On the plasticity of Si-O framawork of alkali zinc silicates

The configuration of the Si-O framework in alkali zinc silicates has been investigated on the basis of recently determined structures. The results have shown that there is a linear correlation between the ionic radii of alkali ions and the molar abundance of ZnO+SiO2 per one alkali ion in the structure. This indicates that in the case of zinc silicates, the configuration of the Si-O frameworks is largely influenced by the ionic radii of alkali ions in the structure. On the contrary, in the case of alumino-silicates, the configuration of the Si-O framework is independent of ionic radii of alkali ions. In the former, the Si-O framework is considered to be plastic, while in the latter, it could be called rigid. The latter extreme cases are those of zeolites. In this case, the configuration on frameworks is not entirely influenced by the ionic radii of alkali atoms present. These results are discussed in connection with the historical investigations of silicate structures

Innate immunity and adjuvants

Innate immunity was for a long time considered to be non-specific because the major function of this system is to digest pathogens and present antigens to the cells involved in acquired immunity. However, recent studies have shown that innate immunity is not non-specific, but is instead sufficiently specific to discriminate self from pathogens through evolutionarily conserved receptors, designated Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Indeed, innate immunity has a crucial role in early host defence against invading pathogens. Furthermore, TLRs were found to act as adjuvant receptors that create a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity, and to have important roles in the induction of adaptive immunity. This paradigm shift is now changing our thinking on the pathogenesis and treatment of infectious, immune and allergic diseases, as well as cancers. Besides TLRs, recent findings have revealed the presence of a cytosolic detector system for invading pathogens. I will review the mechanisms of pathogen recognition by TLRs and cytoplasmic receptors, and then discuss the roles of these receptors in the development of adaptive immunity in response to viral infection

Stochastic Binary Modeling of Cells in Continuous Time as an Alternative to Biochemical Reaction Equations

We have developed a coarse-grained formulation for modeling the dynamic behavior of cells quantitatively, based on stochasticity and heterogeneity, rather than on biochemical reactions. We treat each reaction as a continuous-time stochastic process, while reducing each biochemical quantity to a binary value at the level of individual cells. The system can be analytically represented by a finite set of ordinary linear differential equations, which provides a continuous time course prediction of each molecular state. In this letter, we introduce our formalism and demonstrate it with several examples.Comment: 10pages, 3 figure

Pathogen Recognition and Innate Immunity

Microorganisms that invade a vertebrate host are initially recognized by the innate immune system through germline-encoded pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). Several classes of PRRs, including Toll-like receptors and cytoplasmic receptors, recognize distinct microbial components and directly activate immune cells. Exposure of immune cells to the ligands of these receptors activates intracellular signaling cascades that rapidly induce the expression of a variety of overlapping and unique genes involved in the inflammatory and immune responses. New insights into innate immunity are changing the way we think about pathogenesis and the treatment of infectious diseases, allergy, and autoimmunity