The Fas/Fas ligand (L) system plays an important role in the maintenance of peripheral B cell tolerance and the prevention of misguided T cell help. CD40-derived signals are required to induce Fas expression on virgin B cells and to promote their susceptibility to Fas-mediated apoptosis. In the current study, we have analyzed the early biochemical events occurring upon Fas ligation in CD40L-act...

Aim: The aim of this in vitro study is to describe a preclinical investigation using laser-activated bleaching agent for discolored teeth. Materials and methods: Sixty sound human central and lateral incisors were selected for this study and were randomly assigned into four groups as follows: Group 1 (n=15): only Whiteness HP 10 min; Group 2 (n=15): diode laser, wavelength 980 nm power 0.8 W–30...

Corals do not typically thrive in mangrove environments. However, corals are growing on and near the prop roots of red mangrove trees in Hurricane Hole, an area within the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument under the protection of the US National Park Service in St. John, US Virgin Islands. This review summarizes current knowledge of the remarkable biodiversity of this area. Over 30 sc...

Peroxide bleaching is significantly affected by transition and alkaline earth metals. Isolating the effects of different transition and alkaline earth metals on the reactions of peroxide with different representative lignin structures allows the separation of the positive from the negative contributions of these metal ions. In this work, five monomeric or dimeric phenolic lignin model compounds...

This study was aimed at investigating the physicochemical and microbiological changes that took place during the ageing process of spent bleaching earth in the presence of autochthonous microorganisms. Research material included fresh spent bleaching earth (SBE0) and the same material after 3 years of storage at the constant temperature of 20 °C, without aeration and moistening (SBE3). Changes ...

In September of 2010, Brewer's Bay reef, located in St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands), was simultaneously affected by abnormally high temperatures and the passage of a hurricane that resulted in the mass bleaching and fragmentation of its coral community. An outbreak of a rapid tissue loss disease among coral colonies was associated with these two disturbances. Gross lesion signs and lesion prog...

Pregnancy is characterized by plasma volume expansion due to Na(+) retention, driven by aldosterone. The aldosterone-responsive epithelial Na(+) channel is activated in the kidney in pregnancy. In the present study, we investigated the aldosterone-responsive Na(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter (NCC) in mid- and late pregnant rats compared with virgin rats. We determined the abundance of total NCC, phosph...