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C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is an important plasma inhibitor of the classical pathway of complement activation. Several bacterial pathogens bind C4BP, which may contribute to their virulence. In the present report we demonstrate that isolated type IV pili from Neisseria gonorrhoeae bind human C4BP in a dose-dependent and saturable manner. C4BP consists of seven identical alpha-chains and one beta-c

A key to the lichen family Parmeliaceae in the Alps is presented. Notes on their distribution and phylogeny are added. The family is represented in the Alps by 41 genera and c. 147 species.

HIV-1 evolves constantly within an infected individual, due to its mutation-prone viral enzyme, high viral turnover and pressure from the host immune system. Therefore, viruses isolated at different time points from the same individual are never exactly the same and, accordingly, rarely function the same way. However, if we can understand how HIV-1 phenotypically evolves in the newly infected host

Sera from 79 patients with acute self-limiting hepatitis, 17 patients with acute hepatitis B evolving into chronic HBsAg carriership, and 43 chronic HBsAg carriers without a history of acute hepatitis were analyzed for presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA by a molecular hybridization technique. In acute self-limiting hepatitis, HBV-DNA was cleared within a few weeks after the onset of clinical

b1 integrins are thought to play a central role in maintaining lymphocytes within mucosal epithelia via their interactions with extracellular matrix proteins and subepithelial cellular components within and underlying the basement membrane. In the current study type a (CD8abTCRab) and type b (CD8aaTCRcd and CD8aaTCRab) intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) subsets within the mouse small intestine were

Secretagogin is a newly identified calcium-binding protein selectively expressed in neuroendocrine tissue and pancreatic beta-cells. The function of secretagogin is unknown, but it has been suggested in beta-cells to influence calcium-influx, insulin secretion and proliferation, and has been observed downregulated in diabetes-prone BB rat islets exposed to cytokines. In the present study, we ident

Models of Parkinson's disease (PD) based on selective neuronal death have been used to study pathogenic mechanisms underlying nigral cell death and in some instances to develop symptomatic therapies. For validation of putative neuroprotectants, a model is desirable in which the events leading to neurodegeneration replicate those occurring in the disease. We developed a human in vitro model of PD b

Context: Protein profiling of diabetic tissues could provide useful biomarkers for early diagnosis, therapeutic targets, and disease response markers. Cultured fibroblasts are a useful in vitro model for proteome analysis and study of the molecular mechanisms involved in diabetes. Objective: The objective of the study was to isolate and characterize the proteins of cultured fibroblasts, obtained b

Objectives: In this work we studied the temporal evolution of changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG) as a consequence of the induced ischemia during prolonged coronary angioplasty, comparing the time course of indexes reflecting depolarization and those reflecting repolarization. Methods: We considered both local (measured at specific points of the ECG) and global (obtained from the Karhunen-Loeve

The main aim of this study was to evaluate an occupational therapy based intervention aimed at increasing the accessibility to buildings with public facilities in a Swedish town centre, which targeted physical environmental barriers. The intervention was occupational therapy advice based on the environmental assessments of each facility, given to the facility owners in order to ease the removal of

This study has determined the fracture mechanical properties of 9 types of rock, namely fine-, medium- and coarse-grained granites, gneiss, quartzite, diabase, gabbro, and fine- and coarse-grained limestones. Test results show among other things that quartzite has the highest compressive strength and fracture energy, while diabase has the highest splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticit

Objective: The aim of this study was to increase the understanding of stroke survivors' thoughts and experiences from returning to work after stroke. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with twelve persons, based on a thematic interview guide. A qualitative content analyse were performed. Results: The main theme; was Striving for optimal function at work creates mixed feelings of

Individual voice and speech characteristics are important for earwitness identification. A target-absent line-up with six foils was used to analyse the influence of voice and speech features on recognition. To create ecologically valid conditions for voice recognition, the present study used voices in conversation in the target event and for the foils. The participants were particularly successful

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a common pathogen associated with diseases such as acute otitis media or exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The biofilm-forming capability substantially contributes to the persistence of NTHi. However, the regulation of biofilm formation is not completely understood. Quorum sensing regulated by autoinducer-2 produced

Development of long-lived humoral immunity is dependent on CXCR5-expressing T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, which develop concomitantly to effector Th cells that support cellular immunity. Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) are critical APCs for initial priming of naive CD4(+) T cells but, importantly, also provide accessory signals that govern effector Th cell commitment. To define the accessor

An appropriate animal model is essential to study Helicobacter pylori infection. The aim of this study was to investigate if H. pylori can colonise the guinea-pig stomach and whether the infection causes gastritis and a serological response similar to that observed in man. Guinea-pigs were infected either with fresh H. pylori isolates from human gastric biopsies or with a guinea-pig passaged strai