43) number of days (54 d) of energy repletion, but near onset of

43) number of days (54 d) of energy repletion, but near onset of estrous cycles, heifers in FAT condition were heavier compound inhibitor (P = 0.002) and had greater BCS (P = 0.03) and empty body fat (P = 0.01) than those in MOD condition. Initial BCS influenced days to anestrus, but not BCS or EBC at onset of anestrus. Initial BCS had no effect on days to recommencement of estrous cycles, but did influence the degree of fatness required to resume estrous cycles.”
“During chronic lung infection

of patients with cystic fibrosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa can survive for long periods of time under the challenging selective pressure imposed by the immune system and antibiotic treatment as a result of its biofilm mode of growth and adaptive evolution mediated by genetic variation. Mucoidy, hypermutability and acquirement of mutational antibiotic resistance are important adaptive phenotypes that are selected during chronic P. aeruginosa infection. This review dicsusses the role played by these phenotypes for the tolerance of biofilms to antibiotics and show that mucoidy and hypermutability change the architecture of in vitro formed biofilms and lead to increase tolerance to antibiotics. Production of high levels of beta-lactamase impairs penetration of beta-lactam antibiotics due to

inactivation of the antibiotic. In conclusion, these data underline the importance of biofilm prevention strategies by early aggressive antibiotic prophylaxis or therapy before phenotypic diversification during chronic lung infection β-Nicotinamide of patients with cystic fibrosis.”
“Turmeric GSK690693 datasheet powder (Curcuma longa L), an important medicinal spice product traded internationally, is subjected to adulteration by design or default with powders of related curcumin containing wild species like Curcuma zedoaria and Curcuma malabarica leading to toxicity and poor quality of the produce. The present study aims at development of specific, sensitive and reproducible Sequence Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) markers to detect these adulterants in traded turmeric powder. Two putative RAPD

markers, ‘Cur 01′ and ‘Cur 02′, generated by random primers OPA 01 and OPE 18 were identified as C. zedoaria/C. malabarica specific by comparative RAPD analysis of genuine turmeric and market samples of turmeric powder, C. zedoaria and C. malabarica. These specific RAPD markers were cloned and sequenced. Two pairs of SCAR primers were designed from the RAPD markers ‘Cur 01′ and ‘Cur 02′, respectively. Six market samples of turmeric powder and four simulated standards besides the genuine samples were analyzed using the specific SCAR markers. Both the SCAR markers detected the presence of C. zedoaria/C. malabarica adulteration in four market samples and all the simulated standards prepared in different concentrations. The two SCAR markers developed in the study would be potentially useful for the regulatory agencies to detect C. zedoaria/C. malabarica adulteration in traded turmeric powder.

This would need to be confirmed through an economic analysis, whi

This would need to be confirmed through an economic analysis, which is outside the purview of this paper. (C) 2011 International Society Cell Cycle inhibitor for Infectious Diseases. Published

by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Although there are some studies suggesting relation between different types of infection and fibromyalgia syndrome (FM), there is presently no proof that FM is caused by an infection. Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection may cause extragastric manifestations. Inflammation is an important mediator of increased sympathetic nervous system activity and may lead to pain in fibromyalgia patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the HP seropositivity in fibromyalgia patients compared with controls for possible role of HP infection in FM. Sixty-seven patients with fibromyalgia were evaluated. Two of them were excluded from the study because of high level of acute phase reactants. Sixty-five female patients with fibromyalgia and 41 randomly selected age-matched female healthy Selleck Linsitinib controls were enrolled to study. Serum HP IgA and IgG antibodies were measured by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay technique. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire was assessed in patients and controls. Seropositivity of HP IgG antibody in the fibromyalgia patients was significantly higher than in the control group. No statistically significant differences

were found regarding the clinical features between fibromyalgia patients with HP IgG antibody and patients without IgG antibody. Our study suggests that former HP infection may have a role in the etiopathogenesis of fibromyalgia syndrome or may act as a triggering factor. However, high seroprevalence of HP in general population and prevalent asymptomatic infection make it difficult to interpret these

results for the definite role of HP in FM. Highlighting the pathophysiologic mechanisms of FM will result in more effective treatment regimens.”
“A novel and efficient method was developed OSI-906 molecular weight for surface-modification of Kevlar fibers by multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Kevlar fibers were immersed in a solution mixed with Hexamethylene diisocyanate, 1,4-diazabi-cyclo [2,2,2] octane (DABCO), and toluene to introduce pendant amine groups before the COCl-functionalized carbon nanotubes were chemically grafted onto the surface of modified fibers under ultrasonic condition. The characterization of resulting fiber involved in SEM, infrared spectroscopy, and tensile measurement. Results indicated over 20% of the fiber surface were coated by MWCNTs even after washing, which indicated a good adhesion. Furthermore, the mean value of tensile strength of Kevlar fiber was improved by 12% compared with original one. And the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the fiber-reinforced bismaleimides composite was increased by 30%. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Unfortunately, the histologic classification of phyllodes tumors

Unfortunately, the histologic classification of phyllodes tumors does not reliably predict clinical behavior.

The mainstay of treatment of non metastatic

phyllodes tumors of the breast is complete surgical resection with wide resection margins. Lumpectomy or partial mastectomy is the preferred surgical therapy. However, despite the complete surgical resection, local failure rate may be high; and 22% of malignant tumors may give rise to haematogenous metastases. The most frequent site of distant metastases is the lungs. Several predictive factors of recurrence and metastases have been described in the literature, such as positive surgical margins, increased stromal Cilengitide inhibitor cellularity, stromal overgrowth, stromal atypia and increased mitotic activity.

Nevertheless,

the role of adjuvant therapies (radiotherapy and chemotherapy) is presently undefined and should be tested in multicenter, prospective, randomized trials. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Temperature dependent Suns-V(oc) measurements are performed on four types of polycrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells on glass substrates, all of which are made by solid phase crystallization/epitaxy of amorphous silicon from plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition or e-beam evaporation. Under the two-diode model, the diode saturation currents corresponding to n=1 recombination HCS assay processes for these polycrystalline silicon p-n junction cells follow

an Arrhenius law with activation energies about 0.15-0.18 eV lower than that of single-crystal silicon p-n diodes of 1.206 eV, regardless of whether the cells have an n- or p-type base. This discrepancy manifests itself unambiguously in a reduced temperature sensitivity of the open-circuit voltage in thin-film polycrystalline silicon solar cells compared to single-crystal silicon cells with similar voltages. The physical origin of the lowered activation energy is attributed to subgap levels acting either as minority carrier traps or shallow recombination https://www.selleckchem.com/products/bix-01294.html centers.”
“Males of solitary bees usually spend the night in clusters on small branches of plants, cavities and flowers. The individuals usually return to the same location each evening during their life, exhibiting site fidelity to a particular plant. We report on the sleeping roosts of the males of some oil-collecting bees of the genera Centris, Paratetrapedia, Lanthanomelissa, Monoeca, and Tetrapedia, as well as the host plants. We discuss the role of the male clusters to the associated plants.”
“In the last decade, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) has evolved into an important tool for diagnostic bronchoscopy in daily practice.

Among the latter, microorganisms related to Methylobacter

Among the latter, microorganisms related to Methylobacter see more psychrophilus and Methylobacter tundripaludum, Crenothrix polyspora (a stagnant water dweller), and a number of methanotrophs belonging to unknown taxa were detected. Growth characteristics of two methanotrophic isolates were determined. Methylobacter sp. CMS7 exhibited active growth at 4-10A degrees C, while Methylocystis sp. SB12 grew better at 20A degrees C. Experimental results confirmed the major role of methanotrophic gammaproteobacteria in controlling the methane emission from

cold river seeps.”
“Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare aggressive primary cutaneous neuroendocrine neoplasm with a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. We report a case of a 94-year-old woman who experienced complete spontaneous regression of metastatic MCC. Nine months after complete excision of the primary Autophagy inhibitor MCC on her left eyebrow, metastatic

MCC was confirmed with a fine-needle aspiration of a 4-cm mass on the left side of her neck. Three months later the mass had reduced in size to 2 cm and a neck dissection was performed. Her submandibular gland, thoracic duct and 25 lymph nodes were negative for MCC. Two of the lymph nodes, the larger measuring 1.3 cm, contained extensive amounts of fibrosis, with accumulation of macrophages and other chronic inflammatory cells. The literature documents 6 similar cases of complete spontaneous regression of metastatic

MCC. The mechanism for regression is not well understood and is thought to involve T-cell-mediated immune response and apoptosis.”
“Saphenous vein graft patency is frequently limited by degeneration. Experimental studies have indicated that rigid external support of venous grafts by a flexible, tubular nitinol mesh may improve graft patency. The study presented was part of a prospective, randomized, multicenter first-in-man trial investigating the safety and effectiveness of nitinol-supported venous grafts in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. From our clinic, 25 subjects with multivessel coronary artery disease requiring saphenous vein graft CABG of the right coronary artery (RCA) and the circumflex artery were entered into the trial. Subjects were randomized to AR-13324 chemical structure receive a mesh-supported graft on one of these arteries; the other vessel received an untreated vein graft. Graft patency was assessed by coronary angiography nine months after surgery. The implantation of mesh grafts was simple and safe. In 10 cases, a nitinol mesh-supported venous graft was anastomosed to the circumflex artery and in 15 cases to the RCA. All patients survived the observation period. A total of 72% of the patients underwent control coronary angiography. The patency rate of mesh-supported grafts was 27.8% nine months postoperatively. Conventional vein grafts showed an 85.7% patency, and arterial grafts had a 100% patency.

It was proposed that exfoliated and intercalated morphology were

It was proposed that exfoliated and intercalated morphology were obtained at low and high-nanobentonite contents, respectively. DMTA indicated that mechanical properties of the dried gel were improved with raising the clay content. In the water-swollen state, storage modulus

was considerably increased in nanocomposites having < 8% of modified bentonite, and then it was decreased at the higher clay content due to interfering effect of the clay in polymerization ASP2215 nmr progression. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 3453-3459, 2011″
“Objective: To compare outcomes of treating complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with linezolid versus vancomycin in diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Methods: We pooled data from three prospective clinical www.selleckchem.com/products/BMS-754807.html trials in which 1056 patients were randomized to receive either linezolid (intravenous (IV) or oral) or vancomycin (IV) every 12 h, for 7-28 days.

Results: Diabetic (n = 349) and non-diabetic patients (n = 707) had comparable demographics and comorbidities. Clinical success rates were lower in diabetic than in non-diabetic patients (72.3% and 85.8%, respectively). Overall, non-diabetic patients had a shorter adjusted mean length of stay (LOS) compared with diabetic patients (8.2 and 10.7 days, respectively; p <

0.0001). Among diabetic patients, rates were comparable with linezolid and vancomycin treatment for clinical success (74% and 71%, respectively) and microbiological success (60% and 54%, respectively). Among non-diabetic patients, clinical and microbiological success rates were higher in linezolid-than in vancomycin-treated patients (90% and 81%, respectively, and 78% and 65%, respectively). Rates of drug-related adverse events were comparable in diabetic and non-diabetic patients and with linezolid and vancomycin treatment. Adjusted mean LOS was shorter with linezolid than with vancomycin treatment in diabetic patients (9.5 and 11.7 days, respectively; p =

0.03) and non-diabetic patients (7.6 and SIS3 mw 8.9 days, respectively; p = 0.02).

Conclusions: Clinical success rates were lower in diabetic than non-diabetic patients with cSSSI caused by MRSA. Comparing linezolid and vancomycin, clinical and microbiological success rates were comparable in diabetic patients, but were better for linezolid than for vancomycin in non-diabetic patients. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases.”
“Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In order to elucidate the association between VEGF levels and RA disease activity, VEGF concentrations were measured in RA patients at different phases and severity levels.

This probably explains why syringobulbia is less frequently encou

This probably explains why syringobulbia is less frequently encountered at present. We propose to describe the neuro-ophthalmologic symptoms and signs that may be observed in patients with syringobulbia PHA-739358 order and the mechanisms involved in their appearance.”
“Tumor suppressor protein p53 is regulated

by two structurally homologous proteins, Mdm2 and MdmX. In contrast to Mdm2, MdmX lacks ubiquitin ligase activity. Although the essential interactions of MdmX are known, it is not clear how they function to regulate p53. The regulation of tumor suppressor p53 by Mdm2 and MdmX in response to DNA damage was investigated by mathematical modeling of a simplified network. The simplified network model was derived from a detailed molecular interaction map (MIM) that exhibited four coherent DNA damage response pathways. The results suggest that MdmX may amplify or stabilize DNA damage-induced p53 responses via non-enzymatic interactions. Transient effects of MdmX are mediated by reservoirs of p53: MdmX and Mdm2: MdmX heterodimers, with MdmX buffering the concentrations of p53 and/or Mdm2. A survey of kinetic parameter space disclosed regions of switch-like behavior stemming from such reservoir-based transients. During an early response to DNA damage,

MdmX positively or negatively regulated p53 activity, depending on the level of Mdm2; this led to amplification of p53 activity and switch-like response. During a late response to DNA damage, MdmX could dampen oscillations of p53 activity. A possible role of MdmX may be to dampen

such oscillations that Sapitinib datasheet otherwise could produce erratic cell behavior. Our study suggests how MdmX may participate in the response of p53 to DNA damage either by increasing dependency of p53 on Mdm2 or by dampening oscillations of p53 activity and presents a model for experimental investigation.”
“In this study, we provide a description of laparoscopic uterine suspension technique through round ligament.

From 1997 to 2010, 55 patients with uterine prolapse were treated by laparoscopic uterine suspension. It is performed by suturing and tying a 1-0 Ethibond on the left round ligament at its insertion into the uterus. Then curved forceps find more pass the lateral puncture wound into the extraperitoneal space along the round ligament and penetrates the anterior leaf of the broad ligament into the peritoneal cavity and grasps the free ends of the Ethibond. They are withdrawn extraperitoneally along the round ligament then tightly tied at the fasciae on either side of the lateral puncture wound.

Forty-two out of 55 patients (76.4%) experienced a reduction of prolapse to stage 0, regardless of what stage they started from. Twelve out of 55 (21.8%) experienced a reduction of prolapse varying from one to two stages. One out of 55 (1.8%) experienced no reduction in prolapse.

This technique reconstructs a new, inelastic round ligament.

g , hemivertebrae) were highly associated with the presence of ce

g., hemivertebrae) were highly associated with the presence of cervical scoliosis

(P < 0.05). Ten patients exhibited cervical spine-related symptoms; however, no statistically significant difference was noted between the presence of symptoms and coronal cervical alignment (P = 0.815) and cervical scoliosis (P = 0.450).

Conclusion. The study noted a prevalence of cervical scoliosis to occur in 53.3% click here of young KFS patients. Such patients that exhibited congenital fusion of the mid and lower cervical spine region, had multiple, contiguous congenitally fused segments (Type III), and associated vertebral malformations (e.g., hemivertebrae) were highly associated with the presence of cervical scoliosis. However, in young KFS patients, the presence of cervical scoliosis may not be associated with the manifestation of cervical spine-related symptoms.”
“Purpose: To assess contrast material-enhanced ultrasonographic (US) findings seen after high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation of prostate cancer and correlate the US findings with post-HIFU biopsy findings.

Materials and Methods: The study was ethics committee approved. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients. GSK1210151A ic50 Twenty-eight patients referred for HIFU prostate cancer ablation underwent contrast-enhanced prostate

US before treatment, gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and repeat contrast-enhanced US 1-3 days after treatment, and contrast-enhanced US-guided biopsy 30-45 days after treatment. The contrast-enhanced US enhancement patterns of the biopsy sites-assigned a score of S0 for no enhancement, S1 for mild and/or patchy enhancement, or S2 for marked enhancement-were compared with corresponding biopsy findings, which were assigned a score of

p38 kinase assay B0 for necrosis and/or fibrosis without viable prostate gland tissue, B1 for vascularized tissue without viable gland tissue, or B2 for viable gland tissue (benign or malignant). Then, six additional patients underwent contrast-enhanced prostate US 15-30 minutes and 1 day after HIFU ablation, and the results of these two US examinations were compared.

Results: Contrast-enhanced US performed on days 1-3 and days 30-45 after HIFU ablation depicted a large devascularized zone with peripheral enhancing areas that were localized anteriorly in all 28 patients, posteriorly in nine, laterally in five, and at the apex in 20 patients. MR findings were concordant. At biopsy, viable gland tissue was found at nine (6.2%) of 146 S0 sites, 10 (34%) of 29 S1 sites, and 44 (60%) of 73 S2 sites. The odds ratios for finding viable tissue (score B1 or B2) at S1 and S2 sites as opposed to S0 sites were 21 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6, 71) and 73 (95% CI: 22, 243), respectively (P < .0001). Contrast-enhanced US performed 15-30 minutes and 1 day after treatment in the six additional patients had similar findings.

Direct fluorescence imaging using a mannan-specific carbohydrate-

Direct fluorescence imaging using a mannan-specific carbohydrate-binding module and sequential enzyme treatments with an endo-beta-mannanase confirmed the presence of cryptic epitopes and that the masking of primary cell wall mannan by pectin is a potential mechanism for controlling cell wall micro-environments.”
“The anthrax lethal factor is a multi-domain protein toxin released by Bacillus anthracis which enters cells in a process mediated by the protective antigen and specific cell receptors. In the cytosol, the lethal factor cleaves the N-terminal tail of many MAPK kinases, thus deranging a major cell signaling pathway. The

structural features at the basis of these activities of LF are reviewed here with GSK1838705A chemical structure particular attention to the proteolytic activity and to the identification of specific inhibitors. A significant similarity between

the selleck chemicals llc metalloprotease domain of the lethal factor and of that of the clostridial neurotoxins has been noted and is discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Recently, we studied hepatitis C virus (HCV) sera-prevalence among 559 890 first-time volunteer blood donors in China. From randomly selected 450 anti-HCV positive donors, we detected HCV RNA in 270 donors. In this study, we amplified HCV E1 and/or NS5B sequences from 236 of these donors followed by DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The results indicate new trends of HCV infection in China. The HCV genotype distribution differed according to the donors’ region of origin. Among donors from Guangdong province, we detected subtypes 6a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 2a, and 1a at frequencies of 49.7%, 31.0%, 7.6%, 5.5%, 4.1%, and 2.1%, respectively. Among donors from outside Guangdong, we detected 1b, 2a, 6a, 3b, 3a, 6e, and 6n at frequencies 57.1%, 13.2%, 11.0%, 9.9%, 4.4%, 2.2%, and 2.2%, respectively. Although we found no significant differences among regions in age or gender, subtype 6a was more common (P < 0.001) in donors from Guangdong than those from elsewhere, whilst subtypes 1b (P < 0.02) and 2a (P < 0.001) were more frequent

outside Guangdong. Disregarding origins, the male/female ratio was higher CBL0137 Apoptosis inhibitor for subtype 6a-infected donors (P < 0.05) than for subtype 1b donors, whilst the mean age of subtype 2a donors was 8-10 years older (P < 0.05) than that for all other subtypes. Detailed phylogenetic analysis of our sequence data provides further insight into the transmission of HCV within China, and between China and other countries. The predominance of HCV 6a among blood donors in Guangdong is striking and mandates studies into risk factors for its acquisition.”
“P>Chitin is a major molecular pattern for various fungi, and its fragments, chitin oligosaccharides, are known to induce various defense responses in plant cells.

For women, there was a dose-response association with psychologic

For women, there was a dose-response association with psychological health and social relationships (contribution of sport to QoL increased with PA level).

These results showed that sport was nearly always associated with better QoL, even more so for people who had low or high PA levels (physical and psychological health for men and physical health for women). Prospective studies are necessary to confirm these findings.”
“The organic hybrids of thermoplastic GSK1838705A polyurethane (TPU)/hindered phenol (AO-80) were prepared through melt blending, which was followed by hot and cold pressing

procedure. The microstructure and dynamic mechanical properties of the hybrids were systematically investigated through SEM, DSC, XRD, FTIR, DMA and a tensile tester. The experimental

results indicated that AO-80 was completely dissolved in the matrix. The glass transition of the soft segments of TPU was found to shift to higher temperature with the amount of AO-80 increasing, whereas the glass transition of the hard segments exhibited nearly no evident change, indicating that AO-80 was selectively located in the soft region of TPU and the formation of the strong intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonding) between AO-80 and the soft region of TPU. With the increase of AO-80 in the hybrids, the tan delta peak gradually shifted to higher temperatures and the maximal tan delta value increased from 0.4 to 1.6. Meanwhile, the glass transition temperature JAK inhibitor ranges broadened and the TA value increased greatly with the more content of AO-80. Because of the decrease of the hard segments amount in the hybrids, the tensile stress of these hybrids decreased, but still maintained at a high level. The hybrids were expected to have potential applications as high performance damping materials combined with good mechanical properties. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci

116:2143-2150, 2010″
“Evidence exists that well-planned vegetarian diets provide numerous health benefits and are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle. It is also known that animal foods provide GANT61 cost micronutrients that are nonexistent or available only in limited amounts in plant foods. Restriction or exclusion of all animal foods may therefore result in low intake of certain micronutrients such as vitamin B-12, thereby affecting vitamin B-12 status and elevating plasma homocysteine concentrations. Overall, the studies we reviewed showed reduced mean vitamin B-12 status and elevated mean homocysteine concentrations in vegetarians, particularly among vegans. Low vitamin B-12 intake may lead to decreased bioavailability and functional deficiency of cobalamin.

The patients

had been exposed to median cumulative gadope

The patients

had been exposed to median cumulative gadopentetate dimeglumine volumes of 35, 40, 85, and 117.5 mL over the 3, 12, and 24 months and up to 11 years preceding the onset of NSF, respectively. Patients who received higher cumulative and total gadopentetate dimeglumine doses had a higher risk of developing NSF than did those who received lower doses (odds ratio = 1.2). Twenty (56%) of 36 patients died, with a median interval of 18 months between NSF symptom onset and Z-VAD-FMK molecular weight death.

Conclusion: NSF develops in patients with renal impairment after exposure to gadopentetate dimeglumine in a dose- and time-dependent manner. (C) RSNA, 2009″
“Controlled decrease in carrier concentration (N-d) through postdeposition annealing of ZnO is shown to provide a crossover from Ohmic to rectifying junction behavior. Highly oriented (002) ZnO films with silver contact yield nonlinear I-V characteristics below a carrier concentration of similar to 10(23) m(-3) and linear Ohmic behavior above 10(23) m(-3). The specific differential resistance around zero bias is practically independent of carrier concentration up to 10(23) m(-3) and then decreases with

increase in carrier concentration. These results are in excellent agreement with standard theoretical models of current transport phenomena CFTRinh-172 solubility dmso in metal-semiconductor contacts. While the differential junction resistance at lower carrier concentrations gradually becomes less governed by carrier concentrations and current transport is dominated by thermionic emission

and diffusion mechanism, it decreases as a function of carrier concentration at higher carrier concentrations. These results show that metal-oxide semiconductor junctions behave precisely like conventional metal-semiconductor junctions. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3447870]“
“P>Distinct lymphocyte populations have been identified that either promote or impede the establishment of chimerism and tolerance through allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Natural killer T (NKT) check details cells have pleiotropic regulatory properties capable of either augmenting or downmodulating various immune responses. We investigated in this study whether NKT cells affect outcome in mixed chimerism models employing fully mismatched nonmyeloablative BMT with costimulation blockade (CB). The absence of NKT cells had no detectable effect on chimerism or skin graft tolerance after conditioning with 3Gy total body irradiation (TBI), and a limited positive effect with 1Gy TBI. Stimulation of NKT cells with alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-gal) at the time of BMT prevented chimerism and tolerance. Activation of recipient (as opposed to donor) NKT cells was necessary and sufficient for the alpha-gal effect. The detrimental effect of NKT activation was also observed in the absence of T cells after conditioning with in vivo T-cell depletion (TCD).