The human factor H protein family - an update.

Complement is an ancient and complex network of the immune system and, as such, it plays vital physiological roles, but it is also involved in numerous pathological processes. The proper regulation of the complement system is important to allow its sufficient and targeted activity without deleterious side-effects. Factor H is a major complement regulator, and together with its splice variant factor H-like protein 1 and the five human factor H-related (FHR) proteins, they have been linked to various diseases.

Autoantibodies against complement factor B in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder affecting the joints. Many patients carry anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA). Overactivation of the complement system seems to be part of the pathogenesis of RA, and autoantibodies against the pathway initiators C1q and MBL, and the regulator of the complement alternative pathway, factor H (FH), were previously reported.

Overview on the role of complement-specific autoantibodies in diseases.

The complement system is recognized as a major pathogenic or contributing factor in an ever-growing number of diseases. In addition to inherited factors, autoantibodies to complement proteins have been detected in various systemic and organ-specific disorders. These include antibodies directed against complement components, regulators and receptors, but also protein complexes such as autoantibodies against complement convertases.

Factors associated with chloroquine-induced pruritus during malaria treatment in Mozambican university students.

Introduction: It has been suggested that reductions in chloroquine use may be followed by a resurgence of chloroquine-susceptible falciparum malaria, and chloroquine might once again be an effective treatment choice, which renews the importance of aspects related to its use and misuse. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of chloroquine-induced pruritus and to identify risk factors for its occurrence in Mozambican University students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a private University in Maputo.

A comparison of protein quantitation assays for biopharmaceutical applications.

Dye-based protein determination assays are widely used to estimate protein concentration, however various reports suggest that the response is dependent on the composition and sequence of the protein, limiting confidence in the resulting concentration estimates. In this study a diverse set of model proteins representing various sizes of protein and covalent modifications, some typical of biopharmaceuticals have been used to assess the utility of dye-based protein concentration assays. The protein concentration assays (Bicinchoninic acid (BCA), Bradford, 3-(4-carboxybenzoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (CBQCA), DC, Fluorescamine and Quant-i) were compared to the 'gold standard' assay, quantitative amino acid analysis (AAA).