A rare collection of serum samples from patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection followed up from the onset of clinical symptoms was acquired. RNA corresponding to the hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of E2 protein of HCV isolated from nine patients was reverse-transcribed, amplified, sequenced, and HVR1 amino acid sequences were deduced. These sequences and a selection of HVR1 amino acid sequ

Incorporation of bowel into the bladder (enterocystoplasty) has been widely used to increase bladder capacity. It has been reported by others that the response of smooth muscle from the cystoplastic segment of the intestine shifts from that of the intestine (relaxation to α-agonists and ATP) to that of the bladder (contraction to α-agonists and ATP). This suggests a functional integration of the i

Nanometer-scale electron devices containing three-terminal ballistic junctions are fabricated by electron-beam lithography on InP/InGaAs two-dimensional electron gas materials. Based on the intrinsic nonlinearity of the devices, frequency mixer, phase detector and RS flip-flop memory functioning at room temperature are successfully achieved. The devices have simple structure layout and small size,

Microptila orienthula, sp. n. from Japan is described and illustrated based on adults of both sexes. The new species represents the first finding of Microptila in the Eastern Palaearctic Region, and it appears to be more closely related to Oriental species of Microptila than to the two Western Palaearctic species. The finding of a new species with affinities to the Oriental species as far northeas

Cerebral ischemia results in a local inflammatory response that contributes to the size of the lesion, however, the involvement of the cerebral vasculature is unknown. We hypothesise that the expression of inflammatory genes (Il6, iNOS, cxcl2, TNF-α and Il-1β) and extracellular-matrix-related genes (MMP9, MMP13) is induced in cerebral arteries following cerebral ischemia via activation of mitogen

The history of medical education in Libya spans over a period of 40 years. Medical schools had a good and promising start in the 1970s. The graduates of the first few classes had a good impact on the health services in Libya. However, the medical schools did not embrace the immense changes that medical education experienced over the last two decades. This article aims to give a background on the m

Mechanisms that mediate apoptosis resistance are attractive therapeutic targets for cancer. Protein kinase C delta (PKC delta) is considered a pro-apoptotic factor in many cell types. In breast cancer, however, it has shown both pro-survival and pro-apoptotic effects. Here, we report for the first time that down-regulation of PKC delta per se leads to apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells. Inhibition of M

Rationale Vitamin D has been shown to be involved in the host immune response toward Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Objectives: To test whether vitamin D supplementation of patients with tuberculosis (TB) improved clinical outcome and reduced mortality. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, place-bocontrolled trial in TB clinics at a demographic surveillance site in Guinea-Bissau. We incl

This study examined the influence of insulin and glucose on the transcapillary fluid absorption during lower body negative pressure (LBNP) in humans. Ten healthy males [23 (1) years] were exposed to LBNP of 45 cmH(2)O on two occasions: (1) before and during a hyperinsulinaemic clamp (HI) and (2) before and during a hyperglycaemic clamp (HG). Transcapillary fluid absorption and blood flow were reco

In pigs, the spontaneous secretion of the exocrine pancreas and the release of cholecystokinin (CCK) and peptide YY (PYY) after intraduodenal infusion of fully saturated synthetic fats differing in chain length was studied. Growing pigs (n = 6) were prepared with pancreatic duct catheters, duodenal T-cannulas and catheters placed in the jugular vein. The pigs were fed 2 g/100 g body twice daily. B

In a recent investigation, expression of a double Vitreoscilla haemoglobin (two fused VHb molecules) in Escherichia coli grown in shake flasks resulted in higher final cell density and considerably higher levels of ribosomes and tRNA. In this study, we have investigated the E. coli transcriptome in cells expressing native VHb, double VHb and control cells lacking VHb by hybridising mRNA from the d

The present study investigated the expression pattern of apolipoprotein M (apoM) mRNA in a rat model of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Animals were ischemic for I hour followed by various reperfusion times. As expected, serum alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly increased under IRI, which indicated the severity of liver injury. Hepatic mRNA levels of HSP70, which is the m

In this prospective randomized double-blind study the thromboprophylactic effect of postoperative low molecular weight heparin (tinzaparin) was compared with placebo in 80 patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. The fibrinogen uptake test was used but because of withdrawal of the labelled fibrinogen from the market the calculated number of patients was not reached. However, this is one of

An impedance spectroscopic study of the interaction between thiol-modified Au electrodes and Saccharomyces cerevisiae of strain EBY44 revealed that the cells formed an integral part of the interface, modulating the capacitive properties until a complete monolayer was obtained, whereas the charge transfer resistance ( R ct) to the redox process of [Fe(CN)6] (3-/4-) showed a linear relationship to t