Since the late 1980s, a worldwide increase of severe Streptococcus pyogenes infections has been associated with strains of the M1 serotype, strains which all secrete the streptococcal inhibitor of complement-mediated lysis (SIC). Previous work has shown that SIC blocks complement-mediated haemolysis, inhibits the activity of antibacterial peptides and has affinity for the human plasma proteins clu

Neurodegenerative diseases have been linked to inflammation, but whether altered immunomodulation plays a causative role in neurodegeneration is not clear. We show that lack of cytokine interferon-β (IFN-β) signaling causes spontaneous neurodegeneration in the absence of neurodegenerative disease-causing mutant proteins. Mice lacking Ifnb function exhibited motor and cognitive learning impairments

In this study, direct electron transfer (ET) has been achieved between an immobilised non-symbiotic plant haemoglobin class II from Beta vulgaris (nsBvHb2) and three different screen-printed carbon electrodes based on graphite (SPCE), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-SPCE), and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT-SPCE) without the aid of any electron mediator. The nsBvHb2 modified electrodes

We describe a general-purpose dryer designed for continuous sampling of atmospheric aerosol, where a specified relative humidity (RH) of the sample flow (lower than the atmospheric humidity) is required. It is often prescribed to measure the properties of dried aerosol, for instance for monitoring networks. The specific purpose of our dryer is to dry cloud droplets (maximum diameter approximately

The η phase in the Au-Cd binary system has been synthesized, and the structure has been analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound η-AuCd4 crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P63/m (No. 176). The unit cell contains ∼273 atoms. The compound AuCd4 represents a √3a × √3a × c superstructure of the AgMg4 type. The structure can be well described by icosahedral and trigonal-prismat

The primary Moraxella catarrha/is-specific humoral immune response, and its association with nasopharyngeal colonization, was studied in a cohort of infants from birth to 2 years of age. Results indicated that the levels of antigen-specific IgG, IgA and IgM showed extensive inter-individual variability over time, with IgM and IgA levels to all 9 recombinant domains, from 7 different OMPs, being re

During normal sympathetic nervous system (SNS) development, cells of the ganglionic lineage can malignantly transform and develop into the childhood tumor neuroblastoma. Hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) mediate cellular responses during normal development and are central in the adaptation to oxygen shortage. HIFs are also implicated in the progression of several cancer forms, and hig

The secondary motion induced by flow through curves and bifurcations has been subject to investigation over long time due to its importance in physiological and technological applications. In contrast to the flow in a straight pipe, curvature leads to the formation of secondary flow which is often unsteady. Streamline curvature occurs also in bifurcating pipes leading to some corresponding seconda

Human tumors xenografted in immunodeficient mice are crucial models in nuclear medicine to evaluate the effectiveness of candidate diagnostic and therapeutic compounds. However, little attention has been focused on the biological profile of the host model and its potential effects on the bio-distribution and tumor targeting of the tracer compound under study. We specifically investigated the dissi

The co-administration of the tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, MenACWY-TT, with a licensed hepatitis A and B vaccine, HepA/B (Twinrix (R)), was compared to their separate administration in this open, randomised, controlled study. Healthy subjects 11-17 years of age (n = 611) were randomised (3:1:1) to receive both vaccines, MenACWY-TT alone or HepA/B alone. The co-administration of both

Bioethanol production by white rot fungus (Trametes versicolor), identified from fungal mixture in naturally decomposing wood samples, from hexoses and xylose was characterized. Results showed that T. versicolor can grow in culture, under hypoxic conditions, with various mixtures of hexoses and xylose and only xylose. Xylose was efficiently fermented to ethanol in media containing mixtures of hexo

Microalbuminuria is an established marker of systemic endothelial dysfunction, which for patients with diabetes signals an increased risk of both diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular complications. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of microalbuminuria is important in the quest of finding new approaches to treat patients with diabetes. Direct acute effects of episodes of hyperglycaemia

Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma is rising. While some progress has been made in treatment strategies, overall survival remains very poor for patients with adenocarcinoma in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1 (SATB1) is a global genome organizer that has been de

First, to evaluate the ability of a short dietary questionnaire (SDQ) to estimate energy intake (EI) on group and individual levels compared with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by the doubly labelled water method. Second, to compare the SDQ's performance in estimating energy, nutrient and food intakes with a sixty-six-item FFQ used in large-scale Swedish epidemiological research.

Background: Rising serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after radical prostatectomy are indicative of recurrent prostate cancer. This double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study evaluated the anti-tumour activity of the anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antibody adecatumumab in delaying biochemical disease progression. Patients and Methods: Prostate cancer patients with

Tomosynthesis (digital tomography) is a recently introduced low-dose alternative to CT in the evaluation of the lungs in patients with cystic fibrosis and pulmonary nodules. Previous studies have reported an adult effective dose of 0.12-0.13 mSv for chest tomosynthesis. The aim of this study was to determine the paediatric effective dose from the dose-area-product. During a 3-y period, 38 children

We studied damage accrual and factors determining development and progression of damage in an international cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

There is a “puzzle” in the literature on the intergenerational transmission of schooling, where twin studies emphasize the importance of fathers’ schooling, whereas IV-studies often emphasize the importance of mothers. We provide new evidence on this “puzzle” using register based Swedish data on the largest sample of twins used so far in the literature. In contrast to previous twin studies, our re