Streptococcus pyogenes carrying M1 protein causes the severe and increasingly prevalent streptococcal toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis. M1 protein is an important virulence factor of Streptococcus pyogenes and induces an inflammatory response in human monocytes. We wanted to investigate if purified M1 protein in solution could induce vascular nitric oxide (NO) production leading to v

Freshwaters are important sources of the greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. Knowledge about temporal variability in these fluxes is very limited, yet critical for proper study design and evaluating flux data. Further, to understand the reasons for the variability and allow predictive modeling, the temporal variability has to be related to relevant environmen

Abstract in UndeterminedIn this article, we present a constraint programming approach for solving hard design problems present when automatically designing specialized processor extensions. Specifically, we discuss our approach for automatic selection and synthesis of processor extensions as well as efficient application compilation for these newly generated extensions. The discussed approach is i

Acquisition of the complement inhibitor vitronectin (Vn) is important for the respiratory tract pathogen nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) to escape complement-mediated killing. NTHi actively recruits Vn, and we previously showed that this interaction involves Protein E (PE). Here we describe a second Vn-binding protein, a 30 kDa Yersinia YfeA homologue designated as Protein F (PF). An iso

We present results from measurements of the native oxide film thickness on four different industrial aluminum alloys and three different aluminum single crystals. The thicknesses were determined using X-ray reflectivity, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In addition, atomic force microscopy was used for micro-structural studies of the oxide surfaces. The

Agricultural by-products are raw materials of importance for increased utilization of renewable biomass. Wheat straw is a raw material of significant production volume and is in this work used for production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS). Extraction of xylan by dilute alkali was followed by hydrolysis using a variant of the alkali-tolerant Bacillus halodurans S7 endoxylanase A mutated at K80R. The

This work proves the feasibility of a novel concept of differential absorption lidar based on the Scheimpflug principle. The range-resolved atmospheric backscattering signal of a laser beam is retrieved by employing a tilted linear sensor with a Newtonian telescope, satisfying the Scheimpflug condition. Infinite focus depth is achieved despite employing a large optical aperture. The concept is dem

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have increased susceptibility to impulse control disorders. Recent studies have suggested that alterations in dopamine receptors in the midbrain underlie impulsive behaviors and that more impulsive individuals, including patients with PD, exhibit increased occupancy of their midbrain dopamine receptors. The cellular location of dopamine receptor subtypes and trans

To analyse 5-year cost-effectiveness of early versus optional delayed acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Background and Aims A shift from outcrossing to selfing is thought to reduce the long-term survival of populations by decreasing the genetic variation necessary for adaptation to novel ecological conditions. However, theory also predicts an increase in adaptive potential as more of the existing variation becomes expressed as homozygous genotypes. So far, relatively few studies have examined how a

Nursing research indicates that serious illness and impending death influence the individual's self-image. Few studies define what self-image means. Thus it seems to be urgent to explore how nurses in palliative care perceive the concept of self-image, to get a deeper insight into the concept's applicability in palliative care.

During the last two or three decades, neuroscience has changed how we understand brain functioning. This shift, which is re-conceptualizing the relationship between the materiality of the brain and consciousness, is bound to have implications for intellectual disability, which is commonly seen as a condition of the brain. At present, examinations of intellectual disability that deploy techniques a

Background:Auditory event-related potentials (AERP) are neurophysiological correlates of sound perception and cognitive processes. Our aim was to study in very preterm born children at preschool age if AERP correlate with cognitive outcome.Methods:Seventy children (mean ± SD gestational age 27.4 ± 1.9 wk, birth weight 996 ± 288 g) were investigated at age 4.3-5.3 y with psychological testing (WPPS

OBJECTIVE: Cystatin C is a novel marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD), however the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we prospectively investigated whether plasma levels of cystatin C predict new-onset metabolic syndrome (MetS) as well as long-term progression and incidence of the different components of the MetS. METHODS: Cystatin C was measured in 1502 individuals included in the Malm

Most acute cardiovascular events are caused by rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque. The incidence of cardiovascular events increases with age and inflammation is generally considered to be the main cause of increased plaque vulnerability. However, the relationship between age and plaque inflammation has not yet been fully clarified. The aim of our study was to determine if age-dependent plaque vu

Although clinical stage I (CS I) testicular cancer is highly curable, the optimal management is controversial. The aims of the Swedish and Norwegian Testicular Cancer Group (SWENOTECA) studies for CS I non-seminoma (NS) and seminoma (S) have been to reduce treatment intensity while maintaining high survival rates, reduce the number of patients needing salvage treatment and implement patient autono

Resistivity measurements were used for tracing water transport during a three-year irrigation study. Three different rates of landfill leachate irrigation and one control treatment were applied to two cultivars of short-rotation willow coppice. Groundwater level measurements and water sampling were carried out in pipes installed in the centre of each plot. Resistivity was measured with permanently