We prove that the braid group B4 on 4 strings, as well as its central quotient B4/〈z〉, have the property RD of Haagerup–Jolissaint. It follows that the automorphism group Aut(F2) of the free group F2 on 2 generators has property RD. We also prove that the braid group B4 is a group of intermediate rank (of dimension 3). Namely, we show that both B4 and its central quotient have exponential mesos...

Background: b-thymosins play roles in cytoskeleton rearrangement, angiogenesis, fibrosis and reparative process, thus suggesting a possible involvement in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis. The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of thymosins b4, b4 sulfoxide, and b10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of scleroderma patients with interstitial lung disease and the relation of the...

We tested the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of the maytansinoid DM1 (N(2')-deacetyl-N(2')-(3-mercapto-1-oxopropyl)-maytansine), a potent antimicrotubule agent, covalently linked to the murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) B-B4 targeting syndecan-1 (CD138). We evaluated the in vitro activity of B-B4-DM1 against a panel of CD138(+) and CD138(-) cell lines, as well as CD138(+) patient multip...

The MAGE genes were initially isolated from different kinds of tumors, and based on their virtually exclusive tumor-specific expression in adult tissues, they have been used as targets for cancer immunotherapy. However, although a large number of MAGE genes have now been identified and extensively studied in tumors of various origin, their functions in normal cells remain unknown. Here we descr...

Neutrophils play a critical role in the clearance of bacteria from the lung and other organs by their capacity for phagocytosis and killing. Previously, we identified an important role for the leukotrienes in rat alveolar macrophage phagocytosis of Klebsiella pneumoniae. In this report, we explored the possibility that the leukotrienes play an important role in phagocytosis by neutrophils as we...

Given three mutually tangent circles with bends (or the reciprocal of the radius) a, b and c respectively, an important quantity associated with the triple is the value 〈a, b, c〉 := ab + ac + bc. In this note we show in the case when a central circle with bend b0 is “surrounded” by four circles, i.e., a flower with four petals, with bends b1, b2, b3, b4 that either p 〈b0, b1, b2〉 + p 〈b0, b3, b...

Nitric oxide (NO) and serotonin (5-HT) are two neurotransmitters with important roles in neuromodulation and synaptic plasticity. There is substantial evidence for a morphological and functional overlap between these two neurotransmitter systems, in particular the modulation of 5-HT function by nitric oxide. Here we demonstrate for the first time the modulation of an identified serotonergic syn...

Lilit Hakobyan School of Engineering & Applied Science, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET [email protected] Jo Lumsden School of Engineering & Applied Science, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET [email protected] Dympna O’Sullivan School of Informatics, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB dympna.o'[email protected] Hannah Bartlett School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston Uni...

Nitric oxide (NO) and serotonin (5-HT) are two neurotransmitters with important roles in neuromodulation and synaptic plasticity. There is substantial evidence for a morphological and functional overlap between these two neurotransmitter systems, in particular the modulation of 5-HT function by NO. Here we demonstrate for the first time the modulation of an identified serotonergic synapse by NO...

Studies on the mechanism of leukotriene B4 biosynthesis in suspensions composed of neutrophils plus erythrocytes indicate that human erythrocytes convert neutrophil-derived leukotriene A4 into leukotriene B4. Leukotriene B4 formation by neutrophils in the presence of erythrocytes exceeded that from corresponding suspensions of neutrophils alone. The increase was proportional to the erythrocyte ...