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An ability to interact with plasminogen or plasmin could provide micro-organisms with a mechanism for invasion. Thus, group A, C and G streptococci secrete streptokinase which binds and activates plasminogen. Some streptococci also express surface structures which bind plasminogen without causing its activation. Plasminogen-binding surface proteins were extracted from one group C and one group G s

Deficiencies of the early components of the classical complement pathway impair the actions of innate and humoral immunity and may lead to increased susceptibility to infections. We have studied the genetic basis of total C4B deficiency in a Finnish patient with recurrent meningitis, chronic fistulas and abscesses. The maternal chromosome carried a four-gene deletion including the C4B gene, and a

A pilot-plant study, made to clarify whether biological denitrification is a possible and suitable method for nitrate reduction of drinking water in Sweden is presented. The concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in un-treated water was 10–15 mg/l. The reactor was a 1.2 m aluminium tube with a inner diameter of 0.19 m. 0.75 m was filled with Filtralite®, expanded clay, through which the nitrate-contami

Purpose: To describe the clinical phenotype of the complete type of X-linked congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB1) with different types of mutations in the NYX gene. Methods: The clinical and genetic data from 18 male patients with eight different mutations from two ophthalmological institutes were reviewed. The variability in refractive error, reduced visual acuity and full-field electror

The self-diffusion coefficients of water in casein solutions and gels were measured using a pulsed-gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance technique (PGSE NMR). The dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient of water on the concentration and structure-of casein is reported. The results were analyzed using a cell model. It was found that the water self-diffusion coefficient is insensitive t

Proteins can adjust their structure and function in response to shifting environments. Functional diversity is created not only by the sequence but by changes in tertiary structure. Here we present evidence that lipid cofactors may enable otherwise unstable protein folding variants to maintain their conformation and to form novel, biologically active complexes. We have identified unsaturated C18 f

Rats and mice with a lower capacity to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) because of allelic polymorphisms in the Ncf1 gene (which encodes neutrophil cytosolic factor 1) are more susceptible to develop severe arthritis. These data suggest that ROS are involved in regulating the immune response. We now show that the lower capacity to produce ROS is associated with an increased number of reduced

Epithelial cells are characterized by their polarized organization based on an apical membrane that is separated from the basolateral membrane domain by tight junctions. Maintenance of this morphology is guaranteed by highly specific sorting machinery that separates lipids and proteins into different carrier populations for the apical or basolateral cell surface. Lipid-raft-independent apical carr

Abstract in UndeterminedThe use of a polar diagram method for describing and evaluating the machinability ofInconel 718 was explored. Five key parameters of the work material, representing themechanical and physical properties, which have the strongest influence on its machinability,were employed in the diagrams. These five parameters were integrated into asingle polar diagram, used to describe th

Our aim in this study was to explore women's responses to reported ad-hoc demands for unauthorized user fees during pregnancy and childbirth in Luanda, Angola. Ten focus group discussions were conducted and data were analysed using grounded theory. Women were found to apply six strategies as they "endeavored to cope with demands for unauthorized user fees" (core category): (i) blowing the whistle,