Heparin, dextran 1000 and metastasis formation after I.V. tumour cell injection in dextran non-sensitive rats.

The present study of the effect of heparin and dextran 1000 on the metastasis formation after i.v. tumour cell injection in dextran non-sensitive rats using a syngeneic 20-methylcholanthrene induced fibrosarcoma showed that heparin treatment decreased with formation of pulmonary metastases in animals both untreated and treated with dextran 1000. Treatment with dextran 1000 increased the formation of pulmonary metastases in animals both untreated and treated with heparin and the effect of dextran 1000 was thus not affected by heparin treatment. Heparin did not have any direct action on the tumour cells, which influenced metastasis formation. The data suggest that heparin acts as an anticoagulant with decreased microthrombus formation around lodged cells and that dextrax 1000 stimulates metastasis formation primarily by mechanisms other than intravascular coagulation

Non-LTE line formation for Pr II and Pr III in A and Ap stars

Non-LTE line formation for Pr II and Pr III is considered through a range of effective temperatures between 7250 K and 9500 K. A comprehensive model atom for Pr II/III is based on the measured and the predicted energy levels, in total, 6708 levels of Pr II and Pr III. We describe calculations of the Pr II energy levels and oscillator strengths for the transitions in Pr II and Pr III. The influence of departures from LTE on Pr abundance determinations is evaluated. At Teff >= 8000 K departures from LTE lead to overionization of Pr II and to systematically depleted total absorption in the line and positive abundance corrections. At the lower temperatures, different lines of Pr II may be either weakened or amplified depending on the line strength. The non-LTE effects strengthen the Pr III lines and lead to negative abundance corrections. Non-LTE corrections grow with effective temperature for the Pr II lines, and, in contrast, they decline for the Pr III lines. The Pr II/III model atom is applied to determine the Pr abundance in the atmosphere of the roAp star HD 24712 from the lines of two ionization stages. In the chemically uniform atmosphere with [Pr/H] = 3, the departures from LTE may explain only small part (0.3 dex) of the difference between the LTE abundances derived from the Pr II and Pr III lines (2 dex). We find that the lines of both ionization stages are described for the vertical distribution of the praseodymium where the Pr enriched layer with [Pr/H] > 4 exists in the outer atmosphere at log tau_5000 < -4. The departures from LTE for Pr II/III are strong in the stratified atmosphere and have the opposite sign for the Pr II and Pr III lines. Using the revised partition function of Pr II and experimental transition probabilities, we determine the solar non-LTE abundance of Pr as log (Pr/H) = -11.15\pm0.08.Comment: 17 pages, 4 tables, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Estimation of efficiency of the use of financial resources on enterprises

Стаття присвячена дослідженню теоретичних та практичних питань аналітичного забезпечення управління використанням фінансових ресурсів підприємств. Запропоновані комплексні показники оцінки даного процесуThe article is devoted to research of theoretical and practical questions of the analytical providing of management the use of financial resources of enterprises. The complex indexes of estimation of this process are offere

The role of domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions and skills in sports performance: A meta-analysis

Cognition plays a key role in sports performance. In this meta-analytic review, we synthesize research that has examined the relationship between cognitive functions, skills, and sports performance. We identified literature by searching Cochrane library, PsychInfo, Pubmed, and Web of Science. We included studies conducted on competitive athletes, assessed cognitive prerequisites, and included performance measures related to the sport. Of the 9433 screened records, 136 reports were included, containing 142 studies, 1227 effect sizes, and 8860 participants. Only 11 studies used a prospective study design. The risk of bias was assessed using The Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies. The multilevel meta- analysis showed a medium effect size for the overall difference in cognitive functions and skills, with higher-skilled athletes scoring better than lower-skilled athletes (Hedges’ g = 0.59, 95% CI [0.49, 0.69]). The moderator analysis showed larger effect size for tests of cognitive decision-making skills (g = 0.77, 95% CI [0.6, 0.94]) compared to basic (g = 0.39, 95% CI [0.21, 0.56]) and higher cognitive functions (g = 0.44, 95% CI [0.26, 0.62]), as well as larger effect size for sport-specific task-stimuli compared to general ones. We report that higher-skilled athletes perform better on tests of cognitive function compared to lower-skilled athletes. There was insufficient evidence to determine whether cognitive functions and skills can predict future sport performance. We found no evidence to support claims that tests of general cognitive functions, such as executive functioning, should be used by practitioners for talent identification or player selection

Activating KIR2DS4 Is Expressed by Uterine NK Cells and Contributes to Successful Pregnancy

Tissue-specific NK cells are abundant in the pregnant uterus and interact with invading placental trophoblast cells that transform the maternal arteries to increase the fetoplacental blood supply. Genetic case-control studies have implicated killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) genes and their $\textit{HLA}$ ligands in pregnancy disorders characterized by failure of trophoblast arterial transformation. Activating $\textit{KIR2DS1}$ or $\textit{KIR2DS5}$ (when located in the centromeric region as in Africans) lower the risk of disorders when there is a fetal $\textit{HLA-C}$ allele carrying a C2 epitope. In this study, we investigated another activating $\textit{KIR, KIR2DS4}$, and provide genetic evidence for a similar effect when carried with $\textit{KIR2DS1. KIR2DS4}$ is expressed by ∼45% of uterine NK (uNK) cells. Similarly to KIR2DS1, triggering of KIR2DS4 on uNK cells led to secretion of GM-CSF and other chemokines, known to promote placental trophoblast invasion. Additionally, XCL1 and CCL1, identified in a screen of 120 different cytokines, were consistently secreted upon activation of KIR2DS4 on uNK cells. Inhibitory $\textit{KIR2DL5A}$, carried in linkage disequilibrium with $\textit{KIR2DS1}$, is expressed by peripheral blood NK cells but not by uNK cells, highlighting the unique phenotype of uNK cells compared with peripheral blood NK cells. That KIR2DS4, KIR2DS1, and some alleles of KIR2DS5 contribute to successful pregnancy suggests that activation of uNK cells by KIR binding to HLA-C is a generic mechanism promoting trophoblast invasion into the decidua.This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Centre for Trophoblast Research, the British Heart Foundation, and the Cambridge Philosophical Society

Comparison of Radioimmunoprecipitation With Luciferase Immunoprecipitation for Autoantibodies to GAD65 and IA-2β

OBJECTIVE - To compare the sensitivity and specificity of luciferase immunoprecipitation (LIPS) with radioimmunoprecipitation (RIP) for the measurement of autoantibodies to the type 1 diabetes autoantigens glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) and insulinoma-associated protein (IA)-2 beta. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Sera from 49 type 1 diabetic patients and 100 nondiabetic control subjects from Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program 2007 were used to screen for autoantibodies to GAD65. An additional 200 type 1 diabetic patients and 200 nondiabetic control subjects were used to validate the GAD65 results and screen for autoantibodies to IA-2 beta. RESULTS - LIPS showed equal sensitivity and specificity to RIP for detecting autoantibodies to GAD65 and IA-2 beta. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis revealed that the detection of autoantibodies to GAD65 and IA-2 beta by LIPS and RIP were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS - The LIPS assay does not require the use of radioisotopes or in vitro transcription/translation and is a practical alternative at the clinical level for the RIP assay

Anthropogenic and climatic impacts on a coastal environment in the Baltic Sea over the last 1000 years

Coastal environments have experienced large ecological changes as a result of human activities over the last 100-200 years. To understand the severity and potential consequences of such changes, paleoenvironmental records provide important contextual information. The Baltic Sea coastal zone is naturally a vulnerable system and subject to significant human-induced impacts. To put the recent environmental degradation in the Baltic coastal zone into a long-term perspective, and to assess the natural and anthropogenic drivers of environmental change, we present sedimentary records covering the last 1000 years obtained from a coastal inlet (Gasfjarden) and a nearby lake (Lake Storsjon) in Sweden. We investigate the links between a pollen-based land cover reconstruction from Lake Storsjon and paleoenvironmental variables from Gasfjarden itself, including diatom assemblages, organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents, stable C and N isotopic ratios, and biogenic silica contents. The Lake Storsjon record shows that regional land use was characterized by small-scale agricultural activity between 900 and 1400 CE, which slightly intensified between 1400 and 1800 CE. Substantial expansion of cropland was observed between 1800 and 1950 CE, before afforestation between 1950 and 2010 CE. From the Gasfjarden record, prior to 1800 CE, relatively minor changes in the diatom and geochemical proxies were found. The onset of cultural eutrophication in Gasfjarden can be traced to the 1800s and intensified land use is identified as the main driver. Anthropogenic activities in the 20th century have caused unprecedented ecosystem changes in the coastal inlet, as reflected in the diatom composition and geochemical proxies. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder and depressive symptoms: clinical correlates and CBT treatment outcomes.

Depression frequently co-occurs with paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet the clinical correlates and impact of depression on CBT outcomes remain unclear. The prevalence and clinical correlates of depression were examined in a paediatric specialist OCD-clinic sample (N = 295; Mean = 15 [7 - 18] years, 42 % female), using both dimensional (Beck Depression Inventory-youth; n = 261) and diagnostic (Development and Wellbeing Assessment; n = 127) measures of depression. The impact of depressive symptoms and suspected disorders on post-treatment OCD severity was examined in a sub-sample who received CBT, with or without SSRI medication (N = 100). Fifty-one per-cent of patients reported moderately or extremely elevated depressive symptoms and 26 % (95 % CI: 18 - 34) met criteria for a suspected depressive disorder. Depressive symptoms and depressive disorders were associated with worse OCD symptom severity and global functioning prior to CBT. Individuals with depression were more likely to be female, have had a psychiatric inpatient admission and less likely to be attending school (ps < 0.01). OCD and depressive symptom severity significantly decreased after CBT. Depressive symptoms and depressive disorders predicted worse post-treatment OCD severity (βs = 0.19 and 0.26, ps < 0.05) but became non-significant when controlling for pre-treatment OCD severity (βs = 0.05 and 0.13, ns). Depression is common in paediatric OCD and is associated with more severe OCD and poorer functioning. However, depression severity decreases over the course of CBT for OCD and is not independently associated with worse outcomes, supporting the recommendation for treatment as usual in the presence of depressive symptoms

Seeking a new normality: Masculinity, interaction and a gluten free diet

From earlier studies, men diagnosed with celiac disease are known to be less troubled by their experiences of living with the disease than are diagnosed women. Previous studies, concentrating on men with celiac disease have been mostly quantitative, and have a bio-medical emphasis. The aim of this study was to explore the social experience of young men with screening-detected celiac disease and to highlight daily life situations five years after diagnosis. Seven young men, diagnosed with celiac disease when they were 13 years-olds through a large Swedish school-based celiac screening-study, were interviewed. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed from a gender perspective which resulted in three themes; being subjected to changes, striving for normality and emphasizing commitment. These were underpinned by several sub-themes. The young men dissociated themselves from being seen as a person with a life-long chronic disease. The analysis also showed that the young men's daily experiences of living with celiac disease largely depended on their use of characteristics known to be associated with masculinity: such as being self-assured, demanding, and behaving authoritatively. In food situations, where the young men had the ability to make use of such characteristics in their informal group, they experienced fewer negative aspects of the disease. If the young men did not hold a strong position in their informal group, their situation was insecure and vulnerable and this could lead to avoidance of contacts and social meal situations. Science and Education Publishing.div_BaM4pub4662pub