The U.S., Brazil and a number of European and other countries worldwide have introduced various support schemes for bioethanol and biodiesel. The advantage of these biofuels is that they are relatively easily integrated with the current fossil fuel-based transport sector, at least up to a certain point. However, recent studies point to various negative effects of expanding the production of fir...

Ascorbic acid (AA) has been reported as a treatment for cancer patients. Intravenous (iv) administration of high-dose AA increases plasma AA levels to pharmacologic concentrations and generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) to exert anti-tumor activity via enhancement of oxidative stress. However, AA is very unstable in aqueous solutions and it is impossible to preserve AA for a long period in ...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) contribute to tumor invasion and microenvironment, hence are associated with bladder cancer risk. We therefore, tested whether polymorphisms in MMP genes modify the risk of bladder cancer (BC) and whether smoke exposure modifies this risk. Genotyping was performed in 200 BC patients and 200 controls by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymo...

The stable ascorbic acid derivative 2-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2G) was used to investigate the role of ascorbic acid (AA) in B cell differentiation in vitro. AA-2G is stable in a solution unlike AA but is hydrolyzed by cellular alpha-glucosidase to release AA. Mouse spleen B cells were primed for 2 days with an anti-mu antibody in the presence of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 ...

OBJECTIVES Bronchiectasis is characterized by an irreversible dilatation of bronchi and is associated with lung fibrosis. MMP-1 polymorphism may alter its transcriptional activity, and differentially modulate bronchial destruction and lung fibrosis. DESIGN To investigate the association of MMP-1 polymorphisms with disease severity in non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis patients, 51 normal...

OBJECTIVE Monocyte recruitment by proinflammatory cytokines is a hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Lewis(y-6) and H (Le(y)/H) are blood group antigens up-regulated on RA synovial endothelium. We have previously shown that both soluble Le(y)/H and a glucose analog of H, H-2g, are angiogenic and mediateleukocyte-endothelial adhesion via induction of intercellular adhesion molecule 1. We hypo...

For a positive integer g, let Sp 2g(R) denote the group of 2g × 2g symplectic matrices over a ring R. Assume g ≥ 2. For a prime number l, we show that any closed subgroup of Sp 2g(Zl) that surjects onto Sp2g(Z/lZ) must in fact equal all of Sp2g(Zl). Our result is motivated by group theoretic considerations that arise in the study of Galois representations associated to abelian varieties.

OBJECTIVE In Fukujuji Hospital, we have been conducting TST to tuberculosis (TB) non-infected staffs to find new latent TB Infection (LTBI) every year, although almost of them were BCG vaccinated, and the reliability of TST is controversial in BCG vaccinated group. Recently, a new technique, QFT-2G, is evaluated highly to detect TB infection, especially in BCG vaccinated individuals. We examine...

The aim of this study was to investigate modulation of voltage-dependent steady-state activation and availability from inactivation of the cardiac Na+ channel by the cytoskeleton. As an experimental approach, we used long-lasting monitoring [63 ± 5 (SE) min] of the half-point potentials of the steady-state availability curve ( V 1/2A ) and normalized conductance curve ( V 1/2G) in 116 rat ventr...