HUNCHEST-II contributes to a shift to earlier-stage lung cancer detection: final results of a nationwide screening program.

Objectives: The introduction of low-dose CT (LDCT) altered the landscape of lung cancer (LC) screening and contributed to the reduction of mortality rates worldwide. Here we report the final results of HUNCHEST-II, the largest population-based LDCT screening program in Hungary, including the screening and diagnostic outcomes, and the characteristics of the LC cases.

Methods: A total of 4215 high-risk individuals aged between 50 and 75 years with a smoking history of at least 25 pack-years were assigned to undergo LDCT screening.

Does participation in agri-environmental schemes increase eco-efficiency?

The literature on the effectiveness of Agri-Environmental Schemes focuses mainly on the environmental effects; only a few studies have focused on economic aspects. The number of papers that address ecological and economic outcomes simultaneously is even more limited. In this paper, we apply the concept of eco-efficiency to integrate these two factors.

Ecotin, a microbial inhibitor of serine proteases, blocks multiple complement dependent and independent microbicidal activities of human serum.

Ecotin is a serine protease inhibitor produced by hundreds of microbial species, including pathogens. Here we show, that ecotin orthologs from Escherichia coli, Yersinia pestis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Leishmania major are potent inhibitors of MASP-1 and MASP-2, the two key activator proteases of the complement lectin pathway. Factor D is the key activator protease of another complement activation route, the alternative pathway.

The effect of serum triglyceride concentration on the outcome of acute pancreatitis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Elevated serum triglyceride concentration (seTG, >1.7 mM or >150 mg/dL) or in other words hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is common in the populations of developed countries. This condition is accompanied by an increased risk for various diseases, such as acute pancreatitis (AP).