174 research outputs found
Electrostatic Disorder-Induced Interactions in Inhomogeneous Dielectrics
We investigate the effect of quenched surface charge disorder on
electrostatic interactions between two charged surfaces in the presence of
dielectric inhomogeneities and added salt. We show that in the linear
weak-coupling regime (i.e., by including mean-field and Gaussian-fluctuations
contributions), the image-charge effects lead to a non-zero disorder-induced
interaction free energy between two surfaces of equal mean charge that can be
repulsive or attractive depending on the dielectric mismatch across the
bounding surfaces and the exact location of the disordered charge distribution.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Scintigraphic features of Morquio's syndrome: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, we present for the first time the bone scintigraphy findings of a patient with Morquio's syndrome.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 46-year-old Caucasian man with Morquio's syndrome presented with lower back pain six weeks after a left total hip replacement. A whole body bone scan demonstrated an anthropomorphic skeletal pattern consistent with a mucopolysaccharide storage disease, thereby showing the cause of the patient's pain.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, the bone scintigraphy findings of a case of Morquio's syndrome have never before been published. We present our case report to add to the knowledge we have of this rare disease.</p
A cluster of cooperating tumor-suppressor gene candidates in chromosomal deletions
The large chromosomal deletions frequently observed in cancer genomes are often thought to arise as a "two-hit" mechanismin the process of tumor-suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation. Using a murine model system of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in vivo RNAi, we test an alternative hypothesis, that such deletions can arise from selective pressure to attenuate the activity of multiple genes. By targeting the mouse orthologs of genes frequently deleted on human 8p22 and adjacent regions, which are lost in approximately half of several other major epithelial cancers, we provide evidence suggesting that multiple genes on chromosome 8p can cooperatively inhibit tumorigenesis in mice, and that their cosuppression can synergistically promote tumor growth. In addition, in human HCC patients, the combined down-regulation of functionally validated 8p TSGs is associated with poor survival, in contrast to the down-regulation of any individual gene. Our data imply that large cancer-associated deletions can produce phenotypes distinct from those arising through loss of a single TSG, and as such should be considered and studied as distinct mutational events
Subglottal and oral air pressures during phonation—preliminary investigation using a miniature transducer system
Hepatobiliary scintigraphy in vasculitis of the gallbladder as a manifestation of polyarteritis nodosa: a case report
RhoA and RhoC have distinct roles in migration and invasion by acting through different targets
Although closely related, RhoA and RhoC have distinct molecular targets and functional roles in cell migration and invasion
CDK9-mediated transcription elongation is required for MYC addiction in hepatocellular carcinoma
One-year survival rates for newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are <50%, and unresectable HCC carries a dismal prognosis owing to its aggressiveness and the undruggable nature of its main genetic drivers. By screening a custom library of shRNAs directed toward known drug targets in a genetically defined Myc-driven HCC model, we identified cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (Cdk9) as required for disease maintenance. Pharmacological or shRNA-mediated CDK9 inhibition led to robust anti-tumor effects that correlated with MYC expression levels and depended on the role that both CDK9 and MYC exert in transcription elongation. Our results establish CDK9 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for MYC-overexpressing liver tumors and highlight the relevance of transcription elongation in the addiction of cancer cells to MYC. © 2014 Huang et al
The Change of Voice During Puberty in 11 to 16 Years Old Choir Singers Measured with Electroglottographic Fundamental Frequency Analysis and Compared to other phenomenona of Puberty
Silencing of Vlaro2 for chorismate synthase revealed that the phytopathogen Verticillium longisporum induces the cross-pathway control in the xylem
The first leaky auxotrophic mutant for aromatic amino acids of the near-diploid fungal plant pathogen Verticillium longisporum (VL) has been generated. VL enters its host Brassica napus through the roots and colonizes the xylem vessels. The xylem contains little nutrients including low concentrations of amino acids. We isolated the gene Vlaro2 encoding chorismate synthase by complementation of the corresponding yeast mutant strain. Chorismate synthase produces the first branch point intermediate of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis. A novel RNA-mediated gene silencing method reduced gene expression of both isogenes by 80% and resulted in a bradytrophic mutant, which is a leaky auxotroph due to impaired expression of chorismate synthase. In contrast to the wild type, silencing resulted in increased expression of the cross-pathway regulatory gene VlcpcA (similar to cpcA/GCN4) during saprotrophic life. The mutant fungus is still able to infect the host plant B. napus and the model Arabidopsis thaliana with reduced efficiency. VlcpcA expression is increased in planta in the mutant and the wild-type fungus. We assume that xylem colonization requires induction of the cross-pathway control, presumably because the fungus has to overcome imbalanced amino acid supply in the xylem
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