Background The total contact cast (TCC) is an effective intervention to reduce plantar pressure in patients with diabetes and a plantar forefoot ulcer. The walls of the TCC have been indirectly shown to bear approximately 30 % of the plantar load. A new direct method to...

Abstract Aims Renal inflammation, leading to fibrosis and impaired function is a major contributor to the development of hypertension. The NLRP3 inflammasome mediates inflammation in several chronic diseases by processing the cytokines pro-interleukin (IL)-1β and pro-IL...

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Mechanisms that predict an individual’s susceptibility to pain, before pain is present or in the first few days following pain onset, are unknown. We utilised a clinically-relevant human transitional pain model (intramuscular inj...

Abstract Background Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are associated with more acute respiratory tract infections than any other viral group yet we know little about viral diversity, epidemiology or clinical outcome resulting from infection by strains, in particular the recentl...

Abstract Deficiency in pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 (PLAG1) leads to reduced fertility in male mice, but the mechanism by which PLAG1 contributes to reproduction is unknown. To investigate the involvement of PLAG1 in testicular function, we determined (i) the spatial dist...

The aim of this study was to disentangle pervasive from situational antisocial behaviors using multiple informants, and to investigate their genetic and environmental etiologies in preadolescence and across time. Antisocial behaviors were assessed in 2,232 twins from th...

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are abundant antimicrobial T cells in humans, and recognize antigens derived from the microbial riboflavin biosynthetic pathway presented by the MHC-Ib-related protein (MR1). However, th...

Follistatin is an inhibitor of TGF-β superfamily ligands that repress skeletal muscle growth and promote muscle wasting. Accordingly, follistatin has emerged as a potential therapeutic to ameliorate the deleterious effects of muscle atrophy. However, it remains unclear ...

Abstract Background Although individual macronutrients were studied in relation to mental health, no information exist about the association between adherence to low carbohydrate diet and psychological disorders. This study was conducted to investigate the association b...

Long-term survival of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has been noted in rare cohorts of individuals infected with nef-deleted virus. Enhanced macrophage tropism and cytopathicity contribute to pathogenicity of wild type HIV-1. To better understand ...