OBJECTIVE To review 30 years' clinical experience with Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy leading to penetrating keratoplasty (PK). METHODS We reviewed the clinical records of patients diagnosed histopathologically as having Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy who underwent PK at Duke University Medical Center between January 1, 1972, and December 31, 2001. This observational case series inc...

BACKGROUND The etiology of porokeratosis (PK) remains unknown, but immunosuppression is known to be a factor in the pathogenesis of PK and it may also exacerbate PK. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics of PK associated with immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplant recipients. METHODS A total of 9 renal transplant patients diagnosed with biopsy-pr...

Six pyrokinins, members of a widely distributed neuropeptide family in insects (FXPRLamides), have been identified from the American cockroach. Five of these peptides, Pea-PK-1-5, were tested in different myotropic bioassays, including hyperneural muscle, hindgut, foregut and oviduct. Among these muscles, the hyperneural muscle exhibited the highest sensitivity to pyrokinin applications. The ef...

We discuss the length Lc,n of longest cycle in a sparse random graph Gn,p, p=c/n, c constant. show that for large there exists function f(c) such Lc,n/n?f(c) a.s. The f(c)=1??k=1?pk(c)e?kc where pk(c) is polynomial c. are only able to explicitly give values p1,p2, although we could principle compute any pk. see immediately path also asymptotic f(c)n w.h.p.

The pyrokinin/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PK/PBAN) family plays a significant role in a multifunctional array of important physiological processes in insects. PK/PBAN analogs incorporating b-amino acids were synthesized and evaluated in a pheromonotropic assay in Heliothis peltigera, a melanotropic assay in Spodoptera littoralis, a pupariation assay in Neobellieria bullata, ...

Ligand-activated progesterone receptors (PR) bind to DNA at specific progesterone response elements by means of a DNA binding domain (DBD(PR)) containing two highly conserved zinc fingers. DNA-bound PRs regulate transcription via interaction with other nuclear proteins and transcription factors. We have now identified four HeLa cell nuclear proteins that copurify with a glutathionine-S-transfer...

The ryanodine receptor is the main Ca(2+)-release structure in skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. In both tissues, phosphorylation of the ryanodine receptor has been proposed to be involved in the regulation of Ca2+ release. In the present study, we have examined the ability of the purified cardiac ryanodine receptor to serve as a substrate for phosphorylation by exogenously added cat...

A point mutation (1277 CGG to CAG) was identified in the R-type pyruvate kinase (PK) cDNA of a PK variant, PK Sapporo, associated with hereditary non-spherocytic hemolytic anemia. The mutation causes a single amino acid substitution from Arg to Gln at the 426th amino acid residue of human R-type PK; consequently, the hydrophobicity around the mutated site is drastically decreased. The amino aci...

Nature of adrenergic mechanisms contributing to anti-inflammatory effect of Picrorhiza kurroa suggested from earlier studies was explored in Wistar albino rats. Water soluble fraction of alcoholic extract of rhizomes (PK) potentiated castor oil-catharsis on oral administration but direct subplanter PK-injections failed to exhibit any local irritancy and oedema. Propranolol pretreatment countera...

Plasma prekallikrein (PK) has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors, but these associations have not been investigated in children. The present study examined PK activity in relation to well-established cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of children aged 9-11 years (N=97). We found a significant and positive association between PK and fasting le...