BACKGROUND: Human cathelicidin LL-37 shows activity towards both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and it is also active against some types of viruses. Besides its antimicrobial effects, the peptide modulates innate immunity through binding and inactivation of bacterial endotoxins and promoting chemotaxis of immune cells.RESULTS: LL-37 is reported to interact with plasma membrane receptors

The aim of the present study was to extend the creatinine-based Lund-Malmö GFR equation for use with rescaled cystatin C (r-LMRCys) and validate it against measured GFR (mGFR) in the EKFC cystatin C cohort of children (n = 2,293) and adults (n = 7,727). Rescaling was obtained by dividing each biomarker by a Q-value, representing the population-specific median biomarker level among healthy individu

Aims: TCF7L2 rs7903146 is the most impactful single genetic risk variant for type 2 diabetes. However, its role on disease progression, complications and mortality among people with type 2 diabetes at diagnosis remains unclear. Materials and Methods: We assessed the per allele impact of the rs7903146 T-allele on clinical characteristics and complication risk in 9231 individuals with type 2 diabete

The onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease is linked to the accumulation of pathological aggregates formed from the normally monomeric amyloid-β peptide within the central nervous system. These Aβ aggregates are increasingly successfully targeted with clinical therapies at later stages of the disease, but the fundamental molecular steps in early stage disease that trigger the initial nucleat

Sexual violence within academia is a major concern, and increased attention is being given to bystander interventions to combat these behaviors. This scoping review aimed to investigate bystander intervention programs focused on the prevention of sexual violence in universities worldwide. Literature searches were conducted using ERC, ERIC, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and PubMed databases. The inclus

This article focuses on teachers’ and principals’ experiences of aggressive emails in home–school collaborations with parents. Semi-structured interviews with 31 teachers and principals from primary, lower and upper secondary schools in Sweden were conducted. Three categories were identified in the material which illuminate the phenomenon of cyberaggression towards principals and teachers from par

Based on the DCV-C60 system of fullerene acceptor organic solar cell active materials, the charge transfer process of D-A type molecular materials under the action of an external electric field (Fext) was explored. Within the range of electric field application, the excited state characteristics exhibit certain regular changes. Based on reducing the excitation energy, the excitation mode shows a t

This study explores the nature of work-related cyber mistreatment from guardians, pupils, and members of the public as experienced by educational workers. Thematic analysis of data collected by semi-structured interviews with 31 teachers and principals resulted in two overarching themes; directly addressed cyber mistreatment in email and unwanted negative exposure on social media. The data spans o

Context: Proneurotensin (pNT) is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on postprandial pNT levels are not well studied. Objective: This work aimed to assess the effects of RYGB vs a very low-energy diet (VLED) on pNT levels in response to mixed-meal tests (MMTs), and long-term effects of RYGB on fasting pNT. Methods: Cohort 1: Nine no

Are differences between species the long-term consequence of microevolution within species, or does speciation involve fundamentally different processes? We analyzed the brain and body sizes of present-day primate species using a novel phylogenetic comparative method that decomposes the phenotypic covariance of these traits into speciational and anagenetic components. We estimated that approximate

The vertical shear instability and the streaming instability are two robust sources of turbulence in protoplanetary disks. The former has been found to induce anisotropic turbulence that is stronger in the vertical than in the radial dimension and to be overall stronger compared to the largely isotropic turbulence caused by the streaming instability. In this study, we shed light on the dust diffus

Plasma phosphorylated-tau217 (p-tau217) has been shown to be one of the most accurate diagnostic markers for Alzheimer's disease. No studies have compared the clinical performance of p-tau217 as assessed by the fully automated Lumipulse and single molecule array (SIMOA) AlZpath p-tau217. The study included 392 participants, 162 with Alzheimer's disease, 70 with other neurodegenerative diseases wit

Gastroparesis, characterized by delayed gastric emptying without mechanical obstruction, is a recognized complication of long-standing diabetes. Its pathophysiology involves, amongst other mechanisms, autonomic dysfunction due to vagal nerve damage, impaired smooth muscle contractility, and hormonal dysregulation of intestinal motility. During Ramadan, fasting causes significant dietary changes du

Childhood stunting is a serious global public health issue that exhibits local spatial variations. Previous studies have used traditional statistical methods to identify stunting risk factors, and little is known about the application and usefulness of spatial machine learning techniques in identifying localized stunting risk factors based on complex datasets. This study assesses the performance o

This study aims to assess the factors influencing homeowner behaviour regarding climate-adaptive renovations. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) by integrating additional factors such as inherent homeowner qualities (IHQs) and building attributes (BAs) to better capture climate-adaptive renovation decisions. Different configurations for the impacts of these additional factors

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, with or without neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), exhibit greater neuronal impairment compared to healthy individuals in terms of neuronal damage, magnet resonance imaging (MRI) changes and cognitive dysfunction. Interferon (IFN)-α is a key immunopathogenic driver of SLE, being persistently overexpressed in the majority of patients. This longitu

INTRODUCTION: Long-term survival following lung transplantation (LTx) faces impediments due to chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), while infections hinder short-term survival. Fungal colonization and invasive fungal infections (IFI) are common within the first year after LTx. There is ongoing debate regarding the impact of such events on CLAD development and mortality. This study aims to in