Polyamines added extracellularly to intestinal and vascular smooth muscle cells cause relaxation through inhibition of Ca2+ channel activity. Intracellularly applied polyamines also affect Ca2+ channel properties. Polyamines do not readily pass over the plasma membrane because of their positive charges but in permeabilized smooth muscle preparations they have free access to the cytoplasm. In this

By direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified DNA from different individuals, three point mutations have been found in a 220-bp fragment from the promoter region of the human cystatin C gene. The three mutations are all localized within a short segment of 85 bp on the same allele. One of the base substitutions results in the generation of a novel SstII restriction site and anot

Supply chain management involves the selection, coordination and motivation of independently operated suppliers. The central planner's perspective in operations management translates poorly to vertically separated chains, where suppliers recurrently seem to object to benevolent information sharing and centralized decision rights. Seen from the supplier's perspective, such resistance may very well

Erythroblast transformation-specific domain (ETS) transcription factors regulate some of the critical molecular mechanisms controlling the differentiation of multipotent haematopoietic progenitor cells into effector B-lymphocytes. The SPI-group ETS-protein transcription factors PU.1 and SPI-B play essential and, although coexpressed and binding to similar DNA sequences, unique roles in B-cell diff

The nonobese diabetic mouse is highly susceptible not only to diabetes but to several autoimmune diseases, and one might suspect that these are controlled by a shared set of genes. However, based on various gene-segregation experiments, it seems that only a few loci are shared and that each disorder is influenced also by a unique set of genes.

Aortic blood pressure affects coronary blood flow, but within the normal physiological blood pressure range coronary blood flow is constant. The coronary flow is pulsatile, being maximal in the early diastole. There is a smaller systolic flow component. The low systolic pressure in the right ventricle favours systolic flow. The proportion of systolic flow is greater in the right than in the left c

Coagulation factor IX contains a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) module, two epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) modules, and a serine protease region. We have characterized a mouse monoclonal antibody that binds the N-terminal EGF-like module of human factor IX with high affinity. Studies of recombinant factor IX mutants indicated that the epitope is located in the C-terminal end of the EGF-like

Popular Abstract in Swedish Ett väl fungerande immunförsvar har kapaciteten att särskilja och oskadliggöra en ofantlig mängd sjukdomsframkallande ämnen och organismer. Immunförsvarets förmåga att skilja strukturer på främmande ämnen från våra egna strukturer i kroppen är viktig, eftersom försvaret annars kan angripa kroppens egna vävnader. Det är denna del av immunförsvaret som inte fungerar då auThe intestinal mucosa, including the intestinal epithelium and underlying lamina propria (LP), contains a large number of effector/memory T cells that are thought to play a central role in the generation and maintenance of mucosal immune responses and in maintaining mucosal integrity. The work in this thesis investigates the mechanisms regulating effector T cell recruitment to the small intestinal

A very large proportion of the world's animal species are active in dim light, either under the cover of night or in the depths of the sea. The worlds they see can be dim and extended, with light reaching the eyes from all directions at once, or they can be composed of bright point sources, like the multitudes of stars seen in a clear night sky or the rare sparks of bioluminescence that are visibl

An apparatus for sorption measurements has been built and tested. Control of temperature, relative humidity and air velocity over long periods of time have been the main objectives. The article contains a description of the instrument and its performance characteristics.

CONTEXT: Plasma fibrinogen levels may be associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationships of fibrinogen levels with risk of major vascular and with risk of nonvascular outcomes based on individual participant data. DATA SOURCES: Relevant studies were identified by computer-assisted searches, hand searches of reference lists, and personal c