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A quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) method was developed to monitor the relative expression of the type B botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT/B) gene (cntB) in Clostridium botulinum. The levels of cntB mRNA in five type B strains were accurately monitored by using primers specific for cntB and for the reference gene encoding the 16S rRNA. The patterns and relative expression of cntB were dif

In meteorological applications psychrometers are used both as a humidity transfer standard and as a measurement instrument. Unfortunately wet bulb temperature, t(wb), is not a thermodynamic property and consequently, in equation linking vapor pressure and temperature, the psychrometer constant, from now on called the psychrometer coefficient, a, must be experimentally evaluated. Both theoretical f

The catalytic copper site in nitrite reductase contains a Cu2+ ion bound to three histidine (His) ligands and a solvent molecule. Sites from various sources show a conspicuous variation in the structure. In some proteins, it is close to tetrahedral (even more so than are blue copper proteins), whereas in other proteins, it has a structure more similar to that expected for a type 2 copper site. We

To examine a putative role for neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in early vertebrate development we investigated nNOS mRNA expression and cGMP production during development of the zebrafish Danio rerio. The nNOS mRNA expression in the central nervous system (CNS) and periphery showed a distinct spatio-temporal pattern in developing zebrafish embryo and young larvae. nNOS mRNA expression was fi

Time-resolved spectroscopy in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions was used in a feasibility study for analysis of solid pharmaceuticals. The objective of the experiments was to study the interaction of light with pharmaceutical solids and to investigate the usefulness of the method as an analytical toot for spectroscopic analysis. In these experiments, a pulsed Ti:sapphire laser and white

Aims: The aim of the study was to explore whether exposure to microbial agents determines the prevalence of acute coronary events. Methods and results: Patients with unstable angina pectoris and myocardial infarction (N = 335) and their paired controls were investigated. The subjects answered a questionnaire about their childhood contagious diseases: varicella, scarlet fever, measles, rubella, mon

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if propofol has 5-HT3 antagonistic effects. Ipecacuanha is known to release serotonin (5-HT) in the gastrointestinal tract and therefore ipecacuanha syrup was used to induce nausea and vomiting. The 5-HT3 antagonist ondansetron was used as a control substance. METHOD: Ten healthy male volunteers (20-37 years) were studied on three occasions and

Bone-marrow-derived progenitors must continually enter the thymus of an adult mouse to sustain T-cell homeostasis, yet only a few input cells per day are sufficient to support a yield of 5 × 10(7) immature T-cells per day and an eventual output of 1-2 × 10(6) mature cells per day. While substantial progress has been made to delineate the developmental pathway of T-cell lineage commitment, still li

Objective: Patients' own experiences of subjective symptoms are scarcely covered, and the objective of this study was to investigate the extent and characteristics of self-reported pain in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: This study comprised a cross-sectional design where 84 patients with SLE were asked to complete self-assessments: visual analogue scale of pain and the

Some large ecological studies have noted a significant association of testicular cancer (TC) with maternal smoking during pregnancy, while several more controlled studies have been negative. It has been difficult to obtain reliable data on exposure because of the long lag time to cancer diagnosis. We performed a case-control study nested within Finnish, Swedish and Icelandic maternity cohorts expl

The copolymer of 3-(acrylamido)phenyl boronic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide (82:18. M-n = 47000 g/mol) was prepared by free radical polymerization. The copolymer showed typical thermoprecipitation behavior in aqueous solutions; its phase transition temperature (T-p) was 26.5 +/- 0.2 degrees C in 0.1 M glycine-NaOH buffer containing 0.1 M NaCl, pH 9.2. Due to specific complex formation of the pend

Identification of incident myocardial infarction (MI) cases in a defined population using hospital discharge data and mortality data in combination has been suggested. This method of case identification was compared to that of use of MI community registers set up in accordance with principles adopted in a World Health Organization collaborative programme. The comparison comprised data for four Swe

Objective. To determine whether work performed with the arms in a highly elevated position is associated with alterations in the rotator cuff tendons as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed in a historical cohort of male machinists, car mechanics, and house painters. The participants were right-handed, ages 40-50 years, and had been employed

Background: Good glycaemic control is crucial in reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications. Despite the availability of evidence-based treatment guidelines, glycaemic control appears to remain suboptimal in most countries. Objectives: In this commentary we outline the extent to which diabetes guideline targets on HbA(1c) are being met in clinical practice and - where targets are being mi

Gaucher disease (GD), the most common lysosomal storage disorder (LSD), is caused by defects in the activity of the lysosomal enzyme, glucocerebrosidase, resulting in intracellular accumulation of glucosylceramide (GlcCer). Neuronopathic forms, which comprise only a small percent of GD patients, are characterized by neurological impairment and neuronal cell death. Little is known about the pathway

The risk of gastric cancer (GC) associated with dietary intake of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and endogenous formation of nitroso compounds (NOCs) was investigated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The study included 521 457 individuals and 314 incident cases of GC that had occurred after 6.6 average years of follow-up. An index of endogenous NOC (ENOC) fo

How do different levels of sibling competition affect nestling growth strategies? We investigated this through the effect of different levels of per capita feeding rate on the average growth rate of nestlings and on individual growth strategies within broods. To manipulate sibling competition, we transferred marsh tit nestlings between nests creating broods with fewer (reduced) or more (enlarged)

The interaction between positively charged poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers of generation 4 and DNA has been investigated for two DNA lengths; 2000 basepairs (bp; L = 680 nm) and 4331 bp (L = 1472.5 nm) using a theoretical model by Schiessel for a semiflexible polyelectrolyte and hard spheres. The model was modified to take into account that the dendrimers are to be regarded as soft spheres, t