were isolated. The structural elucidation was established on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis. The possible biosynthetic pathway

In this study, a part of an automotive side front section (front side member inner) was studied and a comparison both regarding material behaviour and of accuracy of the FE simulations was made. Mild steel, Rephos steel and TRIP700 were compared both experimentally and numerically. The results showed that TRIP steel has a significantly larger springback than the other materials. Furthermore, the F