Complement is a cascade-like system that is part of the innate immune defence. It is an explosive system, potentially harmful also for the host cells, and needs to be strictly regulated. An important down-regulator of complement is C4b-binding protein (C4BP). C4BP contains two different types of subunits, seven identical a-chains and one unique P-chain. The alpha-chains bind to C4b, C4BP's target

Extracellular nucleotides such as ATP and UTP are released by activation of platelets and ischemic tissue injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether ATP and UTP can induce acute tPA release from the vascular endothelium in vivo. Nine healthy subjects were studied in a perfused-forearm model during stepwise intraarterial infusions of ATP and UTP (10-200 nmol/min), and UTP durin

Chloride currents were activated by a low concentration of GABA (0.5 microM) in neonatal rat hippocampal neurons cultured for up to 14 days. Currents elicited by 0.5 microM GABA in neurons, voltage-clamped using the whole-cell technique with pipettes containing 149 mM Cl-, reversed close to 0 mV whether pipettes contained 144 mM Na+ or 140 mM Cs+, and were blocked by 100 microM bicuculline. Curren

BACKGROUND: An insertion/deletion polymorphism in the alpha2B-adrenoceptor (AR) has been associated with the risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and sudden cardiac death. In this study we tested whether this polymorphism is associated with the risk for AMI among members of families with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: 154 subjects with a history of AMI were matched for age and sex with one of the

A resultant-type identity for univariate polynomials is proved and used to characterise SAGBI bases of subalgebras generated by two polynomials. A new equivalent condition, expressed in terms of the degree of a field extension, for a pair of univariate polynomials to form a SAGBI basis is derived.

The high-Mr alkali-stable form of cathepsin B was purified from purulent human sputum. It was shown to solubilize proteoglycan monomer entrapped in polyacrylamide at a rate comparable with that of human lysosomal cathepsin B. Like the enzyme from lysosomes, sputum cathepsin B was bound by human alpha 2-macroglobulin, which inhibited its action on proteoglycan. Cystatin C in purulent sputum was sho

Various causes for negative differential conductance in transport through an interacting double quantum dot are investigated. Particular focus is given to the interplay between the renormalization of the energy levels due to the coupling to the leads and the decoherence of the states. The calculations are performed within a basis of many-particle eigenstates and we consider the dynamics given by t

OBJECTIVES: To study 40-55 mm aneurysms and calculate their size in relation to the individual predicted normal aortic diameter to see if this might add anything in the evaluation of treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The anteroposterior diameter of 40-55 mm AAAs was measured with an echo-tracking ultrasonic technique in 147 consecutive patients. The weight and height were registered and body surfac

BACKGROUND: Human stem cells are viewed as a possible source of neurons for a cell-based therapy of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Several protocols that generate different types of neurons from human stem cells (hSCs) have been developed. Nevertheless, the cellular mechanisms that underlie the development of neurons in vitro as they are subjected to the specific differe

High-energy heavy-ion collisions provide a unique tool for the study of nuclear matter as a function of temperature and density. WA98 at the CERN SPS recorded data with a 158 A GeV Pb beam on a Pb target in 1996. To cope with the high charged-particle density, a tracking system based on high granularity multi-step avalanche detectors was developed. The results from the first measurement of Delta++

The PITX family of transcription factors regulate the development of many organs. Pitx1 mutants have a mild pituitary phenotype, but Pitx2 is necessary for the development of Rathke's pouch, expression of essential transcription factors in gonadotropes, and expansion of the Pit1 lineage. We report that lack of Pitx2 causes the pouch to undergo excessive cell death, resulting in severe pituitary hy

Popular Abstract in Swedish Vilka egenskaper var det som gjorde just pesten så fruktad av alla sjukdomar? Hur skiljde den sig från andra samtidigt grasserande farsoter? Hur spreds den? Och hur passade den in i dåtidens samhälle socialt och kulturellt? Det är några av de frågor som denna undersökning med fokus på Skåne 1710 - 1713 vill besvara. Mycket är fortfarande oklart om hur pesten uppträdde This study deals with Sweden’s last outbreak of the plague with focus on Skåne, where the epidemic raged for three years - from late autumn 1710 to late autumn 1713. This was a time of war, crop failures as well as other simultaneously occurring epidemics. The outline of this study can be summarised with the following points: This is the first regional analysis of plague in Skåne. All preserved b

Persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) are suspected to interfere with hormone activity and the normal homeostasis of spermatogenesis. We investigated the relationships between sperm DNA fragmentation, apoptotic markers identified on ejaculated spermatozoa and POP levels in the blood of 652 adult males (200 Inuits from Greenland, 166 Swedish, 134 Polish and 152 Ukrainian). Serum levels of 2,

Human fibroblast and leukocyte interferons were found to suppress lymphocyte mitogenesis induced by optimal doses of phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A. In certain situations (low doses of mitogen and/or low doses of interferon), however, interferon significantly enhanced mitogenesis. In experiments using varying concentrations of interferon, dose-response curves with different slopes were obta

Popular Abstract in Swedish I studier rörande de yngsta barnen saknas ofta genusperspektiv. Ett syfte med studien var därför att undersöka interaktionen mellan barnen (1-3 år gamla) och förskolepersonalen på småbarnsavdelningarna vid tre förskolor i ett genus- och kontextuellt perspektiv. Ett annat syfte var att undersöka pedagogernas föreställningar om barn och genus. Ett tredje syfte var att disIn studies concerning the youngest children, the toddlers, the gender perspective is often missing. One aim of the study was, therefore, to investigate the interaction between children and preschool teachers in day care centres in a gender and a contextual perspective. Another aim was to investigate the inner representations of the preschool teachers concerning children and gender. A third aim was

Objectives To explore case ascertainment, hospitalization, characteristics of both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients in a population-based group of stroke patients. Materials and methods One-year screening in Lund-Orup district for first-ever strokes using multiple prospective and retrospective methods. Results A total of 456 patients with first-ever stroke (n = 412 prospective screening

The coordination environment of uranyl in water has been studied using a combined quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics approach. Multiconfigurational wave function calculations have been performed to generate pair potentials between uranyl and water. The quantum chemically determined energies have been used to fit parameters in a polarizable force field with an added charge transfer term. Mol

AimsTo examine determinants for glycaemic control in primary care patients with Type 2 diabetes. MethodsIn a community-based surveillance of primary care patients with Type 2 diabetes, 190 men and 186 women were consecutively identified and examined for cardiovascular risk factors. Insulin resistance and beta-cell function were estimated using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Good glycaemic c