Tapasin (Tpn) is an ER chaperone that is uniquely dedicated to MHC-I biosynthesis. It binds MHC-I molecules, integrates them into peptide-loading complexes, and exerts quality control of the bound peptides; only when an "optimal peptide" is bound will the MHC-I be released and exported to the cell surface for presentation to T cells. The exact mechanisms of Tpn quality control and the criteria for

Ongoing adverse events (AEs) at 4-years postsurgery in 69 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) who received deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) (n = 49) or the internal globus pallidus (GPi) (n = 20), in the framework of a subset of eight centers of a multicenter study, were analyzed by an independent ad hoc committee. At baseline, the patients' age, sex, disea

In a search for airway epithelial mechanisms that may affect the subepithelial microcirculation, we examined plasma exudation responses to NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor. L-NAME was applied topically on the tracheal mucosa of guinea pigs that had previously received 125I-albumin and/or colloidal gold particles (5 nm) intravenously. Luminal entry

A significant proportion of familial breast cancers cannot be explained by mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. We applied a strategy to identify predisposition loci for breast cancer by using mathematical models to identify early somatic genetic deletions in tumor tissues followed by targeted linkage analysis. Comparative genomic hybridization was used to study 61 breast tumors from 37 breast c

Background: The physiological determinants of left ventricular mass (LVM) measured by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging are not well defined as prior investigators have studied either adults or adolescents in isolation or have not strictly excluded hypertension or accounted for the effects of exercise habits, haemodynamic, demographic, or body shape characteristics. Methods: A total of 102

A three-dimensional (3-D) imaging system for studies of reactive and non-reactive flows is described. It can be used to reveal the topology of turbulent structures and to extract 3-D quantities, such as concentration gradients. Measurements are performed using a high repetition rate laser and detector system in combination with a scanning mirror. In this study, the system is used for laser-induced

In a uniform granite gneiss study area in central Zimbabwe, lineaments oriented parallel to the maximum regional compressive stress orientation exhibit the thickest regolith development, while lineaments oriented perpendicular to the maximum compressive stress show the shallowest development of weathered regolith. The principal fracture set orientations were mapped using aerial imagery. The region

We employ a mesoscopic model for studying aggregation processes of proteinlike hydrophobic-polar heteropolymers. By means of multicanonical Monte Carlo computer simulations, we find strong indications that peptide aggregation is a phase separation process, in which the microcanonical entropy exhibits a convex intruder due to non-negligible surface effects of the small systems. We analyze thermodyn

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The molecular mechanisms of insulin release are only partially known. Among putative factors for coupling glucose metabolism to insulin secretion, anaplerosis has lately received strong support. The anaplerotic enzyme pyruvate carboxylase is highly expressed in beta cells, and anaplerosis influences insulin secretion in beta cells. By inhibiting pyruvate carboxylase in rat islets,

BACKGROUND. in this retrospective data base study, the authors sought to estimate direct costs for bone fractures in women age 65 years with early-stage breast carcinoma and to compare those costs with treatment costs for bone fractures in older women without early-stage breast carcinoma. METHODS. Direct costs for bone fractures in patients with early-stage breast carcinoma, which consist of exces

Swifts regularly spend the night flying at high altitude. From previous studies based on tracking radar observations, we know that they stay airborne during the night and prefer to orient themselves into the wind direction with an increased angular concentration with increasing wind speed. In this study, we investigated the orientation relative to the wind of individual swifts by frequency (discre

Kindling is an animal model of epilepsy in which repeated electrical stimulations lead to progressive and permanent amplification of seizure activity, culminating in generalized convulsions. Each brief period of seizure activity during kindling epileptogenesis causes a marked, transient increase of the synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in cortical and hippocampal neurons. We fi

The solubility of 1,8-cineole, alpha-pinene, limonene, their mixtures and the extract of eucalyptus leaf oils in supercritical carbon dioxide were determined using the dynamic method at 80, 100, 150, and 250 bar and 40 and 60 degreesC for each pressure. The results showed an increase in the solubility of all oils with an increase in pressure and a decrease with temperature. The mixtures of both pu

We measured the optical properties on samples of rat liver tissue before and after laser-induced thermotherapy performed in vivo with Nd:YAG laser irradiation. This made it possible to monitor not only the influence of coagulation on the scattering properties but also the influence of damages to vessels and heat-induced damage to blood on the absorption properties. An experimental integrating-sphe

The origins and spread of eastern Mediterranean civilizations 4000-2000 years ago constitute defining events in human development. Interregional connections across the sea played critical roles in building increasingly sophisticated economies and societies. Research of trade and exchange among these first centers has relied upon ancient societies' archaeological artifacts. The most ubiquitous arti

Objective: to conceptualise mothers’ and fathers’ thoughts and feelings before, during and after the routine ultrasound examination during the second trimester of pregnancy. Design, setting and participants: a grounded theory study. Two to four weeks after their ultrasound examination, 22 Swedish mothers and 22 fathers were interviewed in their homes. Findings: the basic social process was co

During revision total hip replacement using morcellised compacted bone allograft, 16 patients were randomised to receive a graft which had been rinsed in either an ibandronate solution or in saline. Patients were assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry after operation and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months. A region of interest between the tip of the femoral stem and the distal plastic plug was chosen