We investigated the functional outcome of c-Jun activation in sympathetic and sensory neurons of neonatal rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG), respectively. Distinctly different roles of c-Jun activation have been suggested for these two types of neurons. In dissociated sympathetic neurons, c-Jun has been demonstrated to promote apoptosis, whereas in sensory neurons

The northern pike (Esox lucius) is a selective and important predator in lake ecosystems. Prey size in pike is limited by pike gape size, which is a linear function of pike body length. Here we show that the absolute gape-size limit in pike is greater than previously considered, and that maximum ingestible prey size is limited by prey body depth. Further, we experimentally show that pike prefer sh

Background: There is an association between elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and vascular disease in elderly patients suffering from organic and non-organic mental disease. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between plasma tHcy concentration and vascular disease in elderly patients with memory complaints. Methods: In 108 patients with memory compla

Neurogenin 2 (Ngn2) is a proneural gene involved in neuronal differentiation and subtype specification in various regions of the nervous system. In the ventral midbrain, Ngn2 is expressed in a spatiotemporal pattern that correlates with the generation of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) neurons. We show here that lack of Ngn2 impairs the development of mesDA neurons, such that less than half of

We have investigated various modes of adherence of Helicobacter pylori to the human gastric epithelium, using transmission electron microscopy, in biopsies from nine patients with peptic ulcer disease and from four patients with chronic active gastritis. H. pylori was demonstrated in abundance in all cases within the surface mucous layer. In all ulcer- and in one out of four gastritis patients H.

Mixtures of cationic guar (cat-guar) or cationic hydroxyethylcellulose (cat-HEC) with the anionic surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium lauryl ether-3 sulfate have been investigated by a wide range of complementary techniques (phase studies, turbidity measurements, dynamic light scattering, gel-swelling experiments, and in situ null ellipsometry), with the following objectives in mind: (1)

A GUMS procedure was developed for the analysis of all major constituents of glycoproteins. The rationale for this approach is that by using GC/MS analysis of the constituents as heptafluorobutyrate derivatives, it was possible to quantitatively determine the sialic acid, monosaccharide, fatty acids (when present), and the amino acid composition with the sample remaining in the same reaction vesse

Objective - We explored the relationships between inflammatory proteins, occupation, and marital status, and their independent associations with incidence of cardiovascular disease ( CVD). Methods and Results - Five inflammation-sensitive proteins ( ISPs) ( fibrinogen, ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, orosomucoid) were measured in 6075 apparently healthy men. Incidence of coronary

Objective: In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), biomarkers reflecting inflammation and endothelial dysfunction have been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD biomarkers) and metabolic regulation. In T2DM patients, metformin and insulin secretagogues have demonstrated equal anti-hyperglycaemic potency. Here, we report the effect of metformin versus an insulin secretagogue, repaglinide

Laser-induced fluorescence is a technique for optical tissue characterisation. It has a real-time capability and as the excitation light and the fluorescence emission are transmitted through optical fibres the technique is compatible to various kinds of endoscopes for hollow organ investigation. The tissue fluorescence itself with the emission from the endogenous chromophores or enhanced with exog

The effect of burning piles of slash on a Norway spruce clear-cut in southern Sweden was followed for 3 years. The vegetation cover, soil chemistry, soil water at a depth of 30 - 40 cm and runoff water were studied. The burnt plots were without vegetation for several months after burning, while the control plots were almost totally covered by Deschampsia flexuosa and Galium saxatile. The remaining

Chromosomal aberrations in solid tumors appear in complex patterns. It is important to understand how these patterns develop, the dynamics of the process, the temporal or even causal order between aberrations, and the involved pathways. Here we present network models for chromosomal aberrations and algorithms for training models based on observed data. Our models are generative probabilistic model

Background: Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have a high incidence of atrial fibrillation. They also have a longer P-wave duration than healthy controls, indicating conduction alterations. Previous studies have demonstrated orthogonal P-wave morphology alterations in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. In the present study, the P-wave morphology of patients with HCM was co

Four adenosine receptor subtypes of the family of G protein-coupled receptors, designated A1, A2A, A2B and A3 are currently known. In this study all human subtypes were stably transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in order to be able to study their pharmacological profile in an identical cellular background utilizing radioligand binding studies (A1, A2A, A3) or adenylyl cyclase activi

Many cross-border regions in Europe remain more political dreamscapes than examples of strong transnational integration.The development of the Öresund region through a bridge linking Copenhagen and eastern Denmark with Southern Sweden has been seen as a model for EU region building. Drawing on a multidisciplinary project, this article uses the Öresund case as a starting point, bringing in some con

This paper treats four saxicolous species of Caloplaca occurring mainly in subtropical or semiarid regions in North and Central America, C. baueri, C. cinnabarina, C. rosei, and C. rubelliana. These species are mainly characterized by 1) a continuous to cracked areolate thallus, 2) thallus without marginal lobes, 3) areole margins broadly attached to the substrate, 4) cortex distinctly paraplecten

We have used microarray gene expression pro. ling and machine learning to predict the presence of BRAF mutations in a panel of 61 melanoma cell lines. The BRAF gene was found to be mutated in 42 samples (69%) and intragenic mutations of the NRAS gene were detected in seven samples (11%). No cell line carried mutations of both genes. Using support vector machines, we have built a classifier that di