Staphylococcal protein A (SpA), acting as a B cell superantigen, binds to the Fab region of human VH3+ Igs. Using SpA abrogated of its IgG Fc binding activity (Mod SpA) as a model B cell superantigen, we determined whether such an interaction causes complement activation. Addition of Mod SpA to human serum led to complement consumption and the generation of C3a. To determine whether this comple...

OBJECTIVE To clarify endoscopic anatomy of the sphenopalatine artery (SPA) in relation to intranasal endoscopic landmarks using a human cadaver model and to simplify the surgical approach to SPA ligation. STUDY DESIGN Prospective anatomic study from November to December 2009. SETTING University of Tennessee Health Science Center Gross Anatomy Lab. SUBJECTS Fifty human cadaveric sagittally...

Collective motions of animals that move towards the same direction is a conspicuous feature in nature. Such groups of animals are called a self-propelled agent (SPA) systems. Many studies have been focused on the synchronization of isolated SPA systems. In real scenarios, different SPA systems are coupled with each other forming a network of SPA systems. For example, a flock of birds and a scho...

Introduction: Epistaxis is one of the most common medical emergencies, making the management of posterior epistaxis a challenging problem for the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon. In the cases of conservative management failure, ligation of the major arteries or percutaneous embolization of the maxillary artery is performed routinely in most units, but rates of failure and complications are ...

Thirty-one Cephalosporin compounds were modeled using the multivariate image analysis and applied to the quantitative structure activity relationship (MIA-QSAR) approach. The acid dissociation constants (pKa) of cephalosporins play a fundamental role in the mechanism of activity of cephalosporins. The antimicrobial activity of cephalosporins was related to their first pKa by different models. B...

Protein A (SpA) is a component of the cell wall of Slop,lylococcus aureers. SpA is unique in that it combines with the Fc portion of immunolgobulins from many speciesi,2) and has been used in immunochemical studies3,`>. Another distinctive f ature of SpA is its potent mitogenic activity on lymphocytes from several species, including hurnans5,iO}. SpA also exerts a mitogenic activity on both T a...

COP1 (for CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1) and the four partially redundant SPA (for SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA) proteins work in concert to repress photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana by targeting key transcription factors and phytochrome A for degradation via the 26S proteasome. Here, we report a detailed biochemical characterization of the SPA-COP1 complexes. The four endogenous SPA proteins...

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of social physique anxiety (SPA). SPA, self-esteem, body-esteem, public body consciousness (PBC) and percent body fat (%BF) were assessed with elite female youth athletes (N = 68) competing in either figure skating, soccer or gymnastics. Stepwise multiple regression analyses, controlling for BF%, accounted for 59% of the variance in SPA. Self-...

The age-old spa concept is no less valuable today than it was during the time of Julius Caesar. Over the centuries, there have been many iterations of the concept of the spa. The most recent is the medical spa, which has become the fastest-growing segment of the spa industry. Many physicians including dermatologists wish to incorporate a medical spa into their practices. This article discusses ...