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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common, dangerous and interesting. Susceptible individuals experience multiple, often clustered episodes, and in a subset of patients, infections progress to acute pyelonephritis (APN), sometimes accompanied by uro-sepsis. Others develop asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU). Here, we review the molecular basis for these differences, with the intention to distinguish e
Measurements of charged particle distributions, sensitive to the underlying event, have been performed with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are based on data collected using a minimum-bias trigger to select proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 900 GeV and 7 TeV. The "underlying event" is defined as those aspects of a hadronic interaction attributed not to the hard
Platelet-derived growth factor A-chain (PDGF-A) exists in two evolutionarily conserved isoforms, PDGF-Along and PDGF-Ashort, generated by alternative RNA splicing. They differ by the presence (in PDGF-Along) or absence (in PDGF-Ashort) of a carboxyterminal heparin/heparan sulfate proteoglycan-binding motif. In mice, similar motifs present in other members of the PDGF and vascular endothelial growt
Phytate, the major source of phosphorus in seeds, exists as a complex with different metal ions. Alkaline phytases are known to dephosphorylate phytate complexed with calcium ions in contrast to acid phytases that act only on phytic acid. A recombinant alkaline phytase from Bacillus sp. MD2 has been purified and characterized with respect to the effect of divalent metal ions on the enzyme activity
Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is a member of the lipocalin super family and circulates in plasma attached to high density lipoprotein particles. ApoM plays a role in cholesterol metabolism and has recently been identified as transporter for the signaling lipid Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) in plasma. S1P is implicated in several inflammatory diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
A new step-by-step comprehensive MR physics simulator (MRISIMUL) of the Bloch equations is presented. The aim was to develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) simulator that makes no assumptions with respect to the underlying pulse sequence and also allows for complex large-scale analysis on a single computer without requiring simplifications of the MRI model. We hypothesized that such a simulati
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic cytokine with the capability to act as tumour suppressor or tumour promoter depending on the cellular context. TGF-beta receptor type-2 (TGFBR2) is the ligand-binding receptor for all members of the TGF-β family. Data from mouse model experiments demonstrated that loss of Tgfbr2 expression in mammary fibroblasts was linked to tumour initiati
Biotic homogenization (BH) is a process whereby some species (losers) are systematically replaced by others (winners). While this process has been related to the effects of anthropogenic activities, whether and how BH is occurring across regions and the role of native species as a driver of BH has hardly been investigated. Here, we examine the trend in the community specialization index (CSI) for
We have studied whether the efficiency of alchemical free-energy calculations with the Bennett acceptance ratio method of protein-ligand binding energies can be improved by simulating only part of the protein. To this end, we solvated the full protein in a spherical droplet with a radius of 46 angstrom, surrounded by a vacuum. Then, we systematically reduced the size of the droplet and at the same
The complement, coagulation and fibrinolytic systems are crucial for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. To date numerous interactions and cross talks have been identified between these cascades. In line with this, here we propose a novel, hitherto unknown interaction between the complement inhibitor C4b-binding protein (C4BP) and plasminogen of the fibrinolytic pathway. Binding of C4BP to S. p
Real-world evaluation studies have shown that many patients with asthma remain symptomatic despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). As conventional ICSs have poor access to the peripheral airways, the aim of the present paper was to study the relationship between peripheral airway inflammation and clinical control in allergic asthma. Consequently, bronchial and transbronchial biopsie
The complex interaction between cancer cells and the microenvironment plays an essential role in all stages of tumourigenesis. Despite the significance of this interplay, alterations in protein composition underlying tumourstroma interactions are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify stromal proteins with clinical relevance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A list encompassin
A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing high-pT jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment in root s = 8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb(-1). Results are interpreted in a variety of simplified and specific supersymmetry-b
Purpose Cigarette smoking is the major pathogenic factor for lung cancer. The precise mechanisms of tobacco-related carcinogenesis, and its effect on the genomic and transcriptional landscape in lung cancer are not fully understood. Experimental Design 1398 (277 never-smokers, 1121 smokers) genomic and 1449 (370 never-smokers, 1079 smokers) transcriptional profiles were assembled from public lung
Results from field experiments using a fluorescence lidar system to monitor movements of insects are reported. Measurements over a river surface were made at distances between 100 and 300 m, detecting, in particular, damselflies entering the 355 nm pulsed laser beam. The lidar system recorded the depolarized elastic backscattering and two broad bands of laser-induced fluorescence, with the separat
BK virus associated nephropathy occurs in approximately 5% of renal transplant recipients. Quantitation of BKV DNA in serum/plasma early in the course of disease has been suggested to be an important diagnostic tool for polymavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN). The aim of this study was to develop a BKV real-time PCR (qPCR), which could be included in a diagnostic qPCR platform. Additionally, the
The compound semiconductor RuS2, known as mineral laurite, has been investigated as a potential (photo) electrochemically active anode material for the oxygen evolution in the process of (photo) electrolytic water splitting. The contribution describes for the first time the preparation of RuS2 thin films deposited on (100)- and (111)-oriented FeS2 (pyrite) substrates using reactive magnetron sputt
