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Genomes of eusocial insects code for dramatic examples of phenotypic plasticity and social organization. We compared the genomes of seven ants, the honeybee, and various solitary insects to examine whether eusocial lineages share distinct features of genomic organization. Each ant lineage contains ∼4000 novel genes, but only 64 of these genes are conserved among all seven ants. Many gene families

Knowledge of the atomic structure of biomolecules, such as proteins, is paramount to understanding their function and interactions in the human body. For example, knowledge of the atomic structure of a target protein is crucial for developing drugs that bind strongly to it and thus help cure diverse diseases.Macromolecular crystallography is the forefront method for determining the atomic structur

Sml1 is a small ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) regulatory protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that binds to and inhibits RNR activation. NMR studies of 15N-labeled Sml1 (104 residues), as well as of a truncated variant (residues 50−104), have allowed characterization of their molecular properties. Sml1 belongs to the class of intrinsically disordered proteins with a high degree of dynamics and ver

Background: Newborn screening (NBS) for long-chain 3-hydroxy acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency does not discriminate between isolated LCHAD deficiency, isolated long-chain keto acyl-CoA (LCKAT) deficiency and general mitochondrial trifunctional protein (MTP) deficiency. Therefore, screening for LCHAD deficiency inevitably comprises screening for MTP deficiency, which is much less amenable

Lately, evidence for early-Holocene emerging sedentism has been suggested among foragers in Northern Europe. The core of this suggested sedentism lies in the increasing dependency on large-scale fishing and mass consumption of fish and a territorial behaviour associated with access to the best fishing locations. This territoriality might also be associated with increasing numbers of people settlin

Background: Pressure overload of the heart occurs in patients with hypertension or valvular stenosis and induces cardiac fibrosis because of excessive production of extracellular matrix by activated cardiac fibroblasts. This initially provides essential mechanical support to the heart, but eventually compromises function. Osteopontin is associated with fibrosis; however, the underlying signaling m

BACKGROUND: Resection of the primary tumour is a prerequisite for cure in patients with colorectal cancer, but hepatic metastasectomy has been used increasingly with curative intent. This national registry study examined prognostic factors for radically treated primary tumours, including the subgroup of patients undergoing liver metastasectomy. METHODS: Patients who had radical resection of primar

Lesions in the gene encoding steroid 21-hydroxylase result in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, with impaired secretion of cortisol and aldosterone from the adrenal cortex and overproduction of androgens. A limited number of mutations account for the majority of mutated alleles, but additional rare mutations are responsible for the symptoms in some patients. A total of 11 missense mutations has prev

Some lactic acid bacteria, especially Lactobacillus spp., possess adhesive properties enabling colonization of the human gastrointestinal tract. Two probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum strains, WCSF1 and 299v, display highly different mannose-specific adhesion, with L. plantarum 299v being superior to L. plantarum WCFS1 based on a yeast agglutination assay. A straightforward correlation between the

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to compare the efficacy and safety profile of 2.0% dorzolamide (three times daily) and 0.5% timolol (twice daily) for up to 6 months in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension associated with pseudoexfoliation. The additive effects of dorzolamide and timolol in patients requiring add-on therapy also was evaluated. Methods: This was a double-masked, random

Definitions and understandings of disease are to a large extent culturally dependent, even if there are also biological components to this. While many medieval religious orders nursed an interest for science and knowledge in general, their approach to medicine was complicated by the complex attitude towards illness and the tending of the body within Christendom. Archaeological artifacts from Ciste

Agricultural landscape homogenization has detrimental effects on biodiversity and key ecosystem services. Increasing agricultural landscape heterogeneity by increasing seminatural cover can help to mitigate biodiversity loss. However, the amount of seminatural cover is generally low and difficult to increase in many intensively managed agricultural landscapes. We hypothesized that increasing the h

Objective: To study the difference in incidence and risk of fragility fractures between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients followed up early in the disease and the general population in Sweden; and the fracture risk changes in RA patients diagnosed in the 1990s and 2000s because of earlier, more potent pharmacological treatment in the later period. Method: Patients with early RA were recruited fro

Introduction The POInT study, an investigator initiated, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicentre primary prevention trial is conducted to determine whether daily administration of oral insulin, from age 4.0 months to 7.0 months until age 36.0 months to children with elevated genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, reduces the incidence of beta-cell autoantibodies and diabetes. Methods

The study focuses on mapping spatiotemporal patterns and detecting the potential drivers of traffic congestion with multi-source data. First, based on real-time traffic data retrieved from an online map, the k-means clustering algorithm was applied to classify the spatiotemporal distribution of congested roads. Then, we applied a geographical detector (Geo-detector) to mine the potential factors f

Protandry, the earlier arrival of males at the breeding grounds relative to females, is common in migratory birds. However, due to difficulties in following individual birds on migration, we still lack knowledge about the spatiotemporal origin of protandry during the annual cycle, impeding our understanding of the proximate drivers of this phenomenon. Here, we use full annual cycle tracking data o

Membrane-bound water channels known as aquaporins (AQPs) facilitate water transport across biological membranes along osmotic gradients. Since all living cells depend on their ability to maintain water homeostasis, this must be tightly regulated. In eukaryotes, this is achieved by gating, which involves a conformational change of the protein, thereby physically blocking water transport, or by traf

Purpose: This paper is based on a study of six similar buildings built in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1971, which were in urgent need of renovation. A life cycle profit analysis shows how four competing concepts were evaluated to find a financially viable renovation concept; additionally, the environmental impacts of these renovation concepts using a life cycle assessment are presented. Design/methodol

Virusinfektioner har utan tvekan blivit det största hälsoproblemet i världen. I skrivande stund når antalet COVID-19 infektioner i världen upp emot 151 800 000 vilket gör att behovet av vacciner och antivirala läkemedel är viktigare nu än någonsin tidigare. Influensa A är ytligare ett virus som orsakar överdödlighet, trotts att många klarar sig lindrigt vid infektion. För att kunna förhindra ellerWith viral infections becoming an ever-increasing health problem in the world, the study of viral proteins is a cornerstone for understanding and preventing future pandemics. The following work shows the purification and structural characterization of the Influenza A M2 proton channel through solid-state NMR (ssNMR). Despite previously published structures of the M2 proton channel, the method of p