Obestatin is a 23-amino acid peptide encoded by the ghrelin gene. We have investigated the effect of obestatin on intestinal contractility in rats ranging from the suckling period till adolescence. Duodenal and middle jejunum whole-thickness preparations from neonatal and adult rats were studied in an organ bath, for isometric recording under treatment with obestatin (1 mu mol L-1) in the presence

Galectin-1, beta-galactoside binding lectin involved in immunoregulation and cancer, binds natural and many synthetic multivalent glycoconjugates with an apparent glycoside cluster effect, that is, affinity above and beyond what would be expected from the concentration of the determinant sugar. Here we have analyzed the mechanism of such cluster effects in solution at physiological concentration u

The aim of this work was to develop a model suited for detailed studies of aerosol dynamics, gas and particle phase chemistry within urban plumes, from local scale (1x1 km(2)) to regional scale. This article describes and evaluates the trajectory model for Aerosol Dynamics, gas and particle phase CHEMistry and radiative transfer (AD-CHEM). The model treats both vertical and horizontal dispersion p

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Androgen stimulation of prostate cancer (PCa) cells has been the basis for extensive studies evaluating the role of androgen in PCa but the diagnostic measurement of androgen as well as androgen values that potentially influence prognosis are unclear in patients with PCa. The 50 ng/dL threshold has been questioned as a result of reports ind

The needs for support among children with a seriously ill parent, who is waiting for heart transplantation, are unknown today. The aim was to describe now adult children's experiences of social support in relation to a parent's heart transplant during childhood. Nine females and four males were interviewed. The median age for the children was 18 at the transplantation and their parents had been il

Free-electron lasers (FELs) are promising devices for generating light with laser-like properties in the extreme ultraviolet and X-ray spectral regions. Recently, FELs based on the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) mechanism have allowed major breakthroughs in diffraction and spectroscopy applications, despite the relatively large shot-to-shot intensity and photon-energy fluctuations and

On-chip detection of low abundant protein biomarkers is of interest to enable point-of-care diagnostics. Using a simple form of integration, we have realized an integrated microfluidic platform for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA), directly in anti-coagulated whole blood. We combine acoustophoresis-based separation of plasma from undiluted whole blood with a miniaturized immunoassa

Purpose: For patients with advanced melanoma, primary and secondary resistance to selective BRAF inhibition remains one of the most critically compelling challenges. One rationale argues that novel biologically informed strategies are needed to maximally cripple melanoma cells up front before compensatory mechanisms emerge. As p53 is uncommonly mutated in melanoma, restoration of its function repr

We put forward an approach for the development of a nonlocal density functional by a direct modeling of the shape of exchange-correlation (xc) hole in inhomogeneous systems. The functional is aimed at giving an accurate xc energy and an accurate corresponding xc potential even in difficult near-degeneracy situations such as molecular bond breaking. In particular we demand that: (1) the xc hole pro

Previous studies have suggested an effect of gender on outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but the results are conflicting. We aimed to investigate the association of gender to outcome, coronary angiography (CAG) and adverse events in OHCA survivors treated with mild induced hypothermia (MIH).

Background and objectives Barrier-enforcing measures have been suggested as treatment options for allergic rhinitis. This review identifies and describes the literature on the subject. Methods Relevant publications were searched for in the PubMed database (search entries: 'allergic rhinitis' and 'treatment'). The evaluation comprised condition (seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis), type of int

Numerous animals are known to assess the resource holding potential of their opponents using conventional signals and other correlates of resource holding potential. Although body and weapon size generally correlate with resource holding potential and are often presumed to be visually evaluated in animal contests, no one has demonstrated visual assessment of opponent size while controlling for all

We have measured the land-atmosphere CO2 exchange using the eddy covariance technique in a high Arctic tundra heath in northeast Greenland (Zackenberg). On the basis of 11 years of measurements (2000-2010), it was found that snow cover dynamics was important for the CO2 exchange. The start of CO2 uptake period correlated significantly with timing of snowmelt. Furthermore, for years with deep and l

We present a method to match the multi-parton states generated by the High Energy Jets Monte Carlo with parton showers generated by the A riadne program using the colour dipole model. The High Energy Jets program already includes a full resummation of soft divergences. Hence, in the matching it is important that the corresponding divergences in the parton shower are subtracted, keeping only the co

We report the measurement of direct photons at midrapidity in Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. The direct photon signal was extracted for the transverse momentum range of 4 GeV/c < pT < 22 GeV/c, using a statistical method to subtract decay photons from the inclusive photon sample. The direct photon nuclear modification factor R-AA was calculated as a function of p(T) for different Au +

The first milk, colostrum, is an important source of nutrients and an exclusive source of immunoglobulins (Ig), essential for the growth and protection from infection of newborn pigs. Colostrum intake has also been shown to affect the vitality and behaviour of neonatal pigs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding colostrum and plasma immunoglobulin on brain development

Atmospheric ions participate in the formation of new atmospheric aerosol particles, yet their exact role in this process has remained unclear. Here we derive a new simple parameterization for ion-induced nucleation or, more precisely, for the formation rate of charged 2-nm particles. The parameterization is semi-empirical in the sense that it is based on comprehensive results of one-year-long atmo

Background: European Union law prohibits companies from marketing drugs off-label. In the United Kingdom — as in some other European countries, but unlike the United States — industry self-regulatory bodies are tasked with supervising compliance with marketing rules. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize off-label promotion rulings in the UK compared to the whistleblower-initiated