The oral mucosal and salivary microbial community of Behçet's syndrome and recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Behçet's syndrome (BS) is a multisystem immune-related disease of unknown etiology. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is characterized by the presence of idiopathic oral ulceration without extraoral manifestation. The interplay between the oral microbial communities and the immune response could play an important role in the etiology and pathogenesis of both BS and RAS

Equilibrium onions?

We demonstrate the possibility of a stable equilibrium multi-lamellar ("onion") phase in pure lamellar systems (no excess solvent) due to a sufficiently negative Gaussian curvature modulus. The onion phase is stabilized by non-linear elastic moduli coupled to a polydisperse size distribution (Apollonian packing) to allow space-filling without appreciable elastic distortion. This model is compared to experiments on copolymer-decorated lamellar surfactant systems, with reasonable qualitative agreement

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation during platelet storage: Consequences for platelet recovery and hemostatic function in vivo

Platelets undergo several modifications during storage that reduce their posttransfusion survival and functionality. One important feature of these changes, which are known as platelet storage lesion, is the shedding of the surface glycoproteins GPIb-α and GPV. We recently demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE/ADAM17) mediates mitochondrial injury-induced shedding of adhesion receptors and that TACE activity correlates with reduced posttransfusion survival of these cells. We now confirm that TACE mediates receptor shedding and clearance of platelets stored for 16 hours at 37°C or 22°C. We further demonstrate that both storage and mitochondrial injury lead to the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) in platelets and that TACE-mediated receptor shedding from mouse and human platelets requires p38 MAP kinase signaling. Protein kinase C, extracellular regulated-signal kinase MAPK, and caspases were not involved in TACE activation. Both inhibition of p38 MAPK and inactivation of TACE during platelet storage led to a markedly improved posttransfusion recovery and hemostatic function of platelets in mice. p38 MAPK inhibitors had only minor effects on the aggregation of fresh platelets under static or flow conditions in vitro. In summary, our data suggest that inhibition of p38 MAPK or TACE during storage may significantly improve the quality of stored platelets

(2R,3S)-Methyl 2-hy­droxy-3-(4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamido)-3-phenyl­propano­ate

In the title mol­ecule, C17H19NO5S, the p-tolyl ring is oriented approximately parallel to the phenyl ring [dihedral angle = 17.2 (1)°], resulting in an intra­molecular π–π inter­ation [centroid–centroid distance = 3.184 (10) Å]. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked through O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming hydrogen-bonded sheets lying diagonally across the ac face

Modelos de endemicidad a lo largo de un gradiente altitudinal en Sierra Nevada (España) y Lefka Ori (Creta, Grecia)

Aim: High mountains in the Mediterranean region of Europe are particularly rich in endemic vascular plants. We aimed to compare the altitudinal patterns of vascular plant species richness and the proportion of endemic species in two Mediterranean region: Lefka Ori on the island of Crete (Greece) and Sierra Nevada on the Iberian peninsula. Location: Sierra Nevada, Granada (Spain); Lefka Ori, Crete (Greece). Methods: Data from standardised permanent plots settings on summit sites (comprising eight plot sectors, covering the upeermost 10 altitudinal metres) of different elevations were used (GLORIA Multi-Summit approach; www.gloria.ac.at). Species numbers, rates of endemic species, and soils temperature were compared by means of ANCOVA and linear regression. Results: The two regions, though climatically similar, showed strikingly different patterns: In Sierra Nevada, the proportion of endemic vascular plants (species restricted to Sierra Nevada) showed a stepwise increase from the lowest to the highest summit. In contrast, the proportion of endemic species restricted to Crete was not significantly different between the four summits in Lefka Ori. In both regions the observed trends were largely consistent with the altitudinal distribution of the endemic species obtained from standard floras. Main conclusions: The geographic positions of the two regions, i.e. island versus mainland and the higher elevation of Sierra Nevada are suggested to be the primary causes of the observed differences. The high degree of endemism in the cold environments of Mediterranean mountains’ upper bioclimatic zones indicates a pronounced vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. A continued and intensified species monitoring in the mountains around the Mediterranean basin, therefore, should be considered as a priority research task.Objetivo: Las zonas de alta montaña en la región mediterránea europea son particularmente ricas en plantas vasculares endémicas. Nuestro objetivo es comparar los modelos altitudinales para la riqueza de plantas vasculares y la proporción de endemismos en dos regiones mediterráneas: Lefka Ori en la isla de Creta (Grecia) y Sierra Nevada en la Península Ibérica. Localización: Sierra Nevada, Granada (España); Lefka Ori, Creta (Grecia). Método: Los datos proceden de un muestreo estandarizado en varias cimas situadas a diferentes altitudes (GLORIA Multi-Summit approach; www.gloria.ac.at). El número de especies, tasas de endemicidad, y temperatura del suelo se compararon por medio de ANCOVA y regresión lineal. Resultados: Las dos regiones objeto de análisis, aunque similares climáticamente, muestran patrones llamativamente diferentes: en Sierra Nevada, la proporción de plantas vasculares endémicas (especies restringidas a Sierra Nevada) muestra un incremento gradual desde la cima más baja a la más alta. En contraste, la proporción de endemismos restringidos a Creta no fue significativamente diferente entre las cuatro cimas de Lefka Ori. Las tendencias observadas en ambas regiones fueron en gran parte consistentes con la distribución de las especies endémicas obtenida de las floras para cada región. Conclusiones principales: La posición geográfica de ambas regiones, por ejemplo. isla frente a continente, y la mayor elevación de Sierra Nevada se sugieren como las principales causas de las diferencias observadas. El alto grado de endemicidad en los ambientes fríos de las zonas bioclimáticas superiores de las montañas mediterráneas evidencia una marcada vulnerabilidad a los impactos del cambio climático. Por lo tanto, el seguimiento continuado e intensivo de las especies de montaña alrededor de la cuenca mediterránea, debería considerarse como una tarea investigadora prioritaria.He set up of the permanent plots and data collection was supported by the FP-5 project GLORIA-Europe (2001-2003) No EVK2-2000-00056 of the European Commission

The Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P 3 ) Binder Rasa3 Regulates Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent Integrin α IIb β 3 Outside-in Signaling

The class I PI3K family of lipid kinases plays an important role in integrin αIIbβ3 function, thereby supporting thrombus growth and consolidation. Here, we identify Ras/Rap1GAP Rasa3 (GAP1IP4BP) as a major phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate-binding protein in human platelets and a key regulator of integrin αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling. We demonstrate that cytosolic Rasa3 translocates to the plasma membrane in a PI3K-dependent manner upon activation of human platelets. Expression of wild-type Rasa3 in integrin αIIbβ3-expressing CHO cells blocked Rap1 activity and integrin αIIbβ3-mediated spreading on fibrinogen. In contrast, Rap1GAP-deficient (P489V) and Ras/Rap1GAP-deficient (R371Q) Rasa3 had no effect. We furthermore show that two Rasa3 mutants (H794L and G125V), which are expressed in different mouse models of thrombocytopenia, lack both Ras and Rap1GAP activity and do not affect integrin αIIbβ3-mediated spreading of CHO cells on fibrinogen. Platelets from thrombocytopenic mice expressing GAP-deficient Rasa3 (H794L) show increased spreading on fibrinogen, which in contrast to wild-type platelets is insensitive to PI3K inhibitors. Together, these results support an important role for Rasa3 in PI3K-dependent integrin αIIbβ3-mediated outside-in signaling and cell spreading

Relative contributions of stromal interaction molecule 1 and CalDAG-GEFI to calcium-dependent platelet activation and thrombosis: STIM1 and CalDAG-GEFI in platelet activation

Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) was recently identified as a critical component of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) in platelets. We previously reported the Ca2+-sensing guanine nucleotide exchange factor CalDAG-GEFI as critical molecule in Ca2+ signaling in platelets

The Role of Innate APOBEC3G and Adaptive AID Immune Responses in HLA-HIV/SIV Immunized SHIV Infected Macaques

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