Abstract:
The present invention provides polypeptides comprising a prion-aggregation domain and a second domain; polynucleotides encoding such polypeptides; host cells transformed or transfected with such polynucleotides; and methods of making and using the foregoing.
Abstract:
A computer-aided method for detecting, classifying, and displaying candidate abnormalities, such as microcalcifications and interstitial lung disease in digitized medical images, such as mammograms and chest radiographs, a computer programmed to implement the method, and a data structure for storing required parameters, wherein in the classifying method candidate abnormalities in a digitized medical image are located, regions are generated around one or more of the located candidate abnormalities, features are extracted from at least one of the located candidate abnormalities within the region and from the region itself, the extracted features are applied to a classification technique, such as an artificial neural network (ANN) to produce a classification result (i.e., probability of malignancy in the form of a number and a bar graph), and the classification result is displayed along with the digitized medical image annotated with the region and the candidate abnormalities within the region.
Abstract:
Anti-CD3 mAbs are potent immunosuppressive agents used in clinical transplantation. However, the activation-related adverse side effects associated with these mAbs have prompted the development of less toxic Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3 mAb therapies. At present, the functional and biochemical consequences of T cell exposure to Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3 is unclear. In this study, the inventors have examined the early signaling events triggered by a Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3 mAb. Like the mitogenic anti-CD3 mAb, Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3 triggered changes in the TCR complex, including zeta chain tyrosine phosphorylation and ZAP-70 association. However, unlike the mitogenic anti-CD3 stimulation, Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3 was ineffective at inducing the highly phosphorylated form of zeta (p23) and tyrosine phosphorylation of the associated ZAP-70 tyrosine kinase. This proximal signaling deficiency correlated with minimal PLC gamma -1 phosphorylation and failure to mobilize detectable Ca . Not only did biochemical signals delivered by Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3 resemble altered peptide ligand signaling, but exposure of Th1 clones to Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3 also resulted in functional anergy. Finally, a bispecific anti-CD3 x anti-CD4 F(ab)'2 reconstituted early signal transduction events and induced proliferation, suggesting that defective association of 1ck with the TCR complex may underlie the observed signaling differences between the mitogenic and Fc receptor non-binding anti-CD3.
Abstract:
Methods for identifying inducers and inhibitors of programmed cell death in a cell-free system are described. The methods exploit the finding that programmed cell death is accompanied by shutdown of cellular protein synthesis and by phosphorylation of eIF-2α and that the dephosphorylation of eIF-2α prevents the shutdown of protein synthesis.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus are provided for reconstructing images from data obtained from scintillation events occurring within a projection space of a depth-of-interaction positron emission tomography system (10). The method includes the steps of identifying a segment of each depth-of-interaction detector (16) of respective pairs of depth-of-interaction detectors detecting the scintillation events of the data obtained within the projection space and estimating a set of sinograms from the data based upon a set of depth-independent point spread functions (40) of the identified segments of the respective pairs of depth-of-interaction detectors.
Abstract:
A method and system for the automated segmentation of the lung regions in thoracic CT scans includes construction of a cumulative gray level profile from pixels along the diagonal of each CT section image. The shape of this profile is used to identify a gray level threshold that is used to create a binary image. A contour detection algorithm generates a segmented thorax region. The trachea and main bronchi are segmented and eliminated from the segmented thorax region to prevent subsequent inclusion within the segmented lung regions. A grey level histogram is constructed to identify a second gray level threshold, which is applied to the segmented thorax region to create a binary image. If the two lungs regions are "fused", the anterior junction is then delineated and turned "off" in the binary image to separate the two lungs. The geometric properties of "holes" within the binary image are analyzed to identify holes caused by the diaphragm. Pixels within such holes are specifically excluded from the segmented lung regions. A contour detection algorithm is used to identify the outer margins of the largest "on" regions in the binary image (excluding pixels identified as diaphragm) to define the segmented lung regions. The segmented lung regions are modified by a rolling ball technique designed to incorporate pixels that may have been erroneously excluded by initial gray level thresholding. A second diaphragm analysis is performed to prevent the rolling ball technique from incorrectly including pixels that belong to the diaphragm.
Abstract:
This invention relates to the use of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors to transduce cardiomyocytes DOLLAR I(in vivo) by infusing the rAAV into a coronary artery or coronary sinus. rAAV infection is not associated with detectable myocardial inflammation or myocyte necrosis. Thus, rAAV is a useful vector for the stable expression of therapeutic genes in the myocardium and can be used to deliver genes for inducing angiogenesis, inhibiting angiogenesis, stimulating cell proliferation, inhibiting cell proliferation and/or treating or ameliorating other cardiovascular conditions.
Abstract:
A method, system and computer readable medium of computerized processing of chest images including obtaining digital first and second images of a chest and detecting rib edges in at least one of the first and second images. The rib edges are detected by correlating points in the at least one of the first and second images to plural rib edge models using a Hough transform to identify approximate rib edges in one of the images, and delineating actual rib edges derived from the identified approximate rib edges using a snake model. The method system and computer readable medium further include deriving the shift values using the actual rib edges and warping one of the first and second images to produce a warped image which is registered to the other of the first and second images based at least in part on the shift values.
Abstract:
The present invention relates generally to the field of diabetes. More particularly, it concerns the identification of genes responsible for NIDDM1 for use in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The present invention demonstrates that the NIDDM1 locus is, in fact, the calpain 10 gene. The invention further relates to the discovery that analysis of mutations in calpain genes and gene products can be diagnostic for type 2 diabetes. The invention also contemplates methods of treating diabetes in view of the fact that calpain mutations can cause diabetes. Further, the invention relates to novel polynucleotides of the NIDDM1 locus and polypeptides encoded by such polynucleotides.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to methods and agonist/antagonist compounds for modulating nuclear receptor activity, and nuclear receptor ligand binding. The invention includes a method for identifying residues comprising a ligand binding domain for a nuclear receptor of interest. Also included in a method of identifying agonists and/or antagonists that bind to the ligand binding domain of the nuclear receptors, and the estrogen receptor in particular. The invention is exemplified by identification and manipulation of the ligand binding domain of the estrogen receptor and compounds that bind to this site. The methods can be applied to other nuclear receptors including TR, GR and PR.