BACKGROUND Increased TNF-alpha during cardiac surgery is thought to be responsible for perioperative complications. The TNF-alpha gene promoter polymorphism G/A at position -308 has been associated with enhanced TNF-alpha secretion, as has been heart failure. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate: (i) whether the TNF-alpha G/A polymorphism is associated with exacerbation of TNF-...

SOURCE/DESCRIPTION The plasmld p0D45~contains a 1.6 kb of a omithine decarboxyiase cDNA . POLYMORPHISM Constant Eco RI bands vere found at 3.6, 4.4, 5.5, 6.9, 8.5, 11.5, 13.5 and 19 kb. Variant bands vere found at 4.7 and 6.2 kb. FREQUENCY The 4.7 band is present in BALB/c, not in C57BL/6, DBA/2 and C3Hf, and segregate in CxB recombinant inbred (RI) strains. The 6.2 kb band is present in DBA/2 ...

In order to understand the generation of antibody diversity in cattle, seven cDNAs, from heterohybridomas secreting bovine IgM and IgG1 antibodies, were cloned and structurally analyzed for rearranged bovine VDJ genes. All of the seven bovine VH genes, together with four available bovine VH gene sequences, shared a high nucleotide sequence homology (84.2-93.5%). Based upon the criteria of nucle...

Mismatch between bone marrow transplant (BMT) patient and donor for an amino acid polymorphism within the adhesion molecule CD31 has recently been reported to increase risk for the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We further examined this association in a larger series of 301 BMT patients (227 with grade III/IV GVHD and 74 with grade 0 GVHD) and their HLA-identical sibling donor...

Contraction of freely perfused hind limb muscles in decerebrate rats evokes the exercise pressor reflex, resulting in sympathetic activation and increased blood pressure. This reflex is propagated along mechanically sensitive group III and metabolically sensitive group IV afferent nerve fibers. Recent research by our laboratory has focused on the exaggeration of the exercise pressor reflex in d...

The success of beetles is mainly attributed to the possibility to hide the hindwings under the sclerotised elytra. The acquisition of the transverse folding function of the hind wing is an important event in the evolutionary history of beetles. In this study, the morphological and functional variances in the hind wings of 94 leaf beetle species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelinae) is explored using geom...

PURPOSE There have been studies on the relations between metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer or on the relations between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphism and colorectal cancer, but reports on the relationship between metabolic syndrome, MTHFR polymorphism and colorectal cancer all together are rare. The aim of this study is to find the interrelation between metaboli...

Since the introduction of gliclazide in the pharmaceutical industry, a large number of research groups have been engaged in various investigations aiming to enhance its biomedical application. But, very limited efforts have been made to study polymorphism of gliclazide. Therefore, this study focuses on solvent-induced polymorphism of gliclazide and its characterization by thermal methods. Three...

BACKGROUND Earlier studies have shown that adrenomedullin (AM), a potent vasodilator peptide, has a variety of cardiovascular effects. However, whether AM has angiogenic potential remains unknown. This study investigated whether AM gene transfer induces therapeutic angiogenesis in chronic hind limb ischemia. METHODS AND RESULTS Ischemia was induced in the hind limb of 21 Japanese White rabbit...