T cell membrane receptors and signaling molecules assemble at the immunological synapse (IS) in a supramolecular activation cluster (SMAC), organized into two differentiated subdomains: the central SMAC (cSMAC), with the TCR, Lck, and linker for activation of T cells (LAT), and the peripheral SMAC (pSMAC), with adhesion molecules. The mechanism of protein sorting to the SMAC subdomains is still...

Morus alba L. (MAL) extract has been used in traditional medicine for its cardioprotective and antiplatelet effects, while another herbal remedy, Schisandra chinensis (SCC), has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. We evaluated underlying cellular changes exerted by extracts of these plants on platelet function and effects of SCC + MAL on in vivo thrombus formatio...

This controlled study investigated single low-dose red light photodynamic therapy and methyl-aminolevulinate (MAL) for treatment of moderate to severe facial acne in 19 patients. The right cheek was treated with MAL (160 mg/g) for 3 h prior to illumination. The left cheek received red light only. Both cheeks were illuminated with narrow-band red light (635 nm) at a light dose of 15 J/cm2. The g...

TLRs initiate immune responses by direct detection of molecular motifs that distinguish invading microbes from host cells. Five intracellular adaptor proteins, each containing a Toll/IL-1R (TIR) domain, are used by TLRs and play key roles in dictating gene expression patterns that are tailored to the invader. Such gene expression is mediated by transcription factors, and although TIR adaptor-in...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The relationship between protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) photobleaching and cellular damage during aminolevulinic (ALA) photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been studied at the cellular level. This study assessed the capability of a non-invasive fluorescence imaging system (Dyaderm, Biocam, Germany), to monitor changes in PpIX during real time methyl-aminolevulinate (MAL) PDT in der...