Lymphocyte activation requires adhesion to antigen-presenting cells. This is a critical event linking innate and adaptive immunity. Lymphocyte adhesion is accomplished through LFA-1, which must be activated by a process referred to as inside-out integrin signaling. Among the few signaling molecules that have been implicated in inside-out integrin activation in hematopoietic cells are the small ...

Platelet aggregation requires agonist-induced alphaIIbbeta3 activation, a process mediated by Rap1 and talin. To study mechanisms, we engineered alphaIIbbeta3 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to conditionally express talin and protease-activated receptor (PAR) thrombin receptors. Human PAR1 or murine PAR4 stimulation activates alphaIIbbeta3, which was measured with antibody PAC-1, indicating c...

Integrins are a/b heterodimeric transmembrane receptors that are expressed on all cells. They provide stable adhesion of cells to the extracellular matrix or to other cell counter receptors by forming complex adhesion sites, which serve as signaling platforms (outside-in signaling) that induce cell polarity, migration, survival, and proliferation. Because integrins reside in an inactive state, ...

Health impact assessment (HIA) on a strategic level focuses on the broad determinants of health. However, the evidence with regard to the health impacts is often necessarily 'soft'. The example of a health impact review on national housing policy in the Netherlands shows that HIA can be effective even in the absence of hard data. Strategies used to overcome the problem of not having hard data a...

The most important public health priority in agricultural policy-making is currently food safety, despite the relatively higher importance of food security, nutrition, and other agricultural-related health issues in terms of global burden of disease. There is limited experience worldwide of using health impact assessment (HIA) during the development of agriculture and food policies, which perha...

Talin-mediated integrin activation drives integrin-based adhesions. Here we examine the roles of two proteins that induce talin-integrin interactions--vinculin and Rap1-GTP-interacting adaptor molecule (RIAM)--in the formation and maturation of integrin-based adhesions. RIAM-containing adhesions are primarily in the lamellipodium; RIAM is subsequently reduced in mature focal adhesions due to di...

The most widely accepted definition of health impact assessment (HIA), from a consensus conference in Gothenburg organised by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) European Centre for Health Policy, defines HIA as ‘a combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, programme or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution o...

the environment impact assessment studies have started with the approval environment impact assessment pattern by sustainable development committee in 1997, but theirs reports are prepared with the different qualities and generally are not comprehensive. therefore, for considering all aspects of environment, complimentary studis are neccessary. althoagh many of iran’s dams have environment impa...