Search results for "Lung"
showing 10 items of 2389 documents
Characterization of the cleavage site and function of resulting cleavage fragments after limited proteolysis of Clostridium difficile toxin B (TcdB) …
2005
Clostridium difficiletoxin B (TcdB) is a single-stranded protein consisting of a C-terminal domain responsible for binding to the host cell membrane, a middle part involved in internalization, and the N-terminal catalytic (toxic) part. This study shows that TcdB is processed by a single proteolytic step which cleaves TcdB10463between Leu543and Gly544and the naturally occurring variant TcdB8864between Leu544and Gly545. The cleavage occurs at neutral pH and is catalysed by a pepstatin-sensitive protease localized in the cytoplasm and on the cytoplasmic face of intracellular membranes. The smaller N-terminal cleavage products [63 121 Da (TcdB10463) and 62 761 Da (TcdB8864)] harbour the cytotox…
Analysis of Spatial Disparities by a Structural Equations Model
2008
This paper presents a new analytical framework for assessing spatial disparities among countries. It takes for granted that the analysis of a country’s performance cannot be limited solely to either economic or social factors. The aim of the paper is to combine relevant economic and non-economic (mainly social) aspects of a country’s performance in an integrated logical framework. Based on this idea, a structural simultaneous equation model will be presented and estimated in order to explore the direction of the causal relationship between the economic and the non-economic aspects of a country’s performance. Furthermore, an exploration of the trajectory that each country has registered over…
COPD classification methods and informativeness on mortality: Contrasting evidences
2013
Understanding whether the ABCD GOLD classification method is informative with respect to the spirometric classification of severity in predicting mortality of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is subject of debate. The results of a study performed on a sample of the Norwegian population (HUNT2) were recently published. Such data showed the inferiority of ABCD classification in predicting mortality compared to the spirometric classification, which was considered the gold standard up to the 2011 version of GOLD guidelines. This result is not in line with the results of other studies that have shown the equivalence of the two classifications. The new GOLD classificatio…
Palliative Treatment of Dyspnea With Epidural Methadone in Advanced Emphysema
2005
This study investigated whether epidural methadone perfusion at the thoracic level can mitigate dyspnea in patients with advanced emphysema.Open-label clinical trial without a control group.University hospital.The inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of emphysema, basal dyspnea index (Mahler scale)or = 3, FEV(1)or = 35%, and no indication for pneumoreduction or lung transplantation surgery.An epidural catheter was inserted at the thoracic level connected to a perfusion pump for administering methadone (6 mg/24 h). Assessments were made at baseline, 1 week, and 1 month after catheter insertion.Pulmonary function tests were performed, and determinations were made of arterial blood gas levels, …
TGF-beta regulates airway responses via T cells.
2003
Abstract Allergic asthma is characterized by airway hyperreactivity, inflammation, and a Th2-type cytokine profile favoring IgE production. Beneficial effects of TGF-β and conflicting results regarding the role of Th1 cytokines have been reported from murine asthma models. In this study, we examined the T cell as a target cell of TGF-β-mediated immune regulation in a mouse model of asthma. We demonstrate that impairment of TGF-β signaling in T cells of transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative TGF-β type II receptor leads to a decrease in airway reactivity in a non-Ag-dependent model. Increased serum levels of IFN-γ can be detected in these animals. In contrast, after injection of OVA …
Jutekliskās uztveres tematizācija Pētera Handkes stāstā „Senviktuāras kalna mācība”
2015
Bakalaura darbs ir veltīts tēmai „Jutekliskās uztveres tematizācija Pētera Handkes stāstā Senviktuāra kalna mācība”. Darba mērķis ir izmeklēt un aplūkot Pētera Handkes jutekliskās uztveres atspoguļojumu stāstā Senviktuāra kalna mācība. Darba uzdevums ir izpētīt rakstnieka Pētera Handkes personību un viņa slaveno tetraloģiju, it īpaši tetraloģijas otro daļu. Darbs ir sadalīts trijās nodaļās. Pirmajā nodaļā tiek apskatīts un visparēji raksturots jēdziens „mūsdienu literatūra”, kā arī tiek apskatīta tā laika politiskā un sabiedriskā situācija Vācijā un Austrijā. Papildus tiek apskatīta mūsdienu rakstnieku paaudze un Pēters Handke tiek prezentēts kā mūsdienu vācu rakstnieku paaudzes populārs pā…
Varieties of agencies during working life changes
2020
The aim of this study is to shed light on the varieties of workers´ agencies in working life change situations, which is an under-researched topic in the literature of workplace learning and in working life studies. The research questions are what kinds of agencies there are to be found when workers encounter changes and how the different kinds of agencies are connected together. The understanding of agency is grounded on the subject-centered socio-cultural approach, whereas the methodological approach is based on applying life-course perspective on research material consisting of 48 working life narratives written by Finnish adults. The narratives are analyzed by abductive content analysis…
Phospholipid-polyaspartamide micelles for pulmonary delivery of corticosteroids
2011
A novel drug delivery system for beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) has been constructed through self-assembly of a pegylated phospholipid-polyaminoacid conjugate. This copolymer was obtained by chemical reaction of α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) with 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[amino(polyethyleneglycol)2000] (DSPE-PEG(2000)-NH(2)). Benefiting from the amphiphilic structure with the hydrophilic shell based on both PHEA and PEG and many hydrophobic stearoyl tails, PHEA-PEG(2000)-DSPE copolymer was able to self assemble into micelles in aqueous media above a concentration of 1.23 × 10(-7)M, determined by fluorescence studies. During the self-assembling …
Debating Europe: Effects of the “Eurovision Debate” on EU Attitudes of Young German Voters and the Moderating Role Played by Political Involvement
2016
In the run-up to the elections to the European Parliament in 2014, EU citizens had the unprecedented opportunity to watch televised debates between the candidates running for president of the European Commission. The most important debate was the so-called "Eurovision debate", which was broadcasted in almost all EU member states. In this study we explore the responses of a sample of 110 young German voters, who watched this debate, to the candidates' messages and whether exposure to the debate caused a shift in the respondents' attitudes towards the EU. Combining data from a quasi-experiment, real-time response data, and data from a content analysis of the debate, we find that respondents' …
Instrumental calculation, cognitive role-playing, or both?: self-perceptions of Seconded National Experts in the European Commission
2011
This is the authors’ final, accepted and refereed manuscript to the article Most work studying micro-processes of integration – i.e. how agents develop identities and decision-making behaviours within a particular institution – offers explanations based on either instrumental rationality or socialisation. This article proposes a two-dimensional framework that allows analysing under which conditions both logics of social action co-exist. Our empirical analysis employs a unique dataset from a 2011 survey of all 1098 currently active Seconded National Experts (SNEs) in the European Commission. We find that a) instrumental cost-benefit calculation and cognitive role-playing (as semi-reflexive s…