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A double-blind, randomised, parallel group, multicentre, multinational study compared the effects of 12 months' treatment with lisinopril (10-20 mg once daily) or nifedipine retard tablets (20-40 mg twice daily) in 239 males (aged 18-75 years) and 96 post-menopausal females (aged 40-75 years). They all had a history of clinically stable type II diabetes > 3 months, microalbuminuria and early diabe
Near- and mid-infrared absorption spectra of pure water and aqueous 1.0 g/dL glucose solutions in the wavenumber range 8000-950 cm(-1) were measured in the temperature range 30-42 C in steps of 2 degreesC. Measurements were carried out with an FT-IR spectrometer and a variable pathlength transmission cell controlled within 0.02 degreesC. Pathlengths of 50 mum and 0.4 mm were used in the mid- and n
Local inflammatory reactions affect the integrity of intestinal epithelial cells, such as E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell interactions. To elucidate this event, we investigated the effects of an inflammatory mediator, leukotriene D(4 )(LTD(4)), on the phosphorylation status and properties of vinculin, a multi-binding protein known to interact with both the E-cadherin-catenin complex and the cytoskel
Objective: To analyse the influence of socio-demographic characteristics and environmental factors on self-reported somatic and psychological symptoms among middle-aged Swedish women. Methods: A total of 6917 women living in the Lund area of southern Sweden were participates of this study. They completed a generic questionnaire pertaining to socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and
The present study examines some of the ecological factors that might exert selection on floral morphology in Senecio jacobaea, a self-sterile composite which exhibits geographic variation in the frequency of rayed and discoid individuals. Regression analyses of phenotypic data from a large, segregating hybrid population, established in a semi-natural (garden) environment and studied over a 2-year
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the development of handicap in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed 8 years from onset. METHODS: The study group consisted of 106 patients participating in a prospective early RA study. The mean duration of joint symptoms at inclusion was one year. The patients were assessed at least once annually. Disability was measured with the Health Assessment Questionnaire
Alternative oxidase (AOX) functions in stress resistance by preventing accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but little is known about in vivo partitioning of electron flow between AOX and the cytochrome pathway. We investigated the relationships between AOX expression and in vivo activity in Nicotiana sylvestris and the complex I–deficient CMSII mutant in response to a cell death elicito
Levels of persistent pollutants, including PCBs, SIGMADDT, and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane, were examined in a pike population inhabiting a eutrophic lake in southern Scandinavia. For females, levels of persistent pollutants decreased linearly with age, weight, or length. This decline was ascribed to the seasonal elimination of the lipophilic pollutants in roe, which contained up to 10 times highe
In peatlands the balance between litter input and decay loss in the oxic acrotelm determines the rate of carbon input to the anoxic catotelm with carbon lost at very slow rate. In the acrotelm the C/N-quotient decreases with depth and indicates the loss of carbon from the acrotelm. On one boreo-nemoral and three subalpine ombrotrophic bogs in Sweden the carbon losses in the acrotelm plus the appar
Volatile anaesthetics may modulate cerebrovascular resistance, but their direct actions on human cerebral arteries are unknown. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of halothane and isoflurane at different MAC (0.4, 1.0 and 2.0) on contractions induced by depolarization (potassium) or receptor stimulation (prostaglandin F2 alpha) in isolated ring segments of human pial arteries. Nei
A small-scale combustor was set up to analyze the combustion of natural gas and two mixtures of partially reformed natural gas. The partially reformed mixtures can be formed using biomass to feed the endothermic reforming reactions. Before combusting these mixtures in a gas turbine, experimental work was done on a primary zone combustion chamber to examine the combustor behavior when switching fro
The effects of long-term heavy metal deposition on microbial community structure and the level of bacterial community tolerance were studied along two different gradients in Scandinavian coniferous forest soils. One was near the Harjavalta smelter in Finland, and one was at Ronnskar in Sweden. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis revealed a gradual change in soil microbial communities along bot
Insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) is tyrosine-phosphorylated in response to insulin resulting in association with and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), thereby initiating some of the effects of insulin. We have recently shown that the insulin-like effects of growth hormone (GH) in adipocytes can be inhibited by the selective PI 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin (Ridderstral
In this paper, which was prepared as part of IEA Bioenergy Task XV (“Greenhouse Gas Balances of Bioenergy Systems”), we outline a standard methodology for comparing the greenhouse gas balances of bioenergy systems with those of fossil energy systems. Emphasis is on a careful definition of system boundaries. The following issues are dealt with in detail: time interval analysed and changes of carbon
Colour vision models require measurement of receptor noise and the absorbance of visual pigments, oil droplets, and ocular media. We have studied how variation in these parameters influences colour matching, spectral sensitivity, and colour discrimination predictions in four bird species. While colour match predictions are sensitive to variation in visual pigment and oil droplet absorbance data, d
So far, the use of epostane, a relatively new inhibitor of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/delta 5-delta 4 isomerase enzyme system (3 beta-HSD), has been confined to short-term interference with luteal and placental function. This study explored whether epostane treatment from the beginning of the cycle for approximately 1 month would also inhibit ovarian follicular function. Twenty females wi
Background Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is common in bakery workers. The relation between bronchial responsiveness measured with a tidal breathing method and smoking, airway symptoms, IgE-sensitization, nasal indices of inflammation and flour dust exposure have been studied with bronchial responsiveness expressed as a continuous outcome. Material and methods Bakery workers (n = 197) were su
Previous studies have suggested that the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine may have a non-specific beneficial effect on childhood survival in areas with high mortality. We examined whether BCG-vaccinated children with a BCG scar or a positive tuberculin reaction had better survival than children without such reactions. As part of an ongoing two-dose measles vaccine trial for which children wer
