Search results

Proteoglycan concentrations in knee joint synovial fluid and in serum from patients with various inflammatory arthritides were studied using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients with reactive arthritis, calcium pyrophosphate arthorpathy, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (age ≤20 years) had the highest synovial fluid concentrations. These values differed significantly (P < 0.001) from th

The emerging field of proteomics has created a need for new high-throughput methodologies for the analysis of gene products. An attractive approach is to develop systems that allow for clonal selection of interacting protein pairs from large molecular libraries. In this study, we have characterized a novel approach for identification and selection of protein-protein interactions, denoted SPIRE (se

Phage display technology has emerged as a leading approach to select proteins with improved properties for many different types of applications. The selection typically selects not only for improved binding properties but also for other factors such as efficiency of protein production and folding in Escherichia coli, the host in which the proteins and the phage are produced. Furthermore, the selec

Superantigens are immune-stimulatory toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus, which are able to interact with host immune receptors to induce a massive release of cytokines, causing toxic shock syndrome and possibly death. In this article, we present the x-ray structure of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in complex with its receptors, the TCR and MHC class II, forming a ternary complex. The st

Due to the recent European legislations posing a ban of animal tests for safety assessment within the cosmetic industry, development of in vitro alternatives for assessment of skin sensitization is highly prioritized. To date, proposed in vitro assays are mainly based on single biomarkers, which so far have not been able to classify and stratify chemicals into subgroups, related to risk or potency

We developed and validated a high-throughput human papillomavirus (HPV) serology method based on Luminex technology, using pseudovirions (PsVs) of eight mucosal HPV types (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 45, 52 and 58) and two cutaneous HPV types (HPV 5 and 38) bound to heparin coated beads. Analysis with neutralising type-specific monoclonal antibodies against included HPV types indicated type-specificity

This paper describes a structural reliability analysis utilizing monitoring data in the ultimate limit state with consideration of the uncertainties of the monitoring procedure. For this purpose the uncertainties of the monitoring data are modeled utilizing a new framework for the determination of measurement uncertainties. The approach is based on a process equation and statistical models of obse

CD40 plays a central regulatory role in the immune system and antibodies able to modulate CD40 signalling may consequently have a potential in immunotherapy, in particular for treatment of lymphomas and autoimmune disease like multiple sclerosis. As a first step to achieve this goal, we describe the selection and characterization of a novel set of fully human anti-CD40 antibody fragments (scFv) fr

During the past 10 years, the European Commission has funded numerous dedicated research projects in the field of land degradation and desertification which focussed on data collection in specific field sites, detailed methodological studies, assessment and monitoring experiments, and the development of specific modelling concepts. Although substantial scientific progress has been achieved and som