Our previous in vitro studies led to proposals that the atypical chemokine receptor CCX-CKR is a scavenger of CCR7 ligand homeostatic chemokines. In the present study, we generated CCX-CKR(-/-) mice and confirm this scavenger function in vivo. Compared with wild-type mice, CCX-CKR(-/-) have a 5-fold increase in the level of CCL21 protein in blood, and 2- to 3-fold increases in CCL19 and CCL21 i...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA polymerase was released from phorbol ester-treated tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) cells (B95-8) and prepared for use as an antigen by sequential column chromatography with DEAE-Sephadex A-25, DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, and single-stranded DNA cellulose. Proteins from single-stranded DNA cellulose with DNA polymerase activity in 100 mM ammonium sulfate were mixed ...

In a search of peripheral factors that could be responsible for the discrepancy in susceptibility to EAE in Albino Oxford (AO) and Dark Agouti (DA) rats, we estimated the expression of metallothioneins I/II (MT), heat shock protein-gp96, interleukin (IL)-6, and transforming growth factor (TGF)- β in the livers of these animals. Rats were immunized with bovine brain homogenate (BBH) emulsified i...

BACKGROUND This study aims to identify that intrathecal (i.t.) injection of dexmedetomidine (Dex) and ropivacaine (Ropi) induces synergistic analgesia on chronic inflammatory pain and is accompanied with corresponding "neuron-astrocytic" alterations. METHODS Male, adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham, control and i.t. medication groups. The analgesia profiles of i.t. Dex,...

BACKGROUND Previous study showed that extracts from Croton macrostachyus (Euphorbiaceae) exhibit analgesic effects in acute pain models. The present study evaluates the antinociceptive properties of the methanol/methylene chloride extract (MECM) of the stem bark of this plant using mice models of persistent inflammatory and neuropathic pain, and assesses its mechanism of action. METHODS MECM ...

Stimulated infrared emission from rocks: assessing a stress indicator F. T. Freund, A. Takeuchi, B. W. S. Lau, A. Al-Manaseer, C. C. Fu, N. A. Bryant, and D. Ouzounov Ecosystems Science and Technology Branch, Code SGE, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, 94035-1000, CA, USA Department of Physics, San Jose State University, San Jose, 95192-0106 CA, USA SETI Institute, Mountain View 94043, ...

Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of infectious disease of the eye and hypersensitivity lesions of the cornea including phlyctenules and catarrhal infiltrates. Because little is known about ocular immunity to S. aureus, we measured antibody levels to ribitol teichoic acid, the major antigenic determinant of S. aureus, in rabbit serum and tears using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assa...

Snakebite envenoming has killed about 138000 people and maimed 400,000 victims annually. WHO designated this medical problem as one of the most neglected tropical diseases for which effective, affordable antivenoms (AVs) are urgently needed. Production potent AV against neurotoxic venoms was difficult thought to be due low immunogenicity postsynaptic neurotoxins (PSNT) cause death in victims. H...