Microorganisms are everywhere! They can tolerate many diverse extreme environments, such as the human body. Even though many of us might associate the word microorganism with infections and disease, most are actually either harmless or even beneficial for us. Those commensals often fight off more dangerous bacteria and might also directly benefit their host. The human skin harbors several differen

The extent of remediation of contaminated industrial sites depends on spatial heterogeneity of contaminant concentration and spatially explicit risk characterization. We used sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) and indicator kriging (IK) to describe the spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pH, electric conductivity, particle aggregate distribution, water holding capaci

Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a serious condition and timely diagnosis with early initiation of antifungal therapy is imerative for improving outcomes. Arabinitol is a sugar alcohol with two stereoisomers, D-arabinitol (DA) and L-arabintiol (LA). Several pathogenic Candida species produce DA in vitro and high DA levels have been detected in serum and urine in patients with IC. Renal dysfunction aff

Background-The number of circulating blood monocytes impacts atherosclerotic lesion size, and in mouse models, elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol suppress blood monocyte counts and atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that individuals with mild renal dysfunction at increased cardiovascular risk would have reduced high-density lipoprotein levels, high blood monocyte counts, and acc

Background: Over the past quarter century, the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has increased in most European nations. However, the number of humans stricken by the disease varies from year to year. A method for predicting major increases and decreases is needed. Methods: We assembled a 25-y database (1984-2008) of the number of human TBE victims and wildlife and climate data for the St

Decreased insulin sensitivity, also referred to as insulin resistance (IR), is a fundamental abnormality in patients with type 2 diabetes and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. While IR predisposition is heritable, the genetic basis remains largely unknown. The GENEticS of Insulin Sensitivity consortium conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for direct measures of insulin sensitiv

Cancer incidence is increasing and it is the number one cause of death worldwide. Cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease and there is a great need for new early diagnostic, prognostic and treatment predictive biomarkers in order to improve patient outcomes. The RNA-binding motif protein 3, RBM3, is an emerging candidate biomarker of favourable prognosis and treatment response in several types of

OBJECTIVE-Several transcription factors are essential to pancreatic islet beta-cell development, proliferation, and activity, including MafA and MafB. However, MafA and MafB are distinct from others in regard to temporal and islet cell expression pattern, with beta-cells affected by MafB only during development and exclusively by MafA in the adult. Our aim was to define the functional relationship