BACKGROUND Isomerism is associated with a complex spectrum of anomalies. There is paucity of data on prenatally detected cases. METHODS AND RESULTS Between January 1990 and February 2004, 83 of 166 cases (50%) had a prenatal diagnosis of left isomerism (LAI; 52 of 97) or right isomerism (RAI; 31 of 69) at our institution. The spectrum of anomalies, management, and outcomes was compared for fe...

In adult life, the type 2 isozyme of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD2) protects the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) from glucocorticoid by inactivating cortisol to cortisone. 11betaHSD2 activity has been reported in human fetal tissues, where glucocorticoids may impair fetal growth yet are also required for normal fetal development. Using digoxigenin-labeled complementary ribonuc...

The reliability and durability of energy storage devices are as important as their essential characteristics (e.g., energy and power density) for stable power output and long lifespan and thus much more crucial under harsh conditions. However, energy storage under extreme conditions is still a big challenge because of unavoidable performance decays and the inevitable damage of components. Here,...

Cellular responses often require the fast activation or repression of specific genes, which depends on transcription factors (TFs) that have to quickly find the promoters of these genes within a large genome. TFs search for their DNA promoter target by alternating between bulk diffusion and sliding along the DNA, a mechanism known as facilitated diffusion. We study a facilitated diffusion frame...