Telomerase is expressed in more than 90% of human cancers. Telomere maintenance by this enzyme is believed to safeguard genomic integrity in neoplastic cells. Nevertheless, many telomerase-expressing tumours exhibit chromosomal instability triggered by short, dysfunctional telomeres, implying that active telomerase is not sufficient for preserving a functional telosomic nucleoprotein complex in ca

PURPOSE: Emergency resections for colonic obstruction are accompanied with increased risk of anastomotic dehiscence. Elevated local degradation of submucosal collagens by matrix metalloproteinases may predispose to anastomotic leakage. This study was designed to study the effect of colon obstruction and surgical trauma on matrix metalloproteinase activities and correlate these results to collagen

We present compelling evidence of the continued existence of the large-billed reed warbler Acrocephalus orinus, hitherto known only from the unique type specimen collected in NW India 139 years ago. Morphological and genetic analyses of an unusual Acrocephalus warbler mist-netted south-west of Bangkok, Thailand, on 27 March 2006, confirmed its identity as A. orinus, and revealed that it was hetero

Currently, most clinical range-modulated proton beams are assumed to have a fixed overall relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 1.1. However, it is well known that the RBE increases with depth in the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) and becomes about 10% higher than mid-SOBP RBE at 2 mm from the distal edge (Paganetti 2003 Technol. Cancer Res. Treat. 2 413-26) and can reach values of 1.3-1.4 in v

Although pre-treatment of membranes is often used to ensure the reliability of experimental data, it also has the potential to improve many aspects of membrane performance. This study investigates the influence of chemical pre-treatment and wetting on membrane flux and retention. The results show that chemical pre-treatment, with either a phosphate buffer or alkaline cleaning agents, enhances the

The force between two planar charged surfaces in the presence of polyampholytes (PAs) is investigated as a function of the surface separation. The model system contains PA molecules with zero net charge adsorbing onto the charged surfaces from a dilute surrounding solution without salt. We compare the results obtained on three levels of approximation: (i) polyampholytes moving in the mean field du

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.

In 1999, we reported on the 2-year results of a series of 21 first-time socket revisions using impacted morselized allograft bone. Seven still migrated between 1.5 and 2 years. Seventeen remained for the current 5-year follow-up. No socket had been rerevised. Five sockets showed signs of radiographic loosening. These 5 cases also exhibited radiographic signs of allograft resorption as well as high

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is an immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the gene coding for Bruton's agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinase (BTK). A database (BTKbase) of BTK mutations has been compiled and the recent update lists 368 entries from 318 unrelated families showing 228 unique molecular events. In addition to mutations the database lists also some polymorphisms and site-directed mu

This article investigates if higher levels of social capital, better governance structures, and a more ambitious conservation policy are positively linked to the ability of states to address biodiversity loss. Serving this purpose is a data set containing estimates of woodpecker diversity in 20 European countries. These data are argued to be a more valid indicator of biodiversity than most other a

The efficacy of the quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is thought to be mediated by humoral immunity. We evaluated the correlation between quadrivalent HPV vaccine-induced serum anti-HPV responses and efficacy. 17,622 women were vaccinated at day 1, and months 2 and 6. At day I and at 6-12 months intervals for up to 48 months, subjects underwent Papanicolaou and genital HPV testing. N

Previous studies including various tumor types have shown different associations between tumor tissue levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 2 (PAI-2) and patient survival. High tumor tissue concentrations of PAI-2 have been associated with good prognosis in patients with breast cancer, small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer, but with poor histologic differentiation and poor prognosis in pat

The effect of three anionic, hairy-rod fluorene based conjugated polyelectrolytes on the cloud points of the alkyloxyethylene surfactants C10E3, C12E4, C12E5, and C12E6 has been studied in aqueous solution. Although the association behaviour of these rigid polymers with surfactants is different from that of more flexible polyelectrolytes, both types of polymers are seen to increase the cloud point

For a Boolean matrix D, let r(D) be the minimum number of rectangles sufficient to cover exactly the rectilinear region formed by the 1-entries in D. Next, let m(D) be the minimum of the number of 0-entries and the number of 1-entries in D. Suppose that the rectilinear regions formed by the 1-entries in two n x n Boolean matrices A and B totally with q edges are given. We show that in time (O) ove

Ten oak stands in southern Sweden were investigated to evaluate the impact of the root pathogen Phytophthora quercina on mature oaks under field conditions. Phytophthora quercina was present in five of the stands, while the other five stands were used as controls to verify the effect of the pathogen. In each stand, a healthy, a moderately declining and a severely declining tree were sampled. Fine-