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IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is characterized by mesangial cell proliferation and extracellular matrix expansion associated with immune deposits consisting of galactose-deficient polymeric IgA1 and C3. We have previously shown that IgA-binding regions of streptococcal M proteins colocalize with IgA in mesangial immune deposits in patients with IgAN. In the present study, the IgA-binding M4 protein from

Despite an abundance of peptides inside a cell, only a small fraction is ultimately presented by HLA-I on the cell surface. The presented peptides have HLA-I allomorph-specific motifs and are restricted in length. So far, detailed length studies have been limited to few allomorphs. Peptide-HLA-I (pHLA-I) complexes of different allomorphs are qualitatively and quantitatively influenced by tapasin t

Some concerns still have not been resolved about the long-term safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with acute STEMI.

Complement components and their cascade of reactions are important defense mechanisms within both innate and adaptive immunity. Many complement deficient patients still remain undiagnosed because of a lack of high throughput screening tools. Aiming towards neonatal proteome screening for immunodeficiencies, we used a multiplex profiling approach with antibody bead arrays to measure 9 complement pr

During sexual conflict, males and females are expected to evolve traits and behaviours with a sexually antagonistic function. Recently, sexually antagonistic coevolution was proposed to occur between male and female diving beetles (Dytiscidae). Male diving beetles possess numerous suction cups on their forelegs whereas females commonly have rough structures on their elytra. These rough structures

Biological soft tissues exhibit non-linear complex properties, the quantification of which presents a challenge. Nevertheless, these properties, such as skin anisotropy, highly influence different processes that occur in soft tissues, for instance wound healing, and thus its correct identification and quantification is crucial to understand them. Experimental and computational works are required i

Factor I (FI) is the major complement inhibitor that degrades activated complement components C3b and C4b in the presence of specific cofactors. Complete FI deficiency results in secondary complement deficiency due to uncontrolled spontaneous alternative pathway activation. In this study we describe two unrelated patients with complete FI deficiency and undetectable alternative complement pathway

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to regulate most biological processes and have been found dysregulated in a variety of diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we characterized miRNAs that associate with susceptibility to develop experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rats, a well-established animal model of MS. Using Illumina next-generation sequencing, we detected 544

Biocompatible molecules that undergo self-assembly are of high importance in biological and medical applications of nanoscience. Peptides and bile acids are among the most investigated due to their ability to self-organize into many different, often stimuli-sensitive, supramolecular structures. With the aim of preparing molecules mixing the aggregation properties of bile acid and amino acid-based

Objective: By retarding fat digestion, thylakoids, the internal photosynthetic membrane system of green plants, promote the release of satiety hormones. This study examined the effect of consuming a single dose of concentrated extract of thylakoids from spinach on satiety, food intake, lipids, and glucose compared to a placebo. Design: Sixty overweight and obese individuals enrolled in a double-bl

The papilloma- and polyomaviruses are small DNA viruses that infect humans. Some members of these virus families can cause cancer in experimental animals and some are also established as carcinogenic to humans. Detection of specific antibodies to these viruses allows tracking past and present infections to elucidate natural history and association of infection with subsequent disease. As there are

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between growth rate, final mass, and larval development, as well as how this relationship influences reproductive trade-offs, in the context of a gregarious life-style and the need to keep an optimal group size. We use as a model two sympatric populations of the pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa, which occur in different seasons

Real-world evaluation studies have shown that many patients with asthma remain symptomatic despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). As conventional ICSs have poor access to the peripheral airways, the aim of the present paper was to study the relationship between peripheral airway inflammation and clinical control in allergic asthma. Consequently, bronchial and transbronchial biopsie