The MPCS Plug Maker is a microcapillary-based protein-crystallization system for generating diffraction-ready crystals from nanovolumes of protein. Crystallization screening using the Plug Maker was used as a salvage pathway for proteins that failed to crystallize during the initial observation period using the traditional sitting-drop vapor-diffusion method. Furthermore, the CrystalCards used ...

The Royal College of Surgeons Working Party recommends the Lichtenstein ‘tension free’ mesh repair, to be the treatment of choice for inguinal hernia repair in adults. It is a relatively easy, and a quick procedure to perform, can be mastered by junior staff, and can be done as a day-case under local or general anaesthesia. It is well tolerated by patients, and has very low reported recurrence ...

BACKGROUND The anal fistula plug was developed as an alternative treatment for perianal fistulas. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the anal fistula plug with the mucosal advancement flap for the treatment of high transsphincteric fistulas. DESIGN This study was a double-blinded, multicenter, randomized trial. PATIENTS Sixty patients with perianal fistulas were randomly assigned to re...

BACKGROUND Removable plug insoles appear to be beneficial for patients with diabetic neuropathic feet to offload local plantar pressure. However, quantitative evidence of pressure reduction by means of plug removal is limited. The value of additional insole accessories, such as arch additions, has not been tested. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of removing plugs from foam ...

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are very selective filters that monitor the transport between the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm. Two models have been suggested for the plug of the NPC. They are (i) it is a reversible hydrogel or (ii) it is a polymer brush. We propose a mesoscopic model for the transport of a protein through the plug, that is general enough to cover both. The protein stretches the...