We have previously described an allelic polymorphism in the V beta 6.1 T-cellreceptor gene. The V beta 6.1B allele is associated with disease in a subgroup of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis....Full Text Available
T-cell activation requires the influx of extracellular calcium, although mechanistic details regarding such activation are not fully defined. Here, we show that P2X7receptors play a key...Full Text Available
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is typically a clonal neoplasm of epidermotropic CD4+ T-lymphocytes that includes the entity mycosis fungoides (MF). After identification of patients with recurrent MF treated...Full Text Available
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a retrovirus related to human T-cell leukemia virus types 1 and 2, can induce persistent nonneoplastic expansion of the CD5+ B-cell population, termed...Full Text Available
The rejection thresholds of Phormia regina Meigen for twenty-four glycols have been determined. A definite relationship between the concentration of the test material and the distribution...Full Text Available
Measurements of the taste thresholds of blowflies for a wide variety of carbohydrates, presented individually and in combination, showed that the stimulating effects of the compounds are not always...Full Text Available
The genetic basis of odorant-specific variations in human olfactory thresholds, and in particular of enhanced odorant sensitivity (hyperosmia), remains largely unknown. Olfactory receptor (OR) segregating...Full Text Available
Sphere-forming abilities in culture condition are considered a hallmark of cancer stem-like cells, which represents tumor cell invasiveness and stem-like characteristics. We aimed to show that the sphere-forming subpopulation of human malignant melanoma cell line WM-266-4 acts differently to zebrafish embryo extracts compared with their bulk counterpart. Spheres were maintained in neural stem cell culture conditions. The embryos of zebrafish at specific developmental stages were collected and the extracts were purified under 100 kDa. Spheres were treated with embyo extracts and proliferation assay and immunocytochemistry were conducted. Spheroid cells expressed nestin and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) but not melanoma antigen recognized by T-cells (MART)1, indicating their stem-l...
PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of ophthalmic abnormalities in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome) and T-cell lymphoma involving the skin and...Full Text Available
Neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) binds its consensus element to repress the transcription of various genes. The dominant-negative form (dnNRSF) has a hypertrophic effect on cardiogenesis through an unidentified mechanism. We examined the involvement of transient receptor potential (TRP) channel proteins, using transgenic mice overexpressing dnNRSF (dnNRSF mice). Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays revealed an interaction between NRSF and a neuron-restrictive silencer element-like sequence in intron 4 of TRPC1 genomic DNA. According to RT-PCR and Western analyses, TRPC1 was up-regulated in dnNRSF mouse heart. Transient overexpression of TRPC1 in HEK 293Tcells increased the activity of the nuclear factor in activated T cells (NFAT) promoter and stimulated store-operated Ca"2"+ channel (SOCC)-mediated Ca"2"+ entry. Transfection of TRPC1 into primary cardiomyocytes increased NFAT activity, indicating a major role ...
Macrophage differentiation antigen associated with complement three receptor function (Mac-1) belongs to #beta#_2 subfamily of integrins that mediate important cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Biochemical studies have indicated that Mac-1 is a constitutive heterodimer in vitro. Here, we detected the heterodimerization of Mac-1 subunits in living cells by means of two fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques (fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy) and our results demonstrated that there is constitutive heterodimerization of the Mac-1 subunits and this constitutive heterodimerization of the Mac-1 subunits is cell-type independent. Through FRET imaging, we found that heterodimers of Mac-1 mainly localized in plasma membrane, perinuclear, and Golgi area in living cells. Furthermore, through analysis of the estimated physical distances between cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) fused ...
DNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 17 different individuals infected with human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type II (HTLV-II) was successfully amplified by the polymerase chain reaction...Full Text Available
The immunogenicity of allogeneic cultured human epidermal keratinocytes (cHEKs) has been studied in several models with contradictory results. We studied human T-cell activation in an in vitro...Full Text Available
The presence of a high number of activated T cells in the bloodstream and spontaneous proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro are striking characteristics of human T-cell leukemia...Full Text Available
Although human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), the role of viral gene expression in the progression to and maintenance of the...Full Text Available
Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), and other diseases....Full Text Available
Several examples of agonist-directed trafficking of receptor signalling at 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors have been reported that involve independent downstream transduction pathways. We now report the functional selectivity of a series of chemically diverse agonists at human (h)5-HT2A, h5-HT2B and h5-HT2C-VSV by examining two related responses, the upstream activation of Gq/11 proteins in comparison with its associated cascade of calcium mobilisation. At the h5-HT2A receptor, d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and the antiparkinsonian agents lisuride, bromocriptine and pergolide exhibit a higher potency for Gq/11 activation than calcium release in contrast with all the other tested ligands such as 5-HT, mCPP and BW723C86, that show an opposite preference of signalling pathway. Comparable observations are made at h5-HT2B and h5-HT2C-VSV receptors, suggesting a similar mechanism of functional selectivity ...
PurposeClinical trials have commenced to evaluate the feasibility of targeting malignant gliomas with genetically engineered cytolytic T-cells (CTLs) delivered directly...Full Text Available
In the early 1970s a spate of papers by research groups around the world provided evidence for a negative regulatory role of thymus-derived lymphocytes (Tcells). In 1971, Gershon and Kondo published...Full Text Available
The most common cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) – mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary Syndrome – are characterised by the presence of clonally expanded, skin-homing helper-memory...Full Text Available
Much progress has been made in the clinical, biological and technical aspects of the T-cell-depleted haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Our experience demonstrates that infusing a megadose of extensively T-cell-depleted hematopoietic peripheral blood stem cells after an immuno-myeloablative conditioning regimen in acute leukemia patients ensures sustained engraftment with minimal GvHD without the need of any post-transplant immunosuppressive treatment. Since our first successful pilot study, our efforts have concentrated on developing new conditioning regimens, optimizing the graft processing and improving the post-transplant immunological recovery. The results we have so far achieved in high risk acute leukemia patients show that haploidentical transplantation ...
Abstract In this brief report, we have described the fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of a hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) in a 60-year-old female patient. The patient complained of fever and heaviness of left upper abdomen. Ultrasound-guided FNAC of the spleen showed immature lymphoid cells, and a diagnosis of primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of spleen was offered. Subsequently, the patient underwent splenectomy and wedge biopsy of liver that confirmed the cytological diagnosis. The lymphoma cells were positive for CD3 immunostain. Primary hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma is a rare entity and may often pose diagnostic problems on FNAC. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
BackgroundThe thymus plays a critical role in the development and maturation of T-cells. Humans have a single thoracic thymus and presence of a second thymus is considered an anomaly....Full Text Available
There is a quest for the development of a new generation of vaccines consisting of well-defined subunit antigens. For a number of practical reasons it is attractive to develop vaccines on the basis...Full Text Available
BackgroundSensitization to house dust mite allergens is strongly correlated with asthma. Der p 7 elicits strong IgE antibody and T-cell responses in mite allergic...Full Text Available
Synthetic polypeptide antigens of L amino acids, although bearing repeating sequences, are thymus-dependent (L-TD), whereas the same polymers composed of D amino acids are thymus-independent (D-TI),...Full Text Available
Evaluation of the protective efficacy of recombinant T-cell-reactive proteins of Coccidioides posadasii in a murine model of coccidioidomycosis has led to the discovery of potential...Full Text Available
BackgroundAllergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD) is regarded as a T-cell-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. We studied the kinetics of the expression of CS-1 fibronectin,...Full Text Available
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus causes severe encephalitis with serious sequelae in humans. The disease is characterized by fever and debilitating encephalitis that can progress to chronic illness...Full Text Available
The receptor-associated protein (RAP) is a molecular chaperone that binds tightly to certain newly synthesized LDL receptor family members in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and facilitates their delivery...Full Text Available
Structural analysis of an acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica leads to a three-dimensional model in which a "monomeric" receptor is shown to contain subunits arranged around a central ionophoretic...Full Text Available
Orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are receptors lacking endogenous ligands. Found by molecular biological analyses, they became the roots of reverse pharmacology, in which receptors are attempted...Full Text Available
Many microbial pathogens recognize oligosaccharides displayed on the surface of host cells as receptors for toxins and adhesins. These ligand-receptor interactions are critical for disease pathogenesis,...Full Text Available
AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are critical for synaptic plasticity, and are subject to alterations based on subunit composition and receptor trafficking to and from the plasma membrane. One of the...Full Text Available
The parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR) is a class B G protein-coupled receptor that plays critical roles in bone and mineral ion metabolism. Ligand binding to the PTHR involves interactions to both...Full Text Available
Hormone potency depends on receptor availability, regulated via gene expression and receptor trafficking. To ascertain how central leptin receptors are regulated, the effects of leptin challenge, high-fat...Full Text Available
Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily, has been utilized for receptor-mediated targeting of imaging and therapeutic agents; here we extend...Full Text Available
To study the effect of agonist on the TRH (thyrotrophin-releasing hormone) receptor protein, an epitope-tagged receptor was stably expressed in HEK-293 cells (human embryonic kidney 293 cells) and receptor...Full Text Available
Autoreactive cytotoxic CD8 T-cells (CTLs) play a key pathogenic role in the destruction of insulin-producing beta-cells resulting in type 1 diabetes. However, knowledge regarding their targets is limited, restricting the ability to monitor the course of the disease and immune interventions. In a multi-step discovery process to identify novel CTL epitopes in human preproinsulin (PPI), PPI was digested with purified human proteasomes, and resulting COOH-fragments aligned with algorithm-predicted HLA-binding peptides to yield nine potential HLA-A1, -A2, -A3 or -B7-restricted candidates. An UV-exchange method allowed the generation of a repertoire of multimers including low-affinity HLA-binding peptides. These were labeled with quantum dot-fluorochromes and encoded in a combinatorial fashion, allowing parallel and sensitive detection of specific, low-avidity T-cells. Significantly increased frequencies of T-cells against four ...
The retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors α and γ (RORα (NR1F1) and RORγ (NR1F3)) are orphan nuclear receptors and perform critical roles in regulation of development,...Full Text Available
The gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) receptor is becoming an increasingly attractive target for development of new radiolabeled peptides with diagnostic and therapeutic potential. The attractiveness of the GRP receptor as a target is based upon the functional expression of GRP receptors in several tumors of neuroendocrine origin including prostate, breast, and small cell lung cancer. This concise review outlines some of the efforts currently underway to develop new GRP receptor specific radiopharmaceuticals by employing a variety of radiometal chelation systems.
The most advanced frontier of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is represented by the use of an HLA-partially matched relative as donor. In this type of transplantation, donor-derived natural killer (NK) cells, which are alloreactive towardtoward recipient cells, significantly contribute to the eradication of leukemia blasts. Alloreactive NK cells may also kill host dendritic cells and T lymphocytes, thus preventing graft-versus-host disease and graft rejection, respectively. Sophisticated strategies of adoptive infusion of T-cell lines/clones specific for the most life-threatening pathogens (namely cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Aspergillus and Adenovirus) have been envisaged, and successfully tested in a few pilot trials, to protect the recipient in the...
The green fluorescent protein (GFP) asFP499 from Anemonia sulcata is a distant homologue of the GFP from Aequorea victoria. We cloned the asFP499 gene into a mammalian expression vector and showed that this protein was expressed in the human lymphoblast cell line Ramos RA1 and in the embryonic kidney 293Tcell line (HEK 293T). In HEK 293Tcells, asFP499 was localized mainly in the cytoplasm, suggesting that the protein was excluded from the nucleus. We identified _1_9_4LRMEKLNI_2_0_1 as a candidate nuclear export signal in asFP499 and mutated the isoleucine at position 201 to an alanine. Unlike the wildtype form, the mutant protein was distributed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus. This is First report of a GFP that contains a functional NES.
Abstract Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) causes acute lymphoma and leukemia upon experimental infection of various monkey species. HVS strain C488 is also capable of transforming human T-lymphocytes to stable growth in culture. The most susceptible species for oncogenesis are New World primates, in particular the cottontop tamarin (Saguinus oedipus). However, Old World monkeys such as macaques are the most used animal model for the close-to-human situation. The limited data on HVS infection in Old World monkeys prompted us to investigate susceptibility to infection and disease induction by HVS in macaques. After having established that rhesus macaques can be infected productively, and that rhesus T-cells can be transformed in vivo by HVS, we observed induction of lymphoma in all inoculated anima...
BackgroundThe pregnane X receptor (PXR; NR1I2), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, regulates the expression of metabolic enzymes and transporters involved...Full Text Available
The aspartate receptor involved in chemotaxis is modified by methyl esterification at four distinct glutamate residues during the adaptive response of this receptor. To explain the high degree of specificity...Full Text Available
Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) represent a class with a growing number of compounds that act as either estrogen receptor agonists or antagonists in a tissue-specific manner. This article...Full Text Available
The adenovirus fiber knob causes the first step in the interaction of adenovirus with cell membrane receptors. To obtain information on the receptor binding site(s), the interaction of labeled cell...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) with its numerous ligands has fundamental roles in development, cell differentiation and physiology. Dysfunction of the receptor-ligand...Full Text Available
Chemokine receptors control leukocyte chemotaxis and cell-cell communication but have also been associated with pathogen entry. GPR33, an orphan member of the chemokine-like receptor family,...Full Text Available
1. The effects of stimulation of atrial receptors on hypothalamic neurosecretory cells were investigated in anaesthetized dogs and cats. Atrial receptors were activated by stretching the left and the...Full Text Available
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) controls signal transmission between cells in the nervous system. Abused drugs such as cocaine inhibit this receptor. Transient kinetic investigations indicate...Full Text Available
A specific immunoglobulin, the receptor antibody, can be found in most patients with myasthenia gravis. In order to study the kinetic properties of this antibody, serial determinations of receptor antibody,...Full Text Available
Background:Increasing evidence shows the importance of young age, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) status, and HER-2 expression in patients with breast cancers.Patients...Full Text Available
Activation of beta-adrenergic or muscarinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in transfected cells or epidermal growth factor receptors in human keratinocytes produces 15% to 200% changes in cellular...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: H2-histamine receptors mediate a wide range of physiological functions extending from stimulation of gastric acid secretion to induction of human promyelocyte differentiation. We have previously...Full Text Available
Reproductive aging in males is characterized by a diminution in sexual behavior beginning in middle age. We investigated the relationships among testosterone, androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen...Full Text Available
The vanilloid receptor-1 (VR1, or transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 receptor, TRPV1) is activated by capsaicin, the key ingredient of hot peppers. TRPV1 was originally described on sensory neurons...Full Text Available
Unlike in normal rabbits, pulmonary rapidly adapting receptors (RARs) in rabbits with chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) do not respond to small changes in extravascular...Full Text Available
Histamine and the histamine receptors are important regulators of a plethora of biological processes, including immediate hypersensitivity reactions and acid secretion in the stomach. In these...Full Text Available
Halothane, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride, in the vapor and liquid phases, stimulate the water receptor of the blowfly Phormia regina. There are three successive phases of response to long-lasting...Full Text Available
Elite suppressors or controllers (ES) are HIV-1 infected patients who maintain undetectable viral loads without treatment. While HLA-B*57-positive ES are usually infected with virus that is unmutated...Full Text Available
The effect of abatacept, a selective T-cell co-stimulation modulator, on vaccination has not been previously investigated. In this open-label, single-dose, randomized, parallel-group, controlled study,...Full Text Available
BackgroundHIV infection causes a qualitative and quantitative loss of CD4+ Tcell immunity. The institution of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) restores CD4+ T...Full Text Available
TH1 cytokine secretion was examined in response to synthetic peptides of the 85A component of the major secreted, fibronectin-binding antigen 85 complex from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in seven different...Full Text Available
We studied the effect of booster injections and the long-term immune response after injections of an anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) lipopeptide vaccine. This vaccine was injected alone...Full Text Available
Among important candidates for babesial vaccines are apical complex proteins, including rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1) from Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, which...Full Text Available
Summary20 years ago, in 1987, Edelson and co-workers published their first report on the effectiveness of a new procedure, called extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP), in patients...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe differentiation of CD8+ T lymphocytes following priming of naïve cells is central in the establishment of the adaptive immune response. Yet, the...Full Text Available
A recent clinical trial of a T-cell-based AIDS vaccine delivered with recombinant adenovirus type 5 (rAd5) vectors showed no efficacy in lowering viral load and was associated with increased risk of...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe effects of single or combined histamine H1-receptor and leukotriene CysLT1-receptor antagonism on nasal adenosine monophosphate (AMP) challenge...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe orphan nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. It was identified through a search for genes...Full Text Available
Although the radioreceptor method is widely used for estrogen receptor assay in human tissue, it has several limitations and a number of alternative methods are being explored. An immunohistochemical method of estrogen receptor assay using a specific antibody to estradiol has been proposed as a suitable alternative. The present study was designed to evaluate the validity of this method in detecting true estrogen receptors in human tumor tissue. Using radioiodinated antibody to estrogen, we have demonstrated that the estrogen antibody can detect the estrogen when it is bound to 4S type receptor but is unable to bind to estrogen when the hormone is bound to 8S type receptor. Our observations suggest that the immunohistochemical method of detection of intracellular cytosolic receptor for estrogen is not a suitable alternative to the currently used radioreceptor ...
An /alpha//sub 2/-adrenergic receptor subtype has been cloned from a human kidney cDNA library using the gene for the human platelet /alpha//sub 2/-adrenergic receptor as a probe. The deduced amino acid sequence resembles the human platelet /alpha//sub 2/-adrenergic receptor and is consistent with the structure of other members of he family of guanine nucleotide-binding protein-coupled receptors. The cDNA was expressed in a mammalian cell line (COS-7), and the /alpha//sub 2/-adrenergic ligand (/sup 3/H)rauwolscine was bound. Competition curve analysis with a variety of adrenergic ligands suggests that this cDNA clone represents the /alpha//sub 2/B-adrenergic receptor. The gene for this receptor is on human chromosome 4, whereas the gene for the human platelet /alpha//sub 2/-adrenergic receptor (/alpha//sub 2/A) lies on chromosome 10. This ...
Insulin receptors on the surface of isolated rat adipocytes were photoaffinity labeled at 12 degrees C with the iodinated photoreactive insulin analogue, 125I-B2 (2-nitro-4-azidophenylacetyl)-des-PheB1-insulin, and the pathways in the intracellular processing of the labeled receptors were studied at 37 degrees C. During 37 degrees C incubations, the labeled 440-kDa insulin receptors were continuously internalized (as assessed by trypsin inaccessibility) and degraded such that up to 50% of the initially labeled receptors were lost by 120 min. Metabolic poisons (0.125-0.75 mM 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) and 1-10 mM NaF), which led to dose-dependent depletion of adipocyte ATP pools, inhibited receptor loss, and caused up to 3-fold increase in intracellular receptor accumulation. This effect was due to inhibition of intracellular receptor ...
A Smith-Purcell oscillator with a thick electron beam is analyzed in its exponential gain regime. A threshold current less than 1[A] is found for a 1 mm wavelength; this threshold is much lower than that of a similar oscillator operating in a linear gain regime.
Many patients are currently suffering from nickel (Ni)-induced allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). There have been few Korean studies dealing with the threshold of Ni-induced ACD and quantifying the...Full Text Available
Positron-electron pair creation near the threshold energy is extremely difficult to investigate by both experiments and theory. First test experiments were performed at the ILL to determine the cross sections for positron-electron pair creation near threshold using prompt {gamma}-rays from different targets after neutron capture and conventional radioactive sources. Pair creation was studied in a Ge detector, which simultaneously acted as sample and detector. First results are presented which show a significant deviation from theoretical values near threshold.
Long crack fatigue threshold ({delta} K{sub th}) and crack closure behaviour of two thermomechanically processed microalloyed (MA) ferrite-pearlite steels are reported. {delta} K{sub th} and crack closure were measured using a dynamic compliance measurement technique. Crack closure was observed at low load ratios (R < 0.5) and the fatigue thresholds decreased with increasing load ratio. In both steels, the closure-free intrinsic threshold ({delta} K{sub eff} {sub th}) was found to be independent of the load ratio. (orig.)
We investigate the interplay of quark and meson degrees of freedom in a physical state representing a near-threshold resonance for the case of a single continuum channel. We demonstrate that such a near-threshold resonance may possess quite peculiar properties if both quark and meson dynamics generate weakly coupled near-threshold poles in the S -matrix. In particular, the scattering t -matrix may possess zeros in this case. We also discuss possible implications for production reactions as well as studies within lattice QCD. (orig.)
Two hypotheses are in the centre of this investigation, on the one hand the question, whether microwaves as exogenous fields alone are able to stimulate human muscle cells above-threshold, and on the other hand, whether microwaves as conditioning to cathodical electrical pulses can modify the excitation threshold and form. No excitation through the application of microwaves alone can be introduced at any subject. The conditioning of above-threshold cathodical electrical pulses with UMTS-microwaves leads not to a transgression of the threshold or the electrical muscle response (EMG) depending on the amplitude, the duration or the dose rate. (orig.)
The wavelength dependence of the threshold in an InGaP-InAlGaP vertical cavity surface emitting laser is investigated using a microscopic theory of the semiconductor gain medium. Good agreement is found between experiment and theory for the minimum threshold lasing wavelength for a range of laser structures.
The wavelength dependence of the threshold in an InGaP-InAlGaP vertical cavity surface emitting laser is investigated using a microscopic theory of the semiconductor gain medium. Good agreement is found between experiment and theory for the minimum threshold lasing wavelength for a range of laser structures.
We have used an electric gun to measure the initiation thresholds of more than twenty unusual explosive materials as well as the thresholds of several common explosives for comparison. The purpose of the work was to obtain experimental data for a theoretical study of the effects of various chemical groups on the detonation sensitivity of explosives. 2 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.
Threshold pump intensity values leading to irreversible damage to colored laser elements based on elastic polymers were measured. The damage to colored elastomers is connected with absorbing microinclusions but is independent of molecular absorption. It is shown that damage to the elastomers has a pronounced threshold character in contrast to the microdamage accumulation effect in glassy polymers. The damage threshold for elastomers is 1.5 times higher, which is connected with the absence of microstresses (characteristics for organic glasses) in the specimens. 13 references.
Sixteen patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with or without lymph node involvement, but without evidence of extranodal manifestations, were treated with a combination of total skin electron beam therapy (TSEB) and total nodal irradiation (TNI). Fourteen (87%) patients achieved a complete response (CR) lasting from 1 to 84+ months (median, 8+ months) from the completion of treatment. The best results occurred in 6 patients with pretumorous intracutaneous CTCL (Stages IB and IIA) where the CR has lasted in all patients from 8 to 84+ months (median about 27+ months). Radiotherapy was well tolerated with the major toxicity being bone marrow suppression. The authors conclude that combined TSEB and TNI is a relatively safe and effective treatment for patients with CTCL prior to the development of lymph node involvement. Long-term follow-up is needed to assess the curative potential of this treatment.
Patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are subject to a spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Recent evidence implicates the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) in the pathogenesis of some of these illnesses, although the cells infected by the virus have yet to be identified. Using in situ hybridization, the authors examined brain tissue from two patients with AIDS encephalopathy for the presence of HTLV-III RNA. In both cases, viral RNA was detected and concentrated in, though not limited to, the white matter. The CNS cells most frequently infected included macrophages, pleomorphic microglia, and multinucleated giant cells. Less frequently, cells morphologically consistent with astrocytes, oligodendroglia, and rarely neurons were also infected. The findings strengthen the association of HTLV-III with the pathogenesis of AIDS encephalopathy. In situ hybridization can be applied to routinely prepared biopsy tissue in ...
Comparison of dosimetry measured in a noncylindrical Rando-Alderson phantom by two-field, four-field, and six-field total-skin electron-beam therapy (TSEBT) techniques with our dual-field rotational (DFR) technique reveals a superior dosimetry for the latter. Our technique of dual-field rotational DFR-TSEBT is described in detail, and its advantages and indications for the primary management of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) are discussed.
Summary Metabotropic GABAB receptors play a fundamental role in modulating the excitability of neurons and circuits throughout the brain. These receptors influence synaptic transmission by inhibiting presynaptic release or activating postsynaptic potassium channels. However, their ability to directly influence different types of postsynaptic glutamate receptors remains unresolved. Here we examine GABAB receptor modulation in layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons from the mouse prefrontal cortex. We use two-photon laser-scanning microscopy to study synaptic modulation at individual dendritic spines. Using two-photon optical quantal analysis, we first demonstrate robust presynaptic modulation of multivesicular release at single synapses. Using two-photon glutamate uncaging, we then reveal that GABAB r...
A clone encoding a human D{sub 2} dopamine receptor was isolated from a pituitary cDNA library and sequenced. The deduced protein sequence is 96% identical with that of the cloned rat receptor with one major difference: the human receptor contains an additional 29 amino acids in its putative third cytoplasmic loop. Southern blotting demonstrated the presence of only one human D{sub 2} receptor gene. Two overlapping phage containing the gene were isolated and characterized. DNA sequence analysis of these clones showed that the coding sequence is interrupted by six introns and that the additional amino acids present in the human pituitary receptor are encoded by a single exon of 87 base pairs. The involvement of this sequence in alternative splicing and its biological significance are discussed.
Expression of Bacterial luciferase enzyme (lux) in mammalian cells would be a powerful bioreporter protein system for in vivo imaging because eukaryotic luciferases need expensive substrates. However, only a few efforts have been made to express bacterial luciferase enzyme in mammalian cells. As the result of this, we attempted to construct bicistronic vector including two bacterial luciferase genes (LuxA and LuxB) for assessing the potential to be visualized in vitro or in vivo by optical imaging system after transfection to mammalian cells. We designed and synthesized luxA and luxB genes from Photorhabdus Luminescens. To co-express both luxA and luxB genes from a single promoter, we cloned as a bicistronic transcript fused with an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES). This bicistronic transcript was transfected by Superfect to HEK 293Tcell line. We also transfected lux A and lux B vector to HEK 293T ...
Aim: Several studies have investigated the expression of the cytokeratins (CKs), vimentin, the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), the oestrogen receptor (ER), and the progesterone...Full Text Available
The GABA-modulating and GABA-mimetic activities of the monoterpenoid thymol were explored on human GABAA and Drosophila melanogaster...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to determine whether resistance exercise training-induced reductions in inflammation are mediated via melanocortin 3 receptor expression in obese (BMI 32.7 ± 3.7)...Full Text Available
The plant hormone cytokinin is perceived by membrane-located sensor histidine kinases. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) possesses three cytokinin receptors: ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxicity and biological activity of dioxins and related chemicals. The...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-specific monoclonal antibodies predominantly inhibit colorectal cancer (CRC) growth by interfering with receptor signaling. Recent analyses have shown that patients...Full Text Available
SUMMARYThe cytolytic activity of natural killer (NK) cells is regulated by inhibitory receptors that detect the absence of self molecules on target cells. Structural studies of...Full Text Available
Current concepts of the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis suggest that the expanded numbers of activated T-helper/inducer cells at sites of disease activity result, at least in part, from their proliferation...Full Text Available
Taste cells use multiple signaling mechanisms to generate appropriate cellular responses to discrete taste stimuli. Some taste stimuli activate G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that cause calcium...Full Text Available
The normal physiological contraction of the urinary bladder, which is required for voiding, is predominantly mediated by muscarinic receptors, primarily the M3 subtype, with the M2...Full Text Available
G-protein-coupled receptor signalling has been suggested to be voltage dependent in a number of cell types; however, the limits of sensitivity of this potentially important phenomenon are unknown. Using...Full Text Available
Nuclear hormone receptors comprise a characteristic family of transcription factors found in vertebrates, insects and nematodes. Here we show by cDNA and gene cloning that a Cnidarian, Tripedalia...Full Text Available
We previously reported that global deletion of insulin receptor substrate protein 1 (Irs1) extends lifespan and increases resistance to several age-related pathologies in female mice....Full Text Available
1. The structural requirements of an allosteric barbiturate binding site on acetylcholine receptor-rich membranes isolated from Torpedo electroplaques have been characterized by the ability of fourteen...Full Text Available
Growth hormone (GH) has an important role in the regulation of hepatic LDL receptor expression and plasma lipoprotein levels. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate if these effects of GH on...Full Text Available
The neonatal Fc receptor FcRn provides IgG molecules with their characteristically long half-lives in vivo by protecting them from intracellular catabolism and then returning them to...Full Text Available
There is increasing evidence that receptor-mediated events impact one or more stages responsible for tumor development in experimental animals and humans. Although many chemicals and endogenous hormones...Full Text Available
The presence of albumin structures with the capacity to bind to a surface receptor in group C and G streptococci was studied in serum samples from 45 mammalian species representing 15 different orders,...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain mutations hyperactivate the kinase and confer kinase addiction of the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor...Full Text Available
Binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the EGF receptor (EGFR) initiates signal transduction, ultimately leading to altered gene expression. Ligand-activated EGFR is also rapidly internalized...Full Text Available
BackgroundBaculovirus, which has a width of 40 nm and a length of 250-300 nm, can display functional peptides, receptors and antigens on its surface by their fusion with a baculovirus...Full Text Available
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) related therapies – mainly tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as erlotinib and gefitinib, but also monoclonal antibodies targeting EGFR, for example,...Full Text Available
BackgroundPolymorphisms in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene may influence EGFR production and/or activity, thereby modulating susceptibility to lung...Full Text Available
Antagonists for kainate receptors (KARs), a family of glutamate-gated ion channels, are efficacious in a number of animal models of neuropathologies, including epilepsy, migraine pain, and anxiety....Full Text Available
Ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y purinergic receptors are expressed in the central nervous system and participate in the synaptic process particularly associated with acetylcholine, GABA, and glutamate...Full Text Available
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are thought to derive from the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) or an ICC precursor. Oncogenic mutations of the KIT or PDGFRA receptor tyrosine kinases are present...Full Text Available
The 37/67-kd laminin receptor, LAMR, is a multifunctional protein that associates with the 40S ribosomal subunit and also localizes to the cell membrane to interact with the extracellular matrix. LAMR...Full Text Available
BackgroundApolipoprotein E (ApoE), a cholesterol carrier associated with atherosclerosis, is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The low-density lipoprotein receptor...Full Text Available
We have characterized the kinetic response of gene targets throughout the murine genome to transcriptional modulation by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In contrast to a model in which multiple genes...Full Text Available
Since a large body of data has suggested a significant role for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the regulation of the immune response at a number of levels, we examined the possibility of a specific receptor...Full Text Available
The receptors for IGF-I (IGF-IR) and insulin (IR) have been implicated in physiological cardiac growth, but it is unknown whether IGF-IR or IR signaling are critically required. We generated mice with...Full Text Available
TCDD and other polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbon ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) have been classically considered as non-genotoxic compounds because they fail to be directly mutagenic...Full Text Available
Osteoblasts are the primary cells responsible for bone formation. They also support osteoclast formation from bone marrow precursors in response to osteotropic factors by inducing receptor activator...Full Text Available
The murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) M33 gene is conserved among all betaherpesviruses and encodes a homologue of seven-transmembrane receptors (7TMR) with the capacity for constitutive signaling. Previous...Full Text Available
To study the expression of Fc receptors in human alveolar macrophages (AM), the cells were collected from 12 healthy controls and 22 patients with sarcoidosis and the activity involved in binding to...Full Text Available
TSH receptor (TSHR) plays a central role in regulating thyroid function and is targeted by IgGs in Graves’ disease (GD-IgG). Whether TSHR is involved in the pathogenesis of thyroid associated...Full Text Available
Dysregulation of glutamate neurotransmission may play a role in cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Manipulation of glutamate signaling using drugs acting at metabotropic glutamate receptors...Full Text Available
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. However, the role of the AHR...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEPrevious studies showed that genetic deletion or pharmacological blockade of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) prevents the early structural changes...Full Text Available
The cellular receptor for murine coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV)-A59 is a member of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) family of glycoproteins in the immunoglobulin superfamily. We isolated...Full Text Available
Astrocytes have long been perceived only as structural and supporting cells within the central nervous system (CNS). However, the discovery that these glial cells may potentially express receptors capable...Full Text Available
The extracellular domain of human fibroblast growth factor receptor (XC-FGF-R) was expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified to homogeneity and the interaction with basic fibroblast growth...Full Text Available
Muscarinic cholinergic receptors modulate dopaminergic function in brain pathways thought to mediate cocaine's abuse-related effects. Here, we sought to confirm and ...Full Text Available
Several investigations suggested abnormalities in circadian rhythms are related to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, including drug addiction. Recently, orphan nuclear receptor rev-erb alpha...Full Text Available
Polyclonal antibodies were raised in rabbits by immunization with free peptides corresponding to positions 197-222 of the human beta 1-adrenergic receptor (beta 1 peptide) and the corresponding sequence...Full Text Available
The Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat strain is a putative genetic model of comorbid depression and anxiety. Previous research showing increased κ-opioid receptor (KOR)...Full Text Available
The acetylcholine receptor from the electric tissue of Torpedo californica is a large, integral membrane protein containing four different types of polypeptide chains. The structure of the purified...Full Text Available
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors belonging to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Their discovery in the 1990s provided insights...Full Text Available
Single-channel currents from acetylcholine receptor channels of garter snake neuromuscular junctions were recorded using the patch-clamp technique. Low concentrations of acetylcholine or carbamylcholine...Full Text Available
IntroductionVarious multigene predictors of breast cancer clinical outcome have been commercialized, but proved to be prognostic only for hormone receptor (HR) subsets overexpressing...Full Text Available
BACKGROUNDOff-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery is associated with a hypercoagulable state in which the platelet thrombin receptor, protease-activated receptor-1...Full Text Available
Gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and the cellular responses induced by it are essential for controlling mycobacterial infections. Most patients bearing an IFN-γ receptor ligand-binding chain...Full Text Available
BackgroundTo evaluate whether P2X receptors are involved in responses to noxious pulp stimulation, the P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptor agonist α,β-methyleneATP...Full Text Available
P2X1 receptors for ATP contribute to signalling in a variety of cell types and following stimulation undergo rapid desensitisation (within 1 s), and require ∼5 min to recover. In HEK293 cells...Full Text Available
SummaryThe transcriptional co-repressor SMRT utilizes two major receptor interacting domains (RID1 and RID2) to mediate nuclear receptor (NR) signaling through epigenetic modification....Full Text Available
The capacity of bones to adjust their mass and architecture to withstand the loads of everyday activity derives from the ability of their resident cells to respond appropriately to the strains engendered....Full Text Available
BackgroundEstrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ) are transcription factors (TFs) that mediate estrogen signaling and define the hormone-responsive phenotype...Full Text Available
The expression status of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and that of the epidermal growth factor receptor Her-2/neu frequently correlate inversely in breast cancers. While ERα-dependent...Full Text Available
The 37/67 kDa laminin receptor (LAMR) is a multifunctional protein, acting as an extracellular receptor, localizing to the nucleus, and playing roles in rRNA processing and ribosome assembly....Full Text Available
Dopamine (DA) D3 and D2 receptor mechanisms are implicated in cocaine's abuse-related behavioral effects, but the relative contribution of the two receptor subtypes is only partially characterized....Full Text Available
We have cloned and characterized a 77-kDa oestrogen receptor (ER) from an oestrogen-independent subclone of the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. This receptor contains an in-frame, tandem duplication...Full Text Available
The study of chemoattractant receptors on human monocytes had been limited by the lack of a radioligand suitable for use with the small numbers of cells routinely available from human donors. A new synthetic oligopeptide radioligand f(/sup 35/S)Met-leu-phe, with a higher specific radioactivity than was available with the tritiated compound, was used to characterize a chemoattractant receptor on freshly isolated human blood monocytes. These cells bind f(/sup 35/)met-leu-phe with a dissociation constant (KD) of 30.2 +/- 5.6 nM and contain 84,000 +/- 11,300 receptors per cell. f(/sup 35/)met-leu-phe does not bind specifically to blood lymphocytes. The specificity of the oligopeptide receptor on monocytes is indistinguishable from the oligopeptide chemoattractant receptor on human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Using f(/sup 35/)met-leu-phe, it will now be feasible to study the ...
The experiments show that the fluence threshold of 316L SS irradiated by 1.8 MeV alpha particle is between (0.8655-1.3457) x 10"1"8 #alpha#/cm"2, and the threshold decreases in the 1.5 MeV and 1.0 MeV alpha particle irradiation. For the solid solution samples irradiated by 1.5 MeV alpha particle, the threshold is below 0.5595 x 10"1"8#alpha#/cm"2, and for the 20% cold-worked sample, the threshold is between (0.8595-0.5063) x 10"1"8 #alpha#/cm"2. In 1.0 MeV alpha particle irradiation, the threshold for the solid solution sample and 20% cold-worked sample is between (0.3073-0.1024) x 10"1"8 #alpha#/cm"2 and (0.4108-0.3063) x 10"1"8 #alpha#/cm"2 respectively. The difference of threshold of the two kinds of samples shows that the 20% cold-working can influence the occurrence of blistering
The problem of efficient capture of nonlinear oscillations into resonance is discussed. The capture is guaranteed by passage through resonance when the system starts in equilibrium and the driving amplitude exceeds a threshold. The threshold problem is described by a universal nonlinear Schroedinger-type equation with a single parameter and cannot be analyzed by perturbation methods. A similar threshold phenomenon is a characteristic of two weakly coupled oscillators with a slow parameter if one of the oscillators starts in equilibrium, allowing efficient capture into resonance and subsequent adiabatic (autoresonant) control of strongly excited nonlinear oscillations.
An alkali-like ion interaction with inner electrons of an alkali-like ion leads to a significant increase in the photoionization cross section of the outer s electron. This occurs not only for ground-state ions with one s electron in the outer shell, but also when the outer s electron is in an excited state. The reason for this amplification, in addition to coherent enhancement in summing of the correlation amplitudes, is that the zero in the direct amplitude occurs below threshold. This leads to a constructive interference with the correlation amplitude above the photoionization threshold, in contrast to a destructive interference in the case of a neutral atom with the same electronic configuration, for which the zero occurs above threshold. Results of this research were published.
We report measurements of the temperature dependence of the threshold current of GaAs, 1.3-..mu..m InGaAsP, and 1.5-..mu..m InGaAsP double heterostructure lasers using short electrical pulses. T/sub 0/approx.200 K is observed for all the lasers. These high T/sub 0/ values show that the carrier density at threshold does not increase rapidly with increasing temperature in any of the lasers studied and thus the observed low cw T/sub 0/ of InGaAsP lasers is primarily due to a decrease of the carrier lifetime at threshold with increasing temperature.
Series of concentrations of 15 aliphatic alcohols were presented in 0.1 M sucrose to the tarsi of antennectomized-labellectomized blowflies (Phormia regina Meigen). With the...Full Text Available
Methylisothiazolinone (MI) used alone is a new preservative causing a high prevalence of contact allergy. The eliciting threshold of MI is unknown. The combination of MI and phenoxyethanol enhances the antimicrobial efficacy of MI.
This paper proposes a panel threshold cointegration approach to investigate the relationship between crude oil shocks and stock markets for the OECD and non-OECD panel from January 1995 to December 2009. Nonlinear cointegration is confirmed for the oil-stock nexus in the panel. Because threshold cointegration is found, the threshold vector error correction models can be run to investigate the presence of asymmetric dynamic adjustment. The Granger causality tests demonstrate the existence of bidirectional long-run Granger causality between crude oil shocks and stock markets for these OECD and non-OECD countries. However, the short-run Granger causality between them is bidirectional under positive changes in the deviation and unidirectional under negative ones. Moreover, the speed of adjustm...
The existence of thresholds for toxicants is a matter of debate in chemical risk assessment and regulation. Current risk assessment methods are based on the assumption that, in the absence of sufficient...Full Text Available
Incorporation of /sup 32/P from (gamma-32P)ATP into tyrosine residues of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II receptor was observed in a Triton X-100-insoluble fraction of rat adipocyte plasma membranes. IGF-II receptor phosphorylation proceeded to a stoichiometry of approximately 0.5 mol of phosphate/IGF-II binding site after 10 min of incubation at 4 degrees C. A Km for ATP of 6 microM was calculated for this phosphorylation reaction. Addition of IGF-II caused an approximately 2-fold increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of the IGF-II receptor in this preparation. In contrast, phosphorylation of angiotensin II by the Triton X-100 washed membranes was not stimulated by IGF-II. Incubation of purified receptor immobilized on IGF-II agarose or of receptor-enriched low density microsomal membranes with (gamma-32P)ATP did not result in appreciable incorporation of (/sup 32/P)phosphate ...
The authors have investigated insulin receptor phosphorylation in differentiated cultured BC3H-1 myocytes. As for other insulin-responsive cell systems in partially purified wheat germ agglutinin receptor preparations, insulin stimulates the phosphorylation of its own receptor (95K ..beta..-subunits) in a dose dependent manner (0-400 nM), as identified by immunoprecipitation with antiinsulin receptor antibodies and SDS-PAGE. In the same preparations they show that 12-0-tetradecanyl phorbol acetate (TPA), which in many respect ..beta..-subunits in the same dose dependent manner (0-5 ..mu..M). In addition, antiinsulin receptor antibodies (B-10) also induced phosphorylation of mimics insulin action, also induced phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and HPLC tryptic maps of the /sup 32/P-labeled ..beta..-subunit were identical to those for insulin-induced ...
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation provides the only potential curative option in many patients with hematological malignancies. Finding a suitably matched donor in a timely manner is often difficult. However, most patients have a partially HLA-mismatched (HLA-haploidentical) first-degree relative readily available. Historically, HLA-haploidentical bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has been considered extremely high risk due to high rates of life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and non-relapse mortality (NRM). Modifications of the stem cell graft, such as T-cell depletion, have resulted in poor rates of engraftment. We have recently completed a phase II clinical trial of nonmyeloablative HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic BMT followed by post-transplantation high-cyclophosp...
Immune function is critical in health and disease. The control and regulation of immune reactions is an area of intense investigation that has important implications for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Immune reactions are regulated in a number of important ways. Compartmentalization of immune responses and the production of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines play a major role. More recently several populations of T cells that regulate immune responses termed regulatory T cells have been identified. This manuscript will focus on CD4^+CD25^+FoxP3^+ natural regulatory T cells (T"r"e"g) and @a@bTCR^+CD4^+NK1.1^+ natural killer T (NK-T) cells which both suppress graft vs host disease but appear to function by distinct mechanisms.
The present study was aimed at investigating effects of nickel (NiCl2) on secretion of testosterone (T), cell viability, ultrastructure and apoptosis in mouse Leydig cells. Testosterone release was measured after 48h of culture with 15.67, 31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500 and 1000mmol/L NiCl2 or without NiCl2 using radioimmunoassay. Cell viability was assessed by a MTT (metabolic activity assay). Quantification of apoptotic cells was performed using TUNEL assay and the ultrastructural changes were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. The viability was decreased after addition of >=250mmol/L NiCl2. A concentration-dependent depression of T production was observed. The percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly increased only after addition of 125, 250 and 1000mmol/L NiCl2. After ...
Three in vivo assays were used to measure the immunocompetence of chickens in two generations of a selection experiment. The obtained data were used to estimate the variance components for sire and dam for antibody production to Pasteurella multocida and Mycoplasma gallisepticum vaccines, for T-cell-mediated immunity evaluated by a phytohemagglutinin wing web assay, and for clearance of foreign particles from the circulatory system. Heritabilities of and genetic correlations among these immunological traits were calculated from the sire variance components. Heritability estimates of the immunological traits based on the sire component of variance ranged from .06 to .53, and genetic correlations among immunological traits were generally negative. PMID:1956847
A 33-year-old male of proven fertility suffered six attacks of malaria while resident in an African country. For this he received anti-malarial drugs. Semen analysis performed after the fourth attack, and repeated during the following 2 years after his return to Israel, revealed severe oligozoospermia, necrozoospermia and occasionally even azoospermia. Immunological examination of the patient revealed an inverse ratio of T-cell subsets and mast cell degranulation in response to palludrin. Twenty-five months after the last attack of malaria a significant improvement was found in semen quality and there was an increase in the ratio of T-helper to T-suppressor cytotoxic cells. These observations indicate that although malaria and its treatment may affect spermatogenesis, recovery may be expected eventually. PMID:3500921
A recently-developed BMT method combines a ''Perfusion Method'' (PM) for collecting bone marrow cells (BMCs) with the Intra-Bone Marrow (IBM) injection of BMCs (IBM-BMT). As distinct from the conventional aspiration method (AM), the PM allows rapid (within 1 h) collection of BMCs without T cell contamination (Tcells < 10%). Therefore, no GvHD occurs. Moreover, the burden on donors, such as back pain, bleeding and infection, can be reduced. Full chimerism can be achieved even with only mild conditioning regimens if IBM-BMT is carried out, since IBM-BMT replaces not only the recipient's hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) but also mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with donor-derived HSCs and MSCs. Using this method, we show that most currently intractable diseases are HSC or MSC disorders, and that t...
The authors have been involved for the last few years in developing high affinity sigma-receptor-specific radiopharmaceuticals for use in nuclear medicine. They recently demonstrated that sigma-1 receptors are expressed in human melanoma cells and that sigma receptors could be used as external markers for non-invasive imaging. In order to determine the presence of sigma receptors in other human tumors they have screened numerous non-small cell lung carcinoma, melanoma and breast cancer cell lines. All of these cell lines expressed high sigma receptor densities using commercially available ["3H]-(+)-pentazocine or ["3H]DTG tritiated sigma ligands. Therefore, a sigma ligand with high affinity in both sigma-1 and sigma-2 subtype pharmacological assays could be potentially useful for imaging a variety of primary and metastatic sites of various origins. The authors describe recent ...
Somatogenic hormones play an important role in regulation of receptors for prolactin (PRL) and estrogen. Plerocercoids of the tapeworm, S. mansonoides produce a factor which mimics some, but not all of the actions reported for GH. Intact female rats were subjected to a constant infusion of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) via a subcutaneous infection for two weeks to determine if PGF influences receptors for PRL, GH or estradiol. The rate of weight gain in the PGF-treated rats was accelerated in spite of a marked reduction in serum GH. Partially-purified PGF specifically displaced [125I]hGH from rat liver receptors but microsomes prepared from rats treated with PGF specifically bound significantly less [125I]hGH than microsomes from control rats. The reduction in [125I]hGH binding was not due to occupancy or to a change in affinity but to a suppression in receptor concentration. Scatchard analysis of ...
Methylxanthines and their derivatives are antagonists at cell surface adenosine receptors. They report here a systematic study of xanthine structure-activity relationships which compares potency at two adenosine receptor subtypes, R/sub a/ and R/sub i/. Adenylate cyclase stimulation (R/sub a/ in platelet membranes) and inhibition (R/sub i/ in adipocyte membranes) were used as models of receptor activation. K/sub i/ values were obtained by Schild analysis. The orders of potency of the xanthines to attenuate the effects of adenosine analogues were similar to those previously reported. Earlier work utilizing radioligand binding (R/sub i/ and (/sup 3/H) cAMP formation (R/sub a/) claimed that IIX and PACPX are at least 10 and 400 fold, respectively, more potent at R/sub i/ than at R/sub a/. However, in their assays which utilize modulation of receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase, the xanthines show little ...
Virtual Compton Scattering o013 the proton has been studied at Q 2 -values of 1:0 and 1:9 (GeV=c) 2 in Hall A at the Thomas Je013erson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). Data were taken below and above the pion production threshold as well as in the resonance region. Results obtained below pion threshold at Q 2 = 1:0 (GeV=c) 2 are presented in this paper.
The threshold values of indicator species and ratios delineating the transition between NO_x and VOC sensitivity of ozone formation are assumed to be universal by various investigators. However, our previous studies suggested that threshold values might vary according to the locations and conditions. In this study, threshold values derived from various model simulations at two different locations (the area of Switzerland by UAM Model and San Joaquin Valley of Central California by SAQM Model) are examined using a new approach for defining NO_x and VOC sensitive regimes. Possible definitions for the distinction of NO_x and VOC sensitive ozone production regimes are given. The dependence of the threshold values for indicators and indicator ratios such as NO_y, O_3/NO_z, HCHO/NO_y, and H_2O_2/HNO_3 on the definition of NO_x and VOC sensitivity is discussed. Then the variations of ...
The results of photoneutron spectra measurements for the reaction (#gamma#,n) on the Sr-88 nuclei near threshold are presented. The parameters of resonance levels, as well as radiative S_#gamma#"("1") and neutron S_n"("1") strength functions for transitions on the first excited level of Sr-87 were obtained. 2 refs.; 1 fig.; 1 tab.
Muon captures by nucleon pairs via meson-exchange currents produce a high energy excitation tail in heavy nuclei. The muon induced fission by these excitations is calculated in several subactinide nuclei with high threshold fission barriers. The probability for delayed fission ranges from 4 x 10"-"5 to 4 x 10"-"3 for the isotopes considered. (orig.).
Epidemiological studies will not solve the shape of the dose effect curve for stochastic effects in the low dose range. Unicellular processes are necessary for the primary processes so that no threshold dose exists. This is evident for somatic and genetic mutations. Not clearly solved is this question for the complex carcinogenesis. These processes develop with manifold interacting molecular and cellular steps. (orig.).
Frequency response measurements are used to determine the carrier lifetime of 1.3-..mu..m InGaAsP buried heterostructure lasers between 1 mA and threshold. The data confirm previous results on the radiative and Auger recombination coefficients and reveal the presence of a nonradiative current which dominates at low currents and contributes 4 mA at threshold.
The spontaneous evolution from ultracold Rydberg atoms to plasma is investigated in a caesium MOT by using the method of field ionization. The plasma transferred from atoms in different Rydberg states (n=22-32) are obtained experimentally. Dependence of the threshold time of evolving to plasma and the threshold number of initial Rydberg atoms on the principal quantum number of initial Rydberg states is studied. The experimental results are in agreement with hot-cold Rydberg-Rydberg atom collision ionization theory. (authors)
The Wannier threshold law for three-particle fragmentation is reviewed. By integrating the Schroedinger equation along a path where the reaction coordinate R is complex, anharmonic corrections to the simple power law are obtained. These corrections are found to be non-analytic in the energy E, in contrast to the expected analytic dependence upon E.
The muscarinic receptor binding of trazodone, a new nontricyclic antidepressant, was compared with established tricyclic antidepressants. The ability to inhibit the binding of [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzilate...Full Text Available
SummaryMammalian iron homeostasis is regulated by the interaction of the liver-produced peptide hepcidin and its receptor, the iron transporter ferroportin. Hepcidin binds to...Full Text Available
SUMMARYTestosterone and estrogen are essential for male behaviors in vertebrates. How these two signaling pathways interact to control masculinization of the brain and behavior...Full Text Available
There is considerable evidence that purines are vasoactive molecules involved in the regulation of blood flow. Adenosine is a well known vasodilator that also acts as a modulator of the response to...Full Text Available
Cellular actions of thyroid hormone may be initiated within the cell nucleus, at the plasma membrane, in cytoplasm, and at the mitochondrion. Thyroid hormone nuclear receptors (TRs) mediate the biological...Full Text Available
Laron syndrome (LS) is an autosomal recessively inherited condition characterized by insensitivity to endogenous and exogenous GH. Affected individuals have severe episodes and other characteristic features. GH receptor gene mutations are present in all affected individuals in whom molecular studies have been reported. The GH receptor is a plasma membrane-spanning protein in which the extracellular domain binds circulating GH and the intracellular domain interacts with the JAK-2 kinase and possibly other intracellular signaling molecules. GH receptor dimerization occurs on GH binding and is thought to be required for normal signal transduction. We have studied the GH receptor genes of four unrelated individuals affected with LS from the United States, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and India. We have identified four different missense mutations that alter consecutive amino acids 152 to 155 in or near the ...
A study was made of the kinetics of L-(/sup 3/H)quinuclidinyl benzilate binding with membrane-bound muscarine cholinoreceptors from the rat brain. Determination was made of the rate constants of this process, and constants as a function of ligand concentration was investigated, indicating that there is a complex mechanism of interaction of antagonists with muscarine receptor. With up to 3.5 nM concentrations of L-(/sup 3/H)quinuclidinyl benzilate, the binding reaction occurs in two stages: rapid equilibrated binding is followed by a slow process of conformational isomerization of the receptor-ligand complex. At higher ligand concentrations, there is additional drastic increase in constant of rate of ligand binding a new plateau is reached. Such dependence of rate constant on ligand concentration is indicative of the cooperative nature of interaction between antagonists and muscarine receptors. This is possible if there are ...
The tetrapeptide KDEL is commonly found at the C terminus of soluble proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and it contributes to their localization by interacting with a receptor that recycles...Full Text Available
BackgroundWhereas there is increasing evidence that loss of expression and/or function of the thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) could result in a selective advantage for tumor development,...Full Text Available
The receptor occupancy-biological effect relationship for muscarinic receptors in guinea pig ileal smooth muscle has been studied by comparison of radioligand binding and contractile response. Muscarinic receptors in homogenates of ileal smooth muscle were labeled with (/sub 3/H)-1-Quinuclidinyl benzilate. Treatment with propylbenzilylcholine mustard (PrBCM), to inactivate irreversibly muscarinic receptors, caused a large dose dependent rightward shift of the dose-response curve to three agonistic furtrethonium derivatives with a concomitant decrease in maximal response. Using those data, the fraction of receptors remaining unoccupied (q-values) and true affinity constants (-log K/sub A/-values) were calculated. Exposure to 20 or 60 nM PrBCM for 15 minutes resulted in a 39% and a 61% reduction in specific (/sup 3/H)-1-Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites respectively to be compared ...
This paper describes attempts to isolate and characterize glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-binding molecules on the surface of lymphocytes and lymphoma cell lines and relate their expression to splenic and lymph...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES:To investigate the effect of opioid receptor blockade on the myocardial protection conferred by chronic exercise and to compare exercise training with different strategies...Full Text Available
Carbohydrate-directed endocytosis is mediated by a receptor, the hepatic binding protein; it is responsible for the clearance of galactose-terminated glycoproteins from the circulation. This process...Full Text Available
Two candidate small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) corresponding to severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) spike gene were designed and in vitro transcribed to explore the possibility of silencing SARS-CoV S gene. The plasmid pEGFP-optS, which contains the codon-optimized SARS-CoV S gene and expresses spike-EGFP fusion protein (S-EGFP) as silencing target and expressing reporter, was transfected with siRNAs into HEK 293Tcells. At various time points of posttransfection, the levels of S-EGFP expression and amounts of spike mRNA transcript were detected by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, Western blot, and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. The results showed that the cells transfected with pEGFP-optS expressed S-EGFP fusion protein at a higher level compared with those transfected with pEGFP-S, which contains wildtype SARS-CoV spike gene sequence. The green fluorescence, mean fluorescence intensity, and ...
Large-scale field tracer experiments have been conducted on Ulchin, Wolsung and Daeduk sites for the purpose of validating FADAS and of analyzing the environmental characteristics around the nuclear sites. The most influential factor in atmospheric dispersion is the meteorological condition. During the experiment, meteorological data were measured on the release point and the selected positions among sampling points. Once radioactive materials are released to the atmosphere, members of public may be exposed through the environmental media such as air, soil and foods. Therefore, to protect the public, adequate countermeasures should be taken at due time for those exposure pathways. both processes, of justification and optimization are applied to a countermeasure simultaneously for decision-making. The work scope of Biological research for the radiation protection had contained the search of biological microanalytic methods for assessing the health effect by {gamma}-radiation and toxic ...
Signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) thresholds for microarray data analysis were experimentally determined with an oligonucleotide array that contained perfect match (PM) and mismatch (MM) probes based upon four genes from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. A new SNR calculation, called signal to both standard deviations ratio (SSDR) was developed, and evaluated along with other two methods, signal to standard deviation ratio (SSR), and signal to background ratio (SBR). At a low stringency, the thresholds of SSR, SBR, and SSDR were 2.5, 1.60 and 0.80 with oligonucleotide and PCR amplicon as target templates, and 2.0, 1.60 and 0.70 with genomic DNA as target templates. Slightly higher thresholds were obtained at the high stringency condition. The thresholds of SSR and SSDR decreased with an increase in the complexity of targets (e.g., target types), and the presence of background DNA, and a decrease in the composition ...
SummaryThe receptors for the second messenger InsP3 comprise a family of closely related ion channels that release Ca2+ from intracellular stores, most prominently...Full Text Available
BackgroundCannabinoids represent unique compounds for treating tumors, including astrocytomas. Whether CB1 and CB2receptors mediate this therapeutic effect...Full Text Available
To investigate mechanisms responsible for positive and negative transcriptional control, the authors have utilized two types of promoters that are diffferentially regulated by thyroid hormone (T{sub 3}) receptors. Promoters containing the palindromic T{sub 3} response element TCAGGTCA TGACCTGA are positively regulated by the T{sub 3} receptor after the administration of T{sub 3}, whereas otherwise identical promoters containing the estrogen response element TCAGGTCA CTG TGACCTGA can be regulated negatively; converse effects are observed with the estrogen receptor. They describe evidence that the transcriptional inhibitory effects of the T{sub 3} or estrogen receptors on the estrogen or T{sub 3} response elements, respectively, are imposed by amino acid sequences in the C'-terminal region that colocalize with dimerization and hormone-binding domains and that these sequences can transfer ...
BackgroundThe status of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) is critical to the clinical prognosis and therapeutic approach in breast cancer. ERα-negative breast cancer...Full Text Available
Background2-Methylthioadenosine 5'-triphosphate (2-MeSATP), formerly regarded as a specific P2Y (metabotropic) purinergic receptor agonist, stimulates Ca2+ influx and...Full Text Available
1. The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in the rat dentate gyrus in the presence of ryanodine, an agent which is known to selectively bind to the ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca2+...Full Text Available
The Epstein-Barr virus protein, LMP1, is a functional mimic of the cellular receptor CD40, but signals to B lymphocytes in an amplified and sustained manner compared to CD40. LMP1 contributes...Full Text Available
1. The effects on micturition of RP 67,580, a selective NK1 receptor antagonist, and SR 48,968, a highly, potent antagonist at NK2 receptor sites, given intrathecally (i.t.) or intra-arterially (i.a.)...Full Text Available
σ-Receptor (σR) antagonists have been reported to block certain effects of psychostimulant drugs. The present study examined the effects of σR ligands in rats trained to self-administer...Full Text Available
Here, we provide the first study of prolactin (PRL) and prolactin receptor (PRLR) expression during the nonseasonal murine hair cycle, which is, in contrast to sheep, comparable with the human scalp...Full Text Available
Airway ciliated cells express an ATP-gated P2X receptor channel of unknown subunit composition (P2Xcilia) which is modulated by Na+ and by long exposures to ATP. P2Xcilia...Full Text Available
AimsTo characterize the pharmacokinetics of terbogrel, a new combined thromboxane A2 (TxA2) receptor and synthase inhibitor, in healthy human subjects after...Full Text Available
The effects of neuroactive steroids on the function of GABAAreceptors were studied using cell-attached records of single channel activity recorded from HEK293 cells transfected with α1...Full Text Available
Although peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) is closely associated with myocardial fatty acid metabolism, the pathophysiological role of PPARα in myocardial infarction...Full Text Available
Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-{gamma} (PPAR{gamma}) regulates metabolic homeostasis and adipocyte differentiation, and it is activated by oxidized and nitrated fatty acids. Here we report the crystal structure of the PPAR{gamma} ligand binding domain bound to nitrated linoleic acid, a potent endogenous ligand of PPAR{gamma}. Structural and functional studies of receptor-ligand interactions reveal the molecular basis of PPAR{gamma} discrimination of various naturally occurring fatty acid derivatives.
Asialoorosomucoid (ASOR) is internalized and degraded by HepG2 cells after binding to the asialoglycoprotein (ASGP) receptor, internalization through the coated pit/coated vesicle pathway, and trafficking to lysosomes. Primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial compound, inhibits ASOR degradation at concentrations greater than 0.2 mM by neutralizing intracellular acid compartments. This leads to alterations in surface receptor number, receptor-ligand dissociation, and receptor recycling. We have investigated the effects of primaquine on 125I-ASOR uptake and degradation as a function of primaquine concentration and duration of exposure. Concentrations below those required for neutralization of acidic compartments block 125I-ASOR degradation in HepG2 cells and lead to intracellular ligand accumulation. This effect is maximal at 80 microM primaquine. The intracellular 125I-ASOR is undegraded, dissociated ...
Asialoorosomucoid (ASOR) is internalized and degraded by HepG2 cells after binding to the asialoglycoprotein (ASGP) receptor, internalization through the coated pit/coated vesicle pathway, and trafficking to lysosomes. Primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial compound, inhibits ASOR degradation at concentrations greater than 0.2 mM by neutralizing intracellular acid compartments. This leads to alterations in surface receptor number, receptor-ligand dissociation, and receptor recycling. We have investigated the effects of primaquine on 125I-ASOR uptake and degradation as a function of primaquine concentration and duration of exposure. Concentrations below those required for neutralization of acidic compartments block 125I-ASOR degradation in HepG2 cells and lead to intracellular ligand accumulation. This effect is maximal at 80 microM primaquine. The intracellular 125I-ASOR is undegraded, dissociated ...
(3H)Cyclofoxy (CF: 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14-dihydroxy-4,5-alpha-epoxy-6-beta-fluoromorp hinan) is an opioid antagonist with affinity to both mu and kappa subtypes that was synthesized for quantitative evaluation of opioid receptor binding in vivo. Two sets of experiments in rats were analyzed. The first involved determining the metabolite-corrected blood concentration and tissue distribution of CF in brain 1 to 60 min after i.v. bolus injection. The second involved measuring brain washout for 15 to 120 s following intracarotid artery injection of CF. A physiologically based model and a classical compartmental pharmacokinetic model were compared. The models included different assumptions for transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB); estimates of nonspecific tissue binding and specific binding to a single opiate receptor site were found to be essentially the same with both models. The nonspecific binding equilibrium constant varied ...
The immunolocalization of the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and its ligand alpha 2-Macroglobulin (α2M) was examined in tissues from human donor...Full Text Available
Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9), an oocyte-secreted member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily, progesterone receptor, cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2; Ptgs2), and the EP2 prostaglandin...Full Text Available
Backgroundβ2-Adrenergic receptors (β2AR) play important regulatory roles in a variety of cells and organ systems and are important therapeutic...Full Text Available
An unusual S1-nuclease sensitive microsatellite (STMS) has been found in the single copy, rat polymeric immunoglobulin receptor gene (PIGR) terminal exon. In Fisher rats, elements within or beyond the...Full Text Available
Using an anti-receptor mAb that blocks the attachment of echovirus 7 and related viruses (echoviruses 13, 21, 29 and 33), we have isolated a complementary DNA clone that encodes the human decay-accelerating...Full Text Available
The aim of this study was to investigate cumulus expansion, nuclear maturation and expression of connexin 43, cyclooxygenase-2 and FSH receptor transcripts in equine cumuli oophori during in vivo and...Full Text Available
The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) controls seizures in a sex-specific manner. At postnatal day 15 (P15), SNR infusion of GABAAreceptor agonist muscimol have proconvulsant...Full Text Available
This study focuses on the effects of long-term renin-angiotensin system suppression and/or incretin mimetic therapies on the regulation and binding affinity of GLP-1 to its receptor in the coronary...Full Text Available
It has been postulated that fetal vascular abnormalities in aryl hydrocarbon receptor null (ahr−/−) mice may alter cardiovascular homeostasis in adulthood....Full Text Available
Adenosine regulates a wide variety of physiological processes via interaction with one or more G-protein-coupled receptors (A1R, A2AR, A2BR, and A3R)....Full Text Available
This report investigates acute changes in the sensitivity of 5-HT1Areceptors in dorsal raphe (dr) neurons in response to elevated serotonin. DR neurons were isolated from adult rats...Full Text Available
α1-Fetoprotein transcription factor (FTF), also known as liver receptor homolog 1 (LRH-1) is highly expressed in liver and intestine, where it is implicated in the regulation...Full Text Available
1-Naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) is a specific inhibitor of polar auxin transport that blocks carrier-mediated auxin efflux from plant cells. To allow identification of the NPA receptor thought to be...Full Text Available
The ζ chain-associated 70-kDa protein (ZAP-70) of tyrosine kinase plays a critical role in T cell receptor-mediated signal transduction and the immune response. A high level of ZAP-70 expression...Full Text Available
The authors used radioligand binding and studies of cell contraction to characterize muscarinic receptors on dispersed smooth muscle cells from rabbit proximal and distal colon. Cells obtained after serial incubations in collagenase were used to measure binding of tritiated quinuclidinyl benzilate (["3H]QNB). At 37 degree C, specific ["3H]QNB binding was saturable and linearly related to cell number. Nonlinear regression analysis was used to determine the affinity of ["3H]QNB for its receptor. The IC_5_0 for the muscarinic agonists bethanechol and oxotremorine were 80 and 0.57 #mu#M, respectively. Hill coefficients were 0.67 for both, suggesting more complex interaction involving receptors of different affinities. In studies of cell contraction, bethanechol stimulated a dose-dependent decrease in cell length with half the maximal contraction occurring at 100 pM. These results suggest that (1) contraction is mediated by ...
The temporal development of the effect of THIP (4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol) on the ultrastructure composition and GABA receptor expression in cerebellar granule cells was investigated by quantitative electron microscopy (morphometric analysis) and GABA binding assays. It was found that the cytoplasmic density of smooth endoplasmic reticulum was decreased, while the cytoplasmic density of rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, vesicles and coated vesicles was greatly enhanced after exposure of the cells to THIP (150 microM) for only 1 hr. In cerebellar granule cells exposed to THIP (150 microM) for 3 hr low affinity GABA receptors were induced. These findings show that the effect of THIP on the ultrastructure composition and GABA receptor expression in cultured cerebellar granule cells may be interrelated and moreover it is likely that the turn-over of GABA receptors is ...
The effects of muscarinic agonists and diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) on muscarinic receptor density and muscarinic receptor-mediated responses was assessed in mouse brain and mouse neuroblastoma cells (clone N1E-115). Utilizing the antagonist ({sup 3}H)quinuclidinyl benzilate (({sup 3}H)QNB), there was no difference in the maximal binding capacity (B{sub max}) or equilibrium dissociation constant (K{sub d}) between untreated and 24 hour DFP-treated mice. However, one administration of DFP produced a 24% and 33% decrease in B{sub max} measured by ({sup 3}H)N-methylscopolamine (({sup 3}H)NMS) after 18 and 24 hours which was rapidly reversible within 36 hours after DFP treatment. The loss of ({sup 3}H)NMS binding sites following acute DFP treatment was not accompanied by a change in a particular muscarinic receptor binding conformation. Furthermore, the magnitude of muscarinic receptor-mediated ...
By improving the currently used lactoperoxidase method, we were able to obtain radioiodinated chicken luteinizing hormone (LH) that shows high specific binding and low nonspecific binding to a crude plasma membrane fraction of testicular cells of the domestic fowl and the Japanese quail, and to the ovarian granulosa cells of the Japanese quail. The change we made from the original method consisted of (1) using chicken LH for radioiodination that was not only highly purified but also retained a high receptor binding potency; (2) controlling the level of incorporation of radioiodine into chicken LH molecules by employing a short reaction time and low temperature; and (3) fractionating radioiodinated chicken LH further by gel filtration using high-performance liquid chromatography. Specific radioactivity of the final {sup 125}I-labeled chicken LH preparation was 14 microCi/micrograms. When specific binding was 12-16%, nonspecific binding was as low as 2-4% in the ...
The recently described retinoid X receptors (RXRs) respond to the novel retinoid 9-cis-retinoic acid and also serve as heterodimeric partners for the vitamin D, thyroid hormone, and retinoic acid receptors (VDR, TR, and RAR, respectively). In this work, the authors report high-resolution localization of the human RXR genes within cytogenetic bands and also within a standard reference map of cosmid DNA markers on human chromosomes. They have determined the location of the human RXR genes by pairwise hybridization of the RXR cosmids and reference markers, using fluorescence in situ hybridization. They localized (i) RXR[alpha] (RXRA) to chromosome 9 band q34.3; (ii) RXR[beta] (RXRB) to chromosome 6 band 21.3; and (iii) RXR[gamma] (RXRG) to chromosome 1 band q22-q23. Six retinoid-responsive transcription factors have been identified so far, including three retinoic acid receptors in addition to the three RXRs. Interestingly, ...
Effect of a planar texture quality and its thickness on lasing spectrums and thresholds in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) of steroid type is explored. Transition from the qualitative planar texture to the poor texture quality is accompanied by change of characteristic mode structures and by shift of barycentre in the long-wave side and the considerable growth of the lasing threshold. It is found that in the CLC texture created by substrates with perpendicular directions of orientation the stable single-mode lasing takes place. The nature of oscillated modes in such texture is caused by phase jump. The gained results show that in steroid CLC, unlike induced one, lasing spectrums is possible to feature with the coupled wave model. Key words: steroidal cholesteric liquid crystal, distributed feedback lasing, oscillation thresholds, phase defect of periodical structure, transmission and lasing spectra
Finding interesting rule in the sixth strategy step about threshold control on generalized relations in attribute oriented induction, there is possibility to select candidate attribute for further generalization and merging of identical tuples until the number of tuples is no greater than the threshold value, as implemented in basic attribute oriented induction algorithm. At this strategy step there is possibility the number of tuples in final generalization result still greater than threshold value. In order to get the final generalization result which only small number of tuples and can be easy to transfer into simple logical formula, the seventh strategy step about rule transformation is evolved where there will be simplification by unioning or grouping the identical attribute. Our approach to measure interesting rule is opposite with heuristic measurement approach by Fudger and Hamilton where the more complex concept ...
This paper studies the electrical characteristics of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin-film transistors (a-Si:H TFTs) under flat and bending situations after AC/DC stress at different temperatures. Stress temperature was varied from 77K to 400K, and threshold voltage shifts were extracted to analyze degradation mechanisms. It was found that high temperature and mechanical bending played important roles under AC stress, with an enhanced stress effect resulting in a more serious degradation. This study also discusses the dependence between the accumulated sum of bias rising and falling time and the threshold voltage shifts under AC stress.
Odontocetes are believed to receive sounds primarily through the pan bone region of the lower jaw although much variation in jaw morphology exists among species. In order to further examine this jaw hearing hypothesis we tested the head receiving sensitivity and directional hearing of a beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas. Hearing thresholds were measured using auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). The subject proved to have highly directional hearing for far-field click stimuli similar to that of bottlenose dolphins and more directional than the harbor porpoise. For near-field jawphone stimulation, the beluga's lowest thresholds were found when click stimuli were presented at the rostrum tip (76?dB re: 1??Pa) although thresholds from the pan bone region stimulation were only 2?3?dB higher. S...
An analysis of the cross section for hadronic production of gluino-squark pairs close to threshold is presented. Within the framework of non-relativistic QCD a significant enhancement compared to fixed order perturbation theory is observed which originates from the characteristic remnants of the gluino-squark resonances below the nominal pair threshold. The analysis includes all colour configurations of S-wave gluino-squark pairs, i.e. triplet, sextet and 15 representation. Matching coefficients at leading order are separately evaluated for all colour configurations. The dominant QCD corrections, arising from initial- and final-state radiation are included. The non-relativistic dynamics of the gluino pair is solved by calculating the Green's function in Next-to-Leading Order (NLO). The results are applied to benchmark scenarios, based on Snowmass Points and Slopes (SPS). As a consequence of the large decay rate of at least one of the ...
In cluster-based routing protocol (CBRP), two-level hierarchical structure is successfully used to reduce over-flooding in wireless Ad Hoc networks. As it is vulnerable to a single point of failure, we propose a new adaptive distributed threshold scheme to replace the cluster head by a group of cluster heads within each cluster, called COUNCIL, and distribute the service of single cluster head to multiple cluster heads using (k,n) threshold secret sharing scheme. An Ad Hoc network formed by COUNCIL based clusters can work correctly when the number of compromised cluster heads is smaller than k. To implement this adaptive threshold scheme in wireless Ad Hoc Networks, membership of the clusters should be defined in an adaptive way. In this paper, we mainly discuss our algorithm for forming COUNCIL based clusters using the concept of dominating set from graph theory.
Measurements of absolute total cross sections for electron-impact excitation of Ar"7"+(3s#->#3p) using a merged-beams electron-energy-loss technique show that near threshold the inelastically scattered electrons are ejected primarily in the backward direction. This unusual angular scattering has not been previously observed for atoms or ions, but may be typical for multiply charged ions. The total cross sections, measured over an energy range to 2.2 eV above threshold, agree with seven-state R-matrix close-coupling calculations. Both close-coupling and distorted-wave calculations also confirm the backscattering observed in these measurements.
In this paper, we investigate the epidemic spreading for SIR model in weighted scale-free networks with nonlinear infectivity, where the transmission rate in our analytical model is weighted. Concretely, we introduce the infectivity exponent $\\alpha$ and the weight exponent $\\beta$ into the analytical SIR model, then examine the combination effects of $\\alpha$ and $\\beta$ on the epidemic threshold and phase transition. We show that one can adjust the values of $\\alpha$ and $\\beta$ to rebuild the epidemic threshold to a finite value, and it is observed that the steady epidemic prevalence $R$ grows in an exponential form in the early stage, then follows hierarchical dynamics. Furthermore, we find $\\alpha$ is more sensitive than $\\beta$ in the transformation of the epidemic threshold and epidemic prevalence, which might deliver some useful information or new insights in the epidemic spreading and the correlative ...
The low-power operation of a semiconductor buried-heterostructure Raman laser is reported. We are developing these devices for very wide-band optical communication in the terahertz frequency region. It has a structure with a GaP active layer and Al{sub {ital x}}Ga{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}P cladding layers, which are grown by the temperature-difference method under controlled vapor pressure. By making the stripe width 30--40 {mu}m, we have obtained a threshold pump power of 500 mW. A low-threshold semiconductor Raman laser can be pumped by semiconductor injection lasers. We have measured the optical loss of the waveguide and detected the contribution from scattering and leakage at heterointerfaces.
Using the electron energy-loss method in a merged electron-ion beams geometry absolute, cascade-free excitation cross sections have been measured for the resonance "2S#->#"2P transition in Zn"+. Measurements were carried out at electron energies of below threshold (threshold at 6.011 eV) to 40 eV. Results are in very good agreement with close-coupling calculations and, away from threshold, lie below absolute line-emission cross sections which include effects of cascade into the "2P state from higher levels.
It has previously been shown that ensembles of terminated protograph-based low-density parity-check (LDPC) convolutional codes have a typical minimum distance that grows linearly with block length and that they are capable of achieving capacity approaching iterative decoding thresholds on the binary erasure channel (BEC). In this paper, we review a recent result that the dramatic threshold improvement obtained by terminating LDPC convolutional codes extends to the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Also, using a (3,6)-regular protograph-based LDPC convolutional code ensemble as an example, we perform an asymptotic trapping set analysis of terminated LDPC convolutional code ensembles. In addition to capacity approaching iterative decoding thresholds and linearly growing minimum distance, we find that the smallest non-empty trapping set of a terminated ensemble grows linearly with block length.
This talk summarizes recent progress in top quark physics studies for high energy linear electron-positron colliders as presented at the LCWS2000 Workshop at Fermilab. New results were presented for top pair production at threshold and in the continuum, as well as for top production at #gamma##gamma# colliders.
Motivation: Since database retrieval is a fundamental operation, the measurement of retrieval efficacy is critical to progress in bioinformatics. This article points out some issues with...Full Text Available
The temperature dependence of the dislocation mobility threshold is investigated on the basis of a dislocation model suggested by Frenkel-Kontorova. The critical value is obtained for the stress/temperature, corresponding to the dislocation depinning from its equilibrium position. The universal behaviour of a barrier height at finite stress and temperature is revealed and investigated.
These sky images are scanned for point sources above a specified ... The threshold criteria are: a) Gold: >4 sigma in both the Soft AND Hard bands. b) Silver: ... Filtering: Currently, there is no plan for filtering within the GCN based ...
Apr 20, 2009 ... "YY" is the 2-digit filter identifier .... In our example you can see a point- like optical/UV source in each of the filters at the ... The "sigma" paramter gives the detection threshold in terms of Gaussian sigma. ...
The specific white matter location of all the spinal pathways conveying penile input to the rostral medulla is not known. Our previous studies using rats demonstrated the loss of low but not high threshold...Full Text Available
The refractive error in 15 eyes with threshold retinopathy of prematurity treated with diode laser photocoagulation was compared with 25 eyes with the same disease severity treated by cryotherapy. Myopia...Full Text Available
The A(..pi../sup +/,/sup 3/He)B reaction near threshold is studied in a model where the pion is absorbed by an /sup 4/He constituent of the target nucleus. The predictions of this model using harmonic oscillator cluster wave functions agree semi-quantitatively with the experimental data on the inverse reaction.
A novel approach to the Bragg curve spectroscopy is utilized to construct a charged particle detector which makes fragment elemental identification and energy measurement possible. The advantage of the construction includes good timing and spectroscopic properties with a very low energy threshold. ((orig.))
BackgroundThe analgesic effect of perioperative low doses intravenous lidocaine has been demonstrated after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to evaluate whether...Full Text Available
Low noise, high resolution and high dose efficiency are the common requirements for most X-ray imaging applications. Especially in medical applications the dose efficiency is a necessity for detector systems. We present the imaging performance of the Medipix2 readout chip bump bonded to a 300 mu m thick Si detector as a function of the detection threshold, a free parameter not available in conventional integrating imaging systems. Spatial resolution has been measured using the modulation transfer function (MTF) and it varies between 8.2 Ip/mm and 11.0 Ip/mm at 70%. An associated measurement of noise power spectrum (NPS) permits us to derive the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) which can be as a high as 25.5 % for a broadband incoming spectrum. The influence of charge diffusion in the sensor together with threshold variation in the readout chip is discussed. Although the Medipix2 system is used in photon counting mode with a single ...
Genome-wide association studies are designed to discover SNPs that are associated with a complex trait. Employing strict significance thresholds when testing individual SNPs avoids false positives at...Full Text Available
The behavior of silver and lead azides (scaly and threadlike crystals, and compacted powders) in initiation of explosive decomposition by laser pulsed radiation has been investigated. Initiation energy thresholds in irradiation at wavelengths of 1064 nm, 532 nm, 354.7 nm, 266 nm corresponding to four laser radiation harmonics have been measured. Samples both uncovered and covered with a transparent dielectric (a quartz plate) with the compressive force of up to 0.5GPa were initiated. In the transparent spectral region (the first and second laser harmonics) of the heavy metal azide matrix the effect of covering the sample surface with a plate on initiation energy threshold was insignificant, whereas, in the region of bandgap absorption (the fourth harmonic) strong dependence of the initiation threshold on whether the surface under irradiation is uncovered or covered. The results obtained have been considered with the account ...
It has previously been established that muscles become active in response to deviations from a threshold (referent) position of the body or its segments, and that intentional motor actions result from...Full Text Available
Cardiac disease research relies increasingly on small animal models and non-invasive imaging methods such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) using gadolinium-based contrast agents appear to be a visualizing infracted myocardium with high spatial resolution. Polar map (or bull's-eye image) was used to determination of the myocardial infarction area. Polar map is a comprehensive interpretation of the left ventricle. The infarct size was computed as the fraction of the total polar map areas. The threshold was computed as the percentage of mean intensity of the normal region. In other study, 50% predefined threshold value in varying range (30?70%) was most commonly use. However, predefined threshold value isn't acceptance in all case. The purpose of this study was to investigate methodological approach for automatic measurement of ...
The theory of zigzag persistence is a substantial extension of persistent homology, and its development has enabled the investigation of several unexplored avenues in the area of topological data analysis. In this paper, we discuss three applications of zigzag persistence: topological bootstrapping, parameter thresholding, and the comparison of witness complexes.
A common approach used to fuse simultaneously recorded EEG and fMRI is to correlate trial-by-trial variability in the EEG, or variability of components derived therefrom, with the blood oxygenation...Full Text Available
The rejection thresholds of the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen for a selected series of substituted aliphatic hydrocarbons have been determined and an analysis made of the effect on...Full Text Available
AimsTo compare the theoretical retinal threshold time for endoilluminators and experimental phototoxic effect using A2e laden retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.MethodsThe...Full Text Available
T-type calcium channels are responsible for generating low-threshold spikes that facilitate burst firing and neurotransmitter release in neurons. GnRH neurons exhibit burst firing, but the underlying...Full Text Available
Total dose irradiation effects on a VDMOS developed at Institute of Microelectronics, CAS were investigated, particularly the electric parameter changes under different bias conditions. It was found that the breakdown voltage degradation by the irradiation depended mainly on the drain bias, whereas the threshold voltage degradation depended mainly on the gate bias. Thus, an innovative and effective method to domestic VDMOS total dose ionization characterization is that threshold voltage radiation hardening characterization should be tested on gate bias condition, and the breakdown voltage radiation hardening characterization, be tested on the drain bias. (authors)
We present a recent study of the QCD corrections to dilepton production near partonic threshold in transversely polarized {bar p}p scattering, We analyze the role of the higher-order perturbative QCD corrections in terms of the available fixed-order contributions as well as of all-order soft-gluon resummations for the kinematical regime of proposed experiments at GSI-FAIR. We find that perturbative corrections are large for both unpolarized and polarized cross sections, but that the spin asymmetries are stable. The role of the far infrared region of the momentum integral in the resummed exponent and the effect of the NNLL resummation are briefly discussed.
Experiments have been performed on the electrically heated rod bundles to investigate the characteristics of the boiling transition under flow oscillation (OSBT) during thermal hydraulic instability. After determining the instability threshold power (Q/sub OS/), the electrical power to the test section was increased further up to the threshold power (Q/sub OSBT/) at which it was detected by the thermocouples that the boiling transition (BT) occurred and the heater rod temperature reached 613 K. Experimental results show that Q/sub OSBT/ is larger than Q/sub OS/ by a certain margin, which depends on the test conditions.
Total photon attenuation coefficients near absorption edges are determined in certain suitable elements and compounds. Photoelectric cross sections for elements are deduced from these by subtracting the coherent and incoherent scattering cross sections as well as other elemental cross sections in the cases of compounds. Certain deviations are observed on comparison with the available theoretical and experimental compilations. The I/sub L//sub ..cap alpha..//Il x-ray intensity ratio measured by photon excitation near threshold is found to agree better with the theory than the other available experimental data.
Total photon attenuation coefficients near absorption edges are determined in certain suitable elements and compounds. Photoelectric cross sections for elements are deduced from these by subtracting the coherent and incoherent scattering cross sections as well as other elemental cross sections in the cases of compounds. Certain deviations are observed on comparison with the available theoretical and experimental compilations. The I/sub L//sub #alpha#//Il x-ray intensity ratio measured by photon excitation near threshold is found to agree better with the theory than the other available experimental data.
The recent measurements by the BES Collaboration of J/psi decays into a photon and a proton-antiproton pair indicate a strong enhancement at the proton-antiproton threshold not observed in the decays into a neutral pion and a proton-antiproton pair. Is this enhancement due to a proton-antiproton quasi-bound state or a baryonium? A natural explanation follows from a traditional model of proton-antiproton interactions based on G-parity transformation. The observed proton-antiproton structure is due to a strong attraction in the 1S0 state, and possibly to a near-threshold quasi-bound state in the 11S0 wave.
Absolute, cascade-free excitation cross sections in an ion have been measured for the resonance "2S#->#"2P transition in Zn"+ using electron-energy-loss and merged electron-ion beams methods. Measurements were carried out at electron energies of below threshold to 6 times threshold. Comparisons are made with 2-, 5-, and 15-state close-coupling and distorted-wave theories. There is good agreement between experiment and the 15-state close-coupling cross sections over the energy range of the calculations.
The plerocercoid stage of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produces a functional analog of human growth hormone (hGH). Among the similarities between plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) and hGH is competition for the same receptors on rabbit liver membranes. To take advantage of this characteristic in a purification scheme for PGF, rabbit liver microsomes were solubilized in Triton X-100 and the hGH receptors were purified over an hGH affinity column. The purified receptors from six rabbit livers were coupled to Affi-Gel-10 to create a receptor affinity column which was used to purify PGF. Chromatography of crude PGF over the receptor column resulted in a 1044 fold increase in specific activity. SDS-PAGE in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol showed that the affinity-purified PGF contained three protein bands with apparent Mrs of 27.5 K, 22 K, and 16.7 K. Injections of the ...
(3H)Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to rat brain muscarinic receptors decreased after repeated exposure to soman, a potent organophosphorus cholinesterase inhibitor. The topographical distribution of this decrement was analyzed by quantitative receptor autoradiography. After 4 weeks of soman, three times a week, quinuclidinyl benzilate binding decreased to 67 to 80% of control in frontal and parietal cortex, caudate-putamen, lateral septum, hippocampal body, dentate gyrus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the fifth nerve, and central grey. Minor or no decreases were observed in thalamic or hypothalamic nuclei, reticular formation, pontine nuclei, inferior colliculus, nucleus of the seventh nerve, and cerebellum. Scatchard analyses of saturation curves using frontal cortex sections from soman-treated rats revealed a decrease in maximal quinuclidinyl benzilate binding from that in control rats and a return toward control levels by 24 days without ...
[3H]Quinuclidinyl benzilate binding to rat brain muscarinic receptors decreased after repeated exposure to soman, a potent organophosphorus cholinesterase inhibitor. The topographical distribution of this decrement was analyzed by quantitative receptor autoradiography. After 4 weeks of soman, three times a week, quinuclidinyl benzilate binding decreased to 67 to 80% of control in frontal and parietal cortex, caudate-putamen, lateral septum, hippocampal body, dentate gyrus, superior colliculus, nucleus of the fifth nerve, and central grey. Minor or no decreases were observed in thalamic or hypothalamic nuclei, reticular formation, pontine nuclei, inferior colliculus, nucleus of the seventh nerve, and cerebellum. Scatchard analyses of saturation curves using frontal cortex sections from soman-treated rats revealed a decrease in maximal quinuclidinyl benzilate binding from that in control rats and a return toward control levels by 24 days without ...
Full text: The maturation of chicken forebrain is protracted and occurs well after synapse formation providing a good model for studying mechanisms of brain maturation. Using microslices from immature (10 day) and adult chicken forebrain prepared after decapitation, we have examined functional properties of NMDA and AMPA receptors by measuring agonist-induced uptake of "4"5Ca"2"+ . The rate and extent of NMDA induced "4"5Ca"2"+ accumulation decreased during maturation with no change in EC_5_0. The rate and extent of the AMPA induced response also decreased with a 60-fold increase in EC_5_0. However, the total NMDA receptor content did not change as indicated by 3 H-MK801 binding and NR1 immunoreactivity in P2 fractions. Similarly, there was no change in the B_m_a_x of "3H-AMPA, though there was a two-fold increase in K_D, and little or no change in the immunoreactivity in GluR1, 2, 2/3 or 4. These results suggest that it is the regulation of ...
Four major natriuretic peptides have been isolated: atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), and Dendroaspis-type natriuretic peptide (DNP). Natriuretic peptides play an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular homeostasis maintaining blood pressure and extracellular fluid volume. The classical endocrine effects of natriuretic peptides to modulate fluid and electrolyte balance and vascular smooth muscle tone are complemented by autocrine and paracrine actions that include regulation of coronary blood flow and, therefore, myocardial perfusion; modulation of proliferative responses during myocardial and vascular remodeling; and cytoprotective anti-ischemic effects. The actions of natriuretic peptides are mediated by the specific binding of these peptides to three cell surface receptors: type A natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR-A), type B natriuretic peptide ...
Introduction: Development of agonist positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands for the 5-HT neurotransmitter system is an important target to enable the understanding of human 5-HT function in vivo. ["1"1C]CUMI-101, proposed as the first 5-HT_1_A receptor agonist PET ligand, has been reported to behave as a potent 5-HT_1_A agonist in a cellular system stably expressing human recombinant 5-HT_1_A receptors. In this study, we investigate the agonist properties of CUMI-101 in rat brain tissue. Methods: ["3"5S]-GTP#gamma#S binding studies were used to determine receptor function in HEK (human embryonic kidney) 293 cells transfected with human recombinant 5-HT_1_A receptors and in rat cortex and rat hippocampal tissue, following administration of CUMI-101 and standard 5-HT1A antagonists (5-HT, 5-CT and 8-OH-DPAT). Results: CUMI-101 behaved as an agonist at human recombinant 5-HT_1_A ...
Aminophenpyramine, a derivative of mepyramine (pyrilamine), a typical antagonists of histamine at its H_1 receptor was synthesized and converted into ["1"2"5I]iodoazidophenpyramine, a potential photoaffinity probe for the H_1 receptor. In the dark, reversible binding of this probe to cerebellar membranes occurred with a K/sub d/ of 1.2 x 10"-"1"1 M and a B/sub max/ of 240 fmol/mg of protein and was inhibited by various H_1-receptor antagonists with the expected potencies. These features establish the compound as one of the most potent H_1-receptor antagonists known so far. Upon IV irradiation, 5% of the bound radioactivity was covalently incorporated into cerebellar membrane polypeptides as shown by standard NaDodSO_4/PAGE. Two bands of 47 and 56 kDa were consistently labeled, labeling being prevented by various H_1-receptor antagonists with the expected potencies and ...
Large-scale field tracer experiments have been conducted on Ulchin and Wolsung nuclear sites for the purpose of validating FADAS and of analyzing the environmental characteristics around the nuclear site. The most influential factor in atmospheric dispersion is the meteorological condition. During the experiment, meteorological data were measured on the release point and the selected positions among sampling points. Once radioactive materials are released to the atmosphere, members of public may be exposed through the environmental media such as air, soil and foods. Therefore, to protect the public, adequate countermeasures should be taken at due time for those exposure pathways. Both processes of justification and optimization are applied to a countermeasure simultaneously for decision-making. The work scope of biological research for the radiation protection had contained the search of biological microanalytic methods for the assessment of health effect by radiation and toxic agents, ...
Electron beam therapy of lesions such as cutaneous metastatic carcinoma and reticulum cell sarcoma is performed via multiple portals for a wide irradiation field. However, the dose distribution in border areas is generally uneven, resulting in hot and cold dose areas depending on the intervals of the portals. We performed electron irradiation by the pendulum technique, especially on curved areas, and evaluated the technique in various respects. Pendulum electron beam irradiation is indicated when the length of the cone must be reduced in order to deliver the target volume near the skin surface as well as to avoid the occurrence of hot spots deep in the body. We prepared a 15cm rotating cone by cutting a 30cm fixed irradiation cone. The modification posed no disadvantages in terms of extent and flatness of the beam, or stability during rotation. After determining the relationship between the rotation speed and the dose, the technique was successfully applied to a patient with adult ...
Background: Thyroid-stimulating autoantibodies (TSAb) bind to the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) extracellular domain, or ectodomain (ECD), comprising a leucine-rich repeat domain (LRD) linked by a hinge region to the transmembrane domain (TMD). The LRD (residues 22???260; signal peptide 1???21) contains two disulfide-bonded loops at its N-terminus. In the crystal structure of the isolated LRD complexed with human TSAb monoclonal antibody (mAb) M22, N-terminal disulfide loop 1 (residues 22???30) could not be determined because of crystal disorder. Nevertheless, present crystal structure data are interpreted to exclude a role for the LRD N-terminal disulfide loops in the TSAb epitope(s), contradicting prior functional evidence of a role for these loops in TSAb function. Materials and Methods: ...
Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) is a valuable method for the detection of somatostatin receptor-positive lesions. Most gastrinomas (over-)express the somatostatin receptor subtype 2 which can be targeted by In-111 labeled Octreotide. Different studies show a high sensitivity of SRS for the localization and staging of gastrinomas. SRS seems to be superior to other non-invasive imaging modalities and has been proven to significantly contribute to patient management. However, the sensitivity depends on the size and exact localization of the tumors. Smaller lesions and lesions located in the duodenum show a significantly lower sensitivity. In any case, SRS belongs to the routine imaging procedure for gastrinomas for localization and staging and can also be used for evaluation of the tumor progression. (author)
Keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2c share identical amino acid sequences, except for a 46-amino acid domain in the extracellular region. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to KGFR have not been reported nor are commercially available. In this study, we generated murine MAbs specific to KGFR in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice using a modified Repeated Immunizations at Multiple Sites (RIMMS) technology. Stable cell lines expressing the full-length human KGFR or FGFR2c were produced to facilitate the identification of KGFR-specific MAbs. Following the initial screening of hybridoma clones with a fluorescence-based, confocal cell detection method and ELISA, KGFR-specific MAbs were selected and confirmed by flow cytometry and Western blot ...
The mechanisms that contribute to the extinction of previously acquired memories are not well understood. These processes, often referred to as inhibitory learning, are thought to be parallel...Full Text Available
Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels have been implicated in detecting chemical, thermal and mechanical stimuli in organisms ranging from mammals to Caenorhabditis elegans....Full Text Available
BackgroundGreen tea consumption has been shown to have cancer preventive qualities. Among the constituents of green tea, (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG)...Full Text Available
Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase T (PTPRT/PTPρ) is frequently mutated in human cancers including colon, lung, gastric and skin cancers. More than half of the identified tumor-derived...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe dynorphin-kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system regulates glial proliferation after sciatic nerve injury. Here, we investigated its role in cell proliferation following...Full Text Available
Experience-dependent plastic changes in the central sensory systems are due to activation of both the sensory and neuromodulatory systems. Nonspecific changes of cortical auditory neurons elicited by...Full Text Available
Recent research has implicated the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in consolidating recently acquired goal-directed appetitive memories, including spatial learning and other instrumental processes. However,...Full Text Available
1. The stereospecificity of the enantiomers of LY253352, a potent and selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist, were studied in the human prostate and canine brain using radioligand receptor binding...Full Text Available
Cervical spinal cord hemisection rostral to the phrenic nucleus leads to paralysis of the ipsilateral hemidiaphragm in adult rats. Respiratory function can be restored to the paralyzed hemidiaphragm...Full Text Available
[3,5-"3H] 4-Azidoclonidine 6 was prepared from [3,5-"3H] 4-aminoclonidine 4 and has emerged as a valuable tool to study the alpha-2-adrenergic receptor. (author)
Studies in rodents have shown that male sexual function can be disrupted by fetal or neonatal administration of compounds that alter endocrine homeostasis, such as the synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen...Full Text Available
AimsIt is unclear as to which mediators are involved in mediating the response to nasal mannitol challenge, a novel osmotic stimulus.MethodsA...Full Text Available
BackgroundNFκB signaling is of paramount importance in the regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and inflammatory responses during human development and homeostasis, as...Full Text Available
The C-C chemokine receptor 5, 32 base-pair deletion (CCR5-Δ32) allele confers strong resistance to infection by the AIDS virus HIV. Previous studies have suggested...Full Text Available
SummaryTRPV1 is the founding and best-studied member of the family of temperature-activated transient receptor potential ion channels (thermoTRPs). Voltage, chemicals, and heat...Full Text Available
Peptide toxins with high affinity, divergent pharmacological functions, and isoform-specific selectivity are powerful tools for investigating the structure-function relationships of voltage-gated...Full Text Available
The synthesis and structure-activity relationship analysis of a novel class of amide-based biaryl NR2B-selective NMDA receptor antagonists are presented. Some of the studied compounds are potent, selective, non-competitive, and voltage-independent antagonists of NR2B-containing NMDA receptors. Like the founding member of this class of antagonists (ifenprodil), several interesting compounds of the series bind to the amino terminal domain of the NR2B subunit to inhibit function. Analogue potency is modulated by linker length, flexibility, and hydrogen bonding opportunities. However, unlike previously described classes of NR2B-selective NMDA antagonists that exhibit off-target activity at a variety of monoamine receptors, the compounds described herein show much diminished effects against the...
Understanding the mechanisms whereby information encoded within patterns of action potentials is deciphered by neurons is central to cognitive psychology. The multiprotein complexes formed by...Full Text Available
Gonadal, adrenal, and thyroid hormones affect the brain directly, and the sensitivity to hormones begins in embryonic life with the appearance of hormone receptor sites in discrete populations of neurons....Full Text Available
Somatostatin receptor expression has been demonstrated on a number of plasma cell lines. Therefore, we questioned whether somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) can be used to demonstrate in vivo multiple myeloma (MM) activity. SRS was performed in newly diagnosed (n = 9) or relapsing (n = 18) MM patients or in patients with localized plasmacytoma (n = 2). The results were compared with radiographic findings. A positive SRS was demonstrated in 44% of the newly diagnosed patients, in 83% of the relapsed patients and in both patients with plasmacytoma. The SRS findings corresponded with radiographic abnormalities in 40% of the patients. However, in relapsed patients 60% demonstrated increased SRS uptake in areas without new radiographic abnormalities. The positive SRS corresponded with histologically proven disease activity and responded upon treatment. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining of MM material demonstrated concordant somatostatin ...
BackgroundPostoperative delirium is a topic of great importance in the geriatric surgical specialty. Although antipsychotic drugs are the medications most frequently used to treat...Full Text Available
Receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) play key roles in the pathogenesis of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). The aim of our study was to determine whether the...Full Text Available
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is one of the most important prognostic and predictive factors for breast cancer patients. Recently, serum HER2...Full Text Available
The goal of ultrasonic molecular imaging is the detection of targeted contrast agents bound to receptors on endothelial cells. We propose imaging methods that can distinguish adherent microbubbles...Full Text Available
Background:Endothelin-1 may be involved in the development of diabetic microangiopathy. We studied the effect of endothelin-1 blockade on myocardial microcirculation during coronary...Full Text Available
Rejection of eight aldehydes, eight ketones, five secondary alcohols, and 3-pentanol has been studied in the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. The data agree with results previously reported...Full Text Available
The effect of A1-adenosine receptor antagonism via 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropyl-xanthine (CPDPX) on the stimulation of skeletal muscle glucose uptake by...Full Text Available
PurposeIn our previous studies we showed that upregulating claudin-6 (CLDN6) expression may contribute to preventing breast cancer, and that 17β-estradiol induces a concentration-...Full Text Available
A statistical method is developed to determine the locations of major pollutant sources affecting a distant downwind receptor, provided that air trajectories can be estimated. Probability density functions are estimated which indicate the overall residence time of air parcels over a given geographic region as they travel toward a receptor and residence time for the case of high pollutant concentrations at the receptor. These functions are used to estimate a conditional probability function which indicates the potential for a source region to contribute to high air pollution concentrations. Finally, a source contribution function is formulated to indicate the relative contribution of different source regions to high concentrations at the receptor. The method is tested using data collected at Grand Canyon National Park in 1980. The dominant pathway for air masses arriving at Grand Canyon during this ...
Targeted studies completed include the evaluation of tritiated N-0437, evaluation of "3"5S-cysteamine, evaluation of "1"8F-FDG and initiation of synthetic efforts towards the synthesis of iodinated N-0437 and pergolide analogs. The direction of the project has been changed due to several factors which include the decided lack of favorable experimental results, the excellence of results using muscarinic receptor ligands in pituitary, brain and heart and the contention of the DOE review panel that the original grant proposal was based on flawed assumptions together with their perceived lack of importance to pituitary imaging. In the final year of this grant, three studies will be completed. The first study is the continuation of synthetic efforts to prepare iodinated N-0437 and pergolide analogs for possible use as brain imaging agents. The second study is directed towards completion of biochemical evaluation of various muscarinic receptor ...
Targeted studies completed include the evaluation of tritiated N-0437, evaluation of /sup 35/S-cysteamine, evaluation of /sup 18/F-FDG and initiation of synthetic efforts towards the synthesis of iodinated N-0437 and pergolide analogs. The direction of the project has been changed due to several factors which include the decided lack of favorable experimental results, the excellence of results using muscarinic receptor ligands in pituitary, brain and heart and the contention of the DOE review panel that the original grant proposal was based on flawed assumptions together with their perceived lack of importance to pituitary imaging. In the final year of this grant, three studies will be completed. The first study is the continuation of synthetic efforts to prepare iodinated N-0437 and pergolide analogs for possible use as brain imaging agents. The second study is directed towards completion of biochemical evaluation of various muscarinic ...
In this study we compared the molecular signalling elicited by rexinoids, selective retinoid X receptor (RXR)-activators, in several organs (i.e. liver, kidney,...Full Text Available
BackgroundGlucocorticoids down-regulate cytokine synthesis and suppress inflammatory responses. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU486 may exacerbate the inflammatory...Full Text Available
Breast cancer is a progressive and potentially fatal disease that affects women of all ages. Like all progressive diseases, early and reliable diagnosis is the key for successful treatment and annihilation....Full Text Available
BackgroundThe lactogenic hormones prolactin (PRL) and placental lactogens (PL) play central roles in reproduction and mammary development. Their actions are mediated via binding...Full Text Available
Cervical cancer is known to metastasize primarily by the lymphatic system. Dissemination through lymphatic vessels represents an early step in regional tumor progression, and the presence of lymphatic...Full Text Available
Hypoxia, or reduced oxygen, occurs in a variety of clinical and environmental situations. Hypoxic exposure is associated with decreased muscle mass and a concomitant reduction in exercise capacity,...Full Text Available
Prenatal cocaine exposure produces sustained neurobehavioral and brain synaptic changes closely resembling those of animals with defective alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic...Full Text Available
Cleavage of membrane-associated proteins with the release of biologically active macromolecules is an emerging theme in biology. However, little is known about the nature and regulation of the involved...Full Text Available
Although the mechanism is unknown, Calculus Bovis and its active components, cholic acid analogs (CAAs), have been used in China to treat a wide range of diseases. Based on the previous finding that the potency of CAA is strongly dependent on the intrinsic surface activity, this paper aimed to investigate the role of the plasma membrane in the pharmacological activity of CAAs. First, CAAs (0.1 mM) caused a surface activity-dependent depression on ATPase activity in the cell membrane extract, but it had no effects on other cellular extracts, suggesting an indispensable role of the membrane environment for pharmacological activity. Second, CAAs lowered the membrane fluidity of cultured Caco-2 cells with the same rank-order of potency sequence. Third, the hypothesis that any functional protein located on the membrane is influenced by changes in cellular membrane fluidity was supported by: ileal contraction that was induced by acetylcholine and mediated by the muscarinic ...
BackgroundZibotentan (ZD4054) is a specific endothelin A (ETA) receptor antagonist being investigated for the treatment of prostate cancer. As zibotentan is eliminated...Full Text Available
A parallel bundle of transmembrane (TM) alpha-helices surrounding a central pore is present in several classes of ion channel, including the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). We have modeled...Full Text Available
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with poor survival. The identification of therapeutic targets is essential to improving outcomes. Previous studies found that expression...Full Text Available
Acute inflammation is important for tissue repair; however, chronic inflammation contributes to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and occurs when glial cells undergo prolonged...Full Text Available
IntroductionIn the last few years, various studies have underlined a correlation between thyroid function and male sexual function, hypothesizing a direct action of thyroid hormones...Full Text Available
Macrophage activation by the proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) is a critical component of the host innate response to bacterial pathogenesis. However, the precise nature...Full Text Available
The majority of diseases in the retina are caused by genetic mutations affecting the development and function of photoreceptor cells. The transcriptional networks directing these processes are regulated...Full Text Available
Nicotine is the main psychoactive ingredient in tobacco and its rewarding effects are considered primarily responsible for persistent tobacco smoking and relapse. Although dopamine has been extensively...Full Text Available
Women experience a decline in estrogen and androgen levels after natural or surgically induced menopause, effects that are associated with a loss of sexual desire and bone mineral density. Studies in...Full Text Available
The effects of paeoniflorin (PF), a compound isolated from Paeony radix, on neurological impairment and histologically measured infarction volume...Full Text Available
The CNS can exhibit features of inflammation in response to injury, infection or disease, whereby resident cells generate inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, prostaglandins, free radicals and...Full Text Available
Hypoxia–ischemia (H/I) in the premature infant leads to white matter injury termed periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), the leading cause of subsequent neurological deficits. Glutamatergic...Full Text Available
Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) has been implicated in inhibition of nerve regeneration in the CNS. This results from interactions between MAG and the Nogo receptor and gangliosides on...Full Text Available
The X-ray crystallographic structural determinations of synthetic estrogens and antiestrogens provide reliable information on the global minimum energy conformation of these molecules or a local minimum...Full Text Available
Cytoadherence or sequestration is essential for the pathogenesis of the most virulent human malaria species, Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum). Similar to leukocyte-endothelium...Full Text Available
Human skin is a local source of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and expresses CRH and CRH receptors (CRH-R) at mRNA and protein levels. Epidermal melanocytes respond to CRH by induction...Full Text Available
Antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) have been implicated in Multiple Sclerosis demyelination through activation of complement and/or macrophage-effector processes. We presented...Full Text Available
We had previously identified a macrophage surface protein whose expression is highly induced, transient, and specific, as it is restricted to actively fusing macrophages in vitro and in vivo. This protein...Full Text Available
A growing number of studies suggest that the development of compulsive drug seeking and taking depends on dorsostriatal mechanisms. We previously observed that ex vivo acute...Full Text Available
In addition to its role in megakaryocyte production, signaling initiated by thrombopoietin (TPO) activation of its receptor, myeloproliferative leukemia virus protooncogene (c-Mpl, or Mpl), controls...Full Text Available
Host cells use metabolic signaling through the LXRα nuclear receptor to defend against Listeria monocytogenes infection. 25-Hydroxycholesterol is a natural ligand of LXRs that...Full Text Available
Disruption of circadian rhythms may be involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, including drug addiction. Recently, we detected the significant association between prokineticin 2 receptor...Full Text Available
Hematopoiesis is the cumulative result of intricately regulated signaling pathways that are mediated by cytokines and their receptors. Studies conducted over the past 10 to 15 years have revealed that...Full Text Available
The agglutination of human platelets by ristocetin and von Willebrand factor was inhibited by aggregated immunoglobulin (Ig)G and by Fc fragments of IgG, but not by Fab, F(ab′)2 or...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe VP2 outer capsid protein Bluetongue Virus (BTV) is responsible for receptor binding, haemagglutination and eliciting host-specific immunity. However, the assembly of...Full Text Available
Sensory experience plays a crucial role in regulating neuronal shape and in developing synaptic contacts during brain formation. These features are required for a neuron to receive, integrate, and transmit...Full Text Available
Hyperproliferation of the colonic epithelium, leading to expansion of colonic crypt progenitors, is a recognized risk factor for colorectal cancer. Overexpression of progastrin, a nonamidated and incompletely...Full Text Available
The endothelin-B (ETB) receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor that binds endothelin ligands and is essential for the development of epidermal melanocytes and enteric neurons. Recent reports indicate that ETB is localized to nuclei in cardiac ventricular myocytes, although it has been thought that ETB is localized mainly on the plasma membrane. It remains unknown, however, whether this unique distribution of ETB occurs in other tissues. To elucidate the subcellular distribution of ETB in the intestine, we performed immunofluorescence of ETB in mouse intestine using a specific antibody. ETB-like immunoreactivity was detected in both the mucosal and muscle layers. In the mucosal layer, villous epithelial cells, stromal cells of the lamina propria, and cryptic cells were immunostained. Subcellularly, ETB is localized mainly to the nuclei of villous epithelial cells. In the muscle layer, immunoreactivity of ETB was localized to the myenteric ...
Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) acts as a co-receptor for class 3 semaphorins and vascular endothelial growth factor and is an attractive angiogenesis target for cancer therapy. In addition to the transmembrane...Full Text Available
Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, which is used worldwide to control Aedes aegypti larvae, produces Cry11Aa and other toxins during...Full Text Available
This study addresses the mechanism of transport of the H2-receptor antagonist, cimetidine, by the human placenta. A 4-h recycling perfusion of a single placental cotyledon of normal, term, human placenta...Full Text Available
Histamine has been proposed to be an important regulator of energy intake and expenditure. The aim of this study was to evaluate histamine regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism and development...Full Text Available
Recently, we demonstrated that the central ghrelin signalling system, involving the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1A), is important for alcohol reinforcement. Ghrelin targets a key mesolimbic circuit involved...Full Text Available
Place fields of hippocampal pyramidal cells expand asymmetrically when adult rats repeatedly follow the same route. This behaviorally-induced expression of neuronal plasticity utilizes an NMDAR-dependent,...Full Text Available
The role of pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) in the regulation of pheromone biosynthesis of several female moth species is well elucidated, but its role in the males has been a...Full Text Available
Exteriorized phosphatidylserine (PS) residues in apoptotic cells trigger rapid phagocytosis by macrophage scavenger receptor pathways. Mimicking apoptosis with liposomes containing PS may represent...Full Text Available
Dectin-1, the major β-glucan receptor in leukocytes, triggers an effective immune response upon fungal recognition. Here we use sortase-mediated transpeptidation, a technique that allows placement...Full Text Available
Tamoxifen (TAM) is a selective estrogen receptor modulator widely used in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. A major mode of metabolism of the major active metabolites of TAM, 4-OH-TAM...Full Text Available
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is involved in skeletal development of the vertebrate. Gain-of-function mutations of FGF receptors (FGFR) cause craniosynostosis, premature fusion of the skull,...Full Text Available
BackgroundLeukotrienes (LTs) belong to the large family of lipid mediators implicated in various inflammatory conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Four distinct types...Full Text Available
SUMMARYMotile dendritic filopodial processes are thought to be precursors of spine synapses, but how motility relates to cell-surface cues required for axon-dendrite recognition...Full Text Available
Protective innate immunity to the nematode Strongyloides stercoralis requires eosinophils in the parasite killing process. Experiments were performed to determine if an extract of S....Full Text Available
BackgroundThiazolidinediones (TZDs) activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and are used clinically to help restore peripheral insulin sensitivity...Full Text Available
Porphyromonas gingivalis has been implicated as a causative pathogen in periodontitis. Immunotherapeutic approaches have recently been suggested to aid in the clearance of P....Full Text Available
The specific receptor sites and the endocytosis of transferrin (Tf) are evidenced in a cell line (HT-29) derived from a human colic adenocarcinoma by means of "1"2"5I radiolabeled Tf. The receptor density is studied in undifferentiated (UD) or differentiated (D) cells with respective doubling times of about 24 hours and 46 hours. The number of binding sites for Tf is 162,000 (K_d = 7.8 nmol/l in ND cells and 68,000 (K_d = 7.40 nmol/l) in D cells. The distribution between the Tf bound to the cell surface and the internalized Tf is investigated by elimination of Tf bound to the surface by an acid wash method. The intracellular cycle of Tf seems to be characterized by a slower kinetics in UD cells. The high density of Tf receptor sites in HT-29 UD cells should allow the detection or the treatment of highly evolutive colic adenocarcinoma by means of Tf.
Objective:To investigate the combined effect of both pioglitazone and methotrexate on disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis in a biphasic study; experimental and clinical.Methods:Experimentally:...Full Text Available
B lymphocytes can function independently as efficient APCs. However, our previous studies demonstrate that both dendritic cells and macrophages are necessary to propagate immune responses initiated...Full Text Available
Glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor, is among the most lethal and difficult cancers to treat. Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are frequent in glioblastoma,...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor expressed at excitatory glutamatergic synapses is required for learning and memory and is critical for normal brain...Full Text Available
Retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) is a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) responsible for detection of nucleic acids from pathogens in the cytoplasm of infected cells and induction of type I interferon...Full Text Available
SummaryHuman skin expresses elements of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis including pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), the CRH receptor-1...Full Text Available
We investigated the effects of PSARK∷IPT (for Senescence-Associated Receptor Kinase∷Isopentenyltransferase) expression and cytokinin production...Full Text Available
Cyclophilins (Cyps), the intracellular receptors for Cyclosporine A (CsA), are responsible for peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerisation and for chaperoning several membrane proteins. Those functions...Full Text Available
BackgroundMost rapidly evolving gene families are involved in immune responses and reproduction, two biological functions which have been assigned to the carcinoembryonic antigen...Full Text Available
Mechanisms regulating sexual differentiation of the zebra finch song system appear to include both genetic and hormonal factors. Sorting Nexin 2 (SNX2), which is involved in trafficking proteins...Full Text Available
We presented data showing that the CART-19 cells expressing the 4-1BB signaling domain can have unprecedented and massive in-vivo expansion, traffic to tumor sites, persist long term in vivo, and induce...Full Text Available
Cytokinins are distributed through the vascular system and trigger responses of target cells via receptor-mediated signal transduction. Perception and transduction of the signal can occur at the plasma...Full Text Available
Cd36 is a small-molecular-weight integral membrane protein expressed in a diverse, but select, range of cell types. It has an equally diverse range of ligands and physiological functions, which has...Full Text Available
Klebsiella pneumoniae is able to grow anaerobically with citrate as a sole carbon and energy source by a fermentative pathway involving the Na+-dependent citrate...Full Text Available
Benzodiazepine withdrawal anxiety is associated with potentiation of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor (AMPAR) currents in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal...Full Text Available
Calcium, vitamin D, exposure to sunshine, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotypes have been associated rectal cancer. We used data from 750 rectal tumors and 1,205 population-based...Full Text Available
Recent evidence suggests a role for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the regulation of pair bonding in prairie voles. We have previously shown that monogamous and non-monogamous vole...Full Text Available
The pharynx is the primary reservoir for strains of group A Streptococcus (GAS) associated both with pharyngitis (streptococcal sore throat) and with invasive or “flesh-eating”...Full Text Available
BackgroundCancer stem cells (CSCs) have increased resistance to cancer chemotherapy. They can be enriched as drug-surviving CSCs (D-CSCs) by growth with chemotherapeutic drugs, and/or...Full Text Available
Bacterial pathogens use virulence strategies to invade epithelial barriers, but active processes of epithelial cells may also contribute to the endocytosis of microbial particles. To focus on the latter,...Full Text Available
AIM: To investigate atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion from gastric mucosa and the relationship between the ANP/natriuretic peptide receptor type A (NPR-A) pathway and diabetic gastroparesis.METHODS:...Full Text Available
Experimental studies have demonstrated that not only dopaminergic signaling but also glutamatergic/NMDA receptor signaling play indispensable roles in the development of methamphetamine psychosis. Our...Full Text Available
Pharmacologic or genetic deletion of components of the renin-angiotensin system leads to postnatal kidney injury, but the roles of these components in kidney development are unknown. To test the hypothesis...Full Text Available
Numerous xenobiotics, including therapeutics agents, are substrates for bioactivation to electrophilic reactive intermediates that may covalently modify biomolecules. Selective estrogen receptor...Full Text Available
BackgroundMale infertility is a common cause of reproductive failure in humans. In mice, targeted deletions of the genes coding for FKBP6 or FKBP52, members of the FK506 binding...Full Text Available
We sought to determine the effects of activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) on multilocularization of adipocytes in adult white adipose tissue (WAT). Male...Full Text Available
Endogenous immune complexes present in sera from 10 different patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in an active phase were allowed to bind to Raji cells; the ability of intact complement...Full Text Available
BackgroundCentrosome aberrations can cause genomic instability and correlate with malignant progression in common human malignancies such as breast and prostate cancer. Deregulation...Full Text Available
The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) plays a central role in the regulation of the female reproductive behavior lordosis, a behavior dependent upon the sequential activation of receptors for the ovarian...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThe goal of the study was to investigate the genetic and molecular basis of a novel syndrome of marked hyperglucagonemia and pancreatic α cell hyperplasia...Full Text Available
BackgroundThis in vitro study was conducted to compare the accuracy of two digital image receptors in identifying the location of tip of a fine endodontic file and radiographic apex...Full Text Available
ABSTRACT: Metabolomic analysis will provide the next large set of clues to further our understanding of human health and disease. A recent study has elucidated the significant differences in the metabolomes of adipocytes, serum and an adipocyte cell line after activation of two nuclear receptors, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor ?/? (PPAR?/?) and PPAR?. These findings hold great promise for explaining fundamental differences in the mechanisms of PPAR agonists and for identifying targets for the treatment of diabetes.See related research article: http://genomebiology.com/2011/12/8/R75. PMID:21861850
Resistance and tolerance are two types of host defense mechanisms that increase fitness in response to fungi. Several genetic polymorphisms in pattern recognition receptors, most remarkably Toll-like receptors (TLRs), have been described to influence resistance and tolerance to aspergillosis in distinct clinical settings. TLRs on dendritic cells pivotally contribute in determining the balance between immunopathology and protective immunity to the fungus. Epithelial cells also contribute to this balance via selected TLRs converging on indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). Studies in experimental hematopoietic transplantation confirmed the dichotomy of pathways leading to resistance and tolerance to the fungus providing new insights on the relative contribution of the hematopoietic/nonhematopoi...
Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters found in the brain and mediates brain functions. It is very well known that serotonin related brain abnormalities are exerted mainly via serotonin receptors in a similar manner to other neurotransmitters found in the brain. Recently, it has also been found that serotonin is involved in Alzheimer's disease either directly or indirectly by its actions on serotonergic neurons. To understand and treat the diseases caused by abnormalities in the serotonergic system in the brain, it is certain that its mechanism of function has to be well investigated. So far several 5-HT receptors and receptor subtypes have been well characterized. Moreover, serotonin agonists and antagonists acting on specific receptors are chemically synthesized and are now available for the prevention or treatment of serotonergic related diseases. In recent years, a great demand for developing ...
Trastuzumab increases survival amongst women with human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 receptor positive metastatic breast cancer, but maternal and fetal risks are associated with advanced disease and its treatment in pregnancy. We present a case of a primigravid with HER-2 positive metastatic breast cancer who received trastuzumab throughout pregnancy. She presented with cerebral metastases, requiring surgical decompression and resection. Reversible oligohydramnios developed during pregnancy. Fetal safety data on trastuzumab in pregnancy is limited, but case reports suggest a recurring pattern of (mostly reversible) oligohydramnios.
The possibilities for therapy in the field of severe cardiac insufficiency have been extended in recent years by the introduction of novel agents endowed with a positive inotropic action. These substances may be arranged in two large classes: sympathomimetic agents and "non sympathomimetic--non digitalis-like" inotropic agents. The stimulant action of noradrenaline, adrenaline and isoproterenol on beta-adrenergic myocardial receptors has been clearly demonstrated but the usefulness of these medicines is limited by their positive chronotropic and arrhythmogenic actions. Dopamine and dobutamine have proved to be very useful in the treatment of patients in intensive care units. However, the exclusively intravenous route of administration limits their importance to the medium or long term. Several compounds, which are active by the oral route, have been the subject of therapeutic trials for the short or medium term. The problems posed by their use result, in the first ...
PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide) is widely distributed neuropeptide acting via three subtypes of receptors, PAC(1), VPAC(1) and VPAC(2). Here we examined the localisation and nature of PACAP-immunoreactive nerves in the rat thyroid and parathyroid glands and defined the distribution of PAC(1), VPAC(1) and VPAC(2) receptor mRNA's. In the parathyroid gland a large number of nerve fibres displaying PACAP-immunoreactivity were distributed beneath the capsule, around blood vessels and close to glandular cells. Most of the PACAP-nerves were sensory, since they co-stored CGRP (calcitonin-gene-related peptide) and were sensitive to capsaicin-treatment. mRNA's for PAC(1) and VPAC(2) receptors occurred in the parathyroid gland, mainly located in the glandular cells. In the thyroid gland PACAP-immunoreactive nerve fibres were associated with blood vessels, thyroid follicles and parafollicular C-cells. A high ...
Screening of a human placenta lambdagt11 library has led to the isolation of the cDNA for the human ..beta../sub 1/-adrenergic receptor (..beta../sub 1/AR). Used as the probe was the human genomic clone termed G-21. This clone, which contains an intronless gene for a putative receptor, was previously isolated by virtue of its cross hybridization with the human ..beta../sub 2/-adrenergic receptor (..beta../sub 2/AR). The 2.4-kilobase cDNA for the human ..beta../sub 1/AR encodes a protein of 477 amino acid residues that is 69% homologous with the avian ..beta..AR but only 54% homologous with the human ..beta../sub 2/AR. This suggests that the avian gene encoding ..beta..AR and the human gene encoding ..beta../sub 1/AR evolved from a common ancestral gene. RNA blot analysis indicates a message of 2.5 kilobases in rat tissues, with a pattern of tissue distribution consistent with ..beta../sub 1/AR binding. This pattern is quite ...
This work presents a study of the {sup 1}P{sup 0} excited states of He that can be reached by absorption of a single photon carrying an energy close to the double ionization threshold (DIT) (79 eV). Above the DIT, these states are the double continuum states; below, they are the double excited states. These two types of states are tightly coupled to the single continuum states with or without excitation of the residual ion He{sup +}, owing to their degeneracy in energy. In a one-photon process, these states can only be formed owing to the electronic correlations in the system which must be well described to obtain quantitative good results. Our study is a part of the work which aims at a united description of all these doubly excited, ionized-excited, and double continuum states. We use the Hyperspherical R-Matrix with Semiclassical Outgoing Waves (HRM-SOW) method, initially dedicated to double photoionization studies. We extend it to extract information on the ...
In not infected knee prostheses bone scintigraphy is a possible method to diagnose mechanical loosening, and therefore, to affect treatment regimes in symptomatic patients. However, hitherto studies showed controversial results for the reliability of bone scintigraphy in diagnosing loosened knee prostheses by using asymptomatic control groups. Therefore, the aim of our study was to optimize the interpretation procedure and to evaluate the accuracy using results from revision surgery as standard. Methods: Retrospectively, we were able to examine the tibial component in 31 cemented prostheses. In this prostheses infection was excluded by histological or bacteriological examination during revision surgery. To quantify bone scintigraphy, we used medial and lateral tibial regions with a reference region from the contralateral femur. Results: to differentiate between loosened and intact prostheses we found a threshold of 5.0 for the maximum tibia to femur ratio of the ...
In not infected knee prostheses bone scintigraphy is a possible method to diagnose mechanical loosening, and therefore, to affect treatment regimes in symptomatic patients. However, hitherto studies showed controversial results for the reliability of bone scintigraphy in diagnosing loosened knee prostheses by using asymptomatic control groups. Therefore, the aim of our study was to optimize the interpretation procedure and to evaluate the accuracy using results from revision surgery as standard. Methods: Retrospectively, we were able to examine the tibial component in 31 cemented prostheses. In this prostheses infection was excluded by histological or bacteriological examination during revision surgery. To quantify bone scintigraphy, we used medial and lateral tibial regions with a reference region from the contralateral femur. Results: to differentiate between loosened and intact prostheses we found a threshold of 5.0 for the maximum tibia to femur ratio of the ...
We consider a noisy Slepian-Wolf problem where two correlated sources are separately encoded and transmitted over two independent binary memoryless symmetric channels. Each channel capacity is assumed to be characterized by a single parameter which is not known at the transmitter. The receiver has knowledge of both the source correlation and the channel parameters. We call a system universal if it retains near-capacity performance without channel knowledge at the transmitter. Kudekar et al. recently showed that terminated low-density parity-check (LDPC) convolutional codes (a.k.a. spatially-coupled LDPC ensembles) can have belief-propagation thresholds that approach their maximum a-posteriori thresholds. This was proven for binary erasure channels and shown empirically for binary memoryless symmetric channels. They also conjectured that the principle of spatial coupling is very general and the phenomenon of threshold ...
We investigate the $D\\bar{D}$ production in $e^+e^-$ annihilations near threshold in an effective Lagrangian approach. It shows that the lineshape of the cross section near threshold is sensitive to the contributions from the $\\psi^\\prime$ though it is below the $D\\bar{D}$ threshold. The recent experimental data from BES and Belle collaborations allow us to determine the $\\psi^\\prime D\\bar{D}$ coupling constant which appears to be consistent with other theoretical studies. As a consequence, the $\\psi^\\prime$-$\\psi(3770)$ mixing parameter can be extracted around the $\\psi(3770)$ mass region. Resonance parameters for $\\psi(3770)$, X(3900), $\\psi(4040)$ and $\\psi(4160)$ are also investigated. The X(3900) appears as an enhancement at around 3.9 GeV in the Belle data. In addition to treating it as a resonance, we also study the mechanism that the enhancement is produced by the $D\\bar{D^*}+c.c.$ open channel ...
Effects of swimming exercise training on left ventricular contraction and relaxation, the incidence of spontaneous defibrillation and the ventricular fibrillation threshold were studied in the isolated, perfused rat heart. The heart/body weight ratio was 4.8 +/- 0.4 x 10(-3) in swimmers compared with 3.9 +/- 0.6 x 10(-3) in sedentary controls (p less than 0.0005). The spontaneous heart rate was lower in isolated hearts of trained animals (222 +/- 18 bpm compared with 244 +/- 28, p less than 0.05). Left ventricular systolic pressure was higher in trained hearts and the rate of ventricular relaxation enhanced (p less than 0.05). The ventricular fibrillation threshold was 7.2 +/- 5.2 and 10.8 +/- 6.1 mamp in hearts of swimmers and controls, respectively, the difference not being significant. The incidence of spontaneous defibrillation was not significantly different between the two groups. It is concluded that, while swimming induces cardiac ...
We improve the steady-state ab initio laser theory (SALT) of Tureci et al. by expressing its fundamental self-consistent equation in a basis set of threshold constant flux states that contains the exact threshold lasing mode. For cavities with non-uniform index and/or non-uniform gain, the new basis set allows the steady-state lasing properties to be computed with much greater efficiency. This formulation of the SALT can be solved in the single-pole approximation, which gives the intensities and thresholds, including the effects of nonlinear hole-burning interactions to all orders, with negligible computational effort. The approximation yields a number of analytic predictions, including a "gain-clamping" transition at which strong modal interactions suppress all higher modes. We show that the single-pole approximation agrees well with exact SALT calculations, particularly for high-Q cavities. Within this range of validity, ...
There has been a growing interest in new laser systems for use at mid-infra-red wavelengths, driven by requirements for a number of diverse applications. Developments in mid-IR coating technology are following three major thrusts. In the first, the potential of ion-assisted process is being exploited and the technology is already becoming well established in the optical coating industry. In the second, the benefits of using gas-phase precursors are being explored, driven by the potential of avoiding the generation of second phase inclusion in the coatings with associated reduction in laser damage threshold. Research is also addressing the use of nanocomposite materials with an engineered microstructure to produce coatings with dielectric properties of choice. This paper presents a review of progress in some of these areas with special emphasis on the comparison of the properties of materials at DF laser wavelengths. Evidence is presented which suggests that laser ...
A merged-beams electron-energy-loss technique is described, by which absolute cross sections can be measured for near-threshold electron-impact excitation of multipy charged ions. Results are reported here for absolute total electron-impact excitation cross sections for the O"5"+(2s#->#2p) transition from below threshold to 1.6 eV above threshold. The experimental data are in good agremeent with a seven-state close-coupling calculation throughout the energy range of the experiment. Results agree with calculations showing that more than 90% of the electrons causing excitation are ejected in the backward direction in the center-of-mass frame. This backscattering is shown in both quantum-mechanical and semiclassical calculations. Evidence is observed for high-lying metastable autoionizing states with a lifetime of approximately 0.9 #mu#s which are made to ionize by electron impact.
In this paper, we consider the prey-dependent consumption predator-prey (natural enemy-pest) models with age structure for the predator, immature and mature natural enemies are released and pesticide is applied impulsively. We prove that, when the impulsive period is no longer than some threshold, the pest-eradication solution is globally asymptotically stable, or say, the pest population can be eradicated totally. But from the point of ecological balance and saving resources, we only need to control the pest population under the economic threshold level instead of eradicating it totally, so we further prove that, when the impulsive period is longer than the threshold, pest population and natural enemy population can coexist, i.e., the system is uniformly permanent. Considering population communities always are imbedded in periodically varying environments, and the parameters in ecosystem models may oscillate simultaneously ...
With using artificial neural networks (ANNs), an analytical study related to the heated length effect on critical heat flux (CHF) has been carried out to make an improvement of the CHF prediction accuracy based on local condition correlations or table. It has been carried out to suggest a feasible criterion of the threshold length-to-diameter (L/D) value in which heated length could affect CHF. And within the criterion, a L/D correction factor has been developed through conventional regression. In order to validate the developed L/D correction factor, CHF experiments for various heated lengths have been carried out under low and intermediate pressure conditions. The developed threshold L/D correlation provides a new feasible criterion of L/D threshold value. The developed correction factor gives a reasonable accuracy for the original database, showing the error of -2.18% for average and 27.75% for RMS, and promising results ...
A fundamental problem facing those trying to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) centers around the word ''significantly''. Although the NEPA regulations discuss the term, they provide no clear definition of ''significance'' that can be applied objectively and uniformly to environmental issues and the consequences of man's activities. A major problem in trying to analyze environmental issues is caused by poor communication. The authors suggest common ''language'' for environmental analysis to organize and communicate information about environmental issues and impacts. An environmental issue is defined as an unresolved question or concern about an environmental consequence. Issues are analyzed using a simple worksheet that identifies who is concerned, what specific elements of the environment they are concerned about, and why they are concerned. The ...
The primary concern of this work is to study the emission characteristics of a series of chiral nematic liquid crystal lasers doped with different laser dyes (DCM, pyrromethene 580, and pyrromethene 597) at varying concentrations by weight (0.5-2 wt %) when optically pumped at 532 nm. Long-wavelength photonic band-edge laser emission is characterized in terms of threshold energy and slope efficiency. At every dye concentration investigated, the pyrromethene 597-doped lasers exhibit the highest slope efficiency (ranging from 15% to 32%) and the DCM-doped lasers the lowest (ranging from 5% to 13%). Similarly, the threshold was found to be, in general, higher for the DCM-doped laser samples in comparison to the pyrromethene-doped laser samples. These results are then compared with the spectral properties, quantum efficiencies and, where possible, fluorescence lifetimes of the dyes dispersed in a common nematic host. In accordance with the low ...
We have investigated the diffusion enhancement mechanism of boron-enhanced diffusion (BED), wherein boron diffusivity is enhanced four to five times over the equilibrium diffusivity at 1050&hthinsp;{degree}C in the proximity of a silicon layer containing a high boron concentration. It is demonstrated that BED is driven by excess interstitials injected from the high boron concentration layer during annealing. For evaporated layers, BED is observed above a threshold boron concentration between 1{percent} and 10{percent}, though it appears to be closer to 1{percent} for B-implanted layers. For sub-keV B implants above the threshold, BED dominates over the contribution from transient-enhanced diffusion to junction depth. For 0.5 keV B, this threshold implantation dose lies between 3{times}10{sup 14} and 1{times}10{sup 15} cm{sup {minus}2}. It is proposed that the excess interstitials responsible for BED are produced during ...
We have investigated the diffusion enhancement mechanism of boron-enhanced diffusion (BED), wherein boron diffusivity is enhanced four to five times over the equilibrium diffusivity at 1050 ampersand hthinsp;degree C in the proximity of a silicon layer containing a high boron concentration. It is demonstrated that BED is driven by excess interstitials injected from the high boron concentration layer during annealing. For evaporated layers, BED is observed above a threshold boron concentration between 1% and 10%, though it appears to be closer to 1% for B-implanted layers. For sub-keV B implants above the threshold, BED dominates over the contribution from transient-enhanced diffusion to junction depth. For 0.5 keV B, this threshold implantation dose lies between 3x10"1"4 and 1x10"1"5 cm"-"2. It is proposed that the excess interstitials responsible for BED are produced during the formation of a silicon boride phase in the ...
We have developed a Bragg curve counter (BCC) equipped with an active cathode to extend the energy acceptance to lower energies than for a conventional BCC to measure differential cross-sections of fragment production reactions induced by tens of MeV protons. The signal from the active cathode providing the timing signal of fragment incidence and the time difference signal between the cathode and anode gives information on the fragment range in the BCC on the basis of electron drift time. Utilization of the range information made possible identification of fragments less than 0.5 MeV/u that is lower than the identification threshold of a conventional BCC technique. After investigations on fundamental properties of a newly constructed BCC using heavy ion beams and alpha-particles, this method was applied successfully to a fragment production measurement for 70 MeV proton-induced reactions on carbon. With this technique, the energy threshold of ...
Aim: There has been a great demand for developments of the radioligands to visualize the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by PET/SPECT. We have recently synthesized two C-11 labeled antagonists for the glycine-binding site on NMDA receptors. The aim of this work is to examine for their in vitro and in vivo binding characteristics, and to evaluate their potentials as PET radioligands for the NMDA receptors. Materials and methods: Two C-11 labeled 4-hydroxy-2-quinolones (1 and 2) were synthesized by conventional methylation of the corresponding phenols with ["1"1C]methyl iodide. In vitro and ex vivo quantitative autoradiographs with imaging plate, as well as animal PET, were employed in order to evaluate their in vitro and in vivo binding to the NMDA receptors. Results: The compound 1 showed the specific binding to rat brain slices with higher localization in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex than ...
The near-threshold enhancement in the ppbar invariant mass spectrum from the B^+ -> K^+ ppbar decay reported recently by the BaBar Collaboration is studied within the J\\"ulich NNbar model. We illustrate that the invariant mass dependence of the ppbar spectrum close to the threshold can be reproduced by the final state interactions. This explanation is in line with our previous analysis of the ppbar invariant mass spectrum from the J/Psi -> gamma ppbar decay measured by the BES Collaboration. We also comment on a structure found recently in the pi^+ pi^- eta' mass spectrum of the radiative J/Psi decay by the BES Collaboration. In particular we argue that one should be rather cautions in bringing this structure in connection with the enhancement found in the ppbar invariant mass spectrum or with the existence of NNbar bound states.
In recent years, there has been increased emphasis on techniques to enhance two-phase flow heat transfer. The resulting increase in the use of heat transfer augmentation and the engineering importance of the subject presents this investigation in order to study the effect of different heater surface configurations on two-phase flow instabilities. The authors present the results of an experimental and theoretical study, summarized as: instabilities are not affected by small changes in heat transfer; nucleate boiling increases system unstability; amplitude of the oscillations increases as the axial temperature gradient over the heater increases; for the same type heater surfaces system stability increases with decreasing equivalent diameter; period of the oscillations depend on the heater surfaces; and linearized analysis and steady-state data can be used to determine the oscillation thresholds.
Abstract We analyse extinction maps of nearby giant molecular clouds to forge a link between driving processes of turbulence and modes of star formation. Our investigation focuses on cloud structure in the column density range above the self-shielding threshold of 1-mag AV and below the star formation threshold - the regime in which turbulence is expected to dominate. We identify clouds with shallow mass distributions as cluster forming. Clouds that form stars in a less clustered or isolated mode show a steeper mass distribution. Structure functions prove inadequate to distinguish between clouds of different star formation mode. They may, however, suggest that the turbulence in the average cloud is governed by solenoidal forcing. The same is found using the -variance analysis which also in...
The nature of some baryonic resonances is still an unresolved issue. The case of the N{sup *}(1535) is particularly interesting in this respect due to the nearby {eta} N threshold and interference with the N{sup *}(1650). The N{sup *}(1535) has been described as a threshold effect, as a genuine 3-quark resonance, or as dynamically generated from the interaction of the octet of baryons with the octet of mesons. In the scheme of dynamical generation, predictions for the interaction of the N{sup *}(1535) with the photon can be made. In this study, we simultaneously analyze the role of the N{sup *}(1535) in the {pi}N{yields}{pi}N and {gamma}N{yields}{pi}N reactions and compare to the respective amplitudes from partial-wave analyses. This test is very sensitive to the meson-baryon components of the N{sup *}(1535). (orig.)
A new property which relies on the linear programming (LP) decoder, the approximate maximum-likelihood certificate (AMLC), is introduced. When using the belief propagation decoder, this property is a measure of how close the decoded codeword is to the LP solution. Using upper bounding techniques, it is demonstrated that the conditional frame error probability given that the AMLC holds is, with some degree of confidence, below a threshold. In channels with low noise, this threshold is several orders of magnitude lower than the simulated frame error rate, and our bound holds with very high degree of confidence. In contrast, showing this error performance by simulation would require very long Monte Carlo runs. When the AMLC holds, our approach thus provides the decoder with extra error detection capability, which is especially important in applications requiring high data integrity.
It is found that below 80 K o-TaS_3 demonstrates spontaneous resistance fluctuations growing when the temperature is decreasing. The average relaxation time, #tau#_0, obtained from the noise spectra demonstrates activated behavior, #tau#_0 #propor to# exp(W/T), W #approx# 1300 K for 50 < or #approx# T < or #approx# 70 K. In the vicinity of the threshold the average frequency of the fluctuations, f_0, grows with increasing the voltage, revealing onset of the Froehlich current. log(f_0) is found to be proportional to the increase of conductivity. We conclude that the main source of the resistance fluctuations are thermally-assisted jumps of dislocations of the charge-density waves. (orig.).
This paper describes an experiment which has been performed with a somewhat different philosophy in its approach as compared to previous work. (a) The trigger threshold energy was increased by more than a factor of ten on previous experiments reducing the dilution effect of many lower energy showers known not to produce tachyons. 1673 shower were recorded. (b) The exposure time was made longer than previous experiments in order to obtain a reasonably large statistical sample at the higher threshold. Observations were made between February 1979 and June 1980, the total live time being 9768 hours. (c) Records of the detector output amplitude for the 480#mu#s lead time were integrated point by point as is sometimes done in radio astronomy, this gives the integrated energy deposition within the detector.
Various chemical, physical, and mechanical methods to prevent unwanted deposition of mineral scale are described. The suitability of the different methods, which largely depends on the specific features and requirements of the system involved, is discussed. Special emphasis is placed upon the threshold treatment, where the growth process is retarded by the addition of trace amounts of growth inhibitors. Growth experiments have been performed on barium sulfate and calcium sulfate dihydrate seed crystals, suspended in a supersaturated solution with and without organic bisphosphonates as inhibitors. Two methods are selected for the analysis of the growth data. A degree of inhibition is defined to obtain a quantitative description of the influence of a growth inhibitor on the growth rate of the crystals. In addition the influence of the molecular structure of various bisphosphonates with different substituents is shown. The effect of a bisphosphonate on the geometry of ...
I present an overview of the measurement of the proton form factors in the time-like regiun. BABAR has recently measured with great accuracy the e{sup +} e{sup -} {yields} p p-bar reaction from productiun threshold up to an energy of {approx} 4.5 GeV; finding evidence for a ratio of the electric to magnetic form factur greater than unity, contrary to expectation. In agreement with previous measurements. BABAR confirmed the steep rise uf the magnetic form factor close to the p p-bar mass threshold, suggesting the possible presence of an under-threshuld N N-bar vector state. These and uther open questiuns related to the nucleon furm factors both in the time-like and space-like region, wait for more data with different experimental techniques to be possibly solved.
The reaction {gamma}d{yields}{pi}{sup +}nn is calculated up to order {chi}{sup 5/2} in chiral perturbation theory, where {chi} denotes the ratio of the pion to the nucleon mass. Special emphasis is put on the role of nucleon recoil corrections that are the source of contributions with fractional power in {chi}. Using the known near-threshold production amplitude for {gamma}p{yields}{pi}{sup +}n as the only input, the total cross-section for {gamma}d{yields}{pi}{sup +}nn is described very well. A conservative estimate suggests that the theoretical uncertainty for the transition operator amounts to 3% for the computed amplitude near threshold. (orig.)
(TSM-TTP)(I3)5/3 is a 1/6 -filled one-dimensional system composed of an extended donor molecule which has two tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) units in a molecule, where TSM-TTP is 2,5-bis[4,5-bis(methylseleno)-1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene]-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene. Nonlinear conductivity is observed in the insulating state below 20K , and the metallic state is restored above a very small threshold electric field of 0.3V/cm at 4.2K . The extremely sensitive nonlinearity is ascribed to the inhomogeneous insulating state generated by the weak and disordered anion potentials on the otherwise highly conducting intramolecular charge order state in the double-TTF molecule.
The dd{yields}{sup 4}He{eta} reaction has been investigated near threshold using the ANKE facility at COSY-Juelich. Both total and differential cross-sections have been measured at two excess energies, Q=2.6 MeV and 7.7 MeV, with a subthreshold measurement being undertaken at Q=-2.6 MeV to study the physical background. While consistent with isotropy at the lower energy, the angular distribution reveals a pronounced anisotropy at the higher one, indicating the presence of higher partial waves. Options for the decomposition into partial amplitudes and their consequences for the determination of the s-wave {eta}{alpha} scattering length are discussed. (orig.)
We report the lasing characteristics of gain-guided AlGaInP/AlGaAs visible vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes. At room temperature, continuous-wave operation is achieved over the wavelength range of 657--685 nm with the minimum threshold current at 670 nm. Devices with a 10-[mu]m diameter have threshold currents as low as 1.25 mA at room temperature (297 K) and 0.8 mA at 250 K. In addition, a single predetermined linear polarization state is found, independent of the lasing mode order and operating temperature.
This paper proposes two interference mitigation strategies that adjust the maximum transmit power of femtocell users to suppress the cross-tier interference at a macrocell base station (BS). The open-loop and the closed-loop control suppress the cross-tier interference less than a fixed threshold and an adaptive threshold based on the noise and interference (NI) level at the macrocell BS, respectively. Simulation results show that both schemes effectively compensate the uplink throughput degradation of the macrocell BS due to the cross-tier interference and that the closed-loop control provides better femtocell throughput than the open-loop control at a minimal cost of macrocell throughput.
AlGaInP-based quantum-well laser diodes operating at wavelengths near 680 nm have been grown by all solid source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE). The lowest room temperature threshold current densities obtained from shallow rid structures were 300 A/cm{sup 2} and 330 A/cm{sup 2} for pulsed and continuous wave operation, respectively. The dependences of the differential quantum efficiency and threshold current density on the cavity length were also studied in this preliminary SSMBE work. The internal quantum efficiency of 87--89% and the internal losses of 7--10 cm{sup {minus}1} were obtained.
An improved singular value decomposition method of gear fault identification based on Hilbert-Huang transform was proposed to overcome the problem of reconstructing a feature matrix of singular value decomposition. The method includes three steps. First, the instantaneous frequency and amplitude matrices were acquired by Hilbert-Huang transform from faulted gear signals. Second, after the matrices were decomposed by singular value decomposition, the defined distances of singular value vectors and the optimal threshold of the distance for classification were calculated. Third, the fault characteristics of a gearbox were identified and classified by the threshold of the distances. The result demonstrates that the proposed method effectively identifies the gear fault and can realize an automa...
A.C.R.O. contests some new recommendations of ICRP: a scale based on the ambient natural exposure ( 'it is not dangerous because it is the natural level'), a level of exposure called trivial risk with the threshold value at 30 {mu}Sv. Even if the value is proposed now at 10 {mu}Sv, it is the notion of threshold that is contested. For A.C.R.O. These new considerations would lead to significant exposure levels, tend to the everyday acceptance of the risk, aim at exempting of their responsibilities the nuclear operators, the politics and the institutions which urge upon the development of large nuclear programs without trying beforehand to ponder all the consequences in particular on the long term. (N.C.)
We report on the fabrication of nanomechanical devices for shuttling of electrons from one electrode to another. Each device consists of a 20 nm diameter gold nanoparticle embedded within the gap between two gold electrodes. In two different kinds of shuttle-junctions the nanoparticle is attached to the electrodes through either (i) a single layer of 1,8-octanedithiol or (ii) a multilayer of 1-octanethiol molecules. The thiol layers play the role of 'damped springs', such that when a sufficient voltage bias is applied to the junction, the nanoparticle is expected to start oscillating and thereby transferring electrons from one electrode to the other. For both kinds of shuttle-junctions we observed an abrupt increase in the transmitted current above a threshold voltage, which can be attributed to a transition from the stationary to the oscillating regime. The threshold voltage was found to be lower for single-layer shuttle-junctions.
Evidence is reported for a narrow structure near the J/{psi}{phi} threshold in exclusive B{sup +} {yields} J/{psi}{phi}K{sup +} decays produced in {bar p}p collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. A signal of 14 {+-} 5 events, with statistical significance in excess of 3.8 standard deviations, is observed in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.7 fb{sup -1}, collected by the CDF II detector. The mass and natural width of the structure are measured to be 4143.0 {+-} 2.9(stat) {+-} 1.2(syst) MeV/c{sup 2} and 11.7{sub -5.0}{sup +8.3}(stat) {+-} 3.7(syst) MeV/c{sup 2}.
Given a set of users, their friend relationships, and a distance threshold per friend pair, the proximity detection problem is to find each pair of friends such that the Euclidean distance between them is within the given threshold. This problem plays an essential role in friend-locator applications and massively multiplayer online games. Existing proximity detection solutions either incur substantial location update costs or their performance does not scale well to a large number of users. Motivated by this, we present a centralized proximity detection solution that assigns each mobile client with a mobile region. We then design a self-tuning policy to adjust the radius of the region automatically, in order to minimize communication cost. In addition, we analyze the communication cost of our solutions, and provide valuable insights on their behaviors. Extensive experiments suggest that our proposed solution is efficient and robust with respect ...
Effect of Abdominal Active Can on DFTs. Introduction: Many patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have older lead systems, which are usually not replaced at the time of pulse generator replacement unless a malfunction is noted. Therefore, optimization of defibrillation with these lead systems is clinically important. The objective of this prospective study was to determine if an active abdominal pulse generator (Can) affects chronic defibrillation thresholds (DFTs) with a dual-coil, transvenous ICD lead system. Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 39 patients who presented for routine abdominal pulse generator replacement. Each patient underwent two assessments of DFT using a step-down protocol, with the order of testing randomized. The distal right ...
We study the dynamical evolution of a scalar field coupling to Einstein's tensor in the background of a Reissner-Nordstroem black hole. Our results show that the coupling constant #eta# imprints in the wave dynamics of a scalar perturbation. In the weak coupling, we find that with the increase of the coupling constant #eta# the real parts of the fundamental quasinormal frequencies decrease and the absolute values of imaginary parts increase for fixed charge q and multipole number l. In the strong coupling, we find that for l#not =#0 the instability occurs when #eta# is larger than a certain threshold value #eta#_c which deceases with the multipole number l and charge q. However, for the lowest l=0, we find that there does not exist such a threshold value and the scalar field always decays for arbitrary coupling constant.
A voice activated garage door opener was designed for a handicapped person to open a garage door without assistance. This design uses speech recognition of one word. The activating word that was chosen is "up". The frequency spectrum of "up" was captured on a soundboard and is the basis of this design. Filters are used to pick out three frequency bands in this spectrum. The output signals from these filters are then compared to three threshold voltages using voltage comparators. If the output signals from the filters are above the threshold voltages, the comparators go high. Monostable multivibrators are used on the output of the comparators to lengthen the high pulses. When all of the pulses from the monostable multivibrators are high at the same time, an AND gate output goes high. This high pulse activates the door opener. PMID:8329601
Absolute total cross sections for electron-impact excitation of the 3s"2"1S#->#3s3p"3P and 3s"2"1S#->#3s3p"1P transitions in Si"2"+ were measured using the merged electron-ion beams energy-loss technique. The results are compared to R-matrix close-coupling theory, which predicts a strong resonance enhancement of the cross section near the threshold for excitation of the "3P state and this is confirmed by the experiments. The observed disagreement between theory and experiment for the dipole excitation is suggested to be due to resonance interference. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society.
..cap alpha..-2 adrenergic agents have been shown to influence blood pressure, heart rate and other physiological and behavioral functions through interactions with adrenergic pathways within the central nervous system. Pharmacologically relevant ..cap alpha..-1 adrenergic receptors were biochemically characterized and radiohistochemically analyzed in intact tissue sections of the rat and human central nervous system. The anatomical distribution of the ..cap alpha..-2 receptors, labeled with the agonist (/sup 3/H)para-aminoclonidine, verified the concept that ..cap alpha..-2 receptors are closely associated with adrenergic nerve terminals and that ..cap alpha..-2 agents can influence autonomic and endocrine function through an action in the central nervous system. Since ..cap alpha..-2 agonists can influence sympathetic outflow, ..cap alpha..-2 binding sites were closely analyzed in the intermediolateral cell column of the ...
The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has two major functions: interacting with the receptor to mediate virus entry and inducing protective immunity. Coincidently, the receptor-binding domain (RBD, residues 318-510) of SAR-CoV S protein is a major antigenic site to induce neutralizing antibodies. Here, we used RBD-Fc, a fusion protein containing the RBD and human IgG1 Fc, as a model in the studies and found that a single amino acid substitution in the RBD (R441A) could abolish the immunogenicity of RBD to induce neutralizing antibodies in immunized mice and rabbits. With a panel of anti-RBD mAbs as probes, we observed that R441A substitution was able to disrupt the majority of neutralizing epitopes in the RBD, suggesting that this residue is critical for the antigenic structure responsible for inducing protective immune responses. We also demonstrated that the RBD-Fc bearing R441A mutation could not ...
Purpose: Patients with mycosis fungoides [cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)] may benefit from adjuvant therapy after completing total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT). We report the results for (T1(T2)) CTCL patients treated with adjuvant oral psoralen plus ultraviolet light (PUVA) with respect to overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), salvage of recurrence, and toxicity. Methods and Materials: Between 1974 and 1993, TSEBT was administered to a total of 213 patients with CTCL. Records were reviewed retrospectively, and a total of 114 patients were identified as having T1 or T2 disease. Radiotherapy was provided via a 6-MeV linac to a total of 36 Gy, 1 Gy/day, 4 days/week, for 9 weeks. Beginning in 1988, patients were offered adjuvant PUVA within 2 months of completing TSEBT. This was started at 0.5-2 J/m"2, 1-2 treatments/week, with a taper over 3-6 months. Therapy then continued once per month. There were 39 T1 and 75 T2 patients. Six T1 (15%) and ...
It is now known that various growth factors may also act in the central nervous system. Among them, it has recently been shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) may possess trophic effects in the mammalian brain. We report here on the respective autoradiographic distribution of ["1"2"5I]EGF and ["1"2"5I]IGF-I receptor binding sites in the rat brain, both during ontogeny and in adulthood. It appears that ["1"2"5I]EGF sites are mostly found in the rat forebrain during brain development. On the other hand, ["1"2"5I]IGF-I sites are more widely distributed both during ontogeny and in adulthood. These results reveal the plasticity of the expression of EGF and IGF-I receptor sites in the mammalian brain. This could be relevant for the respective role of these two growth factors in the development and maintenance of neuronal function.
The synthesis of (1',3'-{sup 3}H)4-(4'-azido-5',6',7',8'-tetrahydro-5'5'8',8'-tetramethyl-2'-anthracenyl)benzoic acid is described. This retinoid was designed as a photoaffinity probe of the receptor sites of cellular retinoic acid-binding protein and the nuclear retinoic acid receptor protein. The ({sup 3}H)azidoretinoid was prepared from 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1,1,4,4-tetra-methyl-7-(4-methylphenyl)-5-nitroanthracene in five steps in 15% yield (89% radiochemical purity by HPLC). {sup 1}H and {sup 3}H NMR was used to confirm the sites of {sup 3}H substitution on the ring. (author).
The measurement of physiological parameters in man is possible with the help of positron emission tomography (PET) and radiopharmaceuticals labeled with short lived positron emitters as C 11, N 13, O 15 and F 18. With the use of this substances it is possible to make a tomographic map defining regional metabolic parameters in normal and diseased brain. This technique has therefore also be named 'in vivo autoradiography'. The possibility of applying C 11 or F 18 labeled deoxyglucose with PET for detecting regional and local changes in cerebral metabolic rate of glucose in brain development in children of 5 days to 1 year of age is discussed. Beyond this a relationship between cerebral metabolic rate of glucose, cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen by use of this technique after inhalation of O 15 and C 11-labeled CO_2 is shown. Attention is drawn to the application of C 11-methyl-spiperone and PET to visualize dopamine receptor density in the ...
Aims: Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine 3; 5-HT3) receptors are involved in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and 5-HT3 antagonists are part of the `gold standard' antiemetic treatment during chemotherapy. We investigated the correlation of common variants in 5-HT3 receptor subunit genes with the occurrence of CINV. Materials & methods: A total of 110 previously characterized chemotherapy-naive women with primary breast cancer treated with anthracycline-containing chemotherapy served as a study group for mutational analysis by direct sequencing. Eight common SNPs in the 5-HT3 receptor genes, HTR3A, HTR3B, HTR3D and HTR3E, were selected for association analysis. Results: A nonsynonymous variant in HTR3D, p.G36A (rs6443930), was found to be over-represented in nonresponders, assu...
A hallmark of congestive heart failure (CHF) is the activation of the cardiac endocrine system, in particular atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). The natriuretic peptides are a group of structurally similar but genetically distinct peptides that have diverse actions in cardiovascular, renal, and endocrine homeostasis. ANP and BNP are of myocardial cell origin and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is of endothelial origin. ANP and BNP bind to the natriuretic peptide-A receptor (NPR-A), which, via 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), mediates natriuresis, vasodilatation, renin inhibition, antimitogenesis, and lusitropic properties. CNP lacks natriuretic actions but possesses vasodilating and growth inhibiting actions via the guanylyl cyclase-linked natriuretic peptide-B receptor. All three peptides are cleared by the natriuretic peptide-C receptor and degraded by the ectoenzyme neutral ...
This progress report covers period from Nov. 1, 1989 to Aug. 31, 1990. The long term objective was to develop receptor-binding radiotracers for SPECT or PET imaging of CNS or peripheral nervous system. The specific chemistry aims, as understood on the basis of past findings, were: to synthesize and develop a more polar analogs of 4IQNB, possessing similar binding characteristics but eliminated more rapidly from the surrounding tissues and the target organ, to design a method of introducing a technetium chelating group onto a molecule or cholinergic agent without drastic lowering of its apparent affinity, to synthesize and develop radiotracers based on m-AChR antagonists selective for one of the subtypes of the receptor. The chemistry service aims were to prepare and characterize (R,R)- and (R,S)-4IQNB and derivatives, to provide the triazene intermediate to other investigators, and to provide ({sup 123}I)4IQNB for in vivo imaging. The ...
Crystallography and computer modeling have been used to exploit a previously unexplored channel in the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Highly potent, nonsteroidal indazole amides showing excellent complementarity to the channel were designed with the assistance of the computational technique AlleGrow. The accuracy of the design process was demonstrated through crystallographic structural determination of the GR ligand-binding domain-agonist complex of the D-prolinamide derivative 11. The utility of the channel was further exemplified through the design of a potent phenylindazole in which structural motifs, seen to interact with the traditional GR ligand pocket, were abandoned and replaced by interactions within the new channel. Occupation of the channel was confirmed with a second GR crystal structure of this truncated D-alaninamide derivative 13. Compound 11 displays properties compatible with development as an intranasal solution formulation, whereas oral ...
We report the isolation of cDNA clones for the mouse {alpha}7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit (gene symbol Acra7), the only nicotinic receptor subunit known to bind a-bungarotoxin in mammalian brain. This gene may have relevance to nicotine sensitivity and to some electrophysiologic findings in schizophrenia. The mouse {alpha}7 subunit gene encodes a protein of 502 amino acids with substantial identity to the rat (99.6%), human (92.8%), and chicken (87.5%) amino acid sequences. The {alpha}7 gene was mapped to mouse chromosome 7 near the p locus with the following gene order from proximal to distal: Myod1-3.5 {+-}1.7 cM-Gas2-0.9 cM {+-} 0.9 cM-D7Mit70-1.8 {+-} 1.2 cM- Acra7-4.4 {+-}1.0 cM-Hras1-ps11/Igf1r/Snrp2a. The human gene was confirmed to map to the homologous region of human chromosome 15q13-q14. 26 refs., 3 figs.
The effects of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) on guanylate cyclase activity and cyclic GMP accumulation were examined, since these hormones appear to be intimately associated with blood pressure and intravascular volume homeostasis. ANP was found to increase cyclic GMP accumulation in ten cell culture systems, which were derived from blood vessels, adrenal cortex, kidney, lung, testes and mammary gland. ANP receptors were characterized in intact cultured cells using {sup 125}I-ANP{sub 8-33}. Specific {sup 125}I-ANP binding was saturable and of high affinity. Scratchard analysis of the binding data for all cell types exhibited a straight line, indicating that these cells possessed a single class of binding sites. Despite the presence of linear Scatchard plots, these studies demonstrated that cultured cells possess two functionally and physically distinct ANP-binding sites. Most of the ANP-binding sites in cultured cells have a ...
Abstract. Objective: Lapatinib (Tykerb, GW572016), a potent inhibitor of the catalytic activities of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (ErbB2), inhibits population growth of selected EGFR and HER2 overexpressing cell lines. Previous studies with a small number of cell lines suggest a correlation between overexpression of EGFR and/or HER2 and sensitivity to growth inhibition by lapatinib; however, the precise determinants of lapatinib selectivity for tumour and/or other cells remain unclear. Materials and methods: To clarify the determinants of its selectivity in cultured cells, lapatinib-induced cell population growth inhibition and relative EGFR and HER2 protein expression were quantified in 61 different human tumour cell lines fro...
Structural instability of wild-type fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1 and its dependence on exogenous heparin for optimal activity diminishes its potential utility as a therapeutic agent. Here we evaluated FGFC, an FGF1:FGF2 chimeric protein, for its receptor affinity, absolute heparin-dependence, stability and potential clinical applicability. Using BaF3 transfectants overexpressing each FGF receptor (FGFR) subtype, we found that, like FGF1, FGFC activates all of the FGFR subtypes (i.e., FGFR1c, FGFR1b, FGFR2c, FGFR2b, FGFR3c, FGFR3b and FGFR4) in the presence of heparin. Moreover, FGFC activates FGFRs even in the absence of heparin. FGFC stimulated keratinocytes proliferation much more strongly than FGF2, as would be expected from its ability to activate FGFR2b. FGFC showed greater struct...
The article deals with the effects of various hazardous materials in the working environment. Some of these may be detrimental to the safety and health of the worker. The absorption of hazardous substances by the human body is discussed, as well as the effects of toxic substances. The hazardous substances are classified into the following categories: irritants, asphyxiants, anaesthetics and narcotics, carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, systemic poisons, hazardous particulate matter and the biotransformation of toxic substances. Examples of hazardous substances include: industrial solvents, fumes and vapours, lead, mercury and uranium.
Single-event burnout (SEB) sensitivity was tested for power MOSFET devices, JTMCS081 and JTMCS062, which were made in Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, using californium-252 simulation source. SEB voltage threshold was found for devices under test (DUT). It is helpful for engineers to choose devices used in satellites. (authors)
The authors propose an integrated indicator of pump-rod couplings that allows both the couplings and the pump operations to be appraised according to the given formula. (Formula provided). The dynamic relationships of rod operations were determined with nomographs. These relationships involve such factors as: the type and size of the sucker-rod string; the pressure load at the equalizer head and its correlation to threshold pressure at pump discharge; pump diameter; the rod weight and construction; and integral reliability indicators.
The influence of MeV electrons irradiation on the gate oxide layers of hydrogenated polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) was investigated by measuring gate leakage currents and threshold voltages. The experimental data revealed a decrease of oxide trap density and increase of positive oxide charge. Improvement in the interface roughness and in the oxide quality near the bottom interface was observed.
The influence of MeV electrons irradiation on the gate oxide layers of hydrogenated polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) was investigated by measuring gate leakage currents and threshold voltages. The experimental data revealed a decrease of oxide trap density and increase of positive oxide charge. Improvement in the interface roughness and in the oxide quality near the bottom interface was observed.
Computer tomography used in the diagnosis of tumours is described in the light of particularly great diagnostic difficulties in children. Computer tomography was applied in 12 cases. A high diagnostic value of this method was demonstrated, which makes possible a more accurate diagnosis of the position of the tumour, its size, and expanding tendency. The possibility of estimating healthy tissues and organs, and those with pathological changes on the basis of differences in their density with a detection threshold at 0.5% density difference facilitates not infrequently preoperative diagnosis raising the value of the method.
1. It is not possible to give a threshold value for the dose - nor for genetic neither for somatic late effects. 2. The linear dose-effect exprapolation is not conservative in the sense of 'fying on the safe side'. 3. There has been found no relative reduction of the effects at chronic radiation exposure in man. 4 The numbers given by authorities and utilities for damage rates per rem received, that are called upper limits, are by far too low. (orig./HP).
A search has been made of tachyons associated with cosmic ray showers of energies about 10"1"5 eV by searching for any precursor effects observed in plastic scintillator detectors. Detection thresholds well below most other similar experiments have been reached but no statistically significant effects have been found.