What is an epitheliome, anyway?

No abstract available

Chloride channels in stellate cells are essential for uniquely high secretion rates in neuropeptide-stimulated Drosophila diuresis

Epithelia frequently segregate transport processes to specific cell types, presumably for improved efficiency and control. The molecular players underlying this functional specialization are of particular interest. In Drosophila, the renal (Malpighian) tubule displays the highest per-cell transport rates known and has two main secretory cell types, principal and stellate. Electrogenic cation transport is known to reside in the principal cells, whereas stellate cells control the anion conductance, but by an as-yet-undefined route. Here, we resolve this issue by showing that a plasma membrane chloride channel, encoded by ClC-a, is exclusively expressed in the stellate cell and is required for Drosophila kinin-mediated induction of diuresis and chloride shunt conductance, evidenced by chloride ion movement through the stellate cells, leading to depolarization of the transepithelial potential. By contrast, ClC-a knockdown had no impact on resting secretion levels. Knockdown of a second CLC gene showing highly abundant expression in adult Malpighian tubules, ClC-c, did not impact depolarization of transepithelial potential after kinin stimulation. Therefore, the diuretic action of kinin in Drosophila can be explained by an increase in ClC-a–mediated chloride conductance, over and above a resting fluid transport level that relies on other (ClC-a–independent) mechanisms or routes. This key segregation of cation and anion transport could explain the extraordinary fluid transport rates displayed by some epithelia

Design of e-shoe for Visually Impaired by Using RFID Technology

It is a known fact that blind people find it extremely difficult to detect their way through obstacles and stairs. Using a white stick to detect the obstacles had been an age old method, which cannot provide complete solution. In order to overcome this problem, an obstacle detecting shoe is developed. It senses the obstacle through ultrasonic sensors and alerts the user through the message. The ultrasonic waves transmitted are reflected by the obstacles and echo is received by the ultrasonic receiver, where the distance is calculated by using a microprocessor. The RFID system is used to assist the blind people. When the reader located on the shoe moves on to a specific tag, unique tag ID is sent to the reader. While in the case of walking in traffic, RF Link Transmitter/receiver is used for traffic signal detection and for passing instructions to the user through voice messages. A timer is used to detect the wet areas and helps the blind to avoid slippery.       

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour - A rare cause of a popliteal fossa mass: A case report and review of the literature

A literature review of peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumours, illustrated with an index case report describing an 80-year-old woman who presented with a mass in the left popliteal fossa, is reported. An excision biopsy was performed, revealing a possible peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour as the primary pathology. Normally confined to the chest wall and axial soft tissues of children and young adults, reports of this tumour existing in other areas and in the elderly population are scarce