Immune complexes were formed in vitro with antibodies obtained from rabbits immunized with bovine serum albumin in Freund's complete (FCA) or incomplete (FIA) adjuvant. The antibodies were mixed with different amounts of antigen. Immune complexes formed at maximum precipitation proportions were efficient in complement activation, whereas immune complexes formed at antigen excess had weak complemen

This study examined the role of P and type 1 fimbriae for neutrophil migration across Escherichia coli-infected uroepithelial cell layers in vitro and for neutrophil recruitment to the urinary tract in vivo. Recombinant E. coli K-12 strains differing in P or type 1 fimbrial expression were used to infect confluent epithelial layers on the underside of transwell inserts. Neutrophils were added to t

By utilizing flow-controlled PLL-g-PEG and PLL-g-PEGbiotin modification of predefined regions of a poly-(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) micro-fluidic device, with an intentionally chosen large (similar to 1 cm(2)) internal surface area, we report rapid (10 min), highly localized (6 x 10(-6) cm(2)), and specific surface-based protein capture from a sample volume (100 mu L) containing a low amount of prot

X-linked agammaglobulinaemia (XLA) is an inherited immunodeficiency resulting from mutations in the gene for a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase (Btk), We have utilised reverse-transcription-based PCR in combination with the chemical cleavage and mismatch technique (CCM) to screen for Btk mutations in 42 unrelated patients having classical XLA or 'leaky' XLA-like phenotypes. A variety of mutatio

Gaucher disease (GD), the most common lysosomal storage disorder (LSD), is caused by defects in the activity of the lysosomal enzyme, glucocerebrosidase, resulting in intracellular accumulation of glucosylceramide (GlcCer). Neuronopathic forms, which comprise only a small percent of GD patients, are characterized by neurological impairment and neuronal cell death. Little is known about the pathway

The present study describes and compares quality of life (QoL) and factors which predict QoL among people aged 75 years and over who receive help with activities of daily living (ADLs) from formal and/or informal helpers. The subjects were living at home or in special accommodation in Sweden. A postal questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected and age-stratified sample of 8500 people. The respo

The effect of a temperature decrease from 33 degrees C to 12 degrees C was investigated for anaerobic digestion of crop residues. A laboratory-scale reactor (R,) was inoculated with mesophilic sludge and operated as continuously stirred fed-batch system at temperatures of 12 degrees C, 18 degrees C and 33 degrees C. Changes in the microbial populations of the sludge were followed by means of fluor

Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the gene encoding huntingtin, a protein of unknown function. Mutant huntingtin forms intracellular aggregates and is associated with neuronal death in select brain regions. The most studied mouse model (R6/2) of HD replicates many features of the disease, but has been reported to exhibit only

The preferences of some woodland understorey species for ammonium and nitrate were investigated by measuring the potential nitrification (conversion of ammonium to nitrate) in the rhizosphere compared with the bulk soil. Less acid-tolerant species, which usually prefer nitrate or a mixture of ammonium and nitrate in hydroponic culture, should have a higher potential nitrification in the rhizospher

A general expression for the distribution of the fluctuating 2(l)-pole moment M(l) of a spherical sample of dielectric material is derived on the basis of dielectric theory combined with statistical mechanics. The formulas are compared with results from computer simulations of a weakly coupled Stockmayer fluid and the agreement is shown to be excellent. Furthermore, we calculate the size of the co

Every nite group acts as the full isometry group of some compact hyperbolic 3-manifold. In this paper we study those nite groups which act maximally, that is when the ratio jIsom+(M)j=vol(M)is maximal among all such manifolds. In two dimensions maximal symmetry groups are called Hurwitz groups, and arise as quotients of the (2,3,7){triangle group. Here we study quotients of the minimal co-volume l

An atomic protein model with a minimalistic potential is developed and then tested on an α-helix and a β-hairpin, using exactly the same parameters for both peptides. We find that melting curves for these sequences to a good approximation can be described by a simple two-state model, with parameters that are in reasonable quantitative agreement with experimental data. Despite the apparent two-stat

We studied a ca 200 ha large forest site that holds an exceptionally large number of red-listed saproxylic beetles. We conducted pollen, charcoal and dendroecological analyses to reveal the long-term stand-level history of the site. We also investigated which of the red-listed saproxylic beetles recorded at the site are probably dependent on forest fires or structures that are created by fires. Po