Antigenic determinants of tubular basement membranes and Bowman's capsule in rats

Antigenic determinants of tubular basement membranes and Bowman's capsule in rats. Kidney sections from several inbred rat strains were studied with an indirect immunofluorescence technique using five different, selected rat antisera which contained antibodies against the tubular basement membrane (TBM). The sera came from transplanted animals, an apparently normal animal, and animals treated with spleen cells in complete Freund's adjuvant. Upon panel analysis, at least two different antigenic determinants were recognized on the proximal TBM: One was present in nine and one was present in seven of the 15 strains tested; both determinants appear to be expressed in most antigen-positive strains. Using kidneys from major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-congenic strains, it was shown that the TBM antigens are encoded outside the MHC region. Three sera produced variable staining of Bowman's capsule in association with the proximal TBM; two sera produced clearly discordant staining of Bowman's capsule and proximal TBM. The capsular antigens were also coded outside the MHC region. These observations suggested the existence of at least two different antigenic determinants on proximal TBM. Bowman's capsule appeared to have antigenic determinants in common with the proximal TBM as well as distinct determinants.Déterminants antigéniques des membranes basales tubulaires et de la capsule de Bowman du rat. Des sections de rein de plusieurs souches pures de rats étaient étudié par une technique d'immunofluorescence indirecte utilisant cinq anti-sérums de rats différents, sélectionnés, contenant des anticorps contre la membrane basale tubulaire (MBT). Les sérums provenaient d'animaux transplantés, d'un animal en apparence normal, et d'animaux traités avec des cellules spléniques dans de l'adjuvant complet de Freund. En faisant une analyse globale, au moins deux déterminants antigéniques différents étaient reconnus dans les MBT proximales. L'un était présent chez neuf, l'autre chez sept des quinze souches testées; les deux déterminants antigéniques semblaient exprimés chez la plupart des souches antigène positif. En employant des reins provenant de souches complexe de histocompatibilité majeur (CHM)-congéniques, nous avons montré que les antigènes de la MBT sont codés à l'extérieur de la région MHC. Trois sérums ont produit une coloration variable de la capsule de Bowman en plus des MBT proximales; deux sérums ont produit des colorations nettement discordantes de la capsule de Bowman et des MTB proximales. Les antigènes capsulaires ont également codés à l'extérieur de la région MHC. Ces observations suggèrent l'existence d'au moins deux déterminants antigéniques différents dans les MTB proximales. La capsule de Bowman sembla avoir des déterminants antigéniques communs avec les MTB proximales, mais également des déterminants différents

Saving Saba Bank: Policy Implications of Biodiversity Studies

Saba Bank has always been an area of special importance to the neighboring island of Saba in the Netherlands Antilles. Sabans traditionally fished on the Bank as far back as 1907, but increasing foreign fishing pressures on the Bank in the 1970s and 1980s forced many Saban fishermen out. Concerns were compounded by the suspicion that shipping was also damaging the benthic habitat of the bank. Fishery legislation, enacted in 1996, brought an end to unlicensed fishing and established Coast Guard enforcement on the Bank, but also led to protests from neighboring countries that previously fished on the Bank.Research was necessary to support the need for protection. Review of available research of Saba Bank and rapid biological assessments and fisheries surveys since 1996 emphasized the richness of Saba Bank\u27s biodiversity and the need for protection of fisheries stocks. The national nature policy plan recognized this and encouraged further research to base conservation measures on.Recent biological surveys of corals, fishes, and algae presented in this collection of articles emphasized habitat heterogeneity and the relative richness of the marine flora and fauna. These assessments formed the basis for a management plan to protect Saba Bank\u27s biodiversity and a draft proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) seeking Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) status for the Bank. The intention of the PSSA proposal is to protect the benthic habitat on Saba Bank from anchor damage. This paper serves to provide the context for the results of the recent biodiversity surveys of Saba Bank. It is hoped that this collection will serve as a knowledge baseline and engender further research in the area

Successful unrelated donor cord blood transplantation for Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia

GT, a rare disorder of platelet function, can lead to life-threatening bleeding, particularly following the development of antiplatelet antibodies. Curative therapy includes HCT but previous reports are limited predominantly to matched siblings and have excluded CBT. Delayed or non-engraftment of platelets because of antiplatelet antibodies might be particularly concerning after CBT for GT. Here, we report two successful unrelated cord blood transplants for GT. Recurrent life-threatening bleeding was the primary indication for HCT, with one patient developing antiplatelet antibodies pre-HCT. Bleeding risks associated with delivery of the conditioning regimen and the toxicity that follows should be carefully considered, including tunneled central venous line catheter placement, inclusion of B cell-specific therapy to potentially decrease antiplatelet antibody production, and targeted busulfan dosing. This is the first report of successful unrelated cord blood HCT for GT and indicates that modifications to supportive care can improve the safety of this potentially curative therapy for patients with severe, life-threatening disease manifestations.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78580/1/j.1399-3046.2009.01251.x.pd

Automated Test for NASA CFS

The core Flight System (cFS) is a flight software (FSW) product line developed by the Flight Software Systems Branch (FSSB) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The cFS uses compile-time configuration parameters to implement variable requirements to enable portability across embedded computing platforms and to implement different end-user functional needs. The verification and validation of these requirements is proving to be a significant challenge. This paper describes the challenges facing the cFS and the results of a pilot effort to apply EXB Solution's testing approach to the cFS applications

Value of black blood T2* cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Purpose To assess whether black blood T2* cardiovascular magnetic resonance is superior to conventional white blood imaging of cardiac iron in patients with thalassaemia major (TM). Materials and methods We performed both conventional white blood and black blood T2* CMR sequences in 100 TM patients to determine intra and inter-observer variability and presence of artefacts. In 23 patients, 2 separate studies of both techniques were performed to assess interstudy reproducibility. Results Cardiac T2* values ranged from 4.5 to 43.8 ms. The mean T2* values were not different between black blood and white blood acquisitions (20.5 vs 21.6 ms, p = 0.26). Compared with the conventional white blood diastolic acquisition, the coefficient of variance of the black blood CMR technique was superior for intra-observer reproducibility (1.47% vs 4.23%, p < 0.001), inter-observer reproducibility (2.54% vs 4.50%, p < 0.001) and inter-study reproducibility (4.07% vs 8.42%, p = 0.001). Assessment of artefacts showed a superior score for black blood vs white blood scans (4.57 vs 4.25; p < 0.001). Conclusions Black blood T2* CMR has superior reproducibility and reduced imaging artefacts for the assessment of cardiac iron, in comparison with the conventional white blood technique, which make it the preferred technique for clinical practice