Selective macrophage inhibition abolishes warfarin-induced reduction of metastasis.

Warfarin administered to tumor-bearing mice reduces the number of spontaneous lung metastases. Both macrophage inhibitors silica and carrageenan abolish the warfarin-induced decrease in tumour metastasis, which strongly supports the concept that the antitumour effect of coumarin derivatives is mediated by stimulation of macrophages. The results do not seem to be influenced by any effects of carrageenan on blood-coagulation factors. Chemicals/CAS: carrageenan, 9000-07-1, 9049-05-2, 9061-82-9, 9064-57-7; silicon dioxide, 10279-57-9, 14464-46-1, 14808-60-7, 15468-32-3, 60676-86-0, 7631-86-9; warfarin, 129-06-6, 2610-86-8, 3324-63-8, 5543-58-8, 81-81-2; Carrageenan, 9000-07-1; Silicon Dioxide, 7631-86-9; Warfarin, 81-81-

Extrapulmonary colony formation after intravenous injection of tumour cells into heparin-treated animals.

Recent data on extrapulmonary colony formation after heparin administration are inconclusive. A systematic study of this topic was undertaken with 4 experimental tumour systems and 2 distinct periods of reduced clotting capacity in rats and mice. I.v. injection of various numbers of tumour cells into i.p. heparinized animals leads to: (1) Significant reduction in the number of lung colonies. The effect after 9 h anti-coagulation is equal to or probably greater than after 2 h. (2) The reduction in the number of lung colonies caused by heparin is independent of the number of cells injected. (3) The number of extrapulmonary extrathoracic colonies is significantly increased by heparin in 3 of the 4 tumour systems. (4) The number of extrapulmonary intrathoracic colonies is probably unaffected. (5) The increase in extrapulmonary extrathoracic colony formation is not related to the degree of reduction in lung colonies. These data lead to the conclusion that the capacity of the lung capillaries to trap tumour cells can be decreased by heparin-induced alterations in fibrin formation. This results in a lodgement of tumour cells throughout the body which is far more pronounced than in animals with normal clotting capacity

Striking Oil: Another Puzzle

We find that changes in oil prices strongly predict future stock market returns in many countries in the world. In our thirty year sample of monthly data for developed stock markets, we find statistically significant predictability in 12 out of the 18 countries and in a world market index. For our shorter time series of emerging markets we obtain similar results. We show that these results are economically significant and robust with respect to the sample period, different kind of oil prices we consider and well known effects like the January effect and the Halloween effect

Modelling and observing urban climate in the Netherlands

Volgens de klimaatscenario’s van het KNMI uit 2006 zal de gemiddelde temperatuur in Nederland in de komende decennia verder stijgen. Hittegolven zullen naar verwachting vaker voorkomen en de intensiteit van met name zomerse buien kan toenemen. In steden zijn de gevolgen van de opwarming extra voelbaar, omdat de temperaturen er door het zogenoemde Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect veel hoger kunnen zijn dan in het omliggende gebied. Zulke periodes met hoge temperaturen gaan veelal gepaard met verslechterde luchtkwaliteit en droogte. Dit alles kan grote gevolgen hebben voor de leefbaarheid en de gezondheid van de bevolking in stedelijke gebieden. Veranderingen in de buienintensiteit beïnvloeden de waterhuishouding van de stad

Reorientation Transition in Single-Domain (Ga,Mn)As

We demonstrate that the interplay of in-plane biaxial and uniaxial anisotropy fields in (Ga,Mn)As results in a magnetization reorientation transition and an anisotropic AC susceptibility which is fully consistent with a simple single domain model. The uniaxial and biaxial anisotropy constants vary respectively as the square and fourth power of the spontaneous magnetization across the whole temperature range up to T_C. The weakening of the anisotropy at the transition may be of technological importance for applications involving thermally-assisted magnetization switching.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Simulating carbon exchange using a regional atmospheric model coupled to an advanced land-surface model

This paper is a case study to investigate what the main controlling factors are that determine atmospheric carbon dioxide content for a region in the centre of The Netherlands. We use the Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (RAMS), coupled with a land surface scheme simulating carbon, heat and momentum fluxes (SWAPS-C), and including also submodels for urban and marine fluxes, which in principle should include the dominant mechanisms and should be able to capture the relevant dynamics of the system. To validate the model, observations are used that were taken during an intensive observational campaign in central Netherlands in summer 2002. These include flux-tower observations and aircraft observations of vertical profiles and spatial fluxes of various variables. The simulations performed with the coupled regional model (RAMS-SWAPS-C) are in good qualitative agreement with the observations. The station validation of the model demonstrates that the incoming shortwave radiation and surface fluxes of water and CO2 are well simulated. The comparison against aircraft data shows that the regional meteorology (i.e. wind, temperature) is captured well by the model. Comparing spatially explicitly simulated fluxes with aircraft observed fluxes we conclude that in general latent heat fluxes are underestimated by the model compared to the observations but that the latter exhibit large variability within all flights. Sensitivity experiments demonstrate the relevance of the urban emissions of carbon dioxide for the carbon balance in this particular region. The same tests also show the relation between uncertainties in surface fluxes and those in atmospheric concentrations

Ультразвуковое исследование при дегенеративно-дистрофических и воспалительных заболеваниях коленного сустава

Рассмотрены актуальные вопросы диагностики заболеваний коленного сустава − деформирующего остеоартроза, ревматоидного и псориатического артритов. Предложены критерии дифференциальной диагностики этих заболеваний.Urgent issues of diagnosis of knee joint diseases (osteoarthrosis deformans, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis) are discussed. The criteria of differential diagnosis are suggested