Multiple signaling pathways for the activation of JNK in mast cells: involvement of Bruton's tyrosine kinase, protein kinase C, and JNK kinases, SEK1 and MKK7

Stimulation of the high affinity IgE receptor (FC epsilonRI) as well as a variety of stresses induce activation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinases (JNKs) stress-activated protein kinases in mast cells. At least three distinct signaling pathways leading to JNK activation have been delineated based on the involvements of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), protein kinase C (PKC), and the JNK-activating cascades composed of multiple protein kinases. The PKC-dependent pathway, which is inhibited by a PKC inhibitor Ro31-8425 and can be activated by PMA, functions as a major route in FC epsilon RI-stimulated mast cells derived from btk gene knockout mice. On the other hand, wild-type mouse-derived mast cells use both PKC-dependent and PKC-independent pathways for JNK activation. A PKC-independent pathway is regulated by Btk and SEK1 via the PAK-->MEKK1-->SEK1-->JNK cascade, and is sensitive to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin and LY-294002, while the PKC-dependent pathway is affected to a lesser extent by both wortmannin treatment and overexpression of wild-type and dominant negative mutant SEK1 proteins. Another PKC-independent pathway involves Btk and MKK7, a recently cloned direct activator of JNK. Among the stresses tested, UV irradiation seems to activate Btk and JNK via the PKC-independent pathways.     

Application of multiplex PCR for detection of non-O157 verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli in bloody stools: identification of serogroups O26 and O111

Primers were designed to amplify sequences of verocytotoxin genes and eaeA genes of Escherichia coli O26:H11, O111:H8, and O157:H7 in a multiplex PCR assay. This assay successfully detected E. coli O26:H11 in bloody stool specimens in which other enteric pathogens were not detected by culture-based methods. Rapid assays to detect non-O157:H7 verocytotoxin-producing E. coli is important to improve methods for the etiologic diagnosis of hemorrhagic colitis.     

Perimortem calcaneal and talar fractures sustained in a military air crash in Vietnam

The authors report on the skeletal elements of a minimum of 37 men who died in 1965 when their C-123 cargo airplane crashed into a mountainside in South Vietnam. Natural environmental processes reduced their bodies to skeletons; these osseous remains were recovered from the crash site nearly 10 years later. Among the remains were the calcanei and tali of at least 37 people. These bones, devoid of soft tissue, provide a rare opportunity to examine and document the pattern of perimortem fractures in multiple individuals who died in the same incident. This case also provides information on a range of variability of skeletal fractures that is unavailable in comparative skeletal collections, and that might be overlooked with radiography or during physical examination.     

Lexical decisions in patients with Alzheimer's disease: some notes on automatic versus controlled processing

This study examined the lexical decisions of age, gender and education matched groups of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normally aging (NA) subjects. The subjects were asked to make lexical decisions on real word, pseudoword and nonword orthographic stimuli. Analysis of the data revealed that the accuracy of the lexical decisions of the AD group was comparable to those of their NA peers for real word stimuli, but significantly different for the pseudo-word and non-word stimuli. The findings appeared to support the notion that AD patients' single word decoding may be disrupted in a way that is not readily apparent during the mild stages of the disease course.     

Estimation of Hox gene cluster number in lampreys

Hox gene clusters are linked arrays of related homeobox genes with important roles in patterning the main body axis of animal embryos. Almost all invertebrates analyzed in detail, including a cephalochordate, have a single Hox gene cluster. In contrast, mammals have four such clusters inferred to have arisen by duplication. Data from other jawed vertebrates, including teleost fish, suggest they have at least four Hox gene clusters, implying that cluster duplication dates to very early in vertebrate evolution. Lampreys descended from one of the earliest vertebrate lineages and are thus critical in dating the duplication events. Here we analyze the Hox gene complement of a freshwater lamprey, Lampetra, using degenerate PCR. By analysis of the DNA sequences, deduced protein sequences, and by comparison to previous data from the distantly related sea lamprey, we conclude that lampreys have approximately 21 Hox genes from paralogous groups 1-10, plus a group 13 Hox gene. The data support the presence of three Hox gene clusters in lampreys more strongly than they support the presence of one, two or four gene clusters. We discuss how this situation may have arisen in evolution.     

Effects of chocolate cyst fluid on endometrioma cell growth in culture

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of chocolate cyst fluid on the proliferation of cultured human endometrioma cells and to assay the concentration of transforming growth factor-B1 in this fluid. DESIGN: Controlled in vitro study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York Health Science Center. PATIENT(S): Five women with ovarian endometriomas. INTERVENTION(S): Endometrioma tissue and chocolate fluid from five different patients were entered in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Endometrioma cell proliferation in culture with and without chocolate cyst fluid. RESULT(S): Chocolate cyst fluid increased the proliferation of endometrioma cells compared with controls. Also, high concentrations of transforming growth factor-B1 were found in cysts' fluid. CONCLUSIONS: Chocolate cyst fluid has a growth-enhancing effect on endometrioma cells. One promoting growth factor is transforming growth factor-B1.     

A comprehensive modeling environment for the simulation of groundwater flow and transport

A comprehensive graphical modeling environment has been developed to address the needs of the computer simulation of groundwater flow and transport. The Department of Defense Groundwater Modeling Systems (GMS), developed at the Engineering Computer Graphics Laboratory at Brigham Young University, is part of a multi-year project funded through the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. GMS is a graphically based software tool providing facility through all aspects of the groundwater flow and transport modeling process. Facilities include geometric modeling of hydrostratigraphy, two- and three-dimensional mesh generation, graphically based model input for specific flow and transport codes, interpolation and geostatistics as well as complete three-dimensional scientific visualization.     

The evolutionary design of an endoscopic telemanipulator

The authors developed a robotics system to be used with an endoscopic manipulator in minimally invasive surgical procedures. They describe the application context, the evolutionary development approach they used, and the role of requirements gathering, recording and analysis throughout the evolution of the device