Background The existence of multiple subsets of chronic lymphocytic leukemia expressing 'stereotyped' B-cell receptors implies the involvement of antigen(s) in leukemogenesis. Studies also indicate that 'stereotypy' may influence the clinical course of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, for example, in subsets with stereotyped IGHV3-21 and IGHV4-34 B-cell receptors; however, little is kno

Asthma is characterized, not only by inflammation but also by airway and vascular remodeling. Airway remodeling is established early in disease, structural alterations have been found in children, and is thought to contribute to asthma symptoms. Unfortunately, airway remodeling is considered difficult to reverse and it seldom resolves completely. Studies of vascular involvement in asthma have main

The salt and pH dependent association of hen egg white lysozyme with alpha-lactalbumin whey proteins has been studied using molecular level Monte Carlo simulations. A highly uneven charge distribution of alpha-lactalbumin leads to strongly ordered heterodimers that may facilitate the formation of structured, mesoscopic aggregates. This electrostatic steering gives rise to 80% alignment at 5 mM 1:1

Consumer wine preferences are changing rapidly towards exotic flavours and tastes. In this work, we tested five non-conventional yeast strains for their potential to improve Ribolla Gialla wine quality. These strains were previously selected from numerous yeasts interesting as food production candidates. Sequential fermentation of Ribolla Gialla grape juice with the addition of the Saccharomyces c

Flight is one of the energetically most costly activities in the animal kingdom, suggesting that natural selection should work to optimize flight performance. The similar size and flight speed of birds and bats may therefore suggest convergent aerodynamic performance; alternatively, flight performance could be restricted by phylogenetic constraints. We test which of these scenarios fit to two meas

Background: The link between squamous cell cervical carcinoma and human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 is well established, but the magnitude of the risk association is uncertain and the importance of other high-risk HPV (HRHPV) types is unclear. Methods: In two prospective nested case-control series among women participating in cytologic screening in Sweden, we collected 2,772 cervical smears from 51

Pulsed corona discharge is an efficient method on NO oxidization, and the investigation of the oxidization process is significant both for model validation and industrial application. In-situ visualization of NO and OH in pulsed corona discharge was performed by planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) in this work. Two dimensional NO oxidization and OH consumption were studied under different con

Using a combination of surface x-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry at realistic pressures, the CO oxidation reactivity of Rh(111) and Rh(100) model catalysts has been studied in conjunction with the surface structure. The measurements show that the presence of a specific thin surface oxide is crucial for the high activity of the Rh based CO oxidation. As this oxide is readily formed on all Rh

Using in situ high-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we have followed the oxidation and the reduction of Pd model catalysts in oxygen and CO pressures in the millibar range. The study includes a Pd(100) single crystal as well as SiOx-supported Pd nanoparticles of 15 or 35 nm diameter, respectively. We demonstrate that nanoparticles also form ultrathin surface oxides prior to the onset of

Drosophila melanogaster multisubstrate deoxyribonucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK) can additionally sensitize human cancer cell lines towards the anti-cancer drug gemcitabine. We show that this property is based on the Dm-dNK ability to efficiently phosphorylate gemcitabine. The 2.2 angstrom resolution structure of DmdNK in complex with gemcitabine shows that the residues Tyr70 and Arg105 play a crucial r

The application of the easily available and inexpensive chromatographic matrix hydroxyapatite for reusable and reversible immobilization of enzymes for enzyme thermistor-based flow injection analysis of glucose and Urea was tested. The immobilization was achieved by simple affinity adsorption of glucose oxidase and urease by a suitable pH-induced alteration of the protein charge. A linear detectio

Adsorption of trimethyl phosphate (TMP) on well-characterized hematite, maghemite and goethite nanopartides was studied by in situ DRIFT spectroscopy as a model system for adsorption of organophosphorous (OP) compounds on iron minerals. The iron minerals were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)