Notch signaling pathways play important roles in cell fate and many diseases, including preeclampsia, the dysregulation of which may be the main cause of maternal mortality. This study aimed to investigate the roles of Notch2 and Notch3 in proliferation and invasion in trophoblast cell lines (BeWo and JAR). Small hairpin RNAs targeting Notch2/Notch3 and Notch2/Notch3-overexpression vectors were...

BACKGROUND Meningococcal factor H binding protein (fHbp) is a promising vaccine candidate. Anti-fHbp antibodies can bind to meningococci and elicit complement-mediated bactericidal activity directly. The antibodies also can block binding of the human complement down-regulator, factor H (fH). Without bound fH, the organism would be expected to have increased susceptibility to bacteriolysis. Here...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the performance of the Anoxomat, in comparison with the conventional anaerobic GasPak jar system, for the isolation of obligate anaerobes. METHOD Anoxomat, model WS800, and anaerobic GasPak jar system (Oxoid) were evaluated. Anoxomat system utilized a gas mixture of 80% N(2), 10% CO(2) and 10% H(2), while the GasPak used a gas mixture of 90% H(2) and 10% CO(2). An anaer...

Twenty six anaerobes were recovered from 150 deep-seated abscess samples cultured by the proposed two-step combustion-modified candle-jar system and Anoxomat. The degree of growth and colony size were similar in both systems, except for Clostridium difficile. The modified candle-jar system was found to be a sensitive and cost-effective alternative that might be used in resource-limited settings.

The recent acquisitions of archaeological findings of bamboo slips inmany institutions inChina provide us a good significance for the study of development of mathematics in Ancient China. These includes the Tsinghua University (arithmetic table, dated from the Warring States period), the YueluAcademy (bamboo slips of the book “mathematics”, QinDynasty), the BeijingUniversity (bamboo slips of ma...

The history of silk in the Near East begins in Syria in the Roman period, with cloth and yarn of the Han dynasty imported from China. Some of the cloth may well have been the delicate Chinese gauze, because during the first two centuries A.D. Roman writers were scandalized by its transparency, saying that the wearers were clothed only to be unclothed. Other types, damasks and embroidered silks,...