Lipoteichoic acid from Staphylococcus aureus was a potent inducer of procoagulant activity in isolated mononuclear cells but not in whole blood. In contrast, staphylococcal peptidoglycan showed equal levels of potency in isolated mononuclear cells and whole blood, suggesting that peptidoglycan is an important inducer of procoagulant activity in severe sepsis involving gram-positive bacteria.

The mixing process is studied in grid-generated turbulent flow for single- and bubbly two-phase flow systems. Concentration and mixing characteristics in the liquid phase are measured with the aid of a PLIF/PLIF arrangement. A nearly isotropic turbulent flow field is generated at the center of the vertical pipe by using a honeycomb, three grids and a contraction. In two-phase flow experiments, air

The associations between perfectionism, anger, somatic health, and positive affect were examined in 184 Swedish adults from a randomly selected population sample. Somewhat unexpectedly, anger was found to be associated with self-oriented perfectionism rather than with socially prescribed perfectionism. With regard to somatic health complaints, both socially prescribed perfectionism and self-orient

This paper analyses the overall environmental impact when biogas systems are introduced and replace various reference systems for energy generation, waste management and agricultural production. The analyses are based on Swedish conditions using a life-cycle perspective. The biogas systems included are based on different combinations of raw materials and final use of the biogas produced (heat, pow

The present communication highlights aspects on the aetiology, diagnosis and therapy of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and some allied infections in which sexual transmission is regarded as possible. The aetiology of many genital infections is still unknown or rather, an aetiological relationship between a given agent and a clinical manifestation is in some infections still debated. The pa

The addition of serotonin to preparations of 32P-labelled human platelets resulted in a time- and dose-dependent hydrolysis of [32P]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and formation of [32P]phosphatidic acid (PA). This response was inhibited by the serotonin2 receptor antagonist ritanserin, indicating that the stimulation was mediated via the serotonin2 receptor. The addition of 50-150 mM

The human brm (hbrm) protein (homologue of the Drosophila melanogaster brahma and Saccharomyces cervisiae SNF-2 proteins) is part of a polypeptide complex believed to regulate chromatin conformation. We have shown that the hbrm protein is cleaved in NB4 leukemic cells after induction of apoptosis by UV-irradiation, DNA damaging agents, or staurosporine. Because hbrm is found only in the nucleus, w

alpha-Dystroglycan is a highly glycosylated peripheral protein forming a complex with the membrane-spanning beta-dystroglycan and establishing a connection between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. In skeletal muscle, as part of the larger dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, dystroglycan is believed to be essential for maintaining the structural and functional stability of muscle fibers.

BACKGROUND: The role of long-acting, inhaled beta2-agonists in treating asthma is uncertain. In a double-blind study, we evaluated the effects of adding inhaled formoterol to both lower and higher doses of the inhaled glucocorticoid budesonide. METHODS: After a four-week run-in period of treatment with budesonide (800 microg twice daily), 852 patients being treated with glucocorticoids were random

We investigated patterns of isozyme variation and the hierarchic structure of genetic diversity in 25 Scandinavian populations of the lilioid herb, Anthericum liliago. Isozyme data suggest that tetraploid A. liliago has an allopolyploid origin and that A. ramosum may be one of its diploid progenitors. Two populations contained known or suspected hybrids between A. liliago and A. ramosum. Isozymes

This study compares the vasodilating effect of endothelium-derived relaxing factors (EDRFs) in free arterial grafts with that in their normal control vessels. The infrarenal aorta of Sprague-Dawley rats was transplanted into the same position in other inbred recipient rats. A Krebs buffer solution (4 degrees C) served as the preservation solution. The ischemic time for the grafts (n = 8) was 42 +/

Recent controversy about the role of populated intermediates in protein folding emphasizes the need to better characterize other events on the folding pathway. A complication is that these involve high-energy states which are difficult to target experimentally since they do not accumulate kinetically. Here, we explore the energetics of high-energy states and map out the shape of the free-energy pr

It was long held as an axiom that new neurons are not produced in the adult human brain. More recent studies have identified multipotent cells whose progeny express glial or neuronal markers. This discovery may lead to new therapeutic strategies for CNS disorders, either by stimulating neurogenesis in vivo or by transplanting multipotent progenitor cells (MPCs) that have been propagated and differ

The name 'Acinetobacter venetianus' has been used previously to designate three marine hydrocarbon-degrading Acinetobacter strains, of which strain RAG-1 (=ATCC 31012) has industrial applications for the production of the bioemulsifier emulsan. However, to date, the name of this taxon has not been validly published. In this study, five strains were examined to corroborate the delineation of this t

The receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit plays a critical role in hematopoiesis and gain-of-function mutations of the receptor are frequently seen in several malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), gastrointestinal stromal tumors and testicular carcinoma. The most common mutation of c-Kit in these disorders is a substitution of the aspartic acid residue in position 816 to a valine (D816V),