beta-Hexosaminidase and its isoenzyme patterns were investigated in plasma from patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. The patients were divided into three main groups matched for duration of diabetes: (a) proliferative retinopathy (b), progress of retinopathy within a two-year period (c) and with no background retinopathy. When all patients were compared to a reference group, a significant incre

Objective: The insulin responsive adiponutrin (PNPLA3 or ADPN) gene shows association with obesity and in vitro adipocyte lipolysis. This study aimed to replicate the association between PNPLA3 variants and obesity, and to investigate their effect on insulin resistance and beta-cell function. Methods: rs738409 (Met148Ile) and rs2072907 (C to G) were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination as

In this paper we aim to understand the size/conformation relationship in waxy barley starch, a polydisperse and ultrahigh molar mass biomacromolecule. Characterizations are performed with asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF). Furthermore, we study the effect of homogenization on the molar mass, rms radius (r rms) and hydrodynamic radius (r h). For the untreated sample, the macromol

A total of 14 women and seven men with a mean age of 43 years (18 to 68) who sustained a Mason type IV fracture of the elbow, without an additional type II or III coronoid fracture, were evaluated after a mean of 21 years (14 to 46). Primary treatment included closed elbow reduction followed by immobilisation in a plaster in all cases, with an additional excision of the radial head in 11, partial

We wanted to study the expression of P2-receptors at the mRNA-level in the heart and if it is affected by congestive heart failure (CHF). To quantify the P2 receptor mRNA-expression we used a competitive RT-PCR protocol which is based on an internal RNA standard. The P2 receptor mRNA-expression was quantified in hearts from CHF rats and compared to sham-operated rats. Furthermore, the presence of

A novel sulfophenylated polysulfone membrane material has been evaluated in a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell using Nafion-impregnated commercial electrodes. Comparative measurements were performed with Nafion membranes to distinguish between different sources of potential losses. The operational temperatures in the experiments ranged from 60 to 110 °C, and the effect of different humidifying conditions

Dispersal is commonly considered to be a condition-dependent behaviour with no or low heritability. Here, we show that dispersal in the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus ) has a high heritability. Analyses of capture-recapture data of male great reed warblers gathered from the species' whole Swedish breeding range revealed a remarkable offspring-parent resemblance in dispersal behaviou

Plots in a 40-yr-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stand in S. Sweden were treated with 5 tons tonnes? lime/ha, 7.5 tons wood-ash/ha, or left untreated. One-yr-old P. sylvestris seedlings were planted in each of the plots in early June, 12 months after ash treatment and 18 months after lime treatment. The pH of the limed, ash treated and untreated plots were 5.2, 6.4 and 3.8, respectively. Four mo

Streptomyces genomes encode two homologs of the nucleoid-associated HU-proteins. One of them, here designated HupA, is of a conventional type similar to E. coli HUalpha and HUbeta, while the other, HupS, is a two-domain protein. In addition to the N-terminal part that is similar to HU proteins, it has an additional C-terminal domain that is similar to the alanine and lysine-rich C-termini of eukar

Purpose To explore the effect of high-dose ifosfamide in first-line treatment for patients

Simulations with the EGSnrc code package of an orthovoltage x-ray machine have been performed. The BEAMnrc code was used to transport electrons, produce x-ray photons in the target and transport of these through the treatment machine down to the exit level of the applicator. Further transport in water or CT based phantoms was facilitated by the DOSXYZnrc code. Phase space files were scored with BE

Polysulfone main chains have been functionalized with hypersulfonated aromatic side chains where the sulfonic acid groups were highly concentrated on a local scale, with two acid groups placed on the same aromatic ring. This molecular design was implemented to promote the nanophase separation that takes place in proton-exchange membranes between the hydrophobic polymer main chain and the hydrophil

A Surprisingly high degree of structural and compositional dynamics is observed in the system LiBH4-LiCl as a function of temperature and time. Rietveld refinement of synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction (SR-PXD) data reveals that Cl- readily substitutes for BH4- in the Structure of LiBH4. Prolonged heating a sample of LiBH4-LiCl (1:1 molar ratio) above the phase transition temperature a

Despite the widespread dissemination of clinical practice guidelines on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD causes one third of deaths worldwide and almost half of all deaths in the developed world. It is therefore likely that, although some aspects of CVD management have improved, there is still a significant shortfall between what is known about CVD prevention and w

In this work, we reconstructed in vitro the behavior of two motor proteins-myosin and actin-responsible for the mechanical action of muscle cells. By transferring this in vivo system to an artificial environment, we were able to study the interaction between the proteins in more detail, as well as investigating the central mechanism of force production. Nm-patterning by e-beam lithography (EBL) co

A single biopsy is a poor estimator of the muscle fibre cross-sectional area (CSA) for a whole human muscle because of the large variability in the fibre area within a muscle. To determine how the sampling errors in biopsy techniques can be reduced, data on the CSA of type 1 and type 2 fibres obtained from cross-sections of whole vastus lateralis muscle of young men, have been analysed statistical

Speed and accuracy are crucial prerequisites in the application of proteomic methods to clinical medicine. We describe a microfluidic-based nanovial array for rapid proteolytic processing linked to MALDI-TOF MS. This microscale format consumes only minute amounts of sample, and it is compatible with rapid bioanalytical protocols and high-sensitivity readouts. Arrays of vials (300 mu m in diameter