Prediction of Absorption Enthalpy from Solubility Data for the MDEA-H_2O-CO_2 System

IntroductionThe absorption of CO2 by a solution of methyldiethanol amine ( MDEA) and H2 O is widely usedfor decarbonization processes in the syntheticammonia industry. This solution has advantages ofgood absorbency,low energy consumption,andlow degree deg…     

Separation of Organic Dyes from Water by Colloidal Gas Aphrons

IntroductionColloidal gas aphrons ( CGAs) are dispersions ofvery small microbubbles( usually of diameters inthe range of2 5 1 2 5 μm) distributed in an aqueousmedium. Sebba[1] first reported colloidal gasaphrons in 1 971 . Colloidal gas aphrons are gasbu…     

Kainate receptors are involved in synaptic plasticity

The ability of synapses to modify their synaptic strength in response to activity is a fundamental property of the nervous system and may be an essential component of learning and memory. There are three classes of ionotropic glutamate receptor, namely NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate), AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-4-propionic acid) and kainate receptors; critical roles in synaptic plasticity have been identified for two of these. Thus, at many synapses in the brain, transient activation of NMDA receptors leads to a persistent modification in the strength of synaptic transmission mediated by AMPA receptors. Here, to determine whether kainate receptors are involved in synaptic plasticity, we have used a new antagonist, LY382884 ((3S, 4aR, 6S, 8aR)-6-((4-carboxyphenyl)methyl-1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-decahydro isoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid), which antagonizes kainate receptors at concentrations that do not affect AMPA or NMDA receptors. We find that LY382884 is a selective antagonist at neuronal kainate receptors containing the GluR5 subunit. It has no effect on long-term potentiation (LTP) that is dependent on NMDA receptors but prevents the induction of mossy fibre LTP, which is independent of NMDA receptors. Thus, kainate receptors can act as the induction trigger for long-term changes in synaptic transmission.     

Formation and role of exosomes in cancer

Exosomes offer new insight into cancer biology with both diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Because of their cell-to-cell communication, exosomes influence tumor progression, metastasis, and therapeutic efficacy. They can be isolated from blood and other bodily fluids to reveal disease processes occurring within the body, including cancerous growth. In addition to being a reservoir of cancer biomarkers, they can be re-engineered to reinstate tumor immunity. Tumor exosomes interact with various cells of the microenvironment to confer tumor-advantageous changes that are responsible for stromal activation, induction of the angiogenic switch, increased vascular permeability, and immune escape. Exosomes also contribute to metastasis by aiding in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and formation of the pre-metastatic niche. Furthermore, exosomes protect tumor cells from the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy drugs and transfer chemoresistance properties to nearby cells. Thus, exosomes are essential to many lethal elements of cancer and it is important to understand their biogenesis and role in cancer.     

A common coding variant in CASP8 is associated with breast cancer risk

The Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) has been established to conduct combined case-control analyses with augmented statistical power to try to confirm putative genetic associations with breast cancer. We genotyped nine SNPs for which there was some prior evidence of an association with breast cancer: CASP8 D302H (rs1045485), IGFBP3 -202 C --> A (rs2854744), SOD2 V16A (rs1799725), TGFB1 L10P (rs1982073), ATM S49C (rs1800054), ADH1B 3' UTR A --> G (rs1042026), CDKN1A S31R (rs1801270), ICAM5 V301I (rs1056538) and NUMA1 A794G (rs3750913). We included data from 9-15 studies, comprising 11,391-18,290 cases and 14,753-22,670 controls. We found evidence of an association with breast cancer for CASP8 D302H (with odds ratios (OR) of 0.89 (95% confidence interval (c.i.): 0.85-0.94) and 0.74 (95% c.i.: 0.62-0.87) for heterozygotes and rare homozygotes, respectively, compared with common homozygotes; P(trend) = 1.1 x 10(-7)) and weaker evidence for TGFB1 L10P (OR = 1.07 (95% c.i.: 1.02-1.13) and 1.16 (95% c.i.: 1.08-1.25), respectively; P(trend) = 2.8 x 10(-5)). These results demonstrate that common breast cancer susceptibility alleles with small effects on risk can be identified, given sufficiently powerful studies.     

Identification and characterization of E. coli type-1 pilus tip adhesion protein

The type-1 pilus of Escherichia coli is the prototype of this class of hair-like, multimeric adhesive organelles. This pilus mediates adherence to mannose-containing receptors on mucosal epithelia and other cells. The type-1 pilus, in one of several serological variants, is expressed by nearly all E. coli strains, and its promotion of colonization by pathogenic bacteria and the protective effects of purified pilus vaccines suggest that it is important as a bacterial virulence factor. Both the adhesive function and the serological variation of the type-1 pilus have been attributed to the thousand or so pilin protein monomers making up the pilus rods. This idea has been contradicted by our earlier observations on an E. coli strain expressing adhesion-defective pili. More recent genetic evidence also indicates that auxiliary pilus proteins are required for adhesive function. We report here the identification of three previously undetected integral minor proteins on the type-1 pilus, and show that one of them is the receptor-binding adhesin. This protein is antigenically conserved among strains with different pilin serotypes and is located at the pilus tip.