AIM Chronic cardiac unloading causes a time-dependent upregulation of phospholamban (PLB) and depression of myocyte contractility in normal rat hearts. As thyroid hormone is known to decrease PLB expression, we examined whether thyroid hormone restores the depressed contractile performance of myocytes from chronically unloaded hearts. METHODS Cardiac unloading was induced by heterotopic heart...

Chemical synthesis, functional reconstitution, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) have been used to analyze the structure and function of phospholamban (PLB), a 52-residue integral membrane protein that regulates the calcium pump (Ca-ATPase) in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). PLB exists in equilibrium between monomeric and pentameric forms, as observed by SDS-PAGE, EPR, and fluoresc...

Measuring the dispersal of wildlife through landscapes is notoriously difficult. Recently, the categorical least cost path algorithm that integrates population genetic data with species distribution models has been applied to reveal population connectivity. In this study, we use this method to identify the possible dispersal corridors of five plant species (Castanopsis tibetana, Schima superba,...

We have determined directly the effects of the inhibitory peptide phospholamban (PLB) on the rotational dynamics of the calcium pump (Ca-ATPase) of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). This was accomplished by comparing mouse ventricular SR, which has PLB levels similar to those found in other mammals, with mouse atrial SR, which is effectively devoid of PLB and thus has much higher (unregulate...

Aged individuals have impaired diastolic relaxation-lusitropic function. Dobutamine, a selective B1-adrenergic agonist, is used to augment systolic cardiac function at the termination of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, our question is whether dobutamine will also enhance the lusitropic function in the aged individual. The myocyte mechanism for the rate of ventricular relaxation is depend...

The Ca-transport system of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of mammalian hind-limb slow-twitch muscles has unique regulatory features, that have long been attributed to the special differentiating influence from the particular frequency and pattern of discharge of the innervating α motorneurons in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms underlying s...

A candidate for a vaccine against infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) has been cloned and characterized from Moraxella bovis. The plb gene encodes a protein of 616 amino acids (molecular mass of ~65.8 kDa) that expresses phospholipase B activity. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that PLB is a new member of the GDSL (Gly-Asp-Ser-Leu) family of lipolytic enzymes.

BACKGROUND Percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) is the "gold standard" in the diagnosis of liver diseases. A pilot trial has shown pethidine may reduce anxiety and the need for post-procedural pain relief. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of pre-procedural pethidine. METHODS A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to assess the need for pethidine prior...

Technique for rapid mass propagation of Geodorum densiflorum (Lam)Schltr. has been developed by using thin sections of stems of in vitro regenerated plantlets as explant source. Thin sections of stems (1.0-1.5 mm) when cultured in modified liquid and semisolid Knudson C (KnC) medium produced 1.8 and 1.2 protocorm like bodies (PLBs) per explant respectively. Peptone (2 g l-1) was effective in pr...

Large real-world networks typically follow a power-law degree distribution. To study such networks, numerous random graph models have been proposed. However, real-world networks are not drawn at random. In fact, the behavior of real-world networks and random graph models can be the complete opposite of one another, depending on the considered property. Brach, Cygan, Lacki, and Sankowski [SODA 2...