Fimbriae from three Escherichia coli strains, C1212, C1214, and C1023, isolated from urinary tract infections, have been purified and characterized by determination of the N-terminal sequences, amino acid composition, and molecular weights of their respective subunits. Furthermore, their immunological interrelationships have been investigated. The three strains all harbored more than one fimbri...

BACKGROUND Triptans, 5-HT(1B/ID) agonists, act on peripheral and/or central terminals of trigeminal ganglion neurons (TGNs) and inhibit the release of neurotransmitters to second-order neurons, which is considered as one of key mechanisms for pain relief by triptans as antimigraine drugs. Although high-voltage activated (HVA) Ca(2+) channels contribute to the release of neurotransmitters from T...

The alpha 1B-adrenergic receptor (alpha 1B-ADR) is a member of the G-protein-coupled family of transmembrane receptors. When transfected into Rat-1 and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, this receptor induces focus formation in an agonist-dependent manner. Focus-derived, transformed fibroblasts exhibit high levels of functional alpha 1B-ADR expression, demonstrate a catecholamine-induced enhancement in the r...

The opportunistic organism Pneumocystis carinii (Pc) produces a life-threatening pneumonia (PcP) in patients with low CD4(+) T cell counts. Animal models of HIV-AIDS-related PcP indicate that development of severe disease is dependent on the presence of CD8(+) T cells and the TNF receptors (TNFR) TNFRsf1a and TNFRsf1b. To distinguish roles of parenchymal and hematopoietic cell TNF signaling in ...

The serotypes of 144 strains of Shigella flexneri serotype 1 (serotypes 1a, 1b, and 1c) isolated from patients attending the Dhaka treatment center of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, between 1997 and 2001 were serologically confirmed by using commercially available antisera and a panel of monoclonal antibodies specific for S. flexneri group and type factor ...

The structures and properties of [n]sila-acenes (n=2-4) were investigated by density functional theory method. The results of calculations were obtained at B3LYP/6-311G (d,p) level on model species. Energetic criteria suggest that 2-1b (n=2), 3-1b (n=3), and 4-1b (n=4) isomers enjoy stabilization. By frontier orbital analysis, these systems are among the most stable of the family. Also, calcula...