Mutations in alpha-synuclein have been linked to rare, autosomal dominant forms of Parkinsons disease. Despite its ubiquitous expression, mutant alpha-synuclein primarily leads to the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra. Alpha-synuclein is a presynaptic nerve terminal protein of unknown function, though some studies suggest it is important for synapse formation and maintenan

We have determined the hydrogen-bond geometry in liquid water from 0 to 80 °C by combining measurements of the proton magnetic shielding tensor with ab initio density functional calculations. The resulting moments of the distributions of hydrogen-bond length and angle are direct measures of thermal disorder in the hydrogen-bond network.These moments, and the distribution functions that can be reco

In this pilot study, the predictive value of Octreotide scintigraphy (Octreoscan) and/or Chromogranin-A (CgA) was investigated in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer treated with Octreotide acetate. In total, 20 patients with progressive disease and bone metastases entered the trial. At baseline Octreoscan, CgA, PSA, alkaline phosphates (ALP) and two self-administered questionnaires (

1. Fungus-growing termites live in an obligate mutualistic symbiosis with Termitomyces fungi. The functions of the fungal symbiont have been hypothesised to differ between species and to range from highly specific roles of providing plantdegrading enzymes complementary to termite gut enzymes, to non-specific roles of providing protein-rich food to the termites. 2. Termite species with unspecialise

A rapid protocol was developed for constructing plasmid libraries from small quantities of genomic/metagenomic DNA. The technique utilizes linker amplification with topoisomerase cloning and allows for inducible transcription in Escherichia coli. As proof of principle, several anti-Bacillus lysins were cloned from bacteriophage genomes and an aerolysin was cloned from a metagenomic sample.

The aim of this study was to follow, during standardized initiation of thiopurine treatment, thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) gene expression and enzyme activity and thiopurine metabolite concentrations, and to study the role of TPMT and ITPA 94C > A polymorphisms for the development of adverse drug reactions. Sixty patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease were included in this open

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a heritable immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the gene coding for Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk). Btk belongs to the Tec family of tyrosine kinases. Each member of the family contains five regions and mutations causing XLA have been isolated in all five regions. We have determined the solution structure of the Src homology 3 (SH3) domain of Btk using two-

Hunting with firearms decimates primates of large and medium body size (> 2 kg) that disperse the seeds of large-seeded trees. In continuous, un-fragmented forests of southeastern Peru regularly hunted with firearms for 30-40 years, large primates are extirpated and medium-sized (medium) primates are reduced 61% compared with protected forests. At hunted sites seedlings and small juveniles (< 1 m

GRACILE (growth retardation, aminoaciduria, cholestasis, iron overload, lactacidosis, and early death) syndrome is a recessively inherited lethal disease characterized by fetal growth retardation, lactic acidosis, aminoaciduria, cholestasis, and abnormalities in iron metabolism. We previously localized the causative gene to a 1.5-cM region on chromosome 2q33-37. In the present study, we report the

Methyl cellulose (MC) was partially depolymerised and the oligomers thus obtained were studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). The depolymerisation was either enzymatic or acidic. Fractions of enzymatically depolymerised MC were collected from size-exclusion chromatography and subjected to a sample preparation investigation. Several MA

This article is concerned with the relationship between generalised and particularistic knowledge in the context of policy-making and policy analysis. It argues that it is problematic to assume that a reform model will generate similar outcomes across a wide variety of contexts. It presents a conceptual framework, including the concepts of transaction domain and domain consensus, that enables cont

The Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat displays a markedly reduced insulin response to glucose, a defect that is thought to be coupled to an impaired glucose signaling in the beta-cell. We have examined whether carbon monoxide (CO), derived from beta-cell heme oxygenase (HO), might be involved in the secretory dysfunction. Immunocytochemical labeling of constitutive HO (HO-2) showed no overt difference in flu

ProteomeBinders is a new European consortium aiming to establish a comprehensive resource of well-characterized affinity reagents, including but not limited to antibodies, for analysis of the human proteome. Given the huge diversity of the proteome, the scale of the project is potentially immense but nevertheless feasible in the context of a pan-European or even worldwide coordination.

Rats were made hypo- or hyperthyroid to study the role of thyroid hormones on cerebral transthyretin (TTR) mRNA expression. TTR mRNA was detected by Northern blot in rat liver, choroid plexus and meninges but not in cultured astrocytes or cultured cerebral endothelial cells. No changes were found in the levels of TTR mRNA in liver, choroid plexus or meninges in hypo- or hyperthyroid rats compared

The effective population size (N-e), and the ratio between N-e and census population size (N) are often used as measures of population viability. We show that using the harmonic mean of population sizes over time - a common proxy for N-e- has some important evolutionary consequences and implications for conservation management. This stems from the fact that there is no unambiguous relationship bet

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate dimensions of both parents' postnatal sense of security the first week after childbirth, and to determine associations between the PPSS instrument and different sociodemographic and situational background variables. DESIGN: evaluative, cross-sectional design. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: 113 mothers and 99 fathers with children live born at term, from five hospitals in souther