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Plasma cystatin C is increasingly used as a marker of glomerular filtration rate. Most assays for cystatin C are based on turbidimetric or nephelometric detection and studies of other rapid methods are limited. This study aimed to develop and compare differently configured immunoassays for quantification of plasma cystatin C, using recombinant cystatin C and two cystatin C-specific antibodies. Met
The immobilization of functional biomolecules to surfaces is a critical process for the development of biosensors for disease diagnostics. In this work we report the patterned attachment of single chain fragment variable (scFv) antibodies to the surface of metal oxides by the photodeprotection of self-assembled monolayers, using near-UV light. The photodeprotection step alters the functionality at
Galectin-1 (Gal-1) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) exhibit profound but unique immunomodulatory activities in animals but their molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. Early studies suggested that Gal-1 inhibits leukocyte function by inducing apoptotic cell death and removal, but recent studies show that some galectins induce exposure of the common death signal phosphatidylserine (PS) independent
BACKGROUND: Calcitonin-related peptides have been found in the human prostate, and calcitonin (CT) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) have been demonstrated in subpopulations of neuroendocrine (NE) cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of CT and CGRP as well as the densities of NE cells in normal prostates, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and carcinoma of
Chemokine receptor CX3CR1(+) dendritic cells (DCs) have been suggested to sample intestinal antigens by extending transepithelial dendrites into the gut lumen. Other studies identified CD103(+) DCs in the mucosa, which, through their ability to synthesize retinoic acid (RA), appear to be capable of generating typical signatures of intestinal adaptive immune responses. We report that CD103 and CX3C
New basis sets of the atomic natural orbital (ANO) type have been developed for the lanthanide atoms La-Lu. The ANOs have been obtained from the average density matrix of the ground and lowest excited states of the atom, the positive ions, and the atom in an electric field. Scalar relativistic effects are included through the use of a Douglas-Kroll-Hess Hamiltonian. Multiconfigurational wave funct
The study of religion has its historical origin in the confessional education of religious functionaries, which has influenced the structuring of the study. The order of the topics studied has been, as a rule, first, languages relevant for the study of the normative texts, then the interpretation of these texts, followed by the historical development within the religion, its doctrines (systematic
All is a 17-kDa chromosomally encoded outer membrane protein that mediates serum resistance (complement resistance) in the pathogenic Yersiniae (Yersinia pestis, Y. enterocolitica, and Y. pseudotuberculosis). In this article, we demonstrate that Y pseudotuberculosis Ail from strains PB1, 2812/79, and YPIII/pIB1 (serotypes O:1a, O:1b, and O:3, respectively) can bind the inhibitor of the classical a
The globular protein γB-crystallin exhibits a complex phase behavior, where liquid-liquid phase separation characterized by a critical volume fraction ϕc = 0.154 and a critical temperature Tc = 291.8 K coexists with dynamical arrest on all length scales at volume fractions around ϕ ≈ 0.3-0.35, and an arrest line that extends well into the unstable region below the spinodal. However, although the s
In the past decade, many initiatives were taken for the development of antibodies for proteome-wide studies, as well as characterisation and validation of clinically relevant disease biomarkers. Phage display offers many advantages compared to antibody generation by immunisation because it is an unlimited resource of affinity reagents without batch-to-batch variation and is also amendable for high
We follow the near radial infall of a prolate cloud on to a 4 x 10(6) M-circle dot supermassive black hole in the Galactic Centre using smoothed particle hydrodynamics. We show that a prolate cloud oriented perpendicular to its orbital plane naturally produces a spread in angular momenta in the gas which can translate into misaligned discs as is seen in the young stars orbiting Sagittarius A*. A t
Since a tightly regulated complement system is needed for a successful pregnancy, we hypothesized that alterations in complement inhibitors may be associated with idiopathic, recurrent miscarriage. We sequenced all exons coding for three complement inhibitors: C4b-binding protein (C4BP), CD46 and CD55 in 384 childless women with at least two miscarriages that could not be explained by known risk f
Variation of mechanical properties in materials can be detected non-destructively using ultrasonic measurements. In particular, changes in elastic wave velocity can occur due to damage, i.e., micro-cracking and particles debonding. Here the challenge of characterizing damage in geomaterials, i.e., rocks and soils, is addressed. Geomaterials are naturally heterogeneous media in which the deformatio
There is no clinically useful score to predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. We aimed to derive this by analyzing data from three existing COPD clinical trials of budesonide/formoterol, formoterol, or placebo in patients with moderate-to-very-severe COPD and a history of exacerbations in the previous year.
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen, which evolved numerous successful strategies to colonize the host. In this study, we report a novel mechanism of pneumococcal-host interaction, whereby pneumococci use a host complement protein C1q, primarily involved in the host-defense mechanism, for colonization and subsequent dissemination. Using cell-culture infection assays a
Since 2012 citrate anticoagulation is the recommended anticoagulation strategy for CRRT. The main drawback using citrate compared with heparin as anticoagulant is the need for calcium replacement and the rigorous control of calcium levels. This study investigated the possibility to achieve anticoagulation while eliminating the need for calcium replacement. This was successfully achieved by includi
The efficacy of a short (Group I) and a prolonged (Group II) course with ciprofloxacin was assessed in patients undergoing transurethral prostatic resection and compared with that of controls without antibiotic (Group III). Both regimens significantly reduced the frequency of post-operative bacteriuria (p less than 0.01) and of severe infectious complications (p = 0.004) compared to the controls.
This group previously identified a peptide p13 of alpha 3(IV)NC1 domain of type IV collagen that induces experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis (EAG) in rats with generation of antibodies to sites on alpha 3(IV)NC1 external to the peptide as a result of intramolecular epitope spreading. It was hypothesized that intermolecular epitope spreading to other collagen IV chains also was induced. Rats
