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Leflunomide is a low molecular weight immunosuppressive drug which inhibits the enzymes dehydroorotate dehydrogenase and protein tyrosine kinase, both of which are important components in the immune response. As the mechanisms of action of leflunomide and tacrolimus are different, we postulated an additive or synergistic effect of the two drugs and investigated the effects of leflunomide alone, or
Biosynthetic nerve grafts are desired as alternative to autologous nerve grafts in peripheral nerve reconstruction. Artificial nerve conduits still have their limitations and are not widely accepted in the clinical setting. Here we report an analysis of fine-tuned chitosan tubes used to reconstruct 10 mm nerve defects in the adult rat. The chitosan tubes displayed low, medium and high degrees of a
Popular Abstract in Icelandic Landnám á jökulskerjum Plöntur hafa lengi verið taldar nauðsynlegar til að dýr geti numið land en þessi sýn er að breytast því rannsóknir hafa sýnt að smádýr nema oft land á undan plöntum. Landnám bæði plantna og dýra getur hafist um leið og nýtt land myndast en til að landnám takist þurfa nokkrir þættir að fara saman. Þau verða að komast á staðinn og þegar þangað erThe classical view of primary community assembly is that colonisation by plants is essential before invertebrates can establish. It has been recognised, however, that invertebrates can establish before plants, and that they may be important in the first steps of community assembly. Plant succession is well studied but assembly of invertebrates and how their dispersal abilities affect the community
The aim of this study was to investigate associations between time use in daily activities and sociodemographic and clinical factors in order to identify individuals with persistent mental illness at risk of having an imbalance in daily activities, as reflected in their time use and daily rhythm. Participants (n=103) were selected from a psychiatric outpatient unit using a randomized stratified se
Global positioning system and time-depth recorders were deployed in combination to investigate the foraging behaviour of common murres Uria aalge breeding at Stora Karlsö Island, Baltic Sea, during the chick-rearing period. In the pre-breeding period the main prey species of murres, sprat Sprattus sprattus, is targeted by commercial fisheries, likely reducing prey availability during the breeding
The formation of amylose-lipid complexes of form I (amorphous structure) and form II (crystalline structure) during heating was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for a range of monoglycerides and for monoglyceride mixtures. The temperature treatment applied to amylose-monoglyceride-mixtures were either the first scan in DSC (10 °C/min, 15-144 °C) or a prolonged heat treatment wher
A role for Helicobacter pylori infection in the development of gastric cancer in humans is well established; however, evidence for its carcinogenicity in animals remains inadequate. Mongolian gerbils and mice are commonly used to investigate the carcinogenicity of H. pylori, yet it is unclear whether H. pylori infection per se causes gastric cancer or duodenal ulcers in these animal models. Gastri
Background: Electrocardiogram-derived grades of ischemia at the time of patient presentation with acute myocardial infarction have proved useful in predicting the salvageability by reperfusion therapy, final infarct size, severity of left ventricular dysfunction, and short- and long-term prognosis. Subjects and Methods: The Sclarovsky-Birnbaum Ischemia Grading System based on the relation between
Control and reduction of soot particle emissions from aeronautic turbines requires a monitoring system suitable for quantification of these emissions. Currently, such emissions are estimated using the technique of smoke number. This is an extractive method, which is not sensitive enough for the low emission levels of modern gas turbines. Within a recent European project, AEROTEST, part of the proj
Selective isolation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from porcine muscle extract was studied using foam generated from the vigorous stirring of a non-ionic surfactant, Triton X-114 derivatized with Cibacron blue. The cloud point of the surfactant-dye conjugate was higher than that of the native Triton X-114, and also the foam prepared from the affinity surfactant was more rigid taking a longer time
We investigated the degree of geographical shifts of transmission areas of vector-borne avian blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon) over ecological and evolutionary timescales. Of 259 different parasite lineages obtained from 5886 screened birds sampled in Europe and Africa, only two lineages were confirmed to have current transmission in resident bird species in both geogra
Cubomedusae have a total of 24 eyes of four morphologically different types. Two of these eye types are camera-type eyes (upper and lower lens-eye), while the other two eye types are simpler pigment pit eyes (pit and slit eye). Here, we give a description of the visual system of the box jellyfish species Chiropsella bronzie and the optics of the lens eyes in this species. One aim of this study is
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of minimal nutrient-supplemented wheat straw and digestate liquor recycle was evaluated in semi-continuous processes using a novel BioReactor Simulator developed for easy accurate online normalised-gas measurement. Three scenarios (i) no recycle (NR), (ii) recycle of soluble nutrient (RSN), and (iii) recycle of nutrient and microbes (RNM) were investigated in order to eval
Swifts regularly spend the night flying at high altitude. From previous studies based on tracking radar observations, we know that they stay airborne during the night and prefer to orient themselves into the wind direction with an increased angular concentration with increasing wind speed. In this study, we investigated the orientation relative to the wind of individual swifts by frequency (discre
A novel technique for two-dimensional measurements of soot volume fraction and particle size has been developed. It is based on a combined measurement of extinction and laser-induced incandescence using Nd:YAG laser wavelengths of 532 nm and 1064 nm. A low-energy laser pulse at 532 nm was used for extinction measurements and was followed by a more intense pulse at 1064 nm, delayed by 15 ns, for LI
The severity of lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF) may be related to the type of mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, and to environmental and immunological factors. Since pulmonary disease is the main determinant of morbidity and mortality in CF, it is important to identify factors that can explain and predict this variation. The aim of this longitudi
