Synergy between T cell Receptor and Fas (CD95/APO-1) signaling in mouse thymocyte death

Both extracellular and intracellular calcium (Ca2+) play important roles in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) and the vasoconstrictor responses to endogenous pulmonary vasoconstrictor substances, as evidenced by the effect of calcium-channel blockers on these vasoconstrictor responses and the measurement of changes in Ca2+ flux or intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in isolated cells. The more vasoselective the calcium-channel blocker, the greater its effect on pulmonary vasoconstriction. However, these drugs are not selective for the pulmonary vascular bed and are not as potent as pulmonary vasodilators when compared with other vasodilator drugs, including prostaglandin E1, isoproterenol, prostacyclin, or nitroglycerin. Moreover, the primary effect of vasoselective calcium-channel blockers on pulmonary vascular resistance is secondary to the effects of these agents on systemic vascular resistance and cardiac output. Although there is improvement in oxygen delivery, exercise tolerance, and survival in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension who respond to calcium-channel blockers, the response of individual patients to these drugs is difficult to predict because the extent of reversible versus irreversible changes in the pulmonary vasculature is not known. The use of these drugs in patients with chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction may be associated with a worsening of ventilation-perfusion mismatching secondary to inhibition of HPV.     

The nucleation and growth of calcium phosphate crystals at protein and phosphatidylserine liposome surfaces

The kinetics of calcium phosphate crystal growth at the surfaces of proteins and phospholipids has been investigated using free drift and constant composition methods in supersaturated calcium phosphate solutions (relative supersaturations: with respect to hydroxyapatite, HAP, sigma HAP = 15.0, and with respect to octacalcium phosphate, OCP, sigma OCP = 1.9). Fibrinogen and collagen molecules adsorbed at hydrophobic surfaces as well as uncross-linked collagen fibrils induce ion binding and subsequent nucleation of calcium phosphate. The formation of OCP on phosphatidylserine vesicles introduced to highly supersaturated calcium phosphate solutions probably involves the interaction of the calcium ions with the ionized carboxylic groups of the phospholipid.     

Bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency--clinical course and laboratory findings in eight affected animals

To compare multiple and singleton pregnancies in the treatment of threatened preterm delivery with prolonged intravenous ritodrine, 32 women with multiple pregnancy (26 twins, 6 triplets, 70 fetuses, 30.3 +/- 3.5 weeks) and 51 women with singleton pregnancy (31.3 +/- 2.6 weeks) admitted for threatened preterm delivery without rupture of the membranes were the subjects of a retrospective study of obstetric data, perinatal outcome and maternal adverse effects. Significance was assessed by chi 2 test and Student's t test. Multiple pregnancies were associated with a marked increase in the duration of tocolysis (17.2 +/- 17.3 vs. 7.6 +/- 8.1 days, P < 0.01), incidence of delivery before 37 weeks (87.5 vs. 35.3%, P < 0.01) and incidence of maternal cardiovascular complications (34.4 vs. 4.0%, P < 0.01), including three cases of pulmonary edema. The incidences of delivery before 32 weeks (12.5 vs. 7.8%) and of neonatal death (2.9 vs. 0%) were not significantly different in the two groups. Multiple pregnancies dramatically increased the incidence of maternal adverse effects of prolonged intravenous ritodrine therapy. Neonatal benefit is questionable and was difficult to establish since it was not a randomized study.     

GBP, an inhibitor of GSK-3, is implicated in Xenopus development and oncogenesis

Dorsal accumulation of beta-catenin in early Xenopus embryos is required for body axis formation. Recent evidence indicates that beta-catenin is dorsally stabilized by the localized inhibition of the kinase Xgsk-3, utilizing a novel Wnt ligand-independent mechanism. Using a two-hybrid screen, we identified GBP, a maternal Xgsk-3-binding protein that is homologous to a T cell protooncogene in three well-conserved domains. GBP inhibits in vivo phosphorylation by Xgsk-3, and ectopic GBP expression induces an axis by stabilizing beta-catenin within Xenopus embryos. Importantly, antisense oligonucleotide depletion of the maternal GBP mRNA demonstrates that GBP is required for the establishment of the dorsal-ventral axis in Xenopus embryos. Our results define a family of GSK-3-binding proteins with roles in development and cell proliferation.     

An analysis of simultaneous variation in protein structures

The simultaneous substitution of pairs of buried amino acid side chains during divergent evolution has been examined in a set of protein families with known crystal structures. A weak signal is found that shows that amino acid pairs near in space in the folded structure preferentially undergo substitution in a compensatory way. Three different physicochemical types of covariation 'signals' were then examined separately, with consideration given to the evolutionary distance at which different types of compensation occur. Where the compensatory covariation tends towards retaining the combined residue volumes, the signal is significant only at very low evolutionary distances. Where the covariation compensates for changes in the hydrogen bonding, the signal is strongest at intermediate evolutionary distances. Covariations that compensate for charge variations appeared with equal strength at all the evolutionary distances examined. A recipe is suggested for using the weak covariation signal to assemble the predicted secondary structural elements, where the evolutionary distance, covariation type and weighting are considered together with the tertiary structural context (interior or surface) of the residues being examined.      

Time resolved study of electrode reactions using Fourier transform impedance spectroscopy: mutually correlated adsorption kinetics of Cu and ClO4 on gold

This work demonstrates the time resolved capability of Fourier transform electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (FT-EIS) for in situ kinetic studies of electrode reactions. The model system studied here is a gold electrode, employed as a substrate for dc voltage controlled deposition and stripping of copper in the presence of ClO₄⁻ ions in an aqueous electrolyte. Full Nyquist plots are collected through 1-s intervals during the occurrence of dc voltage controlled surface reactions. Distinctly different signatures of deposition and stripping of Cu are observed in the time resolved EIS data. Mutually coupled EIS features of ClO₄⁻ and Cu²⁺ indicate how the two types of ions affect each other’s adsorption kinetics as functions of the applied dc voltage.     

Water Vapor Effects on the Oxidation Behavior of Fe–Cr and Ni–Cr Alloys in Atmospheres Relevant to Oxy-fuel Combustion

The oxidation behavior of a number of Fe–Cr- and Ni–Cr-based alloys was studied in atmospheres relevant to oxyfuel combustion at 650?°C. Oxidation was greatly enhanced in ferritic model alloys exposed in low p(O₂) CO₂?+?30%H₂O and Ar?+?30%H₂O gases. Rapidly growing iron oxides appear to be porous and gas permeable. Transition from non-protective to protective oxidation occurs on alloys with higher Cr contents between 13.5 and 22?wt% in H₂O. Excess oxygen, usually found in the actual oxyfuel combustion environments, disrupts the selective oxidation of Fe–Cr alloys by accelerating vaporization of early-formed Cr₂O₃ in combination with accelerated chromia growth induced by the H₂O. Rapid Cr consumption leads to the nucleation and rapid growth of iron oxides. On the contrary, Ni–Cr alloys are less affected by the presence of H₂O and excess O₂. The difference between Fe–Cr and Ni–Cr alloys is not clear but is postulated to involve less acceleration of chromia growth by water vapor for the latter group of alloys.