cerevisiae wild type strain 334 is MATα pep4-3 prb1-1122

cerevisiae wild type strain 334 is MATα pep4-3 prb1-1122

ura3-52 leu2-3, 112 regI-50 gal1. Two NER defective yeast strains rad 1 and rad51 were employed in this study. The genotype of Rad1 is (α rad1-2 his3Δ1 leu2-3-112 lys 1-1 trp1-289 ura3-52) and rad 51 (α rad51-1 his3Δ1 leu2-3-112 lys 1-1 trp1-289 ura3-52). Plasmids pUC18 and pBR322 were used for repair synthesis assays and were purified as described [47]. Plasmid pSBDR contains sequences encoded by an HP1 to Taq1 fragment derived from HBV adw strain which includes enhancer 1 element followed by X promoter, the HBx coding sequences and the polyA addition site. In addition, pSBDR contains neomycin resistance marker for selection in eukaryotic cells. UV survival profile of HBx expressing yeast cells Yeast cultures of strain Selleckchem PR171 AZD9668 in vivo 334 containing plasmids, pYES and pYES-Xwt and pYES-Xmutant (as indicated) were grown in 2 ml of YMIN media (0.17% yeast nitrogen base, 1% succinic acid, 0.6% NaOH and 0.5% Ammonium sulfate)

with 2% glucose. Saturated yeast cultures were washed in water and resuspended into 2 ml of sterile water. Then 200 μl of washed cells were added into 2 ml of fresh YMIN media containing 2% glycerol, 2% ethanol and 2% galactose for the induction of HBx and grown with shaking (200 rpm) for 24 h. Various cell dilutions were plated simultaneously onto two sets of YMIN plates containing 2% glycerol, 2% ethanol and 2% galactose. One set of plates was immediately irradiated under a germicidal lamp for various dosages of UV light and another set of control plates was not exposed to UV-irradiation. Plates were then incubated ADP ribosylation factor in dark for

at least 24 h and shifted to 30°C. Colonies were counted to determine the survival fraction. UV survival profile of HBx expressing human liver cells HBx expression plasmid pSBDR and UV-damaged pRC/CMV were co transfected into Chang liver cells. Plates were incubated in dark for 2 weeks in the presence of 0.4 mg/ml of G-418. The number of G-418 resistant clones per 105 cells is plotted. Live cells were counted by staining with trypan blue after transfection and prior to G-418 selection. Yeast nuclear extracts Yeast cells were grown at 30°C in 1 liter YPD medium (1% yeast extracts, 2% Bactopeptone, 2% Dextrose) to logarithmic phase. Cells were harvested by centrifugation for 10 min, washed in water, and suspended at 0.1 g/ml in 0.1 M EDTA pH 8.0/10 mM dithiothreitol. After incubation at 30°C with shaking (50 rpm) for 10 min, cells were pelleted by centrifugation as described above and suspended at 1 ml in YPS solution (1% yeast extract, 2% Bactopepetone and 1 M sorbitol) and yeast lytic enzyme (ICN) was added at 150 U/g of cells. Following incubation at 30°C with shaking (50 rpm) for 2 hrs, ice cold YPS solution was added (10 mg/g of cells). Spheroblasts were pelleted by centrifugation as above and washed three times in the same buffer. Phenylmethanesulfonyl flouride was added (0.

Using plasmid mutagenesis with primers containing

Using plasmid mutagenesis with primers containing www.selleckchem.com/products/BAY-73-4506.html mismatched mutations on the 5′ ends (Additional file 1) that annealed to plasmid pJH7 containing the P paaA reporter we generated plasmids pJH10, pJH11 and pJH12 (Table 1). The plasmid pJH10 contains 14 mismatch mutations replacing nearly the entire IR within the paaA promoter.

Plasmids pJH11 and pJH12 contain the mutations in the upstream or downstream half of the IR respectively. These plasmids were then transferred to B. cenocepacia K56-2 by triparental mating. Reporter strains were grown in minimal media supplemented with glycerol or PA. Cells harbouring plasmids pJH10, PJH11 and pJH12 exhibited higher levels of relative fluorescence in comparison with K56-2/pJH7 when grown with glycerol, demonstrating that the sequence is indeed required for negative control of paaA promoter activity (Table 2). Table 1 Bacterial Strains and Plasmids Strain or plasmid Features Reference or source B. cenocepacia strains     K56-2 (LMG18863) ET12 clone related to J2315, CF clinical isolate [43] JNRH1 K56-2BCAL0210::pJH9, Tpr This study E. coli strains     DH5α F-, ϕ 80 lacZΔM15 endA1 recA1 hsdR17(rK -mK +)supE44 thi-1 ΔgyrA96 (ΔlacZYA-argF)U169 relA1 Invitrogen SY327 araD

Δ(lac pro) argE (Am) recA56 Rifr nalA λ pir [40] Plasmids     pGPΩTp ori VX-809 chemical structure r6K, ΩTpr mob+ [27] pRK2013 ori colE1, RK2 derivative, Kmr mob + tra + [42] pJH9 pGPΩTp, internal fragment from BCAL0210 This study pJH1 pap20, eGFP [9] pJH2 pJH1, eGFP replaced promoter with multiple cloning site This study pJH5 pJH2, BCAL0211promoter region OSBPL9 (P BCAL0211 ) This study pJH6 pJH2, paaZ promoter region (P paaZ ) This study pJH7 pJH2, paaA promoter region (P paaA ) This study pJH8 pJH2 paaH promoter region (P paaH ) This study

pJH10 pJH7, ACCGACCGGTCGGT → TAGATGTATCTCAG This study pJH11 pJH7, ACCGACCGGTCGGT → TAGATGTGGTCGGT This study pJH12 pJH7, ACCGACCGGTCGGT → ACCGACCATCTCAG This study Cm, chloramphenicol; Km, kanamycin; Tp, trimethoprim. Arrows represent changes introduced to indicated sequences. Because PaaX is involved in the regulation of upstream pathways of PA catabolism in other microorganisms through binding a conserved PaaX box [23, 24] we searched for the consensus IR sequence in the genome of B. cenocepacia. A position weight matrix (PWM) [25] of the conserved IR present in the promoter regions of the paaA, paaH and paaZ plus the divergent promoter of paaF and BCAL0211 was constructed (Additional file 2) and used to search the entire genome sequence of B. cenocepacia J2315. The coordinate positions of sequences detected up to a cut off score of 17.0 are listed (Additional file 3). The top scores for the search were the ones for the paaZ, paaF, paaA and paaH inverted repeats while BCAL0211 IR scored lower at 12.0. Other sequences with scores that ranked from 18.41 to 17.37 did not locate in putative promoters or between -10 and -35 regions, likely representing false positives.

The bumps have a low modulus and the hollows have a

high

The bumps have a low modulus and the hollows have a

high modulus, which also could be attributed to the tip-induced cracks formation. Therefore, the mechanism for the occurrence of such rippling structures can be presumed as an interaction of stick-slip and crack formation processes. Figure 5 Schematic of the ripple formation mechanisms by an AFM tip. (a) Schematic of the bump formation with many cracks and (b) the cartoon model for the ripple formation. (c) AFM morphology, (d) modulus image, and www.selleckchem.com/products/PF-2341066.html (e) cross-sections of a ripple structure. (f) The topography and (g) modulus image of a 3D nanodots structure. Conclusions Directional ripple patterns with perfect periodicity can be formed on PC surfaces by scratching zigzag patterns with an AFM tip. The range of normal load and feed used for ripple formation can be obtained to modulate the period of the ripples. By combining scratching angles of 90° and 0°, beta-catenin signaling 90° and 45°, and 0° and 45° in two-step machining, we fabricated nanoscale dot and diamond-dot structures with controlled size and orientation. The typical rippling of the polymer surface can be presumed as a stick-slip and crack formation process. This study reveals that AFM-based nanomachining can be used to fabricate controllable complex 3D nanoripples and nanodot arrays on PC surfaces.

Acknowledgment The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial supports of National Science Foundation of China (51275114, 51222504), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-11-0812), Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Foundation of China (LBH-Q12079), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (HIT.BRETIV.2013.08). References 1. Mccrum NG, Buckley CP, Bucknall CB: Principles of Polymer Engineering. New York: Oxford University Press; 1997:34–88. 2.

Fletcher PC, Felts JR, Dai ZT, Jacobs TD, Zeng HJ, Lee W, Sheehan PE, Carlisle JA, Carpick RW, King WP: Wear-resistant diamond nanoprobe tips with integrated silicon heater for tip-based nanomanufacturing. ACS Nano 2010, 4:3340–3344.CrossRef 3. Sokuler M, Gheber LA: Nano fountain pen manufacture of polymer lenses for nano-biochip applications. Nano Lett 2006, 6:848–853. 10.1021/nl060323eCrossRef 4. Tseng AA, Notargiacomo A, Chen TP: Nanofabrication by scanning probe microscope lithography: a review. J Vac Sci Technol B 2005, 23:877–894. 10.1116/1.1926293CrossRef Selleckchem Erastin 5. Yu BJ, Dong HS, Qian LM, Chen YF, Yu YF, Yu JX, Zhou ZR: Friction-induced nanofabrication on monocrystalline silicon. Nanotechnology 2009, 20:465303. 10.1088/0957-4484/20/46/465303CrossRef 6. Song CF, Li XY, Yu BJ, Dong HS, Qian LM, Zhou ZR: Friction-induced nanofabrication method to produce protrusive nanostructures on quartz. Nanoscale Res Lett 2011, 6:310. 10.1186/1556-276X-6-310CrossRef 7. Andreotti B, Claudin P, Pouliquen O: Aeolian sand ripples: experimental evidence of fully developed states. Phys Rev Lett 2006, 96:028001.CrossRef 8.

PRH coordinated the study and carried out data analysis and MLA

PRH coordinated the study and carried out data analysis and MLA. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
“Background

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus responsible for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is one of the major causes of death around the world today. There were 2.1 million AIDS related deaths and 2.5 million new infections in 2007 alone with over 33.2 million people living with HIV-1 infection (AIDS epidemic update 2007, UNAIDS). Although the use of the Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) has significantly reduced the mortality Ruxolitinib and morbidity of HIV patients by chronically suppressing HIV-1 replication, we are far from finding a cure [1, 2]. Moreover, drug regimens not only come with many drawbacks such as increased malignancies, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus [3, 4]. Other challenges to HAART efficiency are development of latency and drug resistance as viruses mutate and escape from the drug

action [5–8]. Despite isolated stories about cures for HIV infection [9] and a recent modest success in a clinical vaccine learn more trial [10, 11], a vaccine that can give total protection and a drug that can give complete cure remain to be designed [12, 13]. Immune response to the HIV infection consists of a combination of both humoral and cellular immunity [14, 15]. Furthermore, different immune responses can target the same regions of viral peptides. For example, V3-loop peptides of the Env gene can be presented by both class I and class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and can be recognized by both Cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes (CTLs) and T-Helper cells oxyclozanide (Th), as well as by neutralizing antibodies (Ab) (e.g., [16–18]). Likewise, a highly conserved

region in the Gag gene (287-309 amino acid residues in p24) has been shown to interact with CTL, as well as B and T-Helper cells [19]. This, in turn, implies that escape changes driven by the selection pressure from one type of the host immune response can also lead to escape from a different immune mechanism (e.g., [20]). Recently, epitope vaccines (vaccines that contain synthetic peptides representing epitopes from pathogens) against HIV as well as other viruses such as Influenza have been suggested as a new strategy to avoid the viral escape from the host immune system as well as to counteract development of resistance against drugs [21–24]. While recognition of epitopes by the host immune system and mounting of immune response against pathogen is important in controlling and prevention of infections [25], mutations in the epitope regions can help pathogens to evade recognition by immune receptors and lead to subsequent escape of host immune system [26–28]. Selection by the immune system that promotes amino acid sequence diversification at viral epitopes has been shown to play a significant role in the evolution of different viruses, including HIV-1, SIV, Hepatitis C virus, and the Influenza A virus (e.g.

7 ± 1 4 mM for 1:10 1-hydroxypyrene samples Error bars represent

7 ± 1.4 mM for 1:10 1-hydroxypyrene samples. Error bars represent standard deviations Permeability Assays The influence of PAHs on the permeability of fatty acid bilayers to sucrose and KCl was measured using UV–vis spectrophotometry. Initial rates were determined selleck chemicals by extrapolating to zero (time of solute injection) and determining the slope of the curve. The data matched an exponential decay curve

with R2 ≥ 0.995. Figure 5 shows permeability assays for a pure fatty acid sample and a sample with 1:10 1-hydroxypyrene. Permeability of the membranes to both KCl and sucrose was significantly decreased by incorporation of 1-hydroxypyrene. The initial rates for permeability to KCl of different PAH incorporations are shown in Fig. 6 (values are based on ≥ 3 samples). Fig. 5 Permeability assays of a 60 mM DA + FA mix sample (top) and a 1:10 1-hydroxypyrene sample (bottom). Injection of 0.1 M of solute

at t = 20 s. The absorbance decrease due to swelling of vesicles by solute passing the membrane is significantly slower in the 1-hydroxypyrene samples Fig. 6 Initial rates of absorbance loss due to reswelling PLX-4720 in vitro of vesicles by KCl permeation of a 60 mM DA + FA mix, 1:10 9-ACA + FA mix and a 1:10 1-hydroxypyrene + FA mix sample. Values are calculated by fitting data to exponential decay and extrapolating to t = 20 s (time of solute injection). Error bars represent standard deviations Both 1-hydroxypyrene and 9-anthracene carboxylic acid significantly decreased the permeability of fatty acid membranes to KCl by 4.2- and 2.5-fold, respectively. Permeability coefficients for sucrose

were determined according to Chakrabarti & Deamer (1992). The interior solute concentration of vesicles obeys A(t)int = A(eq)int (1-eλt), where A(t)int is the interior concentration of solute at time t, A(eq)int is the interior solute concentration at t = infinity and λ is the decay rate. Since 0.1 M of solute is added and the osmotic gradient should disappear at 4��8C Aint = Aex, A(eq)int can be assumed to be 0.1 M (the total interior volume of the vesicles is negligible compared to the volume of bulk medium), so A(t)int = 0.1–0.1*e-t/τ. The mean lifetime (τ) can be obtained directly from fitting the data to exponential decay, and permeability coefficients can be obtained by P = (r/3) λ. Figure 7 shows the measured coefficients. Fig. 7 Permeability coefficients of sucrose calculated by determination of the decay constant by fitting the data to exponential decay. The permeability coefficient is lowered ~4 fold by 1-hydroxypyrene incorporation. Error bars represent standard deviations Discussion PAHs are present in many space environments and likely contributed to the carbon inventory on the early Earth delivered during the heavy bombardment phase through impacts of small solar system bodies (Chyba and Sagan 1992; Gomes et al. 2005), as well as abiotic synthesis on the early Earth.

The safety profiles of the monthly 30- and 50-mg regimens and the

The safety profiles of the monthly 30- and 50-mg regimens and the daily 1-mg regimen were also compared. Materials and methods Patient enrollment We studied men and postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, aged 51 to 89 years, who had a BMD below 70% (T-score −2.6 at the LS) of the young adult mean (YAM) or a BMD below 80% (T-score −1.7 at the LS) of the YAM with at least one fragility fracture, as defined by the criteria of the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research [9]. Vertebral fractures were assessed by X-ray www.selleckchem.com/JNK.html films of the vertebrae and were diagnosed in accordance with the criteria of

the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Men with a total hip BMD below 70% (T-score −2.6 at the total hip) of the YAM were also eligible. Subjects were excluded if they had disorders such as primary hyperparathyroidism; Cushing’s syndrome; premature menopause due to hypothalamic, pituitary or gonadal insufficiency, or other causes of secondary osteoporosis; or if there were any radiographic findings that might affect bone densitometry assessment. Subjects with peptic ulcer were excluded. Subjects were excluded if they had received bisphosphonate injections, strontium, or RANKL antibody at any time. Subjects were also excluded if they had taken

oral bisphosphonates within the previous 1 year or for at least 30 days during the previous 2 years up until 1 year before the first dose of the study medication. Subjects were also excluded if they had taken glucocorticoids, calcitonin, vitamin K, active vitamin D compounds, MK-1775 solubility dmso or hormone replacement therapy within the previous 2 months; had serum calcium

(Ca) levels above 10.6 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) or below 8.0 mg/dL (2.0 mmol/L); had serum creatinine levels above 1.5 mg/dL (133 μmol/L); or had clinically significant hepatic disorders. This study was conducted in accordance with the principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the appropriate institutional review boards. All subjects gave written informed consent before undergoing any examination or study procedure, all of which were conducted Liothyronine Sodium in compliance with Good Clinical Practice. Eligibility of patients for enrollment was evaluated by H. Hagino—Rehabilitation Division, Tottori University Hospital, Yonago; M. Ito—Department of Radiology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki; and T. Sone—Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama. Study design This study was a randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter study conducted at 31 sites in Japan. Subjects who met all the entry criteria were enrolled and sequentially assigned an allocation number independent of study site. Subjects were randomized to take minodronate (Astellas Pharma Inc., Tokyo, Japan) at 1 mg daily, 30 mg monthly, or 50 mg monthly for 12 months.

Chaenothecopsis dolichocephala (Tibell and Titov 1995), C golubk

Chaenothecopsis dolichocephala (Tibell and Titov 1995), C. golubkovae (Titov and Tibell 1993) and C. hunanensis are very similar to C. proliferatus. C. dolichocephala often produces branched and proliferating fruiting bodies, has similar colorless crystals in the hymenium, and also shares a similar anatomy of the stipe and exciple. However, its ascomata are on average smaller, the stipe is shinier and the ascospores are ornamented. The blue IKI + reaction is very faint or non-existing and

the red IKI + reaction occurs only Target Selective Inhibitor Library chemical structure in the lower part of exciple and stipe, if at all. The spore size, epithecial structure and the IKI + color reactions of C. golubkovae are more or less identical to those of C. proliferatus. However, C. golubkovae is characterized by the highly branched and irregularly shaped hyphae (textura epidermoidea) formed from fused cell walls of the exciple and stipe. C. PLX4032 in vivo hunanensis has slightly smaller spores with thin septa and a different type of epithecium when compared with C. proliferatus. The distinction between C. proliferatus, C. dolichocephala, C. golubkovae and C. hunanensis requires study of anatomical details and chemical features that cannot

be observed from fossil specimens embedded in amber. Hence, despite their excellent preservation, we do not want to assign the new fossils to any extant species, and we also refrain from assigning them to the previously described Chaenothecopsis bitterfeldensis Rikkinen & Poinar. However, the four extant species and the three fossils are obviously closely related and most probably belong to the same lineage since C. bitterfeldensis resembles C. proliferatus and the two newly discovered fossils in ecology and spore type (Rikkinen and Poinar 2000). The morphological similarities between C. proliferatus and the proliferating Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II fossil from Bitterfeld amber are especially striking. The only obvious difference is in the size of the fruiting bodies, with the preserved

ascocarps of the fossil being distinctly smaller than typical ascocarps of C. proliferatus. Both fungi have relatively slender, commonly branched and proliferating fruiting bodies. The shape and general appearance of the capitula of young fruiting bodies are also identical. The stipes of both fungi are lined by a net of arching and horizontal hyphae (compare Figs. 2a, c and 7d, e), and these hyphae extend to the epithecium in a similar way. In both fungi, the one-septate and smooth (or minutely punctate) ascospores accumulate on top of the epithecium. All these morphological features together indicate that the fossil is closely related to C. proliferatus. The epithecium of Chaenothecopsis proliferatus is, in places, covered by a thin layer of small crystals. These blade-like structures are typically 1–3 μm long and sharply pointed at both ends (Fig. 4d). While some crystals seem to be partly embedded in the extracellular matrix of fungal hyphae, most appear external.

Amino Acids 2012, 42:1803–1808 PubMedCrossRef 176 Haff

G

Amino Acids 2012, 42:1803–1808.PubMedCrossRef 176. Haff

GG, Koch AJ, Potteiger JA, Kuphal KE, Magee LM, Green SB, Jakicic JJ: Carbohydrate supplementation attenuates muscle glycogen loss during acute bouts of resistance exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2000, 10:326–339.PubMed Midostaurin mw 177. Kulik JR, Touchberry CD, Kawamori N, Blumert PA, Crum AJ, Haff GG: Supplemental carbohydrate ingestion does not improve performance of high-intensity resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 2008, 22:1101–1107.PubMedCrossRef 178. Lambert CP, Flynn MG, Boone JB Jr, Michaud TJ, Rodriguez-Zayas J: Effects of carbohydrate feeding on multiple bout resistance Histone Methyltransferase inhibitor exercised. J Appl Sport Sci Res 1991, 5:192–197. 179. Walsh AL, Gonzalez AM, Ratamess NA, Kang J, Hoffman JR: Improved time to exhaustion

following ingestion of the energy drink Amino Impact. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2010, 7:14.PubMedCrossRef 180. Currell K, Jeukendrup AE: Validity, reliability and sensitivity of measures of sporting performance. Sports Med 2008, 38:297–316.PubMedCrossRef 181. Laursen PB, Francis GT, Abbiss CR, Newton MJ, Nosaka K: Reliability of time-to-exhaustion versus time-trial running tests in runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007, 39:1374–1379.PubMedCrossRef 182. Scholey AB, Kennedy DO: Cognitive and physiological effects of an “energy drink”: an evaluation of the whole drink and of glucose, caffeine and herbal flavouring fractions. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2004, 176:320–330.CrossRef 183. Smit HJ, Cotton JR, Hughes SC, Rogers PJ: Mood and cognitive performance effects

of “energy” drink constituents: caffeine, glucose and carbonation. Nutr Neurosci 2004, 7:127–139.PubMedCrossRef 184. Rao A, Hu H, Nobre AC: The effects of combined caffeine and glucose drinks on attention in the human brain. Nutr Neurosci 2005, 8:141–153.PubMedCrossRef 185. Howard MA, Marczinski CA: Acute effects of a glucose energy drink on behavioral control. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2010, 18:553–561.PubMedCrossRef 186. Pettitt RW, Niemeyer JD, Sexton PJ, Lipetzky A, Murray SR: Do the non-caffeine ingredients of energy drinks affect metabolic responses to heavy exercise? Edoxaban J Strength Cond Res 2012. [Epub ahead of print]. 187. Bloomer RJ, Fisher-Wellman KH, Hammond KG, Schilling BK, Weber AA, Cole BJ: Dietary supplement increases plasma norepinephrine, lipolysis, and metabolic rate in resistance trained men. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2009, 6:4.PubMedCrossRef 188. Dulloo AG, Geissler CA, Horton T, Collins A, Miller DS: Normal caffeine consumption: influence on thermogenesis and daily energy expenditure in lean and postobese human volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr 1989, 49:44–50.PubMed 189.

At the same time, we advise caution against rendering a certain d

At the same time, we advise caution against rendering a certain diagnosis in the absence of sufficient, confirmatory clinical information. With the data provided in their 2006 report, the clear confidence Harber et al. displayed appears to us to be unwarranted.”
“Introduction In most of the 30 countries FK506 mouse joint in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), the mean age of workers increases as a result of demographic and social trends (Keese et al. 2006).

Birth cohorts since the 1960s are smaller than previous ones, and nowadays a large proportion of the youngest age group (15–25 years) in the labour force is still in education. As an additional effect of these trends, the number of available workers will diminish in the next decades. Estimations in the Netherlands for 2025, compared to 2008, show that the number of persons

available for work will decrease by 4.1% (around 340,000 employees) (http://​www.​statline.​nl). Comparable trends are predicted for other Western countries. Participation of a larger part of the people who potentially are able to work is necessary to prevent scarcity on the labour market. The European Council in Lisbon (in 2000) and Stockholm (in 2001) have set ambitious targets to be reached by 2010: to increase the general employment rate PCI-32765 supplier to 70% and the employment rate of older workers (55 and older) to 50% (Hutsebaut 2005). Encouraged by these targets and urged by the predicted scarcity in the labour market, many governments have enacted, among others,

measures to discourage Epothilone B (EPO906, Patupilone) early retirement, in order to increase labour force participation (Hutsebaut 2005). In the Netherlands, these measures are rather successful: over the past 15 years, the participation of older workers (aged between 55 and 64) has increased from the all-time low of 24% in 1993 (Wilthagen 2004) to 47% in 2008 (Janssen and Souren 2009). Retirement at a more advanced age will contribute to the trend that a larger number of employees will be of 55 up to 65 years. For a good HRM and occupational health policy it is important to get a better picture of how people in this age group perceive their work and to evaluate what contributes to their job satisfaction, compared to employees in younger age groups. The latter is also important because low job satisfaction is one of the factors that affect the intention to leave (Irvine and Evans 1995; Karatepe 2007; McCarthy 2007) and to early retirement (Sibbald et al. 2003). Moreover, Faragher et. al. (2005) concluded from a meta-analysis that job satisfaction influences the health and well-being of workers. This article addresses employees’ work characteristics, and the relationships between work characteristics and job satisfaction.

Professor Cyrus Cooper has undertaken consultancy and lecturing c

Professor Cyrus Cooper has undertaken consultancy and lecturing commitments for Alliance for Better Bone Health, Eli Lilly, Novartis, GSK Roche, Servier, MSD, Amgen. Open Access This

article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. References 1. Richter JE (2007) Gastrooesophageal reflux disease. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 21:609–631CrossRefPubMed 2. O’Connell MB, Madden DM, Murray AM et al (2005) Effects of proton pump inhibitors on calcium carbonate absorption in women: a randomized crossover trial. Am J Med 118:778–781CrossRefPubMed 3. Graziani G, Badalamenti S, Como G et al (2002) Calcium and phosphate plasma levels in dialysis patients after dietary Ca-P overload. Nephron 91:474–479CrossRefPubMed Crizotinib 4. Ensrud KE, Duong T, Cauley JA et al (2000) Low fractional calcium absorption increases the risk for hip fracture in women with low calcium intake. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Ann Intern Med 132:345–353PubMed 5. Mizunashi K, Furukawa Y, Katano K et al (1993) Effect of omeprazole, an inhibitor of H+, K(+)-ATPase, on bone resorption in humans. Calcif Tissue Int 53:21–25CrossRefPubMed 6. Rzeszutek K, Sarraf F, Davies JE (2003) Proton

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