Periodic organization of the contractile apparatus in smooth muscle revealed by the motion of dense bodies in single cells

To study the organization of the contractile apparatus in smooth muscle and its behavior during shortening, the movement of dense bodies in contracting saponin skinned, isolated cells was analyzed from digital images collected at fixed time intervals. These cells were optically lucent so that punctate structures, identified immunocytochemically as dense bodies, were visible in them with the phase contrast microscope. Methods were adapted and developed to track the bodies and to study their relative motion. Analysis of their tracks or trajectories indicated that the bodies did not move passively as cells shortened and that nearby bodies often had similar patterns of motion. Analysis of the relative motion of the bodies indicated that some bodies were structurally linked to one another or constrained so that the distance between them remained relatively constant during contraction. Such bodies tended to fall into laterally oriented, semirigid groups found at approximately 6-microns intervals along the cell axis. Other dense bodies moved rapidly toward one another axially during contraction. Such bodies were often members of separate semirigid groups. This suggests that the semirigid groups of dense bodies in smooth muscle cells may provide a framework for the attachment of the contractile structures to the cytoskeleton and the cell surface and indicates that smooth muscle may be more well-ordered than previously thought. The methods described here for the analysis of the motion of intracellular structures should be directly applicable to the study of motion in other cell types

A case-based framework for leveraging nutrigenomics knowledge and personal nutrition counseling

Paper presented at the 7th European Conference in Case-Based Reasoning, Madrid, Spain.NutriGenomics is the bioscience that links the way nutrients and other dietary components shape genetic activity. It builds on the success of Human Genome Project by applying systems biology methods to explain how the molecular components of food, supplements and pharmaceuticals dynamically influence and shape the activity of genomic subsystems, which in turn define how a person can stay healthy or become ill. Applying NutriGenomics knowledge is done through Directive Genomics, which develops purposeful dietary strategies that influence gene expression at the individual level with the goal of better genetic function and health. This paper proposes a case-based framework for leveraging nutrigenomics knowledge and Directive Genomics applications. The unique features of the proposed system include a selfmaintained distributed case base structure and a CBR-based nutrition counseling module that can learn, adapt, and maintain its case base via the integrated distributed case bases as well as external resources

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE SIDE-EFFECTS AND ALLERGY: AN IMMUNE AETIOLOGY ?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33506/1/0000003.pd

A Case-Based Framework for Leveraging NutriGenomics Knowledge and Personalized Nutrition Counseling*

Abstract. NutriGenomics is the bioscience that links the way nutrients and other dietary components shape genetic activity. It builds on the success of Human Genome Project by applying systems biology methods to explain how the molecular components of food, supplements and pharmaceuticals dynamically influence and shape the activity of genomic subsystems, which in turn define how a person can stay healthy or become ill. Applying NutriGenomics knowledge is done through Directive Genomics, which develops purposeful dietary strategies that influence gene expression at the individual level with the goal of better genetic function and health. This paper proposes a case-based framework for leveraging nutrigenomics knowledge and Directive Genomics applications. The unique features of the proposed system include a selfmaintained distributed case base structure and a CBR-based nutrition counseling module that can learn, adapt, and maintain its case base via the integrated distributed case bases as well as external resources.

Gender, Power, and the Denial of Intimacy in Chinese Studies and Beyond

This article identifies and critically examines four recurring concerns in writings on Chinese gender and sexuality: (1) Emphasis on extreme cases of women\u27s suffering to produce a more dramatic effect. (2) Focus only one gender\u27s perspective and disregard of the role of social class. (3) De-emphasis on men\u27s place within the subjective domain and overlooking how emotional bonds unite couples. (4) Depiction of the erotic as simply the manifestation of prevailing sexual ideology, which encourages viewing male/female interaction as an exercise in power and dominance, and discourages interpretation of the erotic as an aesthetic experience