Schwann cells form basal laminae (BLs) containing laminin-2 (Ln-2; heterotrimer alpha2beta1gamma1) and Ln-8 (alpha4beta1gamma1). Loss of Ln-2 in humans and mice carrying alpha2-chain mutations prevents developing Schwann cells from fully defasciculating axons, resulting in partial amyelination. The principal pathogenic mechanism is thought to derive from structural defects in Schwann cell BLs, ...

Collagen IV is a major structural component of all basal laminae (BLs). Six collagen IV alpha chains are present in mammals; alpha 1 and alpha 2(IV) are broadly expressed in embryos and adults, whereas alpha 3-6(IV) are restricted to a defined subset of BLs. In the glomerular BL of the kidney, the alpha 1 and alpha 2(IV) chains are replaced by the alpha 3-5(IV) chains as development proceeds. I...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the anatomy of the intraorbital structures regarding to endoscopic sinus surgery and external frontal sinus surgery analyzing computer tomography (CT) scans. METHODS The CT scans of 100 patients were retrospectively evaluated. The anatomic relationships between the intraorbital structures and paranasal structures were measured using multiplanar recon...

Mutations in the gene encoding the basal lamina (BL) component laminin alpha2 (LAMA2) cause merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy 1A (MDC1A), a complex disorder that includes hypomyelination and myodegeneration. In dystrophia muscularis (dy) mice bearing Lama2 mutations, myofibers and Schwann cells fail to assemble stable BLs, which are thought to be crucial for myofiber survival and ...

Fuzzy logics are designed to support logical inferences on vague or uncertain premises, and they are useful in several theoretical and applicative areas of computer science. A central paradigm in mathematical fuzzy logic, popularized by Hájek [Háj98], is based on the idea of weakening Boolean logic starting from a suitable generalization of Boolean conjunction, namely, a class of [0, 1]-valued ...

The outermost layer of the Bacillus anthracis spore is the exosporium, which is composed of a paracrystalline basal layer and an external hair-like nap. The filaments of the nap are formed by a collagen-like glycoprotein called BclA, while the basal layer contains several different proteins. One of the putative basal layer proteins is ExsY. In this study, we constructed a DeltaexsY mutant of B....

We present the development, validation, and application of a numerical model for the simulation of bottom boundary layer (BL) flows induced by arbitrary finite amplitude waves. Our approach is based on coupling a ‘near-field’ local Navier–Stokes (NS) model with a ‘far-field’ inviscid flow model, which simulates large scale incident wave propagation and transformations over a complex ocean botto...

Within the epidermis, proliferation takes place in the basal layer of keratinocytes that are attached to an underlying basement membrane. Cells that leave the basal layer undergo terminal differentiation as they move towards the tissue surface. The basal layer contains two types of proliferative keratinocyte: stem cells, which have unlimited self-renewal capacity, and transit amplifying cells, ...