Endothelium exerts diverse effects within the vessel wall and on nearby target cells.1 Through these effects, endothelial cells inhibit vascular tone and vascular growth and protect against thrombosis and progression of atherosclerosis, as well as increases in blood pressure.1,2 Much of the influence of endothelium on other cells is mediated by intercellular signals carried by diffusible factor...

The HER-2 oncogene, a member of the erythroblastosis oncogene B (ERBB)-like oncogene family, has been shown to be amplified in many types of cancer, including breast cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of HER-2 overexpression is not completely understood. The phosphorylation of proteins on the serine or threonine residues that immediately precede proline (pSer/Thr-Pro) is specifically cata...

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) is an increasingly important tool for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of transformations of organic compounds in contaminated environments. To date, the use of CSIA has been mainly restricted to the elements C and H, although Nconstitutes a very important reactive centerfor many priority contaminants. To evaluate the potential use of N isoto...