Phosphorus Clearance Using Two Hemodialyzers Placed in Parallel.

Control of hyperphosphatemia is a major goal in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, removal of retained inorganic phosphorus during hemodialysis remains a major problem. We compared clearances and total phosphate removal in large patients treated with two F-80 dialyzers (Fresenius Medical Care of North America, Lexington, MA, U.

Cell density mediated pericellular hypoxia leads to induction of HIF-1alpha via nitric oxide and Ras/MAP kinase mediated signaling pathways.

Environmental signals in the cellular milieu such as hypoxia, growth factors, extracellular matrix (ECM), or cell-surface molecules on adjacent cells can activate signaling pathways that communicate the state of the environment to the nucleus. Several groups have evaluated gene expression or signaling pathways in response to increasing cell density as an in vitro surrogate for in vivo cell-cell interactions. These studies have also perhaps assumed that cells grown at various densities in standard in vitro incubator conditions do not have different pericellular oxygen levels.

CD8(+) T cell-mediated injury in vivo progresses in the absence of effector T cells.

Tissue injury is a common sequela of acute virus infection localized to a specific organ such as the lung. Tissue injury is an immediate consequence of infection with lytic viruses. It can also result from the direct destruction of infected cells by effector CD8(+) T lymphocytes and indirectly through the action of the T cell-derived proinflammatory cytokines and recruited inflammatory cells on infected and uninfected tissue.

Molecular evolution: actin's long lost relative found.

The bacterial protein MreB has been identified as a prokaryotic homolog of the eukaryotic cytoskeletal protein actin. While we still know little about MreB's function, the structural similarities and differences between MreB and actin provide more insight into the remarkable properties of actin.

Influence of graft ischemic time on outcomes following lung transplantation.

Background: Reperfusion injury is the most common cause of early mortality following lung transplantation. Although cold graft ischemic time has been reported to influence this injury, some lung grafts with short ischemic times develop significant reperfusion injury, whereas other grafts with more prolonged ischemic times do not develop injury. Our hypothesis was that ischemic time did not significantly influence reperfusion injury or other outcomes following lung transplantation.

Archaeal RadA protein binds DNA as both helical filaments and octameric rings.

The Escherichia coli RecA protein has been a model for understanding homologous eukaryotic recombination proteins such as Rad51. The active form of both RecA and Rad51 appear to be helical filaments polymerized on DNA, in which an unusual helical structure is induced in the DNA. Surprisingly, the human meiosis-specific homolog of RecA, Dmc1, has thus far only been observed to bind DNA as an octameric ring.

WbjA adds glucose to complete the O-antigen trisaccharide repeating unit of the lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa serogroup O11.

Lipopolysaccharide from a wbjA mutant, deficient in a putative glycosyltransferase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa serogroup O11, was compared to that from an O-antigen polymerase mutant. Results suggest that WbjA adds the terminal glucose to complete the serogroup O11 O-antigen unit and identifies the biological repeating unit as [-2)-beta-D-glucose-(1-3)-alpha-L-N-acetylfucosamine-(1-3)-beta-D-N-acetylfucosamine-(1].

E2 supplementation selectively relieves GH's autonegative feedback on GH-releasing peptide-2-stimulated GH secretion.

Female gender confers resistance to GH autonegative feedback in the adult rat, thereby suggesting gonadal or estrogenic modulation of autoregulation of the somatotropic axis. Here we test the clinical hypothesis that short-term E2 replacement in ovariprival women reduces GH's repression of spontaneous, GHRH-, and GH-releasing peptide (GHRP)-stimulated GH secretion. To this end, we appraised GH autoinhibition in nine healthy postmenopausal volunteers during a prospective, randomly ordered supplementation with placebo vs.

Vulvar melanoma: a retrospective analysis and literature review.

Objective: This review focuses on current directions in the staging and treatment of melanoma of the vulva.

Methods: All women treated for invasive melanoma of the vulva at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center from 1980 through 2000 were identified through a retrospective review of the records of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. Their treatments and outcomes were then analyzed and presented.

Identification of a conserved loop in Mog1 that releases GTP from Ran.

Ran regulates nuclear import and export pathways by coordinating the assembly and disassembly of transport complexes. These transport reactions are linked to the GTPase cycle and subcellular distribution of Ran. Mog1 is an evolutionarily conserved nuclear protein that binds RanGTP and stimulates guanine nucleotide release, suggesting Mog1 regulates the nuclear transport functions of Ran.

Diminished allopregnanolone enhancement of GABA(A) receptor currents in a rat model of chronic temporal lobe epilepsy.

1. Neurosteroid modulation of GABA(A) receptors present on dentate granule cells (DGCs) acutely isolated from epileptic (epileptic DGCs) or control rats (control DGCs) was studied by application of GABA with or without the modulators and by measuring the amplitude of peak whole-cell currents. 2.

Abeta(1-42) and aluminum induce stress in the endoplasmic reticulum in rabbit hippocampus, involving nuclear translocation of gadd 153 and NF-kappaB.

Apoptosis may represent a prominent form of neuronal death in chronic neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Although apoptosis under mitochondrial control has received considerable attention, mechanisms used within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nucleus in mediating apoptotic signals are not well understood. A growing body of evidence is emerging from different studies which suggests an active role for the ER in regulating apoptosis.

Physiologic hyperinsulinemia enhances human skeletal muscle perfusion by capillary recruitment.

Despite intensive study, the relation between insulin's action on blood flow and glucose metabolism remains unclear. Insulin-induced changes in microvascular perfusion, independent from effects on total blood flow, could be an important variable contributing to insulin's metabolic action. We hypothesized that modest, physiologic increments in plasma insulin concentration alter microvascular perfusion in human skeletal muscle and that these changes can be assessed using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU), a validated method for quantifying flow by measurement of microvascular blood volume (MBV) and microvascular flow velocity (MFV).

Gonadotropin subunit transcriptional responses to calcium signals in the rat: evidence for regulation by pulse frequency.

Alterations in the frequency of calcium influx signals to rat pituitary cells can regulate the expression of gonadotropin subunit mRNAs in a differential manner, producing effects that are similar to those previously found for GnRH. The present study was conducted to investigate whether this reflects a transcriptional response to calcium pulse frequency, as determined by alterations in primary transcript (PT) expression. Perifused rat pituitary cells were given pulses of the calcium channel-activator Bay K 8644 (BK; with 10 mM KCl in the injectate) for 6 h.

Contribution of the helix-loop-helix factor Id2 to regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation plays a key role in vascular proliferative disorders. The molecular mechanisms that control cell cycle entry of SMCs in response to vascular injury are not well understood. Id2 (inhibitor of DNA binding) is a member of the helix-loop-helix (HLH) family of transcription regulators that are known to promote cell cycle progression.

Trilateral retinoblastoma variant indicative of the relevance of the retinoblastoma tumor-suppressor pathway to medulloblastomas in humans.

Results of recent studies have led investigators to suggest that the retinoblastoma tumor-suppressor (rb) gene plays an underappreciated role in the genesis of brain tumors. Such tumors cause significant rates of mortality in children suffering from hereditary retinoblastoma. It has been assumed that the pineal gland, which is ontogenetically related to the retina, accounts for the intracranial origin of these trilateral neoplasms.

A method for UV-bonding in the fabrication of glass electrophoretic microchips.

This paper presents an approach for the development of methodologies amenable to simple and inexpensive microchip fabrication, potentially applicable to dissimilar materials bonding and chip integration. The method involves a UV-curable glue that can be used for glass microchip fabrication bonding at room temperature. This involves nothing more than fabrication of glue "guide channels" into the microchip architecture that upon exposure to the appropriate UV light source, bonds the etched plate and cover plate together.

Disruption of inhibition in area CA1 of the hippocampus in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Previous studies have revealed a loss of neurons in layer III of the entorhinal cortex (EC) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. These neurons project to the hippocampus and may activate inhibitory interneurons, so that their loss could disrupt inhibitory function in the hippocampus. The present study evaluates this hypothesis in a rat model in which layer III neurons were selectively destroyed by focal injections of the indirect excitotoxin, aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA).

Pathways mediating the nuclear import of histones H3 and H4 in yeast.

The correct assembly of chromatin is necessary for the maintenance of genomic stability in eukaryotic cells. A critical step in the assembly of new chromatin is the cell cycle-regulated synthesis and nuclear import of core histones. Here we demonstrate that the nuclear import pathway of histones H3 and H4 is mediated by at least two karyopherins/importins, Kap123p and Kap121p.

Epidural steroids.

Although possessing a long history of use, the therapeutic use of epidural steroid injections still needs substantiation. Refinements in our understanding of the pathophysiology of radicular pain and in the techniques used to deliver depo-steroids to the target tissue will lead to improved clinical outcomes and fewer technique and drug-related side effects. Administration of epidural steroids at lumbar spine sites is more common than at cervical spine levels, although the same pain management concepts are applicable.