Tail wagging the dog

Plakophilins, desmogleins, and pemphigus: the tail wagging the dog

The importance of desmosomal cell adhesion to human health is evidenced by the autoimmune disease pemphigus vulgaris (PV), in which autoantibodies against the extracellular domain of the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein 3 cause potentially fatal blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. Tucker et al. describe how enhanced expression of a desmosomal cytoplasmic plaque protein, plakophilin-1, pr...

Resuscitation attempts in asystolic patients: the legal tail wagging the dog?

In today's litigious society, legal worries can cause Emergency practitioners to alter their delivery of clinical care. One clinical scenario in which this particularly true is in resuscitation of the so called "medically futile" patient. Patients who arrive to the Emergency Department in prolonged asystole have a uniformly dismal prognosis at best. Yet, many Emergency Physicians often continue...

Stomatal vs. genome size in angiosperms: the somatic tail wagging the genomic dog?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Genome size is a function, and the product, of cell volume. As such it is contingent on ecological circumstance. The nature of 'this ecological circumstance' is, however, hotly debated. Here, we investigate for angiosperms whether stomatal size may be this 'missing link': the primary determinant of genome size. Stomata are crucial for photosynthesis and their size affects fu...

Canine DNA Profiling in Forensic Casework: The Tail Wagging the Dog.

The popularity of dogs as faithful human companions instigates forensically relevant issues on a regular basis. Domestic dogs take an active role as the causes of accidents and as perpetrators of attacks; even more frequently, dogs act as links between victims and suspects in crime cases due to the fact that dog owners/keepers live in an environment rich with canine material. Mitochondrial and ...

The tail is wagging the dog: body culture, classification and the paralympic movement