Although pore formation by protective antigen (PA) is critical to cell intoxication by anthrax toxin (AT), the structure of the pore form of PA (the PA63 pore) has not been determined. Hence, in this study, the PA63 pore was modeled using the X-ray structures of monomeric PA and heptameric alpha-hemolysin (alpha-HL) as templates. The PA63 pore model consists of two weakly associated domains, na...

The diffusion of two similar molecular weight proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine haemoglobin (BHb), through nanoporous charged membranes with a wide range of pore radii is studied at low ionic strength. The effects of the solution pH and the membrane pore diameter on the pore permeability allow quantifying the electrostatic interaction between the charged pore and the protein. Beca...

According to IUPAC nomenclature, mesoporous materials are those materials having a pore size ranging from 2 to 50nm in diameter [1-6]. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are promising and novel drug vehicles due to their unique mesoporous structure, which preserve a level of chemical stability, surface functionality and biocompatibility and ensure controlled release and targeted delivery of...

The passage of Treponema pallidum through commercially available Millipore membrane filters of various pore sizes was examined. No microscopically detectable organisms passed through a filter with a pore diameter of 0.22 mum. As pore size was increased, progressively more organisms passed through. Motile organisms passed through filters to a greater extent than nonmotile ones; however, 22% of t...

Fluid-solid phase transition and coexistence of square-well fluids confined in narrow cylindrical hard pores are characterized using molecular simulation methods. The equation of state containing a fluid phase, a solid phase and a fluid-solid coexistence state was separately obtained for different attractive ranges of potential well and pore diameters; lambda=1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 for a pore o...

A technique of neutron in-plane scattering for studying the structures of peptide pores in membranes is described. Alamethicin in the inserted state was prepared and undeuterated and deuterated dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine (DLPC) hydrated with D2O or H2O. Neutron in-plane scattering showed a strong dependence on deuteration, clearly indicating that water is a part of the high-order structure o...

We discuss pore dynamics in osmotically stressed vesicles. A set of equations which govern the liposomal size, internal solute concentration, and pore diameter is solved numerically. We find that dependent on the internal solute concentration and vesicle size, liposomes can stay pore free, nucleate a short-lived pore, or nucleate a long-lived pore. The phase diagram of pore stability is constru...

Novel anti-neoplastic agents such as gene targeting vectors and encapsulated carriers are quite large (approximately 100-300 nm in diameter). An understanding of the functional size and physiological regulation of transvascular pathways is necessary to optimize delivery of these agents. Here we analyze the functional limits of transvascular transport and its modulation by the microenvironment. ...

Diffusion Phantom Michal Komlosh 1, Evren Ozarslan 1, Martin Lizak 1, Ferenc Horkay 1, Peter Basser 1 1 National Institute of Health Introduction: Diffusion MRI methods can provide valuable microstructural in­ formation about tissues and porous media within an imaging volume [1-3], how­ ever, calibrating them is problematic owing to the lack of suitable anisotropic diffusion MRI phantoms. Here ...

Characterization of the pore structure of compacted and sintered parts made from a nickel-base powder was accomplished using the mercury porosimetry method. The theoretical density values for the sintered specimens varied from 56.3 to 96.7% which corresponds to a porosity of 43.7 to 3.3%. A maximum interconnecting median pore diameter of 21 mum resulted from a -80/+200 mesh powder compacted at ...