Moraxella catarrhalis ubiquitous surface proteins A1 and A2 (UspA1/A2) interfere with the classical pathway of the complement system by binding C4b-binding protein. In this study we demonstrate that M. catarrhalis UspA1 and A2 noncovalently and in a dose-dependent manner bind both the third component of complement (C3) from EDTA-treated serum and methylamine-treated C3. In contrast, related Moraxe

The age and sex-specific incidence and prevalence of vertebral compression fractures were compared between the 1950s and 1980s in an urban population. In women over 80 years of age the incidence of symptomatic vertebral fractures has increased approximately four times; in elderly men even more. Mainly, low-energy trauma has caused these fractures. Thus, one clinical manifestation of osteoporosis--

The relevance of particle mass, surface area or number concentration as risk indicators for health effects in non-industrial buildings has been assessed by a European interdisciplinary group of researchers (called EUROPART) by reviewing papers identified in Medline, Toxline, and OSH. Studies dealing with dermal effects or cancer or specifically addressing environmental tobacco smoke, house dust-mi

The effect and possible mechanisms of action of aminoguanidine (a preferential iNOS inhibitor) has been studied on cardiovascular damages and overproduction of reactive nitrogen species in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 40 rats were divided into five groups (control and diabetic, with or without aminoguanidine treatment, diabetic with insulin treatment) and oxidative

Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) is one of our most common hereditary cancer syndromes and confers an increased risk for several tumor types, with the greatest lifetime risks being for colorectal cancer and endometrial cancer. Hereditary mutations in one of several mismatch-repair (MMR) genes cause the syndrome, and 39 such mutations, involving the genes MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6, have

Previous rock magnetic investigations of oceanic basement samples have been mainly restricted by single drill holes of dredge collections. In this study, we present new and published data on the rock magnetic properties of igneous rock samples recovered during seven Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) legs in the Atlantic, Pacific, and the southern Indian oceans. The recovered igneous rocks from these le

Analys av Alfred Hitchcocks film Studie i brott (Vertigo, 1958).

Osteoarthritis (sometimes called “arthrosis” or “osteoarthrosis”) often entails a slow and gradual deterioration of the joint that may sometimes lead to its total destruction and the need for an operation to replace it. However, for most patients with osteoarthritis, surgical treatment never becomes necessary, and their symptoms can be dealt with satisfactorily by self management, by non-pharmacol

Fifteen years after the heavy storm "Vivian", it is still not clear how succession in subalpine forests that were affected by the storm will continue and when regrowing forests will provide effective protection from natural hazards such as avalanches. We used a simulation model to evaluate forest succession, forest structure and the protective effect in subalpine blowdown areas after 50 simulation

To demonstrate the psychological importance of social changes in behavioural practice, three interview studies were carried out in Sweden, each in the decade of 1970, 1980 and 1990. All subjects were university students, as were te subjects in a study performed 1959 which served as an "anchor study". The results were analysed using the following three perspectives:(1)Hegemonic social appeals rega

Transgenic mice overexpressing growth hormone (GH) have been extensively used to study the chronic effects of elevated serum levels of GH. GH is known to have many acute effects in the liver, but little is known about the chronic effects of GH overexpression on hepatic gene expression. Therefore, we used DNA microarray to compare gene expression in livers from bovine GH (bGH)-transgenic mice and l

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that reactive oxygen species may be involved in the development of diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) staining, a marker of reductants which may be induced by free radicals such as superoxide, and catalase activity, as an indirect measure of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation, were studied in the rat retina in three conditions kno

We prove a nonoscillation result for second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations. An application to the Schrodinger equation is also given. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objective To standardize the evaluation of regional fetal brain blood perfusion, using power Doppler ultrasound (PDU) to estimate the fractional moving blood volume (FMBV) and to evaluate the reproducibility of this estimation. Methods Brain blood perfusion was evaluated in 35 normally grown fetuses at 28-30 weeks of gestation, using PDU. The following cerebral regions were included in the PDU col

Objective:. The aim of this study was to describe the variation of soy product intake in 10 European-countries by using a standardised reference dietary method. A subsidiary aim was to characterise the pattern of soy consumption among a sub-group of participants with a habitual health-conscious lifestyle (HHL), i.e. non-meat eaters who are fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans. Design: A 24-hour die

A compact six-figure approximation formula for the inductance of a cylindrical current sheet is presented. The formula displays the correct asymptotic behavior in the respective cases of very long and very short coils. The efficiency of the approximation formula is due to a thorough analysis of the exact formula.