A number of studies have implicated a role for the cell surface glycoprotein CD44 in several biologic events, such as lymphopoiesis, homing, lymphocyte activation, and apoptosis. We have earlier reported that signaling via CD44 on naive B cells in addition to B-cell receptor (BCR) and CD40 engagement generated a germinal center-like phenotype. To further characterize the global role of CD44 in B d

OBJECTIVE: The effects of two antihypertensive drugs, methyldopa and isradipine, on fetal heart rate pattern were analyzed by computerized cardiotocography. STUDY DESIGN: The first part of the study was a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of 19 women with preeclampsia in the third trimester given 2.5 mg of oral slow-release isradipine twice a day or 250 mg of methyldopa three times a day.

Cytokines and hormones are essential mediators in the regulation of antimicrobial peptide and protein (AMP) levels during host defense responses. In this issue, Buchau et al. identify and characterize B-cell leukemia-3 as an important modulator of AMP expression during the innate immune response in keratinocytes as well as in the chronic inflammatory skin disorder atopic dermatitis.

A cloud system resolving model including photo-chemistry (CSRMC) has been developed based on a prototype version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and is used to study influences of deep convection on chemistry in the TOGA COARE/CEPEX region. Lateral boundary conditions for trace gases are prescribed from global chemistry-transport simulations, and the vertical advection of trace

Social capital is often claimed to be promoted by stable social structures such as low migration rates between neighbourhoods and social networks that remain stable over time. However, stable social structures may also inhibit the formation of social capital in the form of social networks and social participation. One example is psychosocial conditions at work, which may be determined by character

Divergent-light halos are halos produced by light from nearby light sources, like street lamps being scattered by small crystals of ice floating in the air. The use of "brute-force" Monte Carlo methods to simulate such halos is extremely inefficient, as most scattered rays will not hit the eye of the observer. I present a new procedure for Monte Carlo simulations of divergent-light halos. This pro

Background: The high-risk method is an important strategy for studying the antecedents and causes of schizophrenia and other psychoses'. The Swedish High-Risk Project is a prospective longitudinal study of offspring of women with a history of schizophrenic, schizoaffective, affective, or unspecified functional psychoses and control women with no history of psychosis. The offspring and their enviro

Identifying relevant subgroups of nonspecific low back pain patients may improve research efficiency and clinical outcomes. This article presents available data supporting the rationale behind a new pathoanatomic oriented classification system for low back pain. A systematic framework was used to assess issues of validity, reliability, feasibility, and generalizability. Results from studies examin

This study explored time-frequency analysis of surface electrocardiograms in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation for monitoring atrial drug action. Drug loading over 3 days with oral flecainide (n = 13) or amiodarone (n = 17) organized the fibrillatory process expressed by decreased atrial fibrillatory rate, increased rate stability, and decreased exponential decay. Effects were more pron

Flows over two tandem cylinders were analysed using the newly developed collocated unstructured computational fluid dynamics (CUCFD) code, which is capable of handling complex geometries. A Reynolds number of 100, based on cylinder diameter, was used to ensure that the flow remained laminar. The validity of the code was tested through comparisons with benchmark solutions for flow in a lid-friven c

This review summarizes the knowledge on striated domains, which are ordered assemblies of transmembrane peptides and lipids under gel-state conditions. The structure, mechanism of function and utility of this system as a model for domain formation is described, resulting in a molecular description of the domains and a discussion on the relevance of these insights for the function/formation and str

In this study, the reversible conversion between the high- (HP) and low-potential (LP) forms of Cytb559 has been analyzed in Tris-washed photosystem II (PSII) enriched membranes. These samples are deprived of the Mn cluster of the water-oxidizing complex (WOC) and the extrinsic regulatory proteins. The results obtained by application of optical and EPR spectroscopy reveal that (i) under aerobic co

The recently discovered apolipoprotein M (apoM) is a plasma protein of the lipocalin family associated with the lipoproteins (mainly high-density lipoproteins, or HDLs). Expression of the apoM gene in the liver is regulated by transcription factors that control key steps in hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism. Although the concentration of plasma apoM correlates with that of cholesterol, apoM was

The number of leads needed in clinical electrocardiography depends on the clinical problem to be solved. The standard 12-lead ECG is so well established that alternative lead systems must prove their advantage through well-conducted clinical studies to achieve clinical acceptance. Certain additional leads seem to add valuable information in specific patient groups. The use of a large number of lea

To address the targeting of G protein-coupled receptors to caveolae-related lipid rafts (CLR), we studied the human B2 (B2R) and B1 (B1R) bradykinin receptor subtypes in HEK293 cells. CLR were enriched on the basis of their unique buoyant density and composition of cholesterol, caveolin-1, and flotillin-1 but not clathrin. CLR contained B2R and B1R as determined by both receptor immunoblotting and