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Local adaptation is an important process contributing to population differentiation which can occur in continuous or isolated populations connected by various amounts of gene flow. The willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is one of the most common songbirds in Fennoscandia. It has a continuous breeding distribution where it is found in all forested habitats from sea level to the tree line and t

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and is clinically characterized by cognitive disturbances and the accumulation of the amyloid beta (A beta) peptides in plaques in the brain. Recent studies have shown the links between AD and the immediate-early gene Arc (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein), involved in synaptic plasticity and memory consolidat

This article discuss the consequences of the ambiguous view of children in the ethical guidelines – the ambitions to “give voice” while also “protect” – with a point of departure taken in the Swedish context, and in an actual research process of a project on children and care. It shows how the regulation of informed consent through the parent compromises the ideals of child-centred research; first

here have been few longitudinal studies on the effect of within-country mobility on patterns of mortality in deceased foreign-born individuals. The results have varied; some studies have found that individuals who move around within the same country have better health status than those who do not change their place of residence. Other studies have shown that changing one’s place of residence leads

Human immunodeficiency virus type-2 (HIV-2) infected individuals develop immunodeficiency with a considerable delay and transmit the virus at a lower rate as compared to HIV-1 infected. Conceivably, comparative studies on immune responsiveness of the HIV-1 and HIV-2 infected hosts may help to explain differences in pathogenesis and transmission between the two types of infection. Previous studies

Avian malaria parasites are supposed to exert negative effects on host fitness because these intracellular parasites affect host metabolism. Recent advances in molecular genotyping and microscopy have revealed that coinfections with multiple parasites are frequent in bird-malaria parasite systems. However, studies of the fitness consequences of such double infections are scarce and inconclusive. W

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is toxic to multidrug-resistant neuroblastoma cells in vivo and in vitro. In neuroblastoma, As2O3 does not exert its cell death-promoting effects via a classical apoptotic pathway. A death mechanism involving proteolytic cleavage of Bax to a p18 form seems to be of importance, because inhibition of Bax cleavage coincides with diminished cell death. As existing models of ce

The spread of cancer cells to regional lymph nodes through the lymphatic system is the first step in the dissemination of breast cancer. In several human cancers including those of the breast and prostate, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) is associated with lymph node metastasis. Our study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of VEGF-C on metastasis of poorly invasi

Objective: Cytokine-induced recruitment of leukocytes is an early feature during arterial injury and atherosclerotic plaque formation. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of the beta(2)-integrin lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA- 1; CD11a/CD18) in cytokine-triggered firm leukocyte adhesion to arterial endothelium in vivo. Material and Methods: Intravital fluorescence microsco

BACKGROUND: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is constitutively active (phosphorylated) in several forms of cancer, including prostate cancer (PCa). Stat3 signaling may be an interesting target for cancer therapy since inhibition of this pathway mediates growth inhibition and apoptosis of these cells. In this study we investigated the in vitro and in vivo effects of the fu

We discuss the design of stated preference (SP) surveys in light of findings in behavioral economics such as context dependence of preferences, learning, and differences between revealed and normative preferences. More specifically, we discuss four different areas: (1) revealed and normative preferences, (2) learning and constructed preferences, (3) context dependence, and (4) hypothetical bias. W

In skeletal muscle hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) has long been accepted to be the principal enzyme responsible for lipolysis of intramyocellular triacylglycerol (IMTG) during contractions. However, this notion is based on in vitro lipase activity data, which may not reflect the in vivo lipolytic activity. We investigated lipolysis of IMTG in soleus muscles electrically stimulated to contract ex v

Background and aim of the study: It has been found recently that activated complement is more widespread in diseased aortic valves compared to the endogenous complement inhibitors C1-inhibitor and clusterin. Previously, another endogenous inhibitor of complement, C4b-binding protein (C4BP) has been described in atherosclerotic diseased coronary arteries. The study aim was to analyze C4BP levels in

Androgens and the androgen receptor (AR) play crucial roles in male development and the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). The AR functions as a ligand dependent transcription factor which recruits multiple enzymatically distinct epigenetic coregulators to facilitate transcriptional regulation in response to androgens. Over-expression of AR coregulators is implicated in cancer.