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C3 nephritic factors are autoantibodies that prolong the half-life or prevent regulation of the alternative pathway C3 convertase, resulting in uncontrolled complement activation. They are strongly associated with renal disease but their role in pathogenesis remains controversial. Here we optimized and compared a panel of assays to identify and interrogate nephritic factor activities. Of 101 patie

Background: Positive intersexual genetic correlations are typically viewed as constraining the evolution of sexual dimorphism, when traits are subject to sexually antagonistic selection. Our study species, the damselfly Ischnura elegans, has a female-limited colour polymorphism with three female colour morphs (males are monomorphic), one of which is considered to be a male mimic. Questions: Are th

Oncogenetic events and unique phenomena of the tumor microenvironment together induce adaptive metabolic responses that may offer new diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets of cancer. Hypoxia, or low oxygen tension, represents a well-established and universal feature of the tumor microenvironment and has been linked to increased tumor aggressiveness as well as resistance to conventional oncologi

The main aim of this project was to explore whether the pine trees in Glen Affric (GAF), one of the more extensive pine woodlands in the northern Scottish Highlands, are, on average, reaching a senescent stage which could ultimately be detrimental to the sustainability of the pine woodland in this region under present management conditions This aim was realized by (1) comparing the mean stand age

There has been much debate on the topic of whether stricter environmental regulations can promote environmental performance and economic performance at the same time. Different researchers have used different indicators to measure environmental performance and economic performance in their empirical studies. However, it is a surprise that few studies have checked the relationship between environme

Objective: To investigate test-retest reliability and internal consistency of a new instrument for evaluation of mobility device interventions. Material and methods: The instrument comprised 4 scales and one summed index. Two test-retest interviews involved 147 mobility device users (mean age 60 years) with a broad range of functional limitations, living at home. Results: For 2 scales and the summ

OBJECTIVES: This randomized case-control study compares teachers with self-reported voice problems to age-, gender-, and school-matched colleagues with self-reported voice health. The self-assessed voice function is related to factors known to influence the voice: laryngeal findings, voice quality, personality, psychosocial and coping aspects, searching for causative factors of voice problems in t

The blood parasite diversity was studied in paddyfield warblers (Acrocephalus agricola) breeding in NE Bulgaria, SW Russia and S. Kazakhstan. Nine cytochrome b gene lineages were recorded, 4 belonging to Haemoproteus spp. and 5 to Plasmodium spp. The overall prevalence of haemosporidians was 33.3%. The composition of parasites varied geographically, with six lineages recorded in Russia, five linea

Intraductal neoplasms of the pancreas are classified as intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasms (ITPNs) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMNs) in the current WHO classification. ITPN is a rare tumor and there are only a few cases of ITPN reported in the literature. We present the case of an otherwise healthy 42-year-old male, who presented with upper abdominal pain. He was subsequently

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is a serious matter which threatens maternal and fetal health. The aim of this study was to develop a grounded theoretical model of women's experience of IPV during pregnancy and how they handle their situation. Method: Ten interviews with women who had experience of being exposed to IPV during pregnancy were analyzed using the grounded

The aim of this myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) study was to compare the diagnostic performance of two computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems, EXINI Heart(TM) (EXINI), and PERFEXTM (PERFEX) Emory Cardiac Toolbox (ECT), and the summed stress score (SSS) values from both software packages. We studied 1,052 consecutive patients who underwent 2-day stress/rest Tc-99m-sestamibi MPI studies. The refe

CK2 is an extremely pleiotropic Ser/Thr protein kinase, responsible for the generation of a large proportion of the human phosphoproteome and implicated in a wide variety of biological functions. CK2 plays a global role as an anti-apoptotic agent, a property which is believed to partially account for the addiction of many cancer cells to high CK2 levels. To gain information about the CK2 targets w

A highly functionalized six-membered cyclic carbonate, methacrylated trimethylolpropane (TMP) cyclic carbonate, which can be used as a potential monomer for bisphenol-free polycarbonates and isocyanate-free polyurethanes, was synthesized by two steps transesterifications catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B, Novozym®435 (N435) followed by thermal cyclization. TMP was functionalized

A large part of new pharmaceutical substances are characterized by a poor solubility and high hydrophobicity, which might lead to a difference in drug adsorption between fasted and fed patients. We have previously evaluated the release of hydrophobic drugs from tablets based on Pemulen TR2 and showed that the release can be manipulated by adding surfactants. Here we further evaluate the possibilit

Certain species of the fungal genus Trichoderma are potent mycoparasites and are used for biological control of fungal diseases on agricultural crops. In Trichoderma, whole-genome sequencing reveal between 20 and 36 different genes encoding chitinases, hydrolytic enzymes that are involved in the mycoparasitic attack. Sequences of Trichoderma chitinase genes chi18-5, chi18-13, chi18-15 and chi18-17

NKT cells m the mouse recognize antigen in the context of the MHC class I-like molecule CD1d and play an important role in peripheral tolerance and protection against autoimmune and other diseases NKT cells are usually activated by CD1d-presented lipid antigens However, peptide recognition m the context of CD 1 has also been documented, although no self-peptide ligands have been reported to date H

Aims: To assess changes in access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) between the end of 2002 and the end of 2005, and to review the capacity for further HAART scale-up in the then 52 Member States of the WHO European Region. Methods: Analysis of data from four surveys evaluating access to HAART, supplemented by regional estimates of the number of people receiving HAART. Changes in acc

Objective . Hypoglycaemia is regularly accompanied by hypovolaemia. To suggest a mechanism for this phenomenon, we reviewed data from eight studies conducted by our group and examined the circumstances under which rebound hypoglycaemia develops after intravenous infusion of glucose solutions. Material and methods. Forty healthy volunteers and 40 patients received a total of 122 infusions of glucos

Long term effects after peptic ulcer surgery still exert an influence on some patient groups. Partial gastrectomy increases the risk of gastric carcinoma more than 20 years after surgery and enterogastric reflux is regarded as the main ethiological factor. Partial gastrectomy also gives increased risk of other malignancies as well as smoking related disease. Parietal cell vagotomy (PCV) is conside

Molecular sensing in the lingual mucosa and in the gastro-intestinal tract play a role in the detection of ingested harmful drugs and toxins. Therefore, genetic polymorphisms affecting the capability of initiating these responses may be critical for the subsequent efficiency of avoiding and/or eliminating possible threats to the organism. By using a tagging approach in the region of Taste Receptor