BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests that co-clustering of Fas/CD95 death receptor and lipid rafts plays a major role in death receptor-mediated apoptosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS By a combination of genetic, biochemical, and ultrastructural approaches, we provide here compelling evidence for the involvement of lipid raft aggregates containing recruited Fas/CD95 death receptor, Fas-asso...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure the changes in the volume (and fluid content) of the lumbar intervertebral discs (L1-L2, L2-L3, L3-L4, L4-L5) in five normal subjects. For each subject, MRI scans were taken at the end of a normal day and again on the following morning (after a night's bed rest). Ten further scans were taken during an 8-h protocol consisting of alternate peri...

Aims. We performed a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the dwarf nova V2051 Oph at the end of its 1999 superoutburst. We studied and interpreted the simultaneous behaviour of various emission lines. Methods. We obtained high-resolution echelle spectroscopic data at ESO’s NTT with EMMI, covering the spectral range of 4000– 7500Å. The analysis was performed using standard IRAF tools. The indirec...

abstract   background: far lateral discal herniation is an uncommon disorder and is difficult to assess by physical examination alone. this study is designed to define clinical and epidemiological findings and to establish the indications of surgical and medical treatment for flldh.   methods: between 2000 and 2005, a total of 2035 patients with lumbar disc herniation underwent surgical discect...

cracked and un-cracked brazilian disc specimens subjected to diametral compression were used for conducting fracture toughness and tensile strength experiments on a polymer concrete (pc) material. the value of mode i fracture toughness (kic) was determined from the center- cracked brazilian disc and the indirect tensile strength (σt) was obtained from the un-cracked brazilian disc specimen. the...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Various phenotypic methods are recommended in the routine practice to detect the ESBL production in gram negative bacilli. Among them, the Double Disc Synergy Test (DDST) which uses the third generation cephalosporins (3GC), is a simple and a reliable method. But the coexistence of AmpC may give false negative results. In such cases, the ESBL detection can be improved ...

The Drosophila Alp/Enigma family protein Zasp52 localizes to myotendinous junctions and Z-discs. It is required for terminal muscle differentiation and muscle attachment. Its vertebrate ortholog ZASP/Cypher also localizes to Z-discs, interacts with α-actinin through its PDZ domain, and is involved in Z-disc maintenance. Human mutations in ZASP cause myopathies and cardiomyopathies. Here we show...