Glomerular visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) contain interdigitated processes that form specialized intercellular junctions, termed slit diaphragms, which provide a selective filtration barrier in the renal glomerulus. Analyses of disease-causing mutations in familial nephrotic syndromes and targeted mutagenesis in mice have revealed critical roles of several proteins in the assembly of sli...

BACKGROUND Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a safe and effective treatment for allergic rhinitis (AR). However, many issues regarding SLIT remain to be resolved, including the optimal timing of administration. This study investigated the effect of time of day on SLIT efficacy with the goal of optimizing the therapeutic outcome. METHODS We performed prophylactic SLIT at different times of da...

Due to its excellent safety profile, ease of administration, and economic considerations, sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is becoming a preferred form of allergen specific immunotherapy. The efficacy of SLIT is still debated. The purpose of this act of practice trial is to evaluate quality of life outcomes in patients treated with SLIT. Fifty one patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis demon...

This paper investigates the transmission properties of a normally incident transverse magnetic (TM) wave through a single subwavelength metallic cross-slit (a vertical slit modified by a horizontal cut at the center of the slit). The results show that, as the horizontal cut length increases, the odd modes of the extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) of the slit exhibit an apparent red shift ...

To the Editor: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is an allergen specific immunotherapy method which has been used extensively instead of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). Even though it is considered as the last resort, it is often used combined with pharmacotherapy due to simplicity of application. SLIT has been reported to be effective in seasonal allergic rhino-conjunctivitis treatment of adu...

In this work we explore the transmission properties of a single slit in a metallic screen. We analyze the dependence of these properties on both slit width and angle of incident radiation. We study in detail the crossover between the subwavelength regime and the geometrical-optics limit. In the subwavelength regime, resonant transmission linked to the excitation of waveguide resonances is analy...

AIMS To process video slit lamp biomicroscopic fundus image sequences in order to generate wide field, high quality fundus image montages which might be suitable for photodocumentation. METHODS Slit lamp biomicroscopic fundus examination was performed on human volunteers with a contact or non-contact lens. A stock, charge coupled device camera permitted image capture and storage of the image ...