These results coincide with the results of other family studies in demonstrating a significant and specific familial aggregation of schizophrenia and nonpsychotic schizophrenia spectrum disorders among the biological relatives of schizophrenics.

This study and its confirmation of previous results in the Copenhagen Study speak for a syndrome that can be reliably recognized in which genetic factors play a significant etiologic role. These findings provide important and necessary support for the assumption often made in family studies: observed familial clustering in schizophrenia is an expression of shared genetic factors.

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the dose-response effects of supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis (BB-12) and Lactobacillus paracasei subsp paracasei (CRL-431) on blood lipids, recovery from feces and bowel habits. Changes of the fecal microflora was analyzed in the 10 10 CFU/day probiotic and placebo group. Design: The study was designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, parallel dose-response study. Subjects: Healthy young adults (18-40 years) were recruited by advertising in local newspapers. Of the 75 persons enrolled, 71 (46 women, 25 men, mean age 25.6 years (range 18-40 years)) completed the study. Intervention: The volunteers were randomly assigned into five groups receiving either placebo or a mixture of the two probiotics in the concentration of 10 8 , 10 9 , 10 10 or 10 11 CFU/day in 2 weeks run-in period, 3 weeks intervention and 2 weeks wash-out. Diary reporting bowel habits and well being (abdominal bloating, flatulence and headache) was kept for all 7 weeks and blood lipids, fecal recovery of BB-12 and CRL-431, as well as fecal microflora was tested before, immediately and 2 weeks after intervention. Results: The fecal recovery of BB-12 increased significantly (Po0.001) with increasing dose. In the group receiving 10 11 CFU/ day BB-12 was recovered from 13 out of 15 volunteers. CRL-431 was not recovered in any of the fecal samples. Supplementation with probiotics did not change the fecal bacterial composition. A significant linear increase in fecal consistency (looser stool) with increasing probiotic dose (P ¼ 0.018) was observed. No overall dose-response effect was found on the blood lipids. High doses of probiotics were well tolerated. Conclusion: A dose-related recovery of BB-12 from feces was observed. Sponsorship: The study was sponsored by Chr. Hansen A/S, Hoersholm, Denmark. Keywords: dose-response study; probiotics; cholesterol; recovery from feces; constipation European Journal of Clinical Nutrition IntroductionIt is generally accepted that the composition of the intestinal microflora influences the health and well being of humans. With the many publications showing beneficial effects of probiotic bacteria, there has been an increasing interest in the mechanism behind. Most clinical studies have tested only one dose of probiotics, ranging from 4 Â 10 8 CFU/day for determination of gastrointestinal colonization and immune modulation (Valeur et al., 2004) Contributors: DCE, CNL and KFM wrote the protocol. DCE performed the study. CNL did the microbiological analysis of fecal samples and study product. EB performed the fluorescent whole cell hybridization of BB-12 like colonies. MB performed the PFGE of CRL-431 like colonies. PK performed the statistical analysis. CNL and SN wrote the first draft of the paper and all contributors participated in the revision and final approval of the paper.

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LVHR was associated with considerable postoperative pain and fatigue in the first postoperative month, prolonging the time of convalescence and significantly affecting patients' quality of life up to 6 months postoperatively. Mesh fixation with fibrin glue or other non-invasive/degradable products seems promising for reducing pain and it should be investigated in future randomised trials.

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a glycolipid-anchored membrane protein with an established role in focalizing uPA-mediated plasminogen activation on cell surfaces. Distinct from this function, uPAR also modulates cell adhesion and migration on vitronectin-rich matrices. Although uPA and vitronectin engage structurally distinct binding sites on uPAR, they nonetheless cooperate functionally, as uPA binding potentiates uPAR-dependent induction of lamellipodia on vitronectin matrices. We now present data advancing the possibility that it is the burial of the ␤-hairpin in uPA per se into the hydrophobic ligand binding cavity of uPAR that modulates the function of this receptor. Based on these data, we now propose a model in which the inherent interdomain mobility in uPAR plays a major role in modulating its function. Particularly one uPAR conformation, which is stabilized by engagement of the ␤-hairpin in uPA, favors the proper assembly of an active, compact receptor structure that stimulates lamellipodia induction on vitronectin. This molecular model has wide implications for drug development targeting uPAR function.Timely controlled cell migration is a decisive factor for a plethora of important biological processes that occur during development and adulthood. Controlled cell migration is thus intimately involved in both maintenance and dynamic remodeling of tissue architectures during, e.g. wound healing and mammary gland development (1). These processes are executed and tightly regulated via a complicated cross-talk between specific cell surface receptors (e.g. integrins) and insoluble protein components deposited in the extracellular matrix. The extracellular matrix is nonetheless thought to play a dual role in regulating cell migration, as it provides both the focal adhesion sites required for cellular traction and opposes migration by generating physical barriers (2, 3). Cell migration in vivo, therefore, requires a coordinated regulation of extracellular matrix proteolysis, adhesion, and signaling (4). The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) 2 may allegedly assist a rendezvous between these functions, as it has the potential to exert control at all three levels. Besides being responsible for focalizing uPA-mediated plasminogen activation on cell surfaces (5-7), uPAR also facilitates adherence to vitronectin embedded in the extracellular matrix (8 -10), and as a consequence, it promotes intracellular signaling (4, 11).The glycolipid-anchored uPAR is a modular glycoprotein composed of three homologous Ly6/uPAR-type (LU) protein domain repeats (5, 12). The far majority of proteins belonging to this domain family contain only a single copy of the LU module, as exemplified by the glycolipid-anchored CD59, the extracellular ligand binding domain in the TGF-␤ receptors, and the diverse group of secreted snake venom ␣-neurotoxins (13). In the human genome, five genes are recognized so far to encode proteins with multiple LU domains, and these are all confined to a small ...

In the last two decades, the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) has been implicated in a number of human pathologies such as cancer, bacterial infections, and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. The primary function of this glycolipid-anchored receptor is to focalize uPA-mediated plasminogen activation at the cell surface, which is accomplished by its high-affinity interaction with the growth factor-like domain of uPA. Detailed insights into the molecular basis underlying the interactions between uPAR and its two bona fide ligands, uPA and vitronectin, have been obtained recently by X-ray crystallography and surface plasmon resonance studies. Importantly, these structural studies also define possible druggable target sites in uPAR for small molecules and provide guidelines for the development of reporter groups applicable for non-invasive molecular imaging of uPAR expression in vivo by positron emission tomography. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in our perception of the structure-function relationships of uPAR ligation and how these may assist translational research in preclinical intervention studies of uPAR function.

Background:The urokinase receptor (uPAR) acts as a modulator of lamellipodia formation on vitronectin-rich matrices. Results: Constraining the flexibility of uPAR by an interdomain cross-link drives it into a constitutively active state. Conclusion: Conformational dynamics of uPAR is important for its function and is regulated by uPA binding. Significance: This flexibility needs to be considered when investigating and targeting the function of uPAR.