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Land-use change is a major driver of the global loss of biodiversity, but it is unclear to what extent this also results in a loss of ecological traits. Therefore, a better understanding of how land-use change affects ecological traits is crucial for efforts to sustain functional diversity. To this end we tested whether higher species richness or taxonomic distinctness generally leads to increased
Background: Myeloid cells have been associated with physiological and pathological angiogenesis, but their exact functions in these processes remain poorly defined. Monocyte-derived tissue macrophages of the CNS, or microglial cells, invade the mammalian retina before it becomes vascularized. Recent studies correlate the presence of microglia in the developing CNS with vascular network formation,
Conclusion: Alpha B-crystallin was found to be an independent prognostic marker for poor prognosis in oral cavity tumours. For oropharyngeal cancer, alpha B-crystallin had no prognostic value. Objective: The aim of this study was to see if earlier findings of alpha B-crystallin as an independent prognostic marker, and SPARC/osteonectin, PAI-1 and uPA as a prognostic combination for poor outcome in
Manganese superoxide dismutases (MnSODs) are enzymes that convert two molecules of the poisonous superoxide radical into molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. During the reaction, the manganese ion cycles between the Mn(2+) and Mn(3+) oxidation states and accomplishes its enzymatic action in two half-cycles (corresponding to the oxidation and reduction of O(2)(*-)). Despite many experimental and
The purpose of this study was to develop multimodality SPECT/MRI contrast agents for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in vivo. METHODS: Nanoparticles with a solid iron oxide core and a polyethylene glycol coating were labeled with (99m)Tc. The labeling efficiency was determined with instant thin-layer chromatography and magnetic separation. The stability of the radiolabeled superparamagnetic iron
The relationship between palynological diversity and floristic diversity was studied on the basis of sediment surface sample pollen data from nine small lakes and vegetation data within a 250 m radius from the lake shore of each. The nine study areas are situated in the patchy cultural landscape of Southern Estonia and were chosen to represent landscape changes along a gradient from closed forest
Background: Pro-inflammatory cytokines can affect intracellular lipid metabolism. A variety of effects have been described for different cell types; hepatocyte lipid turnover pathways are inhibited during inflammation, whereas interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) reduces intracellular cholesterol levels in fibroblasts. Levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (
Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a common colonizer of the human nasopharynx. Despite a low rate of invasive disease, the high prevalence of colonization results in millions of infections and over one million deaths per year, mostly in individuals under the age of 5 and the elderly. Colonizing pneumococci form well-organized biofilm communities in the nasopharyngeal environment, but
Popular Abstract in English Every year globally, an estimated 1.7 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer, while over half a million are killed by this disease. The principal cause of death is metastasis, which is the spreading of the cancer cells from the breast to other vital organs like the brain, liver or lungs, resulting in organ failure and subsequently death. Even though the past decMetastasis is a complex process that remains a major challenge in the clinical management of cancer, because most cancer-related deaths are attributed to disseminated disease rather than the primary tumor. Despite the significant advances in the prediction of prognosis, and therapeutic management of primary breast cancers, coupled with the substantial improvement in our understanding of the molecu
Heparan sulfate (HS), a substance common in the extracellular matrix on epithelial cells is present in the pancreas, lining the duct lumen. During pathological conditions, we propose that it can be shed from the ECM and bind to receptors on the cell surface, thus triggering an inflammatory response, which if excessive can cause acute pancreatitis (AP). Infusion of HS in the pancreatic duct in rats
Professional cycling combines extensive endurance training with non weight-bearing exercise, two factors often associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore BMD was measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in 30 professional road cyclists (mean (SD) age: 29.1 (3.4) years; height: 178.5 (6.7) cm; weight: 71.3 (6.1) kg; %fat mass: 9.7 (3.2)%; (V) over dotO(2) max: 70.5 (5.5) ml .
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a locally aggressive endothelial tumour that is classified into 4 clinico-epidemiological forms: classic KS affecting lower limbs in elderly Mediterranean or East European men; endemic KS occurring in extremities among Equatorial African middle-aged men and children; iatrogenic KS involving lower limbs in immunosuppressive patients; and AIDS-associated (epidemic) KS observed
Environmental conditions, dispersal lags, and interactions among species are major factors structuring communities through time and across space. Ecologists have emphasized the importance of biotic interactions in determining local patterns of species association. In contrast, abiotic limits, dispersal limitation, and historical factors have commonly been invoked to explain community structure pat
Sera from 25 metastatic breast cancer patients and 25 healthy controls were subjected to affinity chromatography using immobilized galectin-1. Serum from the healthy subjects contained on average 1.2 mg per ml (range 0.7-2.2) galectin-1 binding glycoproteins, whereas serum from the breast cancer patients contained on average 2.2 mg/ml (range 0.8-3.9), with a higher average for large primary tumour
The remodeling phase of tissue repair in lung disorders such as idiopathic pulmonary disease, asthma, obliterative bronchiolitis, and after lung transplantation is not well understood. One of the key players in fibrosis is the fibroblast and its progenitor, the fibrocyte. The fibroblast is the main producer of extracellular matrix molecules such as collagen, versican, perlecan, biglycan, and decor
The two major aims of this study are (1) To test the performance of the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) to quantify past landscape changes using historical maps and related written sources, and (2) to use the LRA and map reconstructions for a better understanding of the origin of landscape diversity and the recent loss of species diversity. Southern Sweden, hemiboreal vegetation zone. The
This dissertation discusses aspects of the syntax of Övdalian, a variety spoken by ca. 2,500 people in the province of Dalecarlia in Sweden. Initially, an overview of the history and current status of the language of Älvdalen is given, and the focus of the dissertation is on certain syntactic phenomena that have been well studied from a comparative and diachronic perspective in other Scandinavian
Given the increasing interest in the association between exposure to air pollution and adverse health outcomes, the development of models that provide accurate spatio-temporal predictions of air pollution concentrations at small spatial scales is of great importance when assessing potential health effects of air pollution. The methodology presented here has been developed as part of the Multi-Ethn
An initial model in the crystallographic structure determination process, usually contains many errors. To produce an accurate model, one must carry out several cycles of crystallographic refinement. Because of the limited resolution typically obtained for biomolecules, the experimental data are usually supplemented by some sort of chemical information, typically in the form of a molecular-mechani
