cDNA clones for two isoforms of starch branching enzyme (SBEI and SBEII) have been isolated from pea embryos and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequences of pea SBEI and SBEII are closely related ...to starch branching enzymes of maize, rice, potato and cassava and a number of glycogen branching enzymes from yeast, mammals and several prokaryotic species. In comparison with SBEI, the deduced amino acid sequence of SBEII lacks a flexible domain at the N‐terminus of the mature protein. This domain is also present in maize SBEII and rice SBEIII and resembles one previously reported for pea granule‐bound starch synthase II (GBSSII). However, in each case it is missing from the other isoform of SBE from the same species. On the basis of this structural feature (which exists in some isoforms from both monocots and dicots) and other differences in sequence, SBEs from plants may be divided into two distinct enzyme families. There is strong evidence from our own and other work that the amylopectin products of the enzymes from these two families are qualitatively different. Pea SBEI and SBEII are differentially expressed during embryo development. SBEI is relatively highly expressed in young embryos whilst maximum expression of SBEII occurs in older embryos. The differential expression of isoforms which have distinct catalytic properties means that the contribution of each SBE isoform to starch biosynthesis changes during embryo development. Qualitative measurement of amylopectin from developing and maturing embryos confirms that the nature of amylopectin changes during pea embryo development and that this correlates with the differential expression of SBE isoforms.
Vaccine therapy for prostate and breast cancer may have potential for treating these major causes of death in males and females, respectively. Critical to the development of tumor-specific vaccines ...is finding and characterizing novel antigens to be recognized by CD8(+) T cells. To define new CD8(+) T-cell tumor antigens, we determined two wild-type HLA-A2 epitopes from a recently found tumor-associated protein, TARP (T-cell receptor gamma alternate reading frame protein), expressed in prostate and breast cancer cells. We were also able to engineer epitope-enhanced peptides by sequence modifications. Both wild-type and enhanced epitopes induced peptide-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses in A2K(b) transgenic mice. In vitro restimulation of human CD8(+) T cells from a prostate cancer patient resulted in CD8(+) T cells reactive to the peptide epitopes that could lyse HLA-A2(+) human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) expressing TARP. Epitope-specific human CD8(+) T cells were also enumerated in patients' peripheral blood by tetramer staining. Our data suggest that HLA-A2-binding TARP epitopes and enhanced epitopes discovered in this study could be incorporated into a potential vaccine for both breast and prostate cancer.
Measurements of de-excitation {gamma} rays in coincidence with target-like residues produced in deep inelastic transfer reactions of {sup 238}U on a {sup 48}Ca target at an energy near the Coulomb ...barrier are presented. A systematic analysis, within a shell model approach, of the measured low-lying states in the odd and even neutron-rich Ca isotopes points toward a possible absence of a predicted shell closure at N=34.
The 1.69 ms spin period of PSR J1227−4853 was recently discovered in radio observations of the low-mass X-ray binary XSS J12270−4859 following the announcement of a possible transition to a ...rotation-powered millisecond pulsar state, inferred from decreases in optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray flux from the source. We report the detection of significant (5σ) gamma-ray pulsations after the transition, at the known spin period, using ∼1 year of data from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The gamma-ray light curve of PSR J1227−4853 can be fit by one broad peak, which occurs at nearly the same phase as the main peak in the 1.4 GHz radio profile. The partial alignment of light-curve peaks in different wavebands suggests that at least some of the radio emission may originate at high altitude in the pulsar magnetosphere, in extended regions co-located with the gamma-ray emission site. We folded the LAT data at the orbital period, both pre- and post-transition, but find no evidence for significant modulation of the gamma-ray flux. Analysis of the gamma-ray flux over the mission suggests an approximate transition time of 2012 November 30. Continued study of the pulsed emission and monitoring of PSR J1227−4853, and other known redback systems, for subsequent flux changes will increase our knowledge of the pulsar emission mechanism and transitioning systems.
The susceptibility of cortical neurons to two forms of apoptotic death was compared with susceptibility to excitotoxic death during development in vitro (DIV 4–21). Murine cortical cultures were ...exposed for 48 h to the phosphatase inhibitor cyclosporine, the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine or the excitotoxin
N-methyl-
d-aspartate (NMDA). Susceptibility to apoptosis induced by staurosporine or cyclosporine was maximal between DIV 4–10 and declined from DIV 10 through 18. The opposite pattern was observed with susceptibility to NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxic necrosis, which was minimal at DIV 6 and progressively increased through DIV 21.
Modern household customers use many power electronic based devices for their daily usage. Those devices emit harmonic current pollutions and eventually increase harmonic voltage distortion level in ...the network. In the future network, the background harmonic pollution in the MV and upstream networks could increase with the integration of more distributed generations. Thus, the harmonic related problem will increase in the network and therefore should be considered seriously. With the distorted supply voltage, most of the devices produce even more harmonic current pollutions. In this paper, three typical households are modeled with their various connected devices. Each device is tested in the laboratory to find out its harmonic current emission spectrum for different grid voltage conditions. Also, harmonic current spectrums are measured in the laboratory at each of the three house model's terminal. Further, harmonic simulation is done on a typical low voltage network in which several household customers are connected and the above measured harmonic spectrums of households are used in the analysis. Harmonic current emission levels at different points of the network are calculated. Those values are compared with the laboratory measurements and also with the available standard limits. This analysis gives an overview of harmonic current emission level at different installations of a low voltage network.
An efficient numerical algorithm is proposed to accurately compute the elastic fields in two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) microstructures with arbitrary elastic inhomogeneity and ...anisotropy. It combines the equivalent inclusion method of Eshelby, the microelasticity theory of Khachaturyan, and the spectral iterative perturbation method of Hu and Chen. Its efficiency is compared with those of existing approaches in the literature. The method can be conveniently implemented in phase-field modeling of stress-dependent microstructure evolution and/or of mass/electrical transport.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
Determine the incidence and characterize perioperative airway complications in patients who have undergone medialization thyroplasty (MT) and subsequently undergo procedures ...requiring anesthesia.
Study Design:
Retrospective review of post‐MT anesthesia encounters in a large academic hospital.
Methods:
A series of post‐MT patients was reviewed, identifying anesthesia encounters undergoing endotracheal intubation (ETI) or laryngeal mask airway (LMA) placement. Details on the perioperative course of each encounter were extracted and examined for evidence of airway complications. The incidence of airway obstruction and need for airway intervention were determined and compared to those of control patients matched for type of procedure. Relationships between complications and perioperative management were analyzed.
Results:
A total of 74 anesthesia encounters were identified among 219 post‐MT patients. Perioperative airway complications among post‐MT patients arose in five procedures (6.8%; 95% CI: 1.0–12.4%). Stridor in the operating or recovery room was exhibited three times, with all episodes requiring nebulized racemic epinephrine and intravenous steroids for resolution of symptoms. One patient underwent an urgent tracheotomy for severe stridor leading to airway compromise in the recovery room. Immediately after induction with an LMA, one patient failed to maintain oxygen saturations above 90% and consequently required conversion to ETI. Among 79 matched controls without prior MT, no perioperative complications (0%) occurred (P = .027).
Conclusions:
The incidence of perioperative airway complications in post‐MT patients is non‐neglible and may be serious. Surgical, anesthesia, and recovery room staff should be made aware of the significantly increased risk of airway complications in post‐MT patients. Laryngoscope, 2009
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