The function of macrophage C3 receptors was assessed in vivo by measuring the clearance of C3-sensitized autologous erythrocytes in seven acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, eight healthy homosexual men, eight healthy heterosexual men, and four infected controls. Healthy heterosexual men had an initial clearance of 50.1 +/- 2.0% of the inoculum, with a release of a small portion...

The relevance of neuronal and synaptic variability remains unclear. Cellular and synaptic plasticity and neuromodulation are also variable. This could reflect state-dependent effects caused by the variable initial cellular or synaptic properties or direct variability in plasticity-inducing mechanisms. This study has examined state-dependent influences on synaptic plasticity at connections betwe...

Plant residue decomposition and the nutrient release to the soil play a major role in global carbon and nutrient cycling. Although decomposition rates vary strongly with climate, nitrogen immobilization into litter and its release in mineral forms are mainly controlled by the initial chemical composition of the residues. We used a data set of approximately 2800 observations to show that these g...

The uptake and release of (45)Ca from the intestinal mucosal epithelium were investigated under a variety of conditions. The initial rate of uptake characterized a calcium pool with a half-time of saturation of less than 2 min. The entry of (45)Ca into this pool was inhibited by NaCN and ethacrynic acid and was stimulated by the removal of Cl(-) from the incubation. The initial rate of (45)Ca r...

Oral controlled release matrix tablets of zidovudine were prepared using different proportions and different viscosity grades of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. The effect of various formulation factors like polymer proportion, polymer viscosity and compression force on the in vitro release of drug were studied. In vitro release studies were carried out using United States Pharmacopeia (USP) typ...

The secretory process requires many different steps and stages. Vesicles must be formed and transported to the target membrane. They must be tethered or docked at the appropriate sites and must be prepared for fusion (priming). As the last step, a fusion pore is formed and the contents are released. Release of neurotransmitter is an extremely rapid event leading to rise times of the postsynapti...

Four E. ruminantium 1H12 open reading frames and their proteins known to protect sheep against heartwater needle challenge were encapsulated into, or adsorbed onto poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles. Microspheres with smooth surface and smaller than 5 μm diameters were produced, with high adsorption and encapsulation efficiencies. Gel electrophoresis showed that neither encapsulation...