Complement is part of the innate immune defence and not only recognizes microbes but also unwanted host molecules to enhance phagocytosis and clearance. This process of opsonisation must be tightly regulated to prevent immunopathology. Endogenous ligands such as dying cells, extracellular matrix proteins, pentraxins, amyloid deposits, prions and DNA, all bind the complement activator C1q, but also

The adsorption and dissociation of carbon monoxide were studied with plane-wave density functional theory on flat Rh(111), stepped and kinked Rh(553), and Ni-decorated Rh(553) surfaces. The theoretical results were compared to high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HR-XPS) experiments. The most favorable CO adsorption sites for low coverages were identified by a systematic calculation o

The signal obtained with q-space NMR imaging applied to a confined liquid is directly related to the pore shape in the limit where all molecules have sampled the whole pore. We investigate the diffusion of water across a similar to50 mum thick film formed between planes of glass. The diffusion time t is changed almost three orders of magnitude. For short t, the root-mean-square displacement increa

This paper discusses what has been learnt from housing and local development programmes in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua supported and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) during the last 15 years. It identifies common financial mechanisms that have proven to be effective and affordable by the urban poor in their search for better h

Soil solutions expelled by high-speed centrifugation (13900 g) of intact soil sample cores at field moisture froth 30 forest topsoils (A horizons of mainly Dystric and Eutric Cambisols, according to the FAO-Unesco system) low in day, were subjected to, analysis of 60 elements, using ICP-MS and ICP-AES. Concentrations measured were related to soil, and soil solution, properties, assumed to be impor

Background & Aims: Preterm birth and formula feeding are key risk factors associated with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in infants, but little is known about intestinal conditions that predispose to disease. Thus, structural, functional, and microbiologic indices were used to investigate the etiology of spontaneous NEC development in preterm pigs. Methods : Piglets were delivered by cesarean

Background: Despite major advances in the understanding of the neurobiologic mechanisms of pain, the wide variation in acute pain experience has not been well explained. Therefore, the authors investigated the potential of a preoperatively induced heat injury to predict subsequent postoperative pain ratings in patients undergoing knee surgery. Methods: Twenty patients were studied. The burn injury

purpose of this study was to elaborate a model for estimating the caries-reducing effect of a preventive measure with due consideration of background factors. The material comprised 50 children, who had consumed NaF tablets regularly during preschool age, and 76 comparable children who had never consumed NaF tablets. They were all examined at 12 and 13 yr of age. Information on caries and, as conf

Using a decapitation ischemia model, we studied translocation of proteins to and from the cytosol in normothermic (NT) and hypothermic (HT) rat brains. 2D gel analysis identified 74 proteins whose cytosolic level changed significantly after 15 min of ischemia. HT preserved the cytosolic levels of several glycolytic enzymes, as well as many plasticity related proteins, otherwise decreased following

Stratospheric ozone depletion is most pronounced at high latitudes, and the concurring increased UV-B radiation might adversely affect plants from polar areas. However, vascular plants may protect themselves against UV-B radiation by UV-absorbing compounds located in the epidermis. In this 3-year study, epidermal UV-B (lambda(max) 314 nm) and UV-A (lambda(max) 366 nm) screening was assessed using

OBJECTIVE: To adapt the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life (RAQoL) questionnaire for Swedish patients and evaluate psychometric properties in a prospective study. METHODS: Reliability was assessed in 61 patients filling in RAQoL two times with one week's interval. 114 patients completed RAQoL and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) on 2-3 occasions 6 months apart. Validity was evaluated comparing RA

Subungual exostosis is a benign bone- and cartilage-producing tumor occurring in the hands and feet of children and young adults. The recent identification of a recurrent chromosomal translocation t(X;6)(q24-q26;q15-21) in short-term-cultured tumor cells strongly suggests that subungual exostosis is a neoplastic lesion caused by rearrangement of genes in the two breakpoints. To identify the genes

Cathelicidins are a family of diverse antimicrobial peptides found in granules of mammalian neutrophils. Cathelicidins are active against a broad range of microbes in different environments. Aside from their antimicrobial activity, cathelicidins possess other biological properties including cytotoxic activity towards mammalian cells. Several studies have shown that the amino acid sequence of cathe

Antimicrobial peptides, such as LL-37, are found both in nonvertebrates and vertebrates, where they represent important components of innate immunity. Bacterial infections at epithelial surfaces are associated with substantial induction of LL-37 expression, which allows efficient lysis of the invading microbes. Peptide-mediated lysis results in the release of bacterial nucleic acids with potential

The triallylphosphine-substituted clusters [Ru3(CO)11{P(CH2CH=CH2)3}], [Ru3(CO)10{P(CH2CH=CH2)3}2] and [Ru3(CO)10{;-CH2=CHCH2P(CH2CH=CH2)2}] have been prepared; reaction of [Ru3(CO)10{;-CH2=CHCH2P(CH2CH=CH2)2}] with phosphines/phosphites leads to cleavage of the Ru–allyl -bond and formation of [Ru3(CO)11{P(CH2CH=CH2)3}(PR3)].

An increasing number of studies describe moving hybrid zones. This raises the issue of their actual frequency and emphasizes the need for methods that enable the detection of zone movements without historical records. Asymmetric introgression, usually considered as a signature of geographical shift, might be misleading when applied to mitochondrial or potentially non-neutral markers. We investigat

The invasion of alien species and genotypes is an increasing concern in contemporary ecology. A central question is, what life-history traits enable invasion amidst populations of wild species and conventional cultivars? In order to invade, the initially rare species must perform better than their resident competitors. We conducted a mathematical analysis and simulation of a two-species extension

In the current work, we compared the ability of 17 beta-estradiol (E-2) and the selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), tamoxifen (Tam), raloxifene (Ral) and ospemifene (Osp) to promote the survival of osteoblast-derived cells against etoposide-incluced apoptosis. In order to compare the roles of the two estrogen receptor (ER) isotypes, we created a U2OS human osteosarcoma cell line stably