The average birthrate was 0.47 +/- 0.13 births per female per year and mortality for infants younger than 20 months was 15.8%. From 1998 to 2006, 14 females gave birth to 41 infants in four focal

groups. The average age at first birth for female langurs was 5-6 years (n = 5) and the interbirth interval this website (IBI) was 23.2 +/- 5.2 months (median = 24.5 months, n = 27). Infants are weaned at 19-21 months of age. The IBI for females with infant loss before weaning was significantly shorter than those for females whose infants survived. It appears that birth seasonality in the white-headed langurs is influenced by seasonal changes in food availability. The timing of conceptions was found to coincide with peak food availability. The reproductive parameters for white-headed langurs reported here are quite similar to those reported for other colobine species. One major difference is our observation of lower infant mortality in Trachypithecus. Am. J. Primatol. 71:558-566, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.”
“Objective: Cognitive factors have a central place in the etiology

and persistence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The aim of the study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Transmembrane Transporters inhibitor Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44). Original factor structure of the OBQ-44 and discrimination characteristic of the instrument between OCD patients and nonclinical population were evaluated extensively in Turkish sample.\n\nMethods: Data were collected from 175 healthy subjects and 62 patients with OCD who applied to the Psychiatry VE 821 Clinic at Yuzuncu Yil University. Subjects were administered the SCID-I, the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44), the Padua Inventory

(PI-41), the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOKS), the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), the Thought Action Fusion Scale (TAFS), the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), the Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity (PIOS), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Data were analyzed in order to evaluate the reliability and validity of the OBQ-44.\n\nResults: The three-factor original structure tested using confirmatory factor analysis was observed to be highly consistent with the data obtained from the study. OCD patients reported significantly higher scores on OBQ-44 rather than controls. Correlations of the OBQ-44 scores with psychological variables were generally significant. Inner consistency coefficient for the OBQ-44 was alpha 0,95 and test-retest correlation between two points at 30-day time course was r=0.79.\n\nConclusion: The Turkish version of the OBQ-44 has adequate validity and reliability in clinical and nonclinical Turkish sample.

\n\nMETHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted using the Medline database to identify all publications relating to R-LESS and/or robotic single port surgery in urology Additionally, a retrospective review of our single center experience was completed.\n\nRESULTS: Fifteen original articles and two abstracts were identified in the literature and included dry lab investigation, animal experiments, single selleckchem case reports, cumulative series, and two retrospective comparative

analyses. Most detailed technique, perioperative outcomes, and associated procedural nuances.\n\nCONCLUSIONS: R-LESS urologic surgery is feasible and can be performed using several approaches. R-LESS reduces difficulties encountered with conventional LESS urologic surgery An ideal robotic system is needed and would be task specific, deployable through a single incision, possess articulating instruments, and have reduced external housings.”
“This study compared selleck inhibitor the technical activity and physical movements of various-sided games within professional

soccer. It also examined the test-retest reliability of sided games using various numbers of players. 10 elite male players from a Scottish Premier League performed small- (SSGs: 4 vs. 4), medium- (MSGs: 5 vs. 5 to 8 vs. 8) and large- (LSGs: 9 vs. 9 to 11 vs. 11) sided games each lasting for 3×5 min. Results show significant physical differences (p<0.05) between SSGs, MSGs and LSGs for most of the variables measured. It was shown that SSGs induce a significantly faster playing speed when compared to MSGs and LSGs (150.5 vs. 108.3 vs. 120.4 m.min(-1), p<0.01) but significantly PD173074 in vivo less (p<0.01) repeated high-intensity efforts (0.88 vs. 4.40 m), high-intensity running

(7 vs. 39 m) and sprint distance (0 vs. 11 m) when compared to LSGs. Findings also revealed significant differences (p<0.05) between SSGs, MSGs and LSGs in technical demands (passes, dribbles, shots, headers). High levels of reproducibility (ICC=0.99) were yielded when using the same-sided games, pitch sizes and possession rules. This study provided information on different-sided games to facilitate its use as part of a periodised weekly structure.”
“The purpose of this article is to present evidence-based guidelines to facilitate early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of older adults with symptoms of bipolar disorder. Assessment criteria, diagnostic tools, and interventions to optimize care of older adults with bipolar disorder with a focus on implications for primary care providers are described.”
“Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) derived from disease cells are expected to provide a new experimental material, especially for diseases from which samples are difficult to obtain.

At present, most of the existing methods were based on the assumption that one Selleckchem Navitoclax membrane protein only belongs to one type. Actually, a membrane protein may simultaneously exist at two or more different functional types. In this study, a new method by hybridizing the pseudo amino acid composition with multi-label algorithm called LIFT (multi-label learning with label-specific features) was proposed to predict the functional types both singleplex and multiplex animal membrane proteins. Experimental result on a stringent benchmark dataset of membrane proteins by jackknife test show that the absolute-true obtained was 0.6342,

indicating that our approach is quite promising. It may become a useful high-through tool, or at least play a complementary role to the existing predictors in identifying functional types of membrane proteins.”
“Background: Cardiac dysfunction is a frequent and severe complication of septic shock and contributes to the high mortality of sepsis. Although several

mechanisms have been suspected to be responsible for sepsis-associated cardiac dysfunction, the precise cause(s) remains unclear to date. Materials and methods: We tested the hypothesis that cardiac fibroblasts may play a critical role as a disease modifier involved BTK inhibitor in sepsis-associated cardiac dysfunction. Human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs) cultured in vitro were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Changes in cardiac morphology and function were assessed in mice with cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis. Results: In LPS-stimulated HCFs, messenger RNA and protein levels of proinflammatory molecules, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6,

and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, were strikingly upregulated. LPS also increased expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, but not MMP-2. LPS-induced expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin, a classical marker for myoblast differentiation, which was abrogated when MMP-9 small interfering RNA was transfected into HCFs. High gene expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines and MMP-9 were observed in the heart tissues of cecal ligation and puncture-induced selleck septic mice. Histology sections of the hearts from septic mice showed perivascular and interstitial cardiac fibrosis, and echocardiography demonstrated that septic mice had profound cardiac dysfunction. The broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor ONO-4817 significantly alleviated these histologic and functional changes during the acute phase. Conclusions: We suggest that cardiac fibroblasts are of pathogenetic importance in inflammation and fibrosis in the heart during sepsis, leading to cardiac dysfunction that would affect the outcome of sepsis syndrome. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate

the incidence, mortality rate, length of stay, and pathogens associated with ICU-acquired pneumonia in China. Methods: A meta-analysis and systematic review of 334 publications published learn more between January 2007 and May 2012 and retrieved from the Chinese BioMedical database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Chinese Science and Technique Journals database, Wanfang database, and PubMed was conducted. Results: The incidences of ICU-acquired pneumonia and VAP were 16.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 12.8-20.4%) and 33.7% (95% CI 31.4-36.1%), respectively; mortality rates were 37.4% (95% CI 24.6-52.2%) and 34.5% (95% CI 29.2-40.1%), respectively. The durations of stay in the ICU and hospital were 12.4 (95% CI 9.6-15.3) and 17.7 (95% CI 15.6-19.7) days and 18.0 (95% CI 16.5-19.6) and 30.5 (95% CI 26.4-34.7) days

for ICU-acquired pneumonia and VAP, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.9%) and Acinetobacter www.selleckchem.com/products/pifithrin-alpha.html baumannii (13.9%) were the most frequently isolated pathogens, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (11.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus (10.4%); 82.9% of S. aureus isolates were reported to be methicillin-resistant. Conclusions: ICU-acquired pneumonia/VAP remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients in the ICU in China. Data on organisms causing disease in this population could help guide appropriate prevention strategies and treatment. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases.”
“PURPOSE. CERKL encodes for a ceramide kinase (CERK)-like protein. CERKL mutations are associated with severe retinal degeneration. Several studies have been conducted to prove a biochemical similarity between CERK and CERKL enzymatic activities. However, so far there has been no evidence that CERKL phosphorylates ceramide or

any other lipid substrate in vitro or in vivo. The purpose of this work was to characterize CERKL’s function by identification of CERKL-interacting proteins in the mammalian retina.\n\nMETHODS. CERKL-interacting proteins were identified implementing the Ras-recruitment system (RRS) SNX-5422 inhibitor on a bovine retina cDNA library. Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) in transfected cells and in photoreceptor outer segments was used to verify the identified interactions. Serial deletion constructs were used to map the interacting sites. CERKL’s kinase activity was tested by a CERK activity assay.\n\nRESULTS. We identified an interaction between CERKL and several neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) proteins, including guanylate cyclase activating protein 1 (GCAP1), GCAP2, and recoverin. These interactions were confirmed by co-IP experiments in transfected mammalian cells. Moreover, the interaction between endogenous CERKL and GCAP2 was confirmed by co-IP in photoreceptor outer segments.

Similar to LOO, hyperleptinemic DIO mice showed no c-Fos

response after fasting, while ob/ob mice showed a stronger response than lean control mice. Mimicking hyperleptinemia by repeated leptin injections in lean mice during fasting attenuated the fasting-induced c-Fos expression. Our findings indicate that high leptin levels prevent the fasting-induced activation of ARC neurons in mice. Moreover, leptin sensitivity is dynamic in obese subjects and depends on the feeding status. During short-term increases in leptin sensitivity, Transmembrane Transporters inhibitor e. g., during fasting, leptin signaling appears to be effective, even in hyperleptinemic obesity. As reflected by the blockade of the fasting-induced ARC activation, fasting seems to interfere with the responsiveness of the ARC to signals related to the status of energy intake.”
“Hirai DM, Copp SW, Holdsworth CT, Ferguson SK, Musch TI, Poole DC. Effects of neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibition on microvascular and contractile function in skeletal muscle of aged rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 303: H1076-H1084, 2012. First published August 24, 2012; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00477.2012.-Advanced age is associated with derangements in skeletal muscle microvascular function during

the transition from rest to contractions. We tested the hypothesis that, contrary to what was reported previously in young rats, selective neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase (nNOS) inhibition would result in attenuated MDV3100 or absent alterations in skeletal muscle microvascular oxygenation (PO2mv), which reflects the matching between muscle O-2 delivery and utilization, following the onset of contractions in old rats. Spinotrapezius muscle blood flow (radiolabeled microspheres), PO2mv (phosphorescence quenching), O-2 utilization ((V)over dot(O2); Fick calculation), and submaximal force production were measured at rest and following the onset of contractions in anesthetized old male Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats (27 to 28 mo) pre-

and postselective nNOS inhibition (2.1 mu mol/kg S-methyl-L-thiocitrulline; SMTC). At rest, SMTC had no effects on muscle blood flow (P > 0.05) but reduced (V)over dot(O2) by similar to 23% (P < 0.05), which elevated basal this website PO2mv by similar to 18% (P < 0.05). During contractions, steady-state muscle blood flow, (V)over dot(O2), PO2mv, and force production were not altered after SMTC (P > 0.05 for all). The overall PO2mv dynamics following onset of contractions was also unaffected by SMTC (mean response time: pre, 19.7 +/- 1.5; and post, 20.0 +/- 2.0 s; P > 0.05). These results indicate that the locus of nNOS-derived NO control in skeletal muscle depends on age and metabolic rate (i.e., rest vs. contractions). Alterations in nNOS-mediated regulation of contracting skeletal muscle microvascular function with aging may contribute to poor exercise capacity in this population.

Taken

together, we purpose that rictor contributed to vascular tumor growth and progression. Targeting rictor becomes an effective strategy in vascular tumor treatment.”
“Purpose\n\nTo determine whether a low-fat diet high in vegetables, fruit, and fiber differentially affects prognosis in breast cancer survivors with hot flashes (HF) or without HF after treatment.\n\nPatients and Methods\n\nA secondary analysis was conducted on 2,967 breast cancer survivors, age 18 to 70 years, who were randomly assigned between 1995 and 2000 in a multicenter, controlled trial of a dietary intervention to prevent additional breast cancer events and observed through June 1, 2006. We compared the dietary intervention group with a group who received five-a-day selleck chemicals dietary guidelines.\n\nResults\n\nIndependent of HF status, a substantial between-group difference among those who did and did not receive dietary guidelines was achieved and maintained at 4 years in intake of vegetable/fruit servings per day (54% higher; 10 v 6.5 servings/d, respectively), fiber (31% higher; 25.5 v 19.4 g/d, respectively), and percent energy from fat (14% lower; 26.9% v 31.3%, respectively). Adjusting for tumor

characteristics and antiestrogen treatment, selleck compound HF-negative women assigned to the intervention had 31% fewer events than HF-negative women assigned to the comparison group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.93; P = .02). The intervention did not affect prognosis in the women with baseline HFs. Furthermore, compared with HF-negative women assigned to the comparison group, HF-positive women had significantly fewer events in both the intervention (HR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.00; P = .05) and comparison groups (HR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.85; P = .002).\n\nConclusion\n\nA diet with higher vegetable, fruit, and fiber and lower fat intakes than the five-a-day diet may reduce risk of additional events in HF-negative breast cancer survivors. This suggestive finding needs confirmation in a trial in which it is the primary hypothesis.”
“V-akt

JNK-IN-8 molecular weight murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1) has been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia Recent, independent studies in Caucasian, Japanese, Iranian, and Chinese populations have reported that the AKT1 gene may be associated with schizophrenia, but these results have yet to be replicated in other populations. In the present study, we performed a case-control association study between AKT1 and schizophrenia in a Korean population. We genotyped six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP1 (rs3803300), SNP2 (rs1130214), SNP3 (rs3730358), SNP4 (rs1130233), SNP5 (rs2494732), SNP A (rs2498804)) of AKT1, selected froth previous reports, in a sample of 283 subjects with schizophrenia and 350 controls.

“
“Excess entropy scaling relationships for diffusivity of ions in room-temperature ionic liquids are tested using molecular dynamics simulations for a model ionic liquid, dimethyl imidazolium

chloride. The thermodynamic excess entropy of the single ions (estimated from the ion-ion pair correlation functions) is shown to be very strongly correlated with the diffusivity. An essential feature of these systems, the fact that the heavier and larger cation has a greater diffusivity with respect to the anion, is correctly captured by the excess entropy calculations, which estimates the diffusivity ratio between the two ions with noticeable precision. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3431535]“
“Although the diagnosis of Graves’ orbitopathy is primarily made clinically based on laboratory JQEZ5 mw tests indicative of thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity, imaging studies, such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and color Doppler imaging, play an important role both in the diagnosis and follow-up after clinical or surgical treatment of the disease. Imaging studies can be used to evaluate morphological abnormalities of the orbital structures during the diagnostic

workup when a differential diagnosis versus other orbital diseases is needed. Imaging may also be useful to distinguish the inflammatory early stage from the inactive stage of the disease. Finally, imaging studies can be of great help in identifying patients prone this website to develop dysthyroid optic neuropathy and therefore enabling the timely diagnosis and treatment of the condition, avoiding permanent visual loss. In this paper, we review the imaging modalities that aid in the diagnosis and management of Graves’ orbitopathy, with special emphasis on the diagnosis of optic nerve dysfunction in this condition.”
“Extraction

of arbuscular mycorrhizal selleck fungal (AMF) spores from soil is widely used to assess AMF community structure and abundance. The most widely used protocol relies on a water-sucrose gradient flotation technique. Na-hexametaphosphate has also been used to deflocculate soil aggregates prior to spore extraction in order to optimize recovery, but its effect on spore viability remains unknown. Here, we report that Na-hexametaphosphate increases average spore yield in a high clay soil by about 15%, but decreases average spore viability by about 20%. Na-hexametaphosphate should therefore be used cautiously where the extracted spores are destined to be used as inoculum for subsequent studies. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“We present the case of a 39-year-old patient with frontotemporal dementia. This case depicts the complexities in the process leading to the diagnosis, treatment, and placement of young patients presenting with severe psychiatric symptoms as the first signs of an underlying neurological disease.

Runx2, an osteoblast master transcription factor, is aberrantly expressed in PCa cells, and promotes

their metastatic phenotype. The transcriptional programs regulated by Runx2 have been extensively studied during osteoblastogenesis, where it activates or represses selleck products target genes in a context-dependent manner. However, little is known about the gene regulatory networks influenced by Runx2 in PCa cells. We therefore investigated genome wide mRNA expression changes in PCa cells in response to Runx2.\n\nResults: We engineered a C4-2B PCa sub-line called C4-2B/Rx2(dox), in which Doxycycline (Dox) treatment stimulates Runx2 expression from very low to levels observed in other PCa cells. Transcriptome profiling using whole genome expression array followed by in silico analysis indicated that Runx2 upregulated a multitude of genes with prominent cancer associated functions. They included secreted factors (CSF2, SDF-1), proteolytic enzymes selleck screening library (MMP9, CST7), cytoskeleton modulators (SDC2, Twinfilin, SH3PXD2A), intracellular signaling molecules (DUSP1, SPHK1, RASD1) and transcription factors (wSox9, SNAI2, SMAD3) functioning in epithelium to mesenchyme transition (EMT), tissue invasion, as well as homing and attachment to bone. Consistent with the gene expression data, induction of Runx2 in C4-2B cells enhanced their invasiveness. It also promoted cellular quiescence by blocking the G1/S phase transition during

cell cycle progression. Furthermore, the cell cycle block was reversed as Runx2 levels

declined after Dox withdrawal.\n\nConclusions: The effects of Runx2 in C4-2B/Rx2dox cells, as well as similar observations made by employing LNCaP, 22RV1 and PC3 cells, highlight multiple mechanisms by which Runx2 promotes the metastatic phenotype of PCa cells, including tissue invasion, homing to bone and induction of high bone turnover. Runx2 is therefore an attractive target for the development of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic approaches to PCa management. Targeting Runx2 may prove more effective than focusing on its individual PCI-34051 downstream genes and pathways.”
“Esophagus squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most deadly malignances because of its high frequency of metastasis. Given the associations of MUC1 with ESCC and tumor metastasis, we explored a potential role of MUC1 in ESCC metastasis. Among 40 ESCC and 20 paired normal tissue specimens examined, we found a significant increase of MUC1 expression in ESCC and more importantly, that expression of MUC1 and MMP13 are strongly correlated in patients who had lymph node metastasis. Studies with cell models indicated that overexpression of MUC1 upregulates the expression of MMP13, leading to increased cell migration. In support of a mode of transcriptional regulation, promoter analysis revealed that MUC1 stimulates MMP13 expression through the Runx-2-binding site.

Transferred donor leukocytes mainly migrated to the homologous vaccine injection site rather than to injection sites of heterologous vaccines, suggesting the antigen specificity of homing. By demonstrating CMC responses to distinct viral proteins and homing in rainbow trout, these results substantially contribute to the understanding of the teleost immune system. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Scar inhibition of dermal equivalent is one of the key issues for treatment of full thickness skin defects. To yield a bioactive

RNAi functionalized matrix for skin regeneration with inhibited scarring, collagen-chitosan/silicone membrane bilayer dermal equivalent (BDE) was combined with trimetylchitosan (TMC)/siRNA complexes which could induce suppression of selleckchem transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) pathway. The RNAi-BDE functioned as a reservoir for the incorporated TMC/siRNA complexes, enabling a prolonged siRNA release. The seeded fibroblasts in the RNAi-BDE showed good viability, internalized the TMC/siRNA complexes effectively and suppressed TGF-beta 1 expression constantly until 14 d. Application of the RNAi-BDE on the full-thickness skin defects EVP4593 mw of pig backs confirmed the in vivo inhibition of

TGF-beta 1 expression by immunohistochemistry, real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting during 30 d post surgery. The levels of other scar-related factors such as collagen type I,

collagen type III and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) were also down-regulated. In combination with GDC-0994 clinical trial the ultra-thin skin graft transplantation for 73 d, the regenerated skin by RNAi-BDE had an extremely similar structure to that of the normal one. Our study reflects the latest paradigm of tissue engineering by incorporating the emerging biomolecule siRNA. The 3-D scaffolding materials for siRNA delivery may have general implications in generation of bioactive matrix as well. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Speech recognition is remarkably robust to the listening background, even when the energy of background sounds strongly overlaps with that of speech. How the brain transforms the corrupted acoustic signal into a reliable neural representation suitable for speech recognition, however, remains elusive. Here, we hypothesize that this transformation is performed at the level of auditory cortex through adaptive neural encoding, and we test the hypothesis by recording, using MEG, the neural responses of human subjects listening to a narrated story. Spectrally matched stationary noise, which has maximal acoustic overlap with the speech, is mixed in at various intensity levels.

“
“Background: To explore whether combining inhibitors that target the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR)/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway (vertical blockade) selleck screening library can improve treatment efficacy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: HCC cell lines (including Hep3B, Huh7, and PLC5) and HUVECs (human umbilical venous endothelial cells) were tested. The molecular targeting therapy agents tested included NVP-AEW541 (IGFR kinase inhibitor), MK2206 (Akt inhibitor), BEZ235 (PI3K/mTOR inhibitor), and RAD001 (mTOR inhibitor). Potential synergistic antitumor effects were tested by median dose-effect analysis in vitro and by xenograft HCC models. Apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry (sub-G1

fraction analysis) and Western blotting. The activities of pertinent signaling pathways and expression of apoptosis-related proteins were measured by Western blotting. Results: Vertical blockade induced a more sustained inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling activities in all MCC950 datasheet the HCC cells and HUVEC tested. Synergistic apoptosis-inducing effects, however, varied among different cell lines and drug combinations and were most prominent when NVP-AEW541 was combined with

MK2206. Using an apoptosis array, we identified survivin as a potential downstream mediator. Over-expression of survivin in HCC cells abolished the anti-tumor synergy between NVP-AEW541 and MK2206, whereas knockdown of survivin improved the anti-tumor effects of all drug combinations tested. In vivo by xenograft studies confirmed the anti-tumor synergy between NVP-AEW541 and MK2206 buy PFTα and exhibited acceptable toxicity profiles. Conclusions: Vertical blockade of the IGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway has promising anti-tumor activity for HCC. Survivin expression may serve as a biomarker to predict treatment efficacy.”
“Objective. Mast cells are tissue-resident immune sentinels that are implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory joint disease. The aim of this study was to test our hypothesis that complement fragments could be key activators of synovial mast cells in autoimmune arthritis.\n\nMethods. In vivo studies used the murine K/BxN arthritis model, a distal symmetric polyarthritis

mediated by IgG immune complexes. Expression of C5aR on synovial mast cells was determined by immunohistochemical and functional studies. C5aR(-/-) and control mast cells were engrafted into mast cell-deficient WBB6 F1-Kit(w)/Kit(W-v) (W/Wv) mice to examine the requirement for this receptor in arthritis. C5aR-dependent activation of mast cells was investigated in C5aR(-/-) animals and in murine and human mast cell cultures.\n\nResults. Murine synovial mast cells express functional C5aR. Unlike their wild-type counterparts, C5aR(-/-) mast cells adoptively transferred into W/Wv mice were not competent to restore arthritis, despite equivalent synovial engraftment. Activation of C5aR(-/-) mast cells by K/BxN serum in vivo remained intact, indicating that C5aR is dispensable for normal IgG-mediated triggering.