In this work, we present a ridged, microfabricated, force sensor that can be used to investigate mechanical interactions between cells exhibiting contact guidance and the underlying cell culture substrate, and a proof-of-function evaluation of the force sensor performance. The substrates contain arrays of vertical pillars between solid ridges that were microfabricated in silicon wafers using photo

Regulation of serine protease activity is considered to be the sole mechanism for the function of alpha(1)-antitrypsin (AAT). However, recent reports of the anti-inflammatory effects of AAT are hard to reconcile with this classical mechanism. We discovered that two key activities of AAT in vitro, namely inhibition of endotoxin-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-a and enhancement of interleukin-10 in

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of single-dose pharmacokinetic data for factor IX (FIX) to predict multidose pharmacokinetics and explore their use for pharmacokinetic dosing in prophylactic treatment of haemophilia B. Eight patients with severe haemophilia B were enrolled. Using single-dose pharmacokinetic data for each patient, plasma factor IX procoagulant activity (FIX:C) curv

The rheological behavior of amylopectin-beta-lactoglobulin-water system in the region of incompatibility was studied by performing constant shear rate and oscillatory measurements. Phase-segregated samples were prepared at concentrations that laid over the binodal and tie-lines. The results were interpreted in terms of the isostress and isostrain blending laws. For this purpose the bases of Takaya

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.

The interaction between bacteriophage T4 DNA and cationic gemini surfactants was studied by the use of fluorescence microscopy. Upon addition of surfactant, DNA undergoes a transition from random coil to globule, with an intermediate coexistence region. The state behavior of a DNA-gemini surfactant system was found to depend on spacer length, valency, head group size, and tail length. A series of

In this work, a progress variable approach is used to model diesel spray ignition with detailed chemistry. The flow field and the detailed chemistry are coupled using the flamelet assumption. A flamelet progress variable is transported by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The progress variable source term is obtained from an unsteady flamelet library that is evaluated in each grid cell.

We prove one decomposition theorem of complex Monge-Ampere measures of plurisubharmonic functions in connection with their pluripolar sets.

Reactions of cis-[PtCl(NH3)(CyNH2)(OH2)](+) (Cy = cyclohexyl) with thione-containing single-stranded oligonucleotides d(T8XT8) and d(XT16) (X = I-s6 or U-s4) and the mononucleotides 4-thiouridine ((UMP)-U-s4) and 6-mercaptoinosine ((IMP)-I-s6) have been studied in aqueous solution at pH 4.1. The reaction kinetics was followed using HPLC methodology as a function of ionic strength in the interval 5

Background The yeast Malassezia is considered to be one of the factors that can contribute to atopic dermatitis (AD). Objectives To investigate the reactivity to Malassezia allergens, measured as specific serum IgE, positive skin prick test and positive atopy patch test (APT), in adult patients with AD. Methods In total, 132 adult patients with AD, 14 with seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD) and 33 heal

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy, caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, is an autosomal recessive autoimmune disease characterized by the breakdown of tolerance to organ-specific antigens. The 545 amino acid protein encoded by AIRE contains several structural motifs suggestive of a transcriptional regulator and bears similarity to cellular prote

Anaesthesia systems that minimize the use of volatile anaesthetics to reduce cost and pollution are of interest. Closed circuit anaesthesia is the ideal solution, but requires continuous adjustment of fresh gas flow and composition and thus is demanding in routine practice. We describe an alternative system, the Reflector system, which is open in regard to oxygen, nitrogen and N2O, and semiclosed

Over the years, pervaporation has been widely investigated as a technique for separation of liquid mixtures and recovery of organic compounds from diluted solutions. So far, the research has focused on applications in wastewater treatment, in pharmaceutical industry, for removing the products from fermentation broth in bioreactors and for aroma recovery. When it comes to pervaporation of aroma com

We have isolated the DNMT3L gene that is related to the cytosine-5-methyltransferase 3 (DNMT3) family. The gene is located on chromosome 21q22.3 between the AIRE and the KIAA0653 genes and spans approximately 16 kb of genomic sequence. The encoded protein of 387 amino acids has a cysteine-rich region containing a novel-type zinc finger domain that is conserved in DNMT3A and DNMT3B but also in ATRX

Isothermal titration calorimetry is increasingly becoming a common tool for the investigation of surfactant association processes. This can be associated with the development of new, sensitive and easy-to-operate commercial equipment, allied with the advantage of producing simultaneous information on the main thermodynamic parameters associated with the process under investigation. However, a sign