The complement system is regulated by inhibitors such as factor I (FI), a serine protease that degrades activated complement factors C4b and C3b in the presence of specific cofactors. Mutations and polymorphisms in FI and its cofactors are associated with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). All 14 complement factor I mutations associated with aHUS analyzed in this study were heterozygous an

Objective To explore whether a panel of kallikrein markers in blood: total, free and intact prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and kallikrein-related peptidase 2, could be used as a non-invasive alternative for predicting prostate cancer on biopsy in a screening setting. Subjects and Methods The study cohort comprised previously unscreened men who underwent sextant biopsy owing to elevated PSA (3 ng/

It is well-known that clay can form lamellar structures i.e. tactoids, and recently it has been shown that the tactoid formation is dependent on the platelet diameter. To the authors knowledge, no tactoid formation has been observed for montmorillonite platelets with a diameter less than 60nm. In this study, small angle X-ray scattering in combination with coarse-grained modeling and molecular dyn

Establishing a tractable yet complete reaction coordinate for the spin-state interconversion in d(4)-d(7) transition metal complexes is an integral aspect of controlling the dynamics that govern their functionality. For spin crossover phenomena, the limitations of a single-mode approximation that solely accounts for an isotropic increase in the metal-ligand bond length have long been recognized fo

Purpose The aim of this study was to find clinically relevant MIBG-avid metastatic patterns in patients with newly diagnosed stage 4 neuroblastoma. Methods Diagnostic I-123-MIBG scans from 249 patients (123 from a European and 126 from the COG cohort) were assessed for metastatic spread in 14 body segments and the form of the lesions: "focal" (clear margins distinguishable from adjacent background

This study investigated the relation between personality factors, as measured by the Swedish version of the NEO-FFI questionnaire, and the realism in older adults' (aged 60-93 years, n = 1,384) probability confidence judgements of their answers to general knowledge questions. The results showed very small effect sizes for the contribution of the personality variables to the fit between the proport

In the paper we present a research model for evaluating determinants of ERP value in small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). The model is grounded in the diffusion of innovation (DOI) model and resource-based view of the firm (RBV) theory. The research model links six DOI determinants to explain ‘ERP use’ linked with two additional determinants to explain ‘ERP value’, on which nine hypotheses ar

We use classical density functional theory to investigate room temperature ionic liquid + solvent mixtures in porous electrodes. We consider those mixtures that display a miscibility gap in the bulk fluid and hence have the capacity to undergo capillary condensation in pores which preferentially attract the ionic liquid component. A novel aspect of this transition is that, when the system is at or

This study evaluates the agreement between echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging data, and the impact a discrepancy between the two may have on the clinical diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe the theory behind arterial waveform analysis, the different variables that may be obtained using this method, reliability of measurements and their clinical relevance. Areas for future research are identified. RECENT FINDINGS: The precision of cardiac output (CO) measurements varies considerably and deteriorates during haemodynamic instability. Significant device-to-

Introduction of a conjugated vaccine against encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) has led to a dramatic reduction of invasive Hib disease. However, an increasing incidence of invasive disease by H. influenzae non-type b has recently been reported. Non-type b strains have been suggested to be opportunists in an invasive context, but information on clinical consequences and related medic

The characteristic striped appearance of zebras has provoked much speculation about its function and why the pattern has evolved, but experimental evidence is scarce. Here, we demonstrate that a zebra-striped horse model attracts far fewer horseflies (tabanids) than either homogeneous black, brown, grey or white equivalents. Such biting flies are prevalent across Africa and have considerable fitne

The reliability of bridge-supporting structures to resist impacts from heavy goods-vehicles (HGV) is investigated. Probabilistic simulations are carried out to calculate the reliability index of a circular reinforced concrete column that has been designed using historical values for equivalent static impact loads provided in the Eurocode. Considerations are made for the uncertainties related to th

Introduction: The homeobox-containing transcription factor muscle segment homeobox 2 (Msx2) plays an important role in mammary gland development. However, the clinical implications of Msx2 expression in breast cancer are unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate the potential clinical value of Msx2 as a breast cancer biomarker and to clarify its functional role in vitro. Methods: Msx2 ge

The aim of this study was to investigate myocardial wall motion using echocardiography and color-coded tissue velocity imaging and to generate a cardiac state diagram for evaluation of the duration of the pre- and post-ejection phases in asphyxiated fetal lambs. Six near-term lambs were partly exteriorized and brought to cardiac arrest through asphyxia. Echocardiography measurements were recorded

Molecular-beam epitaxy grown, 5 nm thick annealed Ga0.95Mn0.05As films demonstrate transition from metallic to insulating state for sheet resistances near resistance quantum, which we connect with the two-dimensional hole localization. Below the metal-insulator transition we found the giant anisotropic magnetoresistance (GAMR) effect, which depends on the orientation of magnetization to crystallog

Background: The performance of creatinine-based glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations may vary in subgroups defined by GFR, age and body mass index (BMI). This study compares the performance of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations with the revised Lund-Malmo equation (LM Revised), a new equa

The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2013–2014 was the most comprehensive analysis of anthropogenic climate change, its impacts, and potential responses. It concluded that climate change is “unequivocal” and human activities are the dominant cause. Avoidance of “dangerous” climate change will require sustained substantial reductions of emissi