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Human complement regulators are important targets for pathogenic microorganisms. In one such interaction, Bordetella pertussis binds human C4b-binding protein (C4BP), a high-molecular-weight plasma protein that acts as inhibitor of the classical pathway of complement activation. At least two different B. pertussis surface components, one of which is the virulence factor filamentous hemagglutinin (

A rare collection of serum samples from patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection followed up from the onset of clinical symptoms was acquired. RNA corresponding to the hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of E2 protein of HCV isolated from nine patients was reverse-transcribed, amplified, sequenced, and HVR1 amino acid sequences were deduced. These sequences and a selection of HVR1 amino acid sequ

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibody responses to different VIsE protein IR6 peptide variants and the synthetic C6 peptide in acute and convalescent (2-3 and 6 months) serum samples from Swedish patients with clinical erythema migrans (EM). Serum samples were prospectively collected from 148 patients with EM and compared to serum samples obtained from 200 healthy blood donors. The Ig

Collagen type II (CII) is a relevant joint-specific autoantigen in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Whereas the reasons for the breakage of self tolerance to this major cartilage component are still enigmatic, T cell responses to glycosylated CII determinants in RA patients indicate that post-translational modifications play a role. Since the conversion of arginine into citrulline by

The mucosal host defence discriminates pathogens from commensals, and prevents infection while allowing the normal flora to persist. Paradoxically, Toll-like receptors (TLR) control the mucosal defence against pathogens, even though the TLR recognise conserved molecules like LPS, which are shared between pathogens and commensals. This study proposes a mechanism of pathogen-specific mucosal TLR4 ac

The accurate determination of species of Cyanoprokaryota/Cyanophyceae has many important applications. These include the assessment of risk with regard to blooms in water reservoirs as well as the identification of species capable of producing valuable bioactive compounds. Commonly, Cyanoprokaryota are classified based on their morphology. However, morphological criteria are not always reliable be

Structure-activity experiments were performed for the HCl oxidation reaction (Deacon-like process) over RuO2 model catalysts - RuO2(1 1 0) and RuO2(1 0 0) - applying in situ surface X-ray diffraction (SXRD) combined with on-line mass spectrometry. The studied model catalysts turned out to be long-term stable under reaction conditions with gas feed ratios p(HCl):p(O-2) ranging from 1:4 to 4:1 in th

Streptococcus pneumoniae infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore a detailed understanding and characterization of the mechanism of host cell colonization and dissemination is critical in order to gain control over this versatile pathogen. Here we identified a novel 72 kDa pneumococcal protein endopeptidase O (PepO), as a plasminogen and fibronectin binding p

Platelets are potent regulators of neutrophil accumulation in septic lung damage. We hypothesized that platelet-derived CXCL4 might support pulmonary neutrophilia in a murine model of abdominal sepsis.

The climatic conditions inside nuclear reactor containments are continuously monitored by the plant owners in order to e.g. maintain a suitable climate for the mechanical and electrical equipment. Due to the high temperatures, during operation, the concrete within the containment may act as a moisture source contributing to the humidity. To evaluate if, and to what extent, the concrete inside the

L-DOPA is currently the standard treatment for alleviating the motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. The therapeutic efficacy, however, diminishes as the disease progresses. It has been suggested that the beneficial effect of L-DOPA could be reestablished by changing the mode of administration. Indeed, continuous delivery of L-DOPA has been shown to be an effective way to circumvent many of the s

BACKGROUND: IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the most common glomerulonephritis worldwide, is characterized by mesangial deposits containing predominantly IgA. IgAN commonly occurs or exacerbates after upper respiratory tract infections such as streptococcal pharyngitis. Certain group A streptococci express M proteins with IgA-binding regions (IgA-BRs). We have previously shown that these IgA-BRs co-locali

This Norm focussing article starts exploring the various influence processes that take place in connection with the dawn of a new theme - the environment and then sustainable development - in today's society. The Swedish society has in the early 1990-ies declared that educational institutions, places designed for the intentional influence, shall utilise the new environmental theme in its practice.

This study is an extension of previous studies, Hagnell (1991) and Hagnell(1996), where the data used are annual time series for the whole of Sweden during the period 1751-1850 for the crude birth rate, the death rate for ages 20-50 years, the crude marriage rate and an index of the real wages. The aim of the study of Hagnell (1991) was to investigate the relationships between ferility, adult mort

The article reports and discusses a long-term qualitative study of forty 8–10-year-old students who regularly played a math game during math lessons for 9 weeks. The goal was to explore the relations between (i) some of the pedagogical principles that underlie the game and (ii) the playing practice in terms of what actually takes place when students play the math game during regular math lessons.

This article is based on an analysis of Lund University that took place during the summer and autumn of 2004 (available for download at www.iiiee.lu.se, click library and publications). The university had experienced a loss of momentum in their progress regarding environmental issues. The purpose of the study was to identify barriers to including sustainability-related content throughout Lund Univ

Tumor cells secreting IL-1 beta are invasive and metastatic, more than the parental line or control mock-transfected cells, and concomitantly induce in mice general immune suppression of T cell responses. Suppression strongly correlates with accumulation in the peripheral blood and spleen of CD11b(+)/Gr-1(+) immature myeloid cells and hematological alterations, such as splenomegaly, leukocytosis,