IdeS, a recently discovered cysteine proteinase secreted by the important human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, interferes with phagocytic killing by specifically cleaving the heavy chain of immunoglobulin G. The fact that the enzyme targets one of the key molecules of the adapted immune response raised the question of whether an antibody response against IdeS could inhibit, i.e., neutralize, enz

Contact allergy to and allergic contact dermatitis from methyldibromo glutaronitrile (MDBGN) have frequently been reported. As there has been no agreement on which MDBGN test preparation to use, a study was initiated to help determine the optimal patch test preparation for MDBGN. 2661 consecutively patch tested patients at 11 test clinics representing 9 European countries participated. Petrolatum

The low specificity of screening ELISAs for antibodies to hepatitis C virus in blood donors has called for confirmatory tests. Two types of supplementary antibody assays are available, recombinant immunoblot assays (RIBA-1 and RIBA-2) and an antibody consumption test referred to as a neutralization assay. Amplification of viral nucleic acid by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provides an antibo

The chemical activity of organic chemicals directs their diffusion and partitioning and is consequently crucial for their transport, distribution, and toxic effects. A silicone membrane equilibrator is introduced for measuring the chemical activity of nonpolar organic chemicals in lipid-rich samples: (I) A 6 m poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microtube (300 mum i.d., 640 mum o.d.) was placed in a sam

We have cloned a cDNA for a myocardial cGMP-inhibited cAMP phosphodiesterase (cGI PDE) from a human heart cDNA library in lambda Zap II. The open reading frame [3.5 kilobases (kb)] of cDNA clone n.13.2 (7.7 kb) encodes a protein of 125 kDa. In Northern blots of total human ventricle RNA, a single mRNA species (8.3 kb) hybridized with a 4-kb EcoRI restriction fragment of clone n.13.2 cDNA (containi

Desmopressin is often used for haemostatic treatment in platelet dysfunction, but the effect kinetics of platelet responses and the mechanism of action are poorly known. This study aimed to determine the kinetics of platelet function responses induced by desmopressin in healthy volunteers treated with aspirin or placebo. Another aim was to correlate platelet responses to changes of von Willebrand

A cell-based biosensor system was designed for monitoring an anaerobic process for treatment of high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels in wastewater samples from a factory processing concentrated rubber latex. The BOD biosensor used immobilized mixed culture of microorganisms as the biological sensing element and an oxygen electrode as the transducer. The assay principle is based on the deter

We have compared the basic organization of the primary olfactory centre, the antennal lobe (AL), in 4 hemipteran species representing the 2 major lineages in this order. The Homoptera were represented by the psyllid Trioza apicalis and its aphid relatives the grain aphid Sitobion avenae Fabricius and the rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum Walker, whereas the Heteroptera were represented by th

Yeast to be used in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of lignocelluloses materials has to be prepared in a separate cultivation step. The effects of the cultivation procedure on the performance of SSF of steam pretreated softwood were studied in the current work. The yeast used in the SSF was either directly commercially available Baker's yeast (as packaged yeast) or the same st

OBJECTIVE To integrate the mapping of ERG alterations with the collection of expression microarray (EMA) data, as previous EMA analyses have failed to consider the genetic heterogeneity and complex patterns of ERG alteration frequently found in cancerous prostates. MATERIALS AND METHODS We determined genome-wide expression levels with GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA,

The mechanisms underlying the increase in volume of muscle tissue, and the functional development of muscle fibers from childhood through adolescence to adult age, have been studied. Cross sections of autopsied whole vastus lateralis muscle from 22 previously physically healthy males, 5 to 37 years of age, were prepared enzyme histochemically (myofibrillar ATPase) and examined morphometrically. Th

Protein kinase C (PKC) plays a prominent role in immune signaling, and the paradigms for isoform selective signaling are beginning to be elucidated. Real-time microscopy was combined with molecular and biochemical approaches to demonstrate a role for PKC-epsilon in Fcgamma receptor (FcgammaR)-dependent phagocytosis. RAW 264.7 macrophages were transfected with GFP-conjugated PKC isoforms, and GFP m

Aseptic loosening of a joint prosthesis is associated with remodelling of bone tissue in the vicinity of the prosthesis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of synovial fluid ( SF) from patients with a loose prosthetic component and periprosthetic osteolysis on osteoclast and osteoblast activities in vitro and made comparisons with the effects of SF from patients with osteoarthritis

The lubricating effect of styrene-dimethylsiloxane block copolymer films spin cast on Si wafers was found to increase with increasing size of the poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) block. Friction properties of symmetrical and close-to-symmetrical block copolymers were evaluated in contact with bromobutyl rubber in a plate-on-plate configuration. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the copolym

The effect of ethanol on the characteristics of carbachol-stimulated release of Ca2+ from intracellular Ca2+ stores was studied in single SH-SY5Y cells. Stimulation with carbachol, in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, elicited a rapid Ca2+ increase in SH-SY5Y cells peaking within seconds after addition of maximal agonist concentration. The Ca2+ response pattern in single cells resembled the popul

The adsorption of CO on narrosized gold particles deposited on a cerium oxide substrate is strongly influenced by the roughness and concentration of oxygen vacancies of the CeOx substrate surface. Literature showed that Au nucleates at step edges on oxidized samples. For oxidized samples we found that the Au dispersion is dependent on the surface roughness. A rough CeO2 surface has a higher step d