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Trade-offs between immune function and other physiological and behavioural processes are central in ecoimmunology, but one important problem is how to distinguish a reallocation of resources away from the immune system from a reallocation or redistribution within the immune system. While variation in baseline values of individual immune parameters is well established, studies in wild animals on mu

The length of the polymorphic CAG repeat in the N-terminal of the androgen receptor (AR) gene is inversely correlated with the transactivation function of the AR. Some studies have indicated that short CAG repeats are related to higher risk of prostate cancer. We performed a case-control study to investigate relations between CAG repeat length and prostate cancer risk, tumour grade, tumour stage,

Wetlands are integral components of our natural environment since they provide many critical ecosystem services to humanity, such as water purification, climate change mitigation, flood control, and biodiversity. Although wetlands can convey resilience to some degree of changes, they might be vulnerable to climate change. Altered hydrology and rising temperatures can turn the wetland services into

By use of a batch microcalorimeter of the thermopile type, heat production was measured in isolated populations of human peripheral blood cells exposed to defined immune complexes formed in vitro. It was found that most of the heat production recorded in whole blood after admixture of immune complexes occurs in the granulocytes. Under these conditions small but constantly higher activation values

Perlecan is a proteoglycan composed of a 470-kDa core protein linked to three heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycan chains. The intact proteoglycan inhibits the smooth muscle cell (SMC) response to vascular injury. Hspg2(Delta 3/Delta 3) (M Delta 3/Delta 3) mice produce a mutant perlecan lacking the HS side chains. The objective of this study was to determine differences between these two types o

A massive emission of light carbon about 56 Ma, recorded in marine and terrestrial sediments by a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE), caused a short-lived (~170 kyr) global warming event known as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The onset and core of this event is represented in the south Pyrenean Tremp-Graus Basin by two successive alluvial units, the Claret Conglomerate (CC) and

Holocene records of cellulose-inferred lake-water delta O-8 were produced from two lake-sediment sequences obtained in central and northern Kamchatka, Russian Far East. The sediment records share similar fluctuations in delta O-8 during the interval of ca. 5000-800 cal yr BP that correspond (inversely) with changes in K+ content of the GISP2 ice-core record from Greenland, a proxy for the relative

The aim of this study is to understand the response of public organizations and frontline public servants to the organizational hybridity that occurs when public organizations adopt market-inspired elements. To reach the aim I examine public sector customer orientation and how public organizations, as well as their employees, manage customer orientation, and the demands that the concept presents,

Can a climate-triggered export of old contaminants from the soil alter the lead (Pb) contaminant burden of subarctic lakes? To address this question, we reconstructed the pollution history of three high latitude lakes situated in a region where a recent climatic shift has occurred. Dated sediment records were used as archives of past Pb inputs to the lakes, where the difference in the (206)Pb/(207

The aim of this study was to establish if repeated quantitative 201Tl SPET scanning during follow-up of astrocytoma therapy can provide information that is relevant for clinical management. Sixteen consecutive patients, with histopathologically verified highly malignant astrocytoma, were followed during PCV chemotherapy. Imaging with 201Tl SPET and CT was performed repeatedly over 8-16 weeks until

We have prospectively evaluated the biologic response to desmopressin in 77 patients with type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD) enrolled within the Molecular and Clinical Markers for the Diagnosis and Management of type 1 VWD project. Complete response to desmopressin was defined as an increase of both ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:RCo) and factor VIII coagulant activity (FVIII:C) to 50 IU/dL or

BACKGROUND: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is the most commonly used model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In both CIA and RA there is an increase in the cellular content of the synovium, this being dominated by macrophages. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of etoposide, a topoisomerase II antagonist known to induce monocyte apoptosis, on the development of CIA. METHODS: Mice were primed and booste

In their response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2022, Poland and the Czech Republic surprised the world with their decisive and strong support, being leading contributors of both humanitarian and military aid. This paper is a qualitative case study using content analysis method and the theoretical framework of role theory. The aim is to investigate what underlying motives are behind the P

The type VI nanomachine is critical for Vibrio cholerae to establish infections and to thrive in niches co-occupied by competing bacteria. The genes for the type VI structural proteins are encoded in one large and two small auxiliary gene clusters. VCA0117 (VasH) - a σ54 -transcriptional activator - is strictly required for functionality of the type VI secretion system since it controls production