Hypomorphic mutation in the hairless gene accelerates pruritic atopic skin caused by feeding a special diet to mice

Muslim Involvement: The Court Record 1.Prisoners' RightsCan we rely upon the courts to protect Islam and Muslims from discriminatory treatment? Have the courts considered Islam to be a 'religion' worthy of constitutional protection? The issue of First Amendment protection of Muslim beliefs and practices has arisen most often in cases brought by African-American Muslims who are incarcerated. In fact, the area of law to which Muslims have made their most substantial contribution to date is the area of prisoners' rights litigation. African-American Muslim inmates have been responsible for establishing prisoners' constitutional rights to worship. Cases brought by Muslims have established that prisoners have the right to assemble for religious services; to consult a cleric of their faith; to possess religious publications and to subscribe to religious literature; to wear unobstrusive religious symbols such as medallions; to have prepared a special diet required by their religion; and to correspond with their spiritual leaders. The court record demonstrates that Muslim inmates' religious liberty claims, challenging prison regulations that impinge on the free exercise of the Islamic faith, have been accepted only under certain circumstances. In brief, the responsiveness of the courts to Muslim inmates' claims has turned on a number of factors including: (1) the issue of equality of treatment of all religious groups in prison; (2) the courts' reticence to reverse the decisions of prison officials; (3) the degree to which the inmates' challenges would undermine the fundamental interests of the state (e.g. in prison security and administrative efficiency); and (4) the showing that Islam is parallel in significant ways to the conventional Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish faiths.Constitutional protection of Islamic practices in prison and elsewhere, however, has not been automatic. Many Muslim organizations, the Nation of Islam in particular, have been treated as cults, or suspect and dangerous groups, due in part to the perception that Muslims teach racial hatred, and have not been regarded in the same respect as 'mainline' religious groups. It has been argued before the courts that Muslim doctrine contains political aspirations and economic goals as well as racial prejudice and should be suppressed in the interest of society. The gist of this argument is that certain Muslim groups are primarily political and not religious associations and thus ...

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Constitutional Effects of the Hairless Gene in Diploid and Triploid Drosophila

The American Naturalist ◽

10.1086/280477 ◽

1933 ◽

Vol 67 (709) ◽

pp. 178-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

John W. Gowen

Keyword(s):

Hairless Gene

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Adaptation of the Gut Microbiota of Amur Tigers to a Special Diet

Current Microbiology ◽

10.1007/s00284-021-02399-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuhang Zhu ◽

Zhiqiang Han ◽

Haijun Wang ◽

Cunfa Liu ◽

Huazhe Si ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Special Diet

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Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin Promotes MRGPRX2-Triggered Degranulation of Skin Mast Cells in a STAT5-Dependent Manner with Further Support from JNK

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10010102 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 102

Author(s):

Magda Babina ◽

Zhao Wang ◽

Kristin Franke ◽

Torsten Zuberbier

Keyword(s):

Mast Cells ◽

Priming Effect ◽

Skin Diseases ◽

Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Atopic Diseases ◽

Time Points ◽

Histamine Liberation ◽

Atopic Skin ◽

Th2 Immunity

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is released by epithelial cells following disturbed homeostasis to act as “alarmin” and driver of Th2-immunity. Aberrant TSLP expression is a hallmark of atopic diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD). Mast cells (MCs) are overabundant in AD lesions and show signs of degranulation, but it remains unknown whether TSLP contributes to granule discharge. Degranulation of skin MCs proceeds via two major routes, i.e., FcεRI-dependent (allergic) and MRGPRX2-mediated (pseudo-allergic/neurogenic). Evidence is accumulating that MRGPRX2 may be crucial in the context of skin diseases, including eczema. The current study reveals TSLP as a novel priming factor of human skin MCs. Interestingly, TSLP selectively cooperates with MRGPRX2 to support granule discharge, while it does not impact spontaneous or FcεRI-driven exocytosis. TSLP-assisted histamine liberation triggered by compound 48/80 or Substance P, two canonical MRGPRX2 agonists, was accompanied by an increase in CD107a+ cells (a MC activation marker). The latter process was less potent, however, and detectable only at the later of two time points, suggesting TSLP may prolong opening of the granules. Mechanistically, TSLP elicited phosphorylation of STAT5 and JNK in skin MCs and the reinforced degranulation critically depended on STAT5 activity, while JNK had a contributory role. Results from pharmacological inhibition were confirmed by RNA-interference, whereby silencing of STAT5 completely abolished the priming effect of TSLP on MRGPRX2-mediated degranulation. Collectively, TSLP is the first factor to favor MRGPRX2- over FcεRI-triggered MC activation. The relevance of TSLP, MCs and MRGPRX2 to pruritis and atopic skin pathology indicates broad repercussions of the identified connection.

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MST3 is involved in ENaC-mediated hypertension

AJP Renal Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajprenal.00455.2018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 317 (1) ◽

pp. F30-F42

Author(s):

Te-Jung Lu ◽

Wei-Chih Kan ◽

Sung-Sen Yang ◽

Si-Tse Jiang ◽

Sheng-Nan Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Kidney Cells ◽

Hypertensive Rats ◽

Madin Darby Canine Kidney ◽

Spontaneously Hypertensive ◽

Hypomorphic Mutation ◽

And Oxidative Stress ◽

Darby Canine Kidney ◽

Canine Kidney

Liddle syndrome is an inherited form of human hypertension caused by increasing epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) expression. Increased Na+ retention through ENaC with subsequent volume expansion causes hypertension. In addition to ENaC, the Na+-K+-Cl− cotransporter (NKCC) and Na+-Cl− symporter (NCC) are responsible for Na+ reabsorption in the kidneys. Several Na+ transporters are evolutionarily regulated by the Ste20 kinase family. Ste20-related proline/alanine-rich kinase and oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 phosphorylate downstream NKCC2 and NCC to maintain Na+ and blood pressure (BP) homeostasis. Mammalian Ste20 kinase 3 (MST3) is another member of the Ste20 family. We previously reported that reduced MST3 levels were found in the kidneys in spontaneously hypertensive rats and that MST3 was involved in Na+ regulation. To determine whether MST3 is involved in BP stability through Na+ regulation, we generated a MST3 hypomorphic mutation and designated MST3+/− and MST3−/− mice to examine BP and serum Na+ and K+ concentrations. MST3−/− mice exhibited hypernatremia, hypokalemia, and hypertension. The increased ENaC in the kidney played roles in hypernatremia. The reabsorption of more Na+ promoted more K+ secretion in the kidney and caused hypokalemia. The hypernatremia and hypokalemia in MST3−/− mice were significantly reversed by the ENaC inhibitor amiloride, indicating that MST3−/− mice reabsorbed more Na+ through ENaC. Furthermore, Madin-Darby canine kidney cells stably expressing kinase-dead MST3 displayed elevated ENaC currents. Both the in vivo and in vitro results indicated that MST3 maintained Na+ homeostasis through ENaC regulation. We are the first to report that MST3 maintains BP stability through ENaC regulation.

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TREATMENT OF PERNICIOUS ANEMIA BY A SPECIAL DIET

JAMA ◽

10.1001/jama.1926.02680200066028 ◽

1926 ◽

Vol 87 (20) ◽

pp. 1666 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

C. Elders

Keyword(s):

Pernicious Anemia ◽

Special Diet

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