Deciding the numerous parameters involved in designing a competent artificial neural network is a complicated task. The existence of several options for selecting an appropriate architecture for neural network adds to this complexity, especially when different applications of heterogeneous natures are concerned. Two completely different applications in engineering and medical science were selec...

Vav family members function as remarkable scaffold proteins that exhibit both GDP/GTP exchange activity for Rho/Rac GTPases and numerous protein-protein interactions via three adaptor Src-homology domains. The exchange activity is under the unique regulation by phosphorylation of tyrosine residues hidden by intra-molecular interactions. Deletion of the autoinhibitory N-terminal region results i...

The comparative nucleotide sequences of the region of inverted terminal repetition from a representative member of group C (nononcogenic), group B (weakly oncogenic), and group A (highly oncogenic) adenoviruses are analyzed. Our data show that (i) the length of this unique region increases with the oncogenicity of the serotype, (ii) a unique homologous region--14 nucleotides long--is present ex...

We have constructed a nondefective recombinant virus between the nononcogenic adenovirus 5 (Ad5) and the highly oncogenic Ad12. The recombinant genome consists essentially of Ad5 sequences, with the exception of the transforming early region 1 (E1) which is derived from Ad12. HeLa cells infected with the recombinant virus were shown to contain the Ad12-specific E1 proteins of 41 kilodaltons (E1...

In vitro treatment of Lewis lung carcinoma cells with the polysaccharide levan was shown previously to reduce the oncogenicity of these cells by acting on the cell membrane. In the present study the direct effect of levan on the tumorigenicity of Lewis lung carcinoma in C57BL male mice was tested at different doses and intervals and temperatures of incubation. A dose-dependent decrease in tumor...

Currently, the most effective treatment for end-stage liver fibrosis is liver transplantation; however, transplantation is limited by a shortage of donor organs, surgical complications, immunological rejection, and high medical costs. Recently, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has been suggested as an effective alternate approach for the treatment of hepatic diseases. MSCs have the potential...

Vaccines contain residual DNA derived from the cells used to produce them. As part of our investigation to assess the risk of this cellular DNA, we are developing a quantitative in vivo assay to assess the oncogenicity of DNA. In an earlier study, we had generated expression plasmids for two oncogenes--human activated T24-H-ras and murine c-myc--and had shown that these two plasmids, pMSV-T24-H...