Filtyp
Candida albicans, an important pathogenic yeast, activates all three pathways of the complement system. To understand how this yeast evades the effects of the activated system, we have analyzed the binding of the classical pathway inhibitor C4b-binding protein (C4BP) by C. albicans. Purified native as well as recombinant C4BP bound dose dependently to the yeast and hyphal forms, as shown by multip
Objective— The reasons for the relationship between inflammation-sensitive plasma proteins (ISPs) and incidence of cardiovascular diseases are poorly understood. This study explored the hypothesis that ISPs are associated with future hypertension and age-related blood pressure increase. Method and Results— Blood pressure and plasma levels of fibrinogen, {alpha}1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, cerulopl
PURPOSE. To analyze retinal structure and function in vitelliform macular dystrophy (VMD) due to mutations in BEST1. METHODS. Patients from five Swedish and four Danish families were examined with electrooculography (EOG), full-field electroretinography (ffERG), multifocal ERG (mfERG), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fundus autofluorescence photography (FAF). Genetic analysis of the BEST1
Background: Exercise facilities may have the potential to promote physical activity among residents, and to support an active lifestyle throughout the year. We investigated the association between objectively assessed availability of exercise facilities and objectively assessed physical activity outcomes, and whether time of year had a modifying effect on these associations. Methods: A total of 2,
Airway infections are known to cause exacerbations of allergy and asthma. Tonsils constitute a primary site for microbial recognition and triggering of the immune system in the airways. Human β-defensins (HBDs) are antimicrobial peptides with an important role in this defense. Our aim was to investigate HBD1-3 in tonsillar tissue and their potential role in allergic rhinitis (AR). Tonsils, obtaine
This is a longitudinal study of smallholder farm dynamics in eight African countries, drawing on a sample of more than 3000 farm households. It deals with influences on smallholder maize production at three different levels: micro, meso and macro. Although the study points to inadequately exploited production potentials and a production system based primarily on self-provisioning the drivers behin
Arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and can be assessed by applanation tonometry by measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIX) by pressure pulse wave analysis (PWA). As an inexpensive and operator independent alternative, photoelectric plethysmography (PPG) has been introduced with analysis of the digital volume pulse wave (DPA) and i
High-precision isotope-dilution U-Pb (zircon) dating was conducted on three volcanic ash fall (bentonite) samples from the Swedish island of Gotland, and on a fourth bentonite from the West Midlands, England. Zircons from the Ireviken, Grotlingbo, Djupvik (Gotland), and Wren's Nest Hill-15 (West Midlands) bentonites yielded weighted mean Pb-206/U-238 ages of 431.83 +/- 0.23/0.67 Ma, 428.45 +/- 035
While the precise relationship between the Milky Way disk and the symmetry planes of the dark matter halo remains somewhat uncertain, a time-varying disk orientation with respect to an inertial reference frame seems probable. Hierarchical structure formation models predict that the dark matter halo is triaxial and tumbles with a characteristic rate of similar to 2 rad H-0(-1) (similar to 30 mu as
Non-equilibrium quantum phenomena are ubiquitous in nature. Yet, theoretical predictions on the real-time dynamics of many-body quantum systems remain formidably challenging, especially for high dimensions, strong interactions or disordered samples. Here we consider a notable paradigm of strongly correlated Fermi systems, the Mott phase of the Hubbard model, in a setup resembling ultracold-gases e
The swelling and mechanical properties of various interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were studied. Six networks made from permutations of a moderately crosslinked polyelectrolyte network (ref), a moderately crosslinked neutral polymer network (net1), and a highly crosslinked polyelectrolyte network (net2) were first swollen in water and structural properties such as end-to-end chain lengths
Evidence from clinical studies and animal models show that inflammation can lead to the development of depression. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an important multifunctional cytokine that is synthesized by several cell types in the brain. MIF can increase production of other cytokines, activates cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and can counter-regulate anti-inflammatory effects of glucocor
We report the development of a high-level bacterial expression system for the Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid beta-peptide (A beta), together with a scaleable and inexpensive purification procedure. A beta(1-40) and A beta(1-42) coding sequences together with added ATG codons were cloned directly into a Pet vector to facilitate production of Met-A beta(1-40) and Met-A beta(1-42), referred t
Using the metric actual diversity gain (ADG), diversity performance is investigated for a compact mobile terminal prototype with two internal, triple frequency band antennas in four different cases of user interaction. ADG is presented as a preferred alternative to apparent diversity gain and effective diversity gain. Absorption due to user proximity causes degradation and imbalance in mean effect
Mature microRNAs (miRNAs), derived through cleavage of pre-miRNAs by the Dicer1 enzyme, regulate protein expression in many cell-types including cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. To investigate the importance of miRNAs in mouse insulin secreting β-cells, we have generated mice with a β-cells specific disruption of the Dicer1 gene using the Cre-lox system controlled by the rat insulin p
