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S-palmitoylation is a reversible posttranslational modification that plays an important role in regulating protein localization, trafficking, and stability. Recent studies have shown that some proteins undergo extremely rapid palmitoylation/depalmitoylation cycles after cellular stimulation supporting a direct signaling role for this posttranslational modification. Here, we investigated whether β-adrenergic stimulation of cardiomyocytes led to stimulus-dependent palmitoylation of downstream signaling proteins. We found that β-adrenergic stimulation led to rapidly increased Gαs and Gαi palmitoylation. The kinetics of palmitoylation was temporally consistent with the downstream production of cAMP and contractile responses. We identified the plasma membrane-localized palmitoyl acyltransferase DHHC5 as an important mediator of the stimulus-dependent palmitoylation in cardiomyocytes. Knockdown of DHHC5 showed that this enzyme is necessary for palmitoylation of Gαs, Gαi, and functional responses downstream of β-adrenergic stimulation. A palmitoylation assay with purified components revealed that Gαs and Gαi are direct substrates of DHHC5. Finally, we provided evidence that the C-terminal tail of DHHC5 can be palmitoylated in response to stimulation and such modification is important for its dynamic localization and function in the plasma membrane. Our results reveal that DHHC5 is a central regulator of signaling downstream of β-adrenergic receptors in cardiomyocytes.

Problem of heat insulation and reliability of enclosing structures of buildings is the current issue nowadays due to strict requirements thereto. Protection of exterior walls of autoclaved aerated concrete blocks against negative impacts may be achieved by waterproof plastering combining decorative function either, i.e. decorative and protective system. Such system is possessing hydrophobic properties protecting against inflow of rainwater and condensate accumulating in the wall surface during seasonal periods. Application of decorative and protective “Baumit” system has been tested in heat efficient walls of autoclaved aerated concrete blocks in the Republic of Bashkortostan. It has been found that after several years of operating the protective system revealed no failures, and the wall has proved to be reliable as to heat protection, indoor conditions and interior surface of the walls.

Today, advanced countries compete enormously for further exploitation in the offshore area, for its enormous fresh resources and space. Therefore, these competitions will double the importance of these types of structures. As it is known, the most important part in the design of the offshore structures is the design of the piles on which the structure will be placed. Engineers have always been trying to build these types of structures with the least cost and the highest safety factor. In this research, the effect of distance and the ratio of the elliptical pile diameters on the strength of the pile group was evaluated using numerical modeling. Five different states of diameter ratios including: 1.2, 1.4, 2, 2.5, 3 and five different distance ratios were investigated. The results demonstrate that with the increase in the diameter ratio, the amount of force decreases while it increases as the distance ratio rises.

In the present study, as the calculation of forces on the cylindrical structures of the sea has a special complexity, Morrison's mathematical model was used in the software. In addition, the kinematics of water particles is estimated to calculate their acceleration from the fifth-order non-static wave theory (Fenton method). In this paper, the analysis of the pier performance considering structural-fluid interaction using ANSYS soft is presented. Five models with the same period were considered and different wave heights and two different earthquake records of Tabas and Northwich were studied. Finally, node displacement, acceleration and reciprocal interaction forces were extracted and compared with the numerical values. The results indicated that the values of the studied parameters and the type of nodes were similar in the models without a record of earthquakes, but with the estimation of the earthquake, these values would be significant.

Using the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) registry, we analyzed 1404 umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) patients (single (<18 years)=810, double (⩾18 years)=594) with acute leukemia to define the incidence of acute GvHD (aGvHD) and chronic GvHD (cGvHD), analyze clinical risk factors and investigate outcomes. After single UCBT, 100-day incidence of grade II–IV aGvHD was 39% (95% confidence interval (CI), 36–43%), grade III–IV aGvHD was 18% (95% CI, 15–20%) and 1-year cGvHD was 27% (95% CI, 24–30%). After double UCBT, 100-day incidence of grade II–IV aGvHD was 45% (95% CI, 41–49%), grade III–IV aGvHD was 22% (95% CI, 19–26%) and 1-year cGvHD was 26% (95% CI, 22–29%). For single UCBT, multivariate analysis showed that absence of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) was associated with aGvHD, whereas prior aGvHD was associated with cGvHD. For double UCBT, absence of ATG and myeloablative conditioning were associated with aGvHD, whereas prior aGvHD predicted for cGvHD. Grade III–IV aGvHD led to worse survival, whereas cGvHD had no significant effect on disease-free or overall survival. GvHD is prevalent after UCBT with severe aGvHD leading to higher mortality. Future research in UCBT should prioritize prevention of GvHD.

Findings from a retrospective cohort study of 11 698 adult solitary kidney recipients indicate that recipients who experience certain clinical outcomes during primary kidney transplantation are significantly more likely to experience the same outcomes after retransplant, and the likelihood of relisting after a failed primary transplant decreases for recipients with a hospital stay within a year and for recipients with a greater glomerular filtration rate following the primary transplant.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a major source of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant recipients. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are genetically polymorphic natural killer (NK) cell receptors important in antiviral responses. A retrospective, single-center cohort study was performed to study the interaction of KIR genotype and primary control of CMV infection after transplantation. Time to first CMV viremia was determined for a cohort of 531 CMV serology donor positive/recipient negative solid organ transplant recipients. Of the KIR genes, KIR2DL3 and KIR2DS2 were most strongly associated with time to CMV viremia in random survival forest analysis. As KIR2DL3 and KIR2DS2 both interact with HLA-C1, these interactions were evaluated. Seventy-six recipients were found to be positive for both KIR2DL3 and KIR2DS2 and expressed only HLA-C1 antigens in both recipient and donor. These patients had a substantially reduced hazard of CMV viremia in the first year after solid organ transplantation (hazard ratio 0.44, 95% CI 0.27–0.72, p = 0.0012). In KIR2DL3+/KIR2DS2+/HLA-C1/1 recipients who received an organ from a non-C1/1 donor, this protective effect was not observed. These results improve our understanding of human NK cell function in primary CMV infection after transplant.

We report the successful allotransplantation of cryopreserved parathyroid tissue to reverse hypocalcemia in a kidney transplant recipient. A 36‐year‐old male received a second deceased donor kidney transplant, and 6 weeks later developed severe bilateral leg numbness and weakness, inability to walk, acute pain in the left knee and wrist tetany. His total calcium was 2.6 mg/dL and parathormone level 5 pg/mL (normal 10–60 pg/mL). He underwent allotransplantation of parathyroid tissue cryopreserved for 8 months into his left brachioradialis muscle. Immunosuppression included tacrolimus (target C010–12 ng/mL), mycophenolate mofetil and steroids. Within 2 weeks, the left knee pain, leg weakness and numbness resolved, and by 1 month he could walk normally. After a peak at month 2, his parathyroid hormone (PTH) level fell to <10 pg/mL; therefore at month 3 he received a second parathyroid transplant from the same donor. Eight months later (11 months after initial graft) he has a total calcium of 9.3 mg/dL, PTH level 15 pg/mL and is clinically asymptomatic. The amount of parathyroid tissue needed to render a patient normocalcemic is not known. In our case, the need for second transplant suggests that the amount of tissue transferred for an allograft may need to be substantially greater than for an autograft.

The electrochemical behaviour of the spinel-like LiMn2O4was studied in non-aqueous and aqueous saturated alkali nitrate electrolytes in comparison with the layered manganese dioxide δ-MnO2. The results obtained by galvanostatic and cyclic voltammetry techniques showed that the insertion of Li+/e–or H+/e–depends on both the host lattice and the type of electrolyte. The spinel-like LiMn2O4preferably allowed the insertion of Li+/e–in non-aqueous and aqueous saturated LiNO3electrolytes, as observed from the similarity of the electrochemical behaviour in these electrolytes and the stability of the structure. This was explained by the presence of a three-dimensional network of vacant tetrahedral and half-filled octahedral sites in LiMn2O4, which guarantee high mobility of Li+ions. The layered manganese dioxide could be inserted by Li+/e–only in non-aqueous electrolytes.

The thermogravimetric curves of the title compound (AMV), recorded at two rates of heating (10 and 1.25 deg min−1), exhibited two separate steps of weight loss (at 423–513 and 513–613 K). The TG curves were analysed by testing 18 solid-state reaction equations associated with the methods of Coats and Redfern (1964), Šatava and Škvára (1969) and Blazejowski et al. (1983). On the basis of linearization procedures, high-order reactions with n=1.5 and 2.0 best described the two TG steps. The activation energies of the two conversion stages are: first stage: 163.6 and 152.6 kJ mol−1, and second stage: 238.1 and 167.7 kJ mol−1 (low and high heating rates, respectively).