A role for immunoglobulin E and its high affinity receptor (Fc epsilon RI) in the control of bacterial pathogenicity and intestinal inflammation has been suggested, but relevant animal models are lacking. Here we compare transgenic mice expressing a humanized Fc epsilon RI (hFc epsilon RI), with a cell distribution similar to that in humans, to Fc epsilon RI-deficient animals. In hFc epsilon RI...

We fitted C(k,tau,epsilon) proportional to exp([-sigma(k,epsilon)tau] to time-correlation functions C(k,tau,epsilon) of structure factors S(k,t,epsilon) of shadowgraph images of fluctuations below a supercritical bifurcation at V(0)=V(c) to electroconvection of a planar nematic liquid crystal in the presence of a voltage V=sqrt[2]V(0)cos((2pift) [k=(p,q) is the wave vector and epsilon identical...

IgE-binding protein (epsilon BP) is a protein which has affinity for IgE and was originally identified in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells. Subsequently, it was found to be the rat homolog of CBP35, a murine beta-galactoside-specific lectin. This protein is also designated as L-34 and RL-29 and studied independently by several laboratories. More recently, CBP35 (epsilon BP) was found to be e...

Activated fibroblasts, or myofibroblasts, are crucial players in tissue remodeling, wound healing, and various fibrotic disorders, including interstitial lung fibrosis associated with scleroderma. Here we characterize the signaling pathways in normal lung fibroblasts exposed to thrombin as they acquire two of the main features of myofibroblasts: smooth muscle (SM) alpha-actin organization and c...

The structure of a complicated quasicrystal approximant epsilon(16) was predicted from a known and related quasicrystal approximant epsilon(6) by the strong-reflections approach. Electron-diffraction studies show that in reciprocal space, the positions of the strongest reflections and their intensity distributions are similar for both approximants. By applying the strong-reflections approach, t...

For porcine myocardium, ultrasonic regional deformation parameters, systolic strain (epsilon(sys)) and peak systolic strain rate (SR(sys)), were compared with stroke volume (SV) and contractility [contractility index (CI)] measured as the ratio of end-systolic strain to end-systolic wall stress. Heart rate (HR) and contractility were varied by atrial pacing (AP = 120-180 beats/min, n = 7), incr...

Although a variety of methods have become available for the determination of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions in plasma, a review of published data from nine studies of coronary disease outcomes and 10 investigations of coronary artery disease severity do no suggest that measurement of HDL2-cholesterol (C) and HDL3-C offer any advantage in the prediction of coronary disease over the ...

Why does classical equilibrium statistical mechanics work? Malament and Zabell (1980) noticed that, for ergodic dynamical systems, the unique absolutely continuous invariant probability measure is the microcanonical. Earman and Rédei (1996) replied that systems of interest are very probably not ergodic, so that absolutely continuous invariant probability measures very distant from the microcano...

BACKGROUND The risk effect of APOE epsilon 4 allele for Alzheimer's disease is acknowledged, whereas the putative protective effect of epsilon 2 allele remains in debate. OBJECTIVES To investigate whether those inconsistent findings may be attributable to differences in age and sex composition of the study populations. METHODS A community dementia free cohort (n = 985) aged > or =75 years w...

Collagen is a key structural protein in the extracellular matrix of many tissues. It provides biological tissues with tensile mechanical strength and is enzymatically cleaved by a class of matrix metalloproteinases known as collagenases. Collagen enzymatic kinetics has been well characterized in solubilized, gel, and reconstituted forms. However, limited information exists on enzyme degradation...