Peptide antibiotics are widespread in nature and, by providing a rapid first line of defense, may be key players in the innate immune system. Although epithelia are the main barriers shielding the internal environment from microorganisms, the role for peptide antibiotics in epithelial protection is unclear. We recently reported that the human cationic antimicrobial protein hCAP18, the precursor of

The serum concentration of YKL-40, a matrix protein of specific granules in neutrophils, was determined by RIA in 90 patients hospitalized with pneumonia of suspected bacterial origin. Of these, 64 were followed prospectively during antibiotic treatment with blood samples taken on day 0 (on admission and the start of treatment) and on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 21. Serum YKL-40 at admission was incr

Neutrophils contain a variety of proteins that endow the cell with its capacity to migrate towards and eliminate microbial pathogens. Many of these proteins are largely or exclusively localized to neutrophils. It is therefore of interest to quantitate these proteins in a variety of clinical settings as well as in basic research. The aim of this survey is to give an introduction to some of the more

The use of insect sex pheromones is an alternative technology for pest control in agriculture and forestry, which, in contrast to insecticides, does not have adverse effects on human health or environment and is efficient also against insecticide-resistant insect populations. Due to the high cost of chemically synthesized pheromones, mating disruption applications are currently primarily targeting

Precis som det finns tysta kupéer på tågen borde det gå att upprätthålla en vardagstystnad i utvalda friluftsområden och kanske även på vissa håll i städerna, skriver fyra ljudmiljöforskare.

OBJECTIVES: Stroke is a serious complication in patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). Previous studies investigating stroke in ATAAD patients have been limited by small cohorts and have shown diverging results. We sought to identify risk factors for stroke and to evaluate the effect of stroke on outcomes in surgical ATAAD patients. METHODS: The Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Ao

Various biomarkers are available to support the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases in clinical and research settings. Among the molecular imaging biomarkers, amyloid-PET, which assesses brain amyloid deposition, and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET, which assesses glucose metabolism, provide valuable and complementary information. However, uncertainty remains regarding the optimal timepoi

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if prolonged TTS after completed nCRT improves postoperative outcomes for esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancer. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: TTS has traditionally been 4-6 weeks after completed nCRT. However, the optimal timing is not known. METHODS: A multicenter clinical trial was performed with randomized allocation of TTS of 4-6 or 10-12 weeks. The primary en

This report represents the main findings from the first round of village-level community assessment of the economic and social impacts monitoring of COVID-19 in Myanmar. A total of 224 individuals (four per village, selected for their knowledge of the situation of the village, and representativity of key sub-groups), were interviewed across 56 villages, in two townships in every state and region a

En review av forskningen kring "information environment" i syfte att tydliggöra begreppets struktur, innehåll och olika aspekter.In the accounting and finance literature, the concept of the information environment (IE) is widely used, but its meaning varies across different articles. Given the considerable presence of the IE concept, it seems relevant to clarify the concept and allow a clearer path forward for future research. With this ambition, this paper reviews articles that apply the concept of IE. Our sample consists

Background: We hypothesized that cannulation strategy in venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) could play a crucial role in the perioperative survival of patients affected by postcardiotomy shock. Methods: Between January 2010 and March 2018, 781 adult patients receiving VA-ECMO for postcardiotomy shock at 19 cardiac surgical centers were retrieved from the Postcardiotomy Veno

Objective As part of European League against Rheumatism (EULAR)/European Musculoskeletal Conditions Surveillance and Information Network, 20 user-focused standards of care (SoCs) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) addressing 16 domains of care were developed. This study aimed to explore gaps in implementation of these SoCs across Europe. Methods Two cross-sectional surveys on the importance, level of a

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the ignition and combustion process of a primary reference fuel in a partially premixed light-duty internal combustion (PPC) engine. Partially pre-mixed combustion is achieved by employing a multiple injection strategy with three short injection events of fuel pulses. The timing of the first two fuel pulses, 48 and 22 crank angle degrees before top

BACKGROUND: The number of people with lifestyle-related diseases continues to increase worldwide. Improving lifestyle behavior with health literacy may be the key to address lifestyle-related diseases. The delivery of educational videos using mobile health (mHealth) services can replace the conventional way of educating individuals, and visualization can replace the provision of health checkup dat

We report herein on a NMR-based enantiospecific response for a family of optically active metal-organic frameworks. Cross-polarization of the 1H-13C couple was performed, and the intensities of the 13C nuclei NMR signals were measured to be different for the two enantiomers. In a direct-pulse experiment, which prevents cross-polarization, the intensity difference of the 13C NMR signals of the two

Objective: The authors aimed to clarify the sources of parent-child transmission for suicide attempt and death by suicide. Methods: Three sources of parent-child resemblance (genes plus rearing, genes only, and rearing only) were examined in parents and offspring from four family types from Swedish national samples: intact nuclear families, families with a not-lived-with biological father, familie

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) depend on the cellular RNA-processing machineries including alternative RNA splicing and polyadenylation to coordinate HPV gene expression. HPV RNA processing is controlled by cis-regulatory RNA elements and trans-regulatory factors since the HPV splice sites are suboptimal. The definition of HPV exons and introns may differ between individual HPV mRNA species and is

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a rare hematopoietic disease characterized by a block in red cell differentiation. Most DBA cases are caused by mutations in ribosomal proteins and characterized by higher than normal activity of the tumor suppressor p53. Higher p53 activity is thought to contribute to DBA phenotypes by inducing apoptosis during red blood cell differentiation. Currently, there are