An Architecture for Connection Management in a Broadcast Packet Network

Connection management refers to the collection of protocols, algorithms and data structure used to establish and maintain multipoint connections in the broadcast packet network. This report documents an initial proposal for a set of connection management protocols that allows user to specify arbitrary multipoint connections in flexible and application-independent fashion. It also contains a set of detailed scenarios illustrating how the protocols would be used

A comparison of the sensitivity, specificity, and molecular weight accuracy of three different commercially available Hyaluronan ELISA-like assays

Hyaluronan (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan found in the extracellular matrix and ranges from several thousand to millions of daltons in size. HA has importance in various pathological conditions and is known to be elevated in several diseases. Three commonly used, commercially available HA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-like assays (from Corgenix, Echelon and R&D) were compared on the basis of accuracy, sample variability and ability to measure a range of HA sizes. The Corgenix HA ELISA-like assay displayed the lowest intra-assay variability [coefficient of variation (CV) = 11.7 +/- 3.6%], followed by R&D (CV = 12.3 +/- 4.6%) and Echelon (CV = 18.9 +/- 9.2%). Interassay variability was also lowest for the Corgenix assay (CV = 6.0%), intermediate for the Echelon assay (9.5%) and highest for the R&D assay (CV = 34.1%). The high interassay variability seen for the R&D assay may have been due to the effect of dilution, since the dilution-independent interassay variability was 15.5%. The concentration of the standard HA was overestimated by the Echelon assay by 85% and underestimated by the R&D and Corgenix assays by 34 and 32%, respectively. The Echelon HA ELISA-like assay was the most effective at measuring all sizes of HA tested (2 MDa and 132, 66 and 6.4 kDa), whereas the Corgenix and R&D assays were unable to detect 6.4 kDa HA. These findings suggest that the Echelon HA ELISA-like assay is better suited for size-sensitive HA measurements but has a relatively high variability. The Corgenix and R&D HA ELISA-like assays have low variability and high accuracy but are not suitable for detecting low-molecular-weight HA

A comparison of the sensitivity, specificity, and molecular weight accuracy of three different commercially available Hyaluronan ELISA-like assays

Hyaluronan (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan found in the extracellular matrix and ranges from several thousand to millions of daltons in size. HA has importance in various pathological conditions and is known to be elevated in several diseases. Three commonly used, commercially available HA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-like assays (from Corgenix, Echelon and R&D) were compared on the basis of accuracy, sample variability and ability to measure a range of HA sizes. The Corgenix HA ELISA-like assay displayed the lowest intra-assay variability [coefficient of variation (CV) = 11.7 +/- 3.6%], followed by R&D (CV = 12.3 +/- 4.6%) and Echelon (CV = 18.9 +/- 9.2%). Interassay variability was also lowest for the Corgenix assay (CV = 6.0%), intermediate for the Echelon assay (9.5%) and highest for the R&D assay (CV = 34.1%). The high interassay variability seen for the R&D assay may have been due to the effect of dilution, since the dilution-independent interassay variability was 15.5%. The concentration of the standard HA was overestimated by the Echelon assay by 85% and underestimated by the R&D and Corgenix assays by 34 and 32%, respectively. The Echelon HA ELISA-like assay was the most effective at measuring all sizes of HA tested (2 MDa and 132, 66 and 6.4 kDa), whereas the Corgenix and R&D assays were unable to detect 6.4 kDa HA. These findings suggest that the Echelon HA ELISA-like assay is better suited for size-sensitive HA measurements but has a relatively high variability. The Corgenix and R&D HA ELISA-like assays have low variability and high accuracy but are not suitable for detecting low-molecular-weight HA

Abnormal platelet aggregation in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: role of nitric oxide

Aytekin M, Aulak KS, Haserodt S, Chakravarti R, Cody J, Minai OA, Dweik RA. Abnormal platelet aggregation in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: role of nitric oxide. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 302: L512-L520, 2012. First published January 13, 2012; doi:10.1152/ajplung.00289.2011.-Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a rare and progressive disease. Several processes are believed to lead to the fatal progressive pulmonary arterial narrowing seen in IPAH including vasoconstriction, cellular proliferation inflammation, vascular remodeling, abnormalities in the lung matrix, and in situ thrombosis. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by NO synthases (NOS) is a potent vasodilator and plays important roles in many other processes including platelet function. Reduced NO levels in patients with IPAH are known to contribute to the development of pulmonary hypertension and its complications. Platelet defects have been implied in IPAH, but original research supporting this hypothesis has been limited. Normal platelets are known to have NOS activity, but little is known about NOS expression and NO production by platelets in patients with IPAH. Here we characterized the phenotype of the platelets in IPAH and show a defect in their ability to be activated in vitro by thrombin receptor activating protein but not adenosine diphosphate. We also show that endothelial NOS (eNOS) levels in these platelets are reduced and demonstrate that NO is an important regulator of platelet function. Thus reduced levels of eNOS in platelets could impact their ability to regulate their own function appropriately