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Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a potent mitogen and antiapoptotic factor. Although elevated serum IGF-I levels have been associated with increased cancer risk, it is not yet clear whether IGF-I sensitivity is sustained throughout tumor progression. To evaluate the biological effects of IGF-I during renal cell carcinoma (RCC) establishment and progression, we administered recombinant human

The secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) re-establishes homeostasis at sites of infection by virtue of its ability to exert antimicrobial activity, to suppress LPS-induced cellular immune responses, and to reduce tissue damage through inhibition of serine proteases released by polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes (PMNs). Microarray analysis of bone marrow (BM) populations highly enri

Proteoglycans (PG) are polyanionic proteins consisting of a core protein substituted with carbohydrate chains, that is, glycosaminoglycans (GAG). The biosynthesis of GAG can be manipulated by simple xylosides carrying hydrophobic aglycons, which can enter the cell and initiate the biosynthesis. While the importance of the aglycon is well investigated, there is far less information on the effect of

Endothelin-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor mediating its effects via two receptor subtypes, the endothelin type A (ET(A)) preferentially situated on smooth muscle cells, mediating vasoconstriction and endothelin type B (ET(B)) mainly located on endothelial cells, mediating vasodilatation. In cardiovascular disease and in organ culture in vitro, endothelin ET(B) receptors are up-regulated on smooth m

OBJECTIVES:: In a Swedish celiac disease screening study (Exploring the Iceberg of Celiacs in Sweden), we systematically reviewed the clinical diagnostic procedures with the aim to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and to take advantage of lessons learned for improving diagnostic routines. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: A school-based celiac disease screening study involving 5 Swedish centers, with 10,041

Smoking and other forms of tobacco use are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The effect of cigarette smoking on cardiovascular health is evident even at the lowest levels of exposure. Yet, the adverse effects of smoking are reversible, with cardiovascular risk decreasing substantially within the first 2 years of smoking cessation. Significantly, the mortality from coronary heart disea

BACKGROUND: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in elderly patients with mental illness, and patients with vascular disease have higher plasma tHcy concentration than patients without vascular disease. METHOD: We investigated the influence of cobalamin/folate status and renal function on the association between plasma tHcy levels and vascular disease. RESULTS: There was a si

Microwaves were for the first time produced by humans in 1886 when radio waves were broadcasted and received. Until then microwaves had only existed as a part of the cosmic background radiation since the birth of universe. By the following utilization of microwaves in telegraph communication, radars, television and above all, in the modern mobile phone technology, mankind is today exposed to micro

Arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (LO)-1 has been implicated in allergic inflammation and asthma. The overall effect of 15-LO in allergic inflammation in vivo is, however, unclear. This study investigates systemic allergen sensitization and local allergic airway inflammation and remodeling in mice lacking the murine 12/15-LO, the ortholog to human 15-LO-1. Upon systemic sensitization with intraperitone

In this paper, we propose a new dynamic and efficient bounding volume hierarchy for breakable objects undergoing structured and/or unstructured motion. Our object-space method is based on different ways to incrementally update the hierarchy during simulation by exploiting temporal coherence and lazy evaluation techniques. This leads to significant advantages in terms of execution speed. Furthermor

Two biofilm reactors, using pumice stone and Poraver as biofilm supports, were run, based on the optimization of sulphide production using a factorial design. The maximum H2S concentrations reached were 10 and 15 mm, respectively, both being appropriate for metal precipitation in effluents. The set-up of the pumice stone biofilm reactor is suitable for application in the mining area in the Bolivia

The purpose of this long-term treatment study was to evaluate health-related quality of life by comparing the effects of diltiazem and atenolol on some important metabolic parameters. SUBJECTS, MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a Swedish-Finnish long-term multicenter study 256 patients with mild to moderate hypertension were randomized to treatment with diltiazem retard (D) (n = 127) or atenolol (A) (n = 1

Previous experimental studies have shown positive effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment in the early regeneration phase in the first few days following a nerve injury. In this study, functional effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment were studied in 2 series of rats after an injury to the sciatic nerve - a standardized crush injury and nerve transection and repair, respectively. Postoperatively th

Lead is one of the poisonous elements for de-NOx catalysts especially in the case of municipal waste incineration plants. Samples of a commercial selective catalytic reduction catalyst were impregnated with different amounts of Pb(NO3)(2), and their catalytic activities were studied. The XPS and SEM analysis showed higher lead concentration on the outer surface of the monolith than on the inside o

The regulation of a K+ current activating during oscillatory electrical activity (I-K,I-slow) in an insulin-releasing,beta-cell was studied by applying the perforated patch whole-cell technique to intact mouse pancreatic islets. The resting whole-cell conductance in the presence of 10 mm glucose amounted to 1.3 nS, which rose by 50% during a series of 26 simulated action potentials. Application of

(1S, 4R, 6R)-6-Hydroxybicyclo[2.2.2]octan-2-one, (+)-1, is synthesized from its enantiomer in 6 steps using a combination of orthogonal protecting groups and red-ox chemistry.