CpG DNA induced IL-12 p40 gene activation is independent of STAT1 activation or production of interferon consensus sequence binding protein.

The host immune system responds to CpG motifs in bacterial DNA by rapidly producing proinflammatory cytokines. The host response to CpG DNA resembles, in many ways, the response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). While both agents can induce a powerful inflammatory response, CpG DNA promotes Th1 and suppresses Th2 immunity.

Controlling hypertension to reduce the risk of stroke.

Long-term hypertension has been implicated as one of the greatest risk factors for the cause of stroke, but yet it is a very controllable one. The risks of stroke increase with age and, as the population of the United States grows older, the number of people who will experience a stroke will greatly increase. In the past, various antihypertensive therapies have proved to lower blood pressure with a resulting decrease in stroke.

Impacts of soil faunal community composition on model grassland ecosystems.

Human impacts, including global change, may alter the composition of soil faunal communities, but consequences for ecosystem functioning are poorly understood. We constructed model grassland systems in the Ecotron controlled environment facility and manipulated soil community composition through assemblages of different animal body sizes. Plant community composition, microbial and root biomass, decomposition rate, and mycorrhizal colonization were all markedly affected.

With the worms: Soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

The role of soil as a carbon sink, nutrient recycler and pollutant remover is becoming increasingly apparent. But it is the animals and microbes that live in the soil that enable all these activities. Do we know enough about these systems to prevent permanent damage?

P2X7 receptors activate protein kinase D and p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) downstream of protein kinase C.

Protein kinase D (PKD), also called protein kinase Cmu (PKCmu), is a serine/threonine kinase that has unique enzymic and structural properties distinct from members of the PKC family of proteins. In freshly isolated rat parotid acinar salivary cells, extracellular ATP rapidly increased the activity and phosphorylation of PKD. The stimulation by ATP required high concentrations, was mimicked by the P2X(7) receptor ligand BzATP [2'- and 3'-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)ATP], and was blocked by Mg(2+) and 4,4'-di-isothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulphonate (DIDS), suggesting that activation of PKD was mediated by P2X(7) receptors, which are ligand-gated non-selective cation channels.

A quantitative genetic analysis of phenotypic plasticity of diapause induction in the cricket Allonemobius socius.

Although numerous studies have indicated that diapause is heritable and phenotypically plastic, none of them has examined the quantitative genetic basis of this plasticity. In this paper we report such an analysis for egg diapause in the cricket Allonemobius socius, the induction of which appears to be largely determined by the mother. We analysed the quantitative genetic basis of the phenotypically plastic response of female A.

Involvement of protein kinases and phosphatases in tyrosine phosphorylation of PKCdelta in rat parotid acinar cells exposed to secretory stimuli.

The aim of these studies was to examine the involvement of tyrosine phosphorylation in the signal transduction pathways and secretory events that are promoted by receptor agonists acting on rat parotid acinar cells. Fluid secretion by parotid acinar cells is initiated by the binding of neurotransmitters to GTP(G)-protein-coupled receptors that are linked to phospholipase C, which hydrolyzes phosphatidlyinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. Although growth factors produce large changes in tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple proteins involved in proliferation and other cellular processes, tyrosine phosphorylation is not considered to be a general phenomenon of G-protein-coupled receptor activation.

Sonography of gallbladder abnormalities in acromegaly patients following octreotide and ursodiol therapy: incidence and time course.

Purpose: We studied the effects of octreotide and ursodiol on the gallbladders of patients with acromegaly.

Methods: We performed gallbladder sonography in patients with acromegaly at various intervals during treatment. Group I (18 patients) was treated with subcutaneous injections of the somatostatin analogue octreotide.

The cross-contamination and survival of Salmonella enteritidis PT4 on sterile and non-sterile foodstuffs.

The ability of two strains of Salmonella enteritidis PT4 to cross-contaminate from inoculated egg droplets on surfaces onto melon or beef (sterile or non-sterile) was investigated. When the foods were placed on these surfaces where egg droplets were still wet, cross-contamination occurred within 1 s onto every piece of food. It took at least 1 min for all the food pieces to be contaminated when egg droplets had been allowed to dry.

Genetic and phenotypic sources of life history variation along a cline in voltinism in the cricket Allonemobius socius.

Clinal variation in life histories can be genetically based, resulting from selection imposed by different environments, or it may be due to the differential expression of phenotypically plastic traits. We examined the cline in voltinism in the egg-diapausing cricket Allonemobius socius, with populations spanning the switch from a univoltine to a bivoltine phenology. A common garden experiment was employed, using environments that mimicked photoperiod and temperature conditions found in the field.

Intraoperative ultrasound-directed resection of pituitary tumors.

Microadenomas of the pituitary vary in size, particularly those related to Cushing's disease. They are often not visualized on preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and may be difficult to find during surgical exploration of the pituitary. To enhance intraoperative localization of pituitary adenomas, we assessed the feasibility of using ultrasound to detect and localize pituitary tumors.

The nature and source of the head injuries sustained by restrained front-seat car occupants in frontal collisions.

The paper examines the types of head injury sustained by restrained front-seat car occupants in frontal collisions. Injuries are classified into soft tissue, diffuse and focal brain injuries and facial bone or skull fractures. Survivors seldom sustain focal injuries although these are common amongst fatalities.

Extended proximal femoral osteotomy. A new technique for femoral revision arthroplasty.

An osteotomy technique for removal of distally fixed cemented and cementless femoral components is described. The anterolateral proximal femur is cut for one third of its circumference, extended distally, and levered open on an anterolateral hinge of periosteum and muscle. This creates an intact muscle-osseous sleeve composed of the gluteus medius, greater trochanter, anterolateral femoral diaphysis, and vastus lateralis, and exposes the fixation surface as well as distal cement.

Removal of a well-fixed cementless femoral component with an extended proximal femoral osteotomy.

Removal of a stable, well-fixed cementless femoral arthroplasty component occasionally is necessary because of infection, component malposition, persistent pain, or incompatibility with a femoral revision component. Restricted access to ingrowth surfaces may make implant removal exceedingly difficult and increases the risk of iatrogenic damage to the proximal femur. A new extended proximal femoral osteotomy technique is described for use in removing well-fixed cementless femoral components.

Constructing an urban deprivation index: a way of meeting the need for flexibility.

The authors examine the use of census data to construct an urban deprivation index for the United Kingdom, with special attention given to the need for flexibility. "A single index is rejected in favour of a matrix of results which captures the complex geography of deprivation. The matrix of districts includes measures of the degree of deprivation, its spatial extent, its intensity, and the spatial distribution of deprivation at the enumeration district scale.

Acetabular defect classification: a detailed radiographic approach.

This classification system was developed based on clinically significant recurrent patterns of acetabular bone loss. The classification has now been refined with four specific radiographic parameters that provide specific criteria to classify each defect accurately. This detailed radiographic analysis is based on findings on the plain anterior-posterior pelvis radiograph and eliminates the need for costly computed tomography scans.

Hip revision surgery with cemented, cementless or hybrid prosthesis.

The authors report how the choice of a prosthesis for implantation (cemented or cementless), must be made only after a careful evaluation of the type of osteolysis present. This preoperative evaluation, based on a classification that was previously described, will also guide the choice of any grafts that may be of small size to massive depending on the loss of substance.

Acetabular reconstruction with massive allograft and cementless prosthesis.

The authors standardize the method to use for a correct approach to acetabular reconstruction in relation to the loss of bone tissue. In type 1 or 2A and C loss, cancellous bone and porous hemispheric acetabula may be used. In type 2B loss there are 3 options: a small acetabulum with a high rotation center, a larger component leaving 30% of the superoexternal portion uncovered, or a larger component with a supporting superoexternal graft.

Femoral reconstruction with massive allograft and cementless prosthesis.

Classification of loss of bone substance in cases of prosthetic loosening allow for planning of the most suitable type of reconstructive surgery. The use of cemented prostheses has revealed negative long-term results. For this reason a cementless implant which is entirely coated is preferred in order to allow for distal anchoring (particularly in type 2B and 2C loosening).

Classification of bone defects in failed prostheses.

The authors report a classification system in grades, based on preoperative x-rays of the bone loss surrounding a loosened implant that may be cemented or cementless. Moreover, this classification system allows for the prior choice of which prosthesis to use at the time of reimplantation, and which type of graft depending on whether or not the residual bone guarantees mechanical hold of the implant.