Aims: Two common reasons to explain slow environmental biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), namely lack of appropriate carbon sources for microbial growth and limited bioavailability of PAHs, were tested in a laboratory bioassay using a creosote-contaminated soil. Methods and Results: The soil, containing a total of 8 mg g(-1) of 16 PAHs, was sieved and incubated in bottles f

Background & Aims: The long-term prognosis of patients with small-duct primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) remains incompletely characterized. We aimed at determining the natural history and long-term outcomes of a large number of patients with small-duct PSC. Methods: Data from 83 patients with well-characterized small-duct PSC from several medical institutions in Europe and the United State

Binding of the class II PapG adhesin, found at the tip of filamentous pili on Escherichia coli, to the carbohydrate moiety of globoseries glycolipids in the human kidney is a key step in development of pyelonephritis, a severe form of urinary tract infection. An assay based on surface plasmon resonance for quantification of the binding of the class II PapG adhesin to oligosaccharides has been deve

The sea elevation at a fixed point is modelled as a quadratic form of a vector valued Gaussian process with arbitrary mean. With this model, saddlepoint methods are used to approximate the mean upcrossing intensity with which the sea level crosses upwards at a certain height. This estimated intensity is further used to determine the probability distribution of wave crests. The use of saddlepoint t

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a negative component of auditory event-related potential (ERP), reflecting the brain's automatic change detection process. In the present study we investigated the development of the pitch change detection, as indexed by the MMN, in the same infants from birth until 12 months of age. The MMN was identified in approximately 75% of infants at each age, being relatively s

The response of peatlands to changes in the climatic water budget is crucial to predicting potential feedbacks on the global carbon (C) cycle. To gain insight on the patterns and mechanisms of response, we linked a model of peat accumulation to a model of peatland hydrology, then applied these models to empirical data spanning the past 5000 years for the large mire Store Mosse in southern Sweden.

Most available methods for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are based principally on the system that can produce an increased fluorescence signal during hybridization. In the current study, we demonstrate a method of base-quenched probe for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping that requires only a pair of primers and one fluorescent probe and does not invariably depend on the

The BB (BioBreeding) rat is one of the best models of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes and is used to study non-MHC loci contributing to Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes in the diabetes-prone BB (BBDP) rat is polygenic, dependent upon mutations at several loci. Iddm1, on chromosome 4, is responsible for a lymphopenia (lyp) phenotype and is essential to diabetes. In this study, we report the positio

From an extract of the stem bark of Xymalos monospora, a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (1), three benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (mollinedine, 1-(p-methoxybenzyl)-6,7-methylenedioxyisoquino-line, doryafranine), and an aporphine alkaloid (N-methyllaurotetanine) were isolated. These compounds were tested for growth inhibitory activity against bloodstream forms of three strains of African trypanosome

We present a theory for the full distribution of current fluctuations in incoherent diffusive superconducting junctions, subjected to a voltage bias. This theory of full counting statistics of incoherent multiple Andreev reflections is valid for an arbitrary applied voltage. We present a detailed discussion of the properties of the first four cumulants as well as the low and high voltage regimes o

Certain monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to type II collagen (CII) induce arthritis in vivo after passive transfer and have adverse effects on chondrocyte cultures and inhibit self assembly of collagen fibrils in vitro. We have examined whether such mAbs have detrimental effects on pre-existing cartilage. Bovine cartilage explants were cultured over 21 days in the presence of two arthritogenic mAbs to

Along with rapidly developing nanotechnology, new types of analytical instruments and techniques are needed. Here we report an alternative procedure for electrical measurements on semiconductor nanowhiskers, allowing precise selection and visual control at close to atomic resolution. We use a combination of two powerful microscope techniques, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and simultaneous vi

BACKGROUND: The orexins (hypocretins) are recently discovered hypothalamic peptides that are involved in the regulation of sleep, appetite and state of arousal. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) orexin and specific psychiatric symptoms in suicidal patients. METHODS: A total of 101 patients were enrolled in the study shortly after a suicide att

The Boyden chamber technique for chemotaxis uses a mesh filter that constitutes a matrix for cell locomotion and, at the same time, creates a local restriction for convective fluid movements that allows the establishment of a diffusive concentration gradient of chemotactic substance in the filter. In the present study, the Boyden chamber was modified by the introduction of a filter sandwich that a

BACKGROUND: The metallation of closed ring tetrapyrroles resulting in the formation of hemes, chlorophylls and vitamin B12 is catalyzed by specific enzymes called chelatases. Ferrochelatase catalyzes the terminal step in heme biosynthesis by inserting ferrous ion into protoporphyrin IX by a mechanism that is poorly understood. Mutations in the human gene for ferrochelatase can result in the diseas

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument (SEEK) for the early detection of developmental deficits and/or autistic spectrum disorders among children by the age of 8 months at eight child health care centers in southern Sweden. Health visitors, trained by the research team, screened 312 infants. SEEK captured 5 infants with several points. Twenty-one percent of the infants obtained at

A novel technique, two-dimensional (2D) polarization single-molecule imaging, is presented. It is based on measurements and analysis of fluorescence intensity as a function of excitation and emission polarization angles. The technique allows recording of full information on the steady-state polarization properties of fluorescent objects. It is particularly suitable for application to single multic

Degradation of toxaphene in soil from both newly contaminated (from Sweden) and aged spills (from Nicaragua) were studied. The newly contaminated soil contained approximately 11 mg kg(-1) toxaphene while the aged Nicaraguan soil contained approximately 100 mg kg-1. Degradation was studied in anaerobic bioreactors, some of which were supplied with lactic acid and others with Triton (R) X-114. In th

Summary Background Early prediction of severity is important in the management of patients with acute pancreatitis. The presence of activation peptides and certain pancreatic proenzymes in plasma and urine has been shown to correlate with severity. This study was designed to assess the value of measuring levels of the activation peptide of carboxypeptidase B (CAPAP) and of anionic trypsinogen. Met