Pressure and isotope effect on the anisotropy of MgB2_{2}

We analyze the data for the pressure and boron isotope effect on the temperature dependence of the magnetization near $T_{c}$. Invoking the universal scaling relation for the magnetization at fixed magnetic field it is shown that the relative shift of $T_{c}$, induced by pressure or boron isotope exchange, mirrors essentially that of the anisotropy. This uncovers a novel generic property of anisotropic type II superconductors, inexistent in the isotropic case. For MgB$_{2}$ it implies that the renormalization of the Fermi surface topology due to pressure or isotope exchange is dominated by a mechanism controlling the anisotropy.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Clinic- and Hospital-Based Home Care, Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) and the Evolving Clinical Responsibilities of the Pharmacist

Clinic- and hospital-based home care describes models of care where services commonly associated with hospital inpatient care are provided at the patient's home or in an outpatient or community-based clinic. Hospital in the Home (HITH), also termed Hospital at Home (HaH) in parts of Europe and America, is a common and important example of this type of care. Other examples include infusion centers, skilled nursing facilities (particularly in the USA), self-administration models (including home infusion services) and administration through outpatient or community clinics. Different models of HITH care are used internationally and these encompass a wide range of services. Medication administration, particularly outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), is an important element in many of these models of care. There is a key role for pharmacists since the provision of medication is integral in this model of patient care outside the hospital setting. Data on the growing importance of HITH and OPAT as well as the administration of medications suited to clinic- and hospital-based home care, including subcutaneous and intramuscular injectables, immunoglobulins and other blood fractions, cancer chemotherapy, total parenteral nutrition, biologicals/biosimilars, vasopressors and enzymes, using differing service models, are described. The pharmacist's role is evolving from that involved primarily with dose preparation and supply of medications. Their clinical expertise in medication management ensures that they are an integral member and leader in these models of care. Their role ensures the safe and quality use of medicines, particularly across transitions of care, with the pharmacist taking on the roles of educator and consultant to patients and health professional colleagues. Activities such as antimicrobial stewardship and ongoing monitoring of patients and outcomes is fundamental to ensure quality patient outcomes in these settings

Atypical properties of a conventional calcium channel β subunit from the platyhelminth Schistosoma mansoni

© 2008 Salvador-Recatalà et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in BMC Physiology 8 (2008): 6, doi:10.1186/1472-6793-8-6.The function of voltage-gated calcium (Cav) channels greatly depends on coupling to cytoplasmic accessory β subunits, which not only promote surface expression, but also modulate gating and kinetic properties of the α1 subunit. Schistosomes, parasitic platyhelminths that cause schistosomiasis, express two β subunit subtypes: a structurally conventional β subunit and a variant β subunit with unusual functional properties. We have previously characterized the functional properties of the variant Cavβ subunit. Here, we focus on the modulatory phenotype of the conventional Cavβ subunit (SmCavβ) using the human Cav2.3 channel as the substrate for SmCavβ and the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The conventional Schistosoma mansoni Cavβ subunit markedly increases Cav2.3 currents, slows macroscopic inactivation and shifts steady state inactivation in the hyperpolarizing direction. However, currents produced by Cav2.3 in the presence of SmCavβ run-down to approximately 75% of their initial amplitudes within two minutes of establishing the whole-cell configuration. This suppressive effect was independent of Ca2+, but dependent on intracellular Mg2+-ATP. Additional experiments revealed that SmCavβ lends the Cav2.3/SmCavβ complex sensitivity to Na+ ions. A mutant version of the Cavβ subunit lacking the first forty-six amino acids, including a string of twenty-two acidic residues, no longer conferred sensitivity to intracellular Mg2+-ATP and Na+ ions, while continuing to show wild type modulation of current amplitude and inactivation of Cav2.3. The data presented in this article provide insights into novel mechanisms employed by platyhelminth Cavβ subunits to modulate voltage-gated Ca2+ currents that indicate interactions between the Ca2+ channel complex and chelated forms of ATP as well as Na+ ions. These results have potentially important implications for understanding previously unknown mechanisms by which platyhelminths and perhaps other organisms modulate Ca2+ currents in excitable cells.This work was supported by NIH grant #s R01 AI-40522 and R01 AI-73660 to RMG and by NIH-NCRR grant # P41 RR001395 to the Biocurrents Research Center (BRC) at MBL

Cell cycle progression or translation control is not essential for vesicular stomatitis virus oncolysis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The intrinsic oncolytic specificity of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is currently being exploited to develop alternative therapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Identifying key regulators in diverse transduction pathways that define VSV oncolysis in cancer cells represents a fundamental prerequisite to engineering more effective oncolytic viral vectors and adjusting combination therapies. After having identified defects in the signalling cascade of type I interferon induction, responsible for attenuated antiviral responses in human HCC cell lines, we have now investigated the role of cell proliferation and translation initiation. Cell cycle progression and translation initiation factors eIF4E and eIF2Bepsilon have been recently identified as key regulators of VSV permissiveness in T-lymphocytes and immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts, respectively. Here, we show that in HCC, decrease of cell proliferation by cell cycle inhibitors or siRNA-mediated reduction of G(1) cyclin-dependent kinase activities (CDK4) or cyclin D1 protein expression, do not significantly alter viral growth. Additionally, we demonstrate that translation initiation factors eIF4E and eIF2Bepsilon are negligible in sustaining VSV replication in HCC. Taken together, these results indicate that cellular proliferation and the initiation phase of cellular protein synthesis are not essential for successful VSV oncolysis of HCC. Moreover, our observations indicate the importance of cell-type specificity for VSV oncolysis, an important aspect to be considered in virotherapy applications in the future

Einfach zu applizierende 2K-Antihaftbeschichtung für geräuschloses Ablösen von EPDM-Luftdichtungen

Dichtungen müssen grundsätzlich zwei schwer zu vereinenden Ansprüchen gerecht werden. Damit eine maximale Dichtigkeit erreicht wird, muss das Material eine große Flexibilität aufweisen und trotzdem sollte die Dichtung nach längeren Standzeiten sowie mit zunehmender Alterung nicht haften bleiben. Dies ist besonders bei Luftdichtungen, wie sie von der Firma Air-lux bei Schiebefenster eingesetzt werden, sehr wichtig. Allein durch das Formgedächtnis des Materials sollte sich die Luftdichtung zusammenfalten und sich vom Rahmen ablösen [2]. Üblicherweise werden Trennmittel wie Talk oder Silikonöl eingesetzt, um Ablösegeräusche oder komplettes Anhaften zu verhindern. Diese sind aber kaum beständig und müssen regelmäßig frisch aufgetragen werden. In diesem Projekt wurde für EPDM-Fensterdichtungen eine gegen Reinigungsmittel beständige Antihaft-Beschichtung entwickelt. Die 2K-Beschichtung kann direkt nach der Produktion aber auch auf bereits verbauten Dichtungen appliziert werden und so deren Lebensdauer verlängern

EVENTOS DE LETRAMENTO: O ESTUDO DE LÍNGUA MATERNA POR MEIO DA INTERAÇÃO

O ensino da língua materna está cada vez mais complexo, e o sistema simbólico está presente em todos os contextos. Sendo assim, o letramento é essencial. Desse modo, necessitamos refletir sobre caminhos que possam suprir as lacunas que vão aparecendo em relação ao código escrito e sobre o processo de ensino e aprendizagem da escrita. Este estudo traz alguns apontamentos sobre o modo, como os eventos de letramento, em múltiplos contextos, podem auxiliar na qualidade do ensino da língua.Palavras-chave: Letramento. Língua Portuguesa. Ensino - Aprendizagem. Interdisciplinaridade

EVENTOS DE LETRAMENTO: O ESTUDO DE LÍNGUA MATERNA POR MEIO DA INTERAÇÃO

O ensino da língua materna está cada vez mais complexo, e o sistema simbólico está presente em todos os contextos. Sendo assim, o letramento é essencial. Desse modo, necessitamos refletir sobre caminhos que possam suprir as lacunas que vão aparecendo em relação ao código escrito e sobre o processo de ensino e aprendizagem da escrita. Este estudo traz alguns apontamentos sobre o modo, como os eventos de letramento, em múltiplos contextos, podem auxiliar na qualidade do ensino da língua.Palavras-chave: Letramento. Língua Portuguesa. Ensino - Aprendizagem. Interdisciplinaridade

EVENTOS DE LETRAMENTO: O ESTUDO DE LÍNGUA MATERNA POR MEIO DA INTERAÇÃO

O ensino da língua materna está cada vez mais complexo, e o sistema simbólico está presente em todos os contextos. Sendo assim, o letramento é essencial. Desse modo, necessitamos refletir sobre caminhos que possam suprir as lacunas que vão aparecendo em relação ao código escrito e sobre o processo de ensino e aprendizagem da escrita. Este estudo traz alguns apontamentos sobre o modo, como os eventos de letramento, em múltiplos contextos, podem auxiliar na qualidade do ensino da língua. Palavras-chave: Letramento. Língua Portuguesa. Ensino - Aprendizagem. Interdisciplinaridade