The prostaglandin (PG) receptors EP4 and FP have the potential to exert negative effects on adipogenesis, but the exact contribution of endogenous PG-driven receptor signaling to this process is not fully understood. In this study, we employed an adipocyte differentiation system from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and compared the effects of each PG receptor-deficiency on adipocyte different...

Calsequestrin-2 (CASQ2) is the main Ca2+-binding protein inside the sarcoplasmic reticulum of cardiomyocytes. Previously, we demonstrated that MEF-2 and SRF binding sites within the human CASQ2 gene (hCASQ2) promoter region are functional in neonatal cardiomyocytes. In this work, we investigated if the calcineurin/NFAT pathway regulates hCASQ2 expression in neonatal cardiomyocytes. The inhibiti...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to characterize a putative novel macrolide efflux gene located in the vicinity of sul3 in porcine Escherichia coli. METHODS Five sul3-encoding E. coli isolates of porcine origin were investigated by plasmid characterization and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR. Unknown DNA adjacent to the sul3 genes was amplified using a PCR approach, fol...

We conducted population-based surveillance for pneumococcal bacteremia within a 5-county region surrounding Philadelphia from October 2001 through September 2008, the period following introduction of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Erythromycin resistance increased from 14.7% in 2001-2002 to 20.3% in 2007-2008, while the resistance rate to penicillin (MIC, ≥2 μg/ml) decreased f...

Stromal fibroblasts are suggested to be a key determinant in the malignant progression of breast cancer. To find an in vitro culture model that best mimics the in vivo tumor microenvironment so we can study the effects of stromal fibroblasts on breast cancer progression, we evaluated several three-dimensional (3D) co-culture models in order to identify the most suitable culture model for our st...

Of a total of 192 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates, 149 (77.6%) were not susceptible to erythromycin. Of these 149 isolates, 117 (79.1%) contained the erm(B) gene, 16 (10.8%) contained the mef(A) gene, and 15 (10.1%) harbored both the erm(B) and mef(A) genes.

In this communication we describe a new approach to the fabrication of fluorescent silver/polymer nanohybrids with thermo-switchable metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF). By manipulating a soft polymer spacer between the silver nanoparticles and the fluorophores a tunable MEF was achieved.

background: embryonic stem (es) cells are pluripotent cells conventionally isolated from early embryos. studies have shown that es cells serve as a practical model for biomedical studies. objective: the aim of the present study was to optimize culture conditions for establishment of es-like colonies from nmri mouse blastocysts as well as 2-cell stage embryos. materials and methods: both expande...