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For many years, splenectomy has been used to treat immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), and this procedure benefits approximately two-thirds of the treated patients. Although splenectomy may raise platelet counts, antibody-coated platelets and cytotoxic T lymphocytes appear to persist or can change over time. To better understand how the spleen may affect anti-platelet immune responses, we used a murine

The Eurosiberian Carbonflux project was designed to address the feasibility of inferring the regional carbon balance over Europe and Siberia from a hierarchy of models and atmospheric CO2 measurements over the continent. Such atmospheric CO2 concentrations results from the combination of connective boundary layer dynamics, synoptic events, large-scale transport of CO2, and regional surface fluxes

Semi-arid regions play an increasingly important role as a sink within the global carbon (C) cycle and is the main biome driving inter-annual variability in carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake by terrestrial ecosystems. This indicates the need for detailed studies of spatiotemporal variability in C cycling for semi-arid ecosystems. We have synthesized data on the land-atmosphere exchange of CO2 measured w

Objective: High knee extensor strength may be important to protect against the development of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in populations at elevated risk, such as individuals with meniscal pathology. We investigated the extent to which high knee extensor muscle strength was associated with a decreased risk of developing radiographic or symptomatic knee OA in individuals with medial meniscal pathology

Tropical biodiversity is threatened by the expansion of oil-palm plantations. Reduced-impact farming systems such as agroforests, have been proposed to increase biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In regions where oil-palm plantations already dominate the landscape, this increase can only be achieved through systematic ecological restoration. However, our knowledge about the underlying ecologi

Adaptor proteins assist proteases in degrading specific proteins under appropriate conditions. The adaptor protein YjbH promotes the degradation of an important global transcriptional regulator Spx, which controls the expression of hundreds of genes and operons in response to thiol-specific oxidative stress in Bacillus subtilis. Under normal growth conditions, the transcription factor is bound to

We have estimated the binding affinity of three sets of ligands of the heat-shock protein 90 in the D3R grand challenge blind test competition. We have employed four different methods, based on five different crystal structures: first, we docked the ligands to the proteins with induced-fit docking with the Glide software and calculated binding affinities with three energy functions. Second, the do

Plant cells have two main modes of growth generating anisotropic structures. Diffuse growth where whole cell walls extend in specific directions, guided by anisotropically positioned cellulose fibers, and tip growth, with inhomogeneous addition of new cell wall material at the tip of the structure. Cells are known to regulate these processes via molecular signals and the cytoskeleton. Mechanical s

Recent evidence has revealed the role of mechanical cues in the development of shapes in organisms. This thesis is an effort to test some of the fundamental hypotheses about the relation between mechanics and patterning in plants. To do this, we develop mechanical models designed to include specific features of plant cell walls. These are heterogeneous stiffness and material anisotropy as well as

Background: Six different N-terminal amyloid precursor protein (APP) fragments, with molecular weight ∼12 kDa, have previously been identified in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In a pilot study, both the sum of their concentrations, measured by western blot, and the relative abundance pattern, measured by mass spectrometry, were different in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients compared to healthy

The common swift (Apus apus) is adapted to an aerial lifestyle, where food and nest material are captured in the air. Observations have prompted scientists to hypothesize that swifts stay airborne for their entire non-breeding period [1, 2], including migration into sub-Saharan Africa [3–5]. It is mainly juvenile common swifts that occasionally roost in trees or buildings before autumn migration w

Background: Indications for negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in vascular surgical patients are expanding. The aim of this review was to outline the evidence for NPWT on open and closed wounds. Methods: A PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library search from 2007 to June 2016 was performed combining the medical subject headings terms 'wound infection', 'abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)', 'fasciotomy

Purpose: This paper is based on a study of six similar buildings built in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1971, which were in urgent need of renovation. A life cycle profit analysis shows how four competing concepts were evaluated to find a financially viable renovation concept; additionally, the environmental impacts of these renovation concepts using a life cycle assessment are presented. Design/methodol

Timing of return to the breeding area presumably optimizes breeding output in migrants. How timing affects the other components of fitness — survival, has been comparatively little studied. Returning too early in spring is expected to be associated with high mortality in insectivorous migrants when weather conditions are still unsuitable. Yet, males in particular arrive early to get access to the

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation can be curative in patients with hematological malignancies but carries a significant risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). There are no standard treatments for steroid-refractory (SR) gastrointestinal (GI) acute GvHD (aGvHD). This multicenter, international, retrospective medical record review aimed to evaluate the off-label use of vedolizumab, a

Many bird populations in temperate regions have advanced their timing of breeding in response to a warming climate in recent decades. However, long-term trends in temperature differ geographically and between seasons, and so do responses of local breeding populations. Data on breeding bird phenology from subarctic and arctic passerine populations are scarce, and relatively little data has been rec