Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type kappa (PTPRK) revisited: evolving insights into structure, function, and pathology.

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type Kappa (PTPRK) is a membrane-bound tyrosine phosphatase encoded by the frequently deleted region of chromosome 6q, which plays a crucial role in regulating cell signaling, adhesion, and immune response. Structurally, PTPRK comprises with an extracellular domain involved in cell-cell adhesion, a transmembrane region, and two intracellular catalytic domains responsible for its phosphatase activity. Notably, PTPRK undergoes proteolytic cleavage by Furin and ADAM10, resulting in the generation of an extracellular E-subunit and a P-subunit.

The establishment of a portable high sensitivity exhaled thoron activity measurement system.

A portable system, using electrostatic collection, for the measurement of exhaled thoron activity in humans is described, together with details of the basic theory, equipment, calibration procedures, measurement and preliminary use. The portable system built on experience at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to achieve a reduction in measurement time from 30 h to 200 min, and to increase the total efficiency of the system from 50% (at ANL) to 70%. The limit of detection of the system (2sigma above zero) is 0.

Recent results from a study of thorium lung burdens and health effects among miners in China.

The purpose of this study was to obtain more information about health effects among the dust-exposed male miners of Bayun Obo Rare-Earth and Iron Mine, China. From 2,390 male miners from the seven dust-generating workshops of the mine, 136 dust-exposed miners were randomly selected for study. Of these, 64 men were from the high-dust-generating workshop and 72 from the lower-dust-generating workshops; the latter group was used as an internal control.

A 20-year follow-up study on the effects of long-term exposure to thorium dust.

Objective: To investigate the possible effects of long-term exposure to dust containing thorium and thoron progeny on dust-exposed miners.

Methods: A negative, high voltage, exhaled thoron progeny measurement system was used to estimate the miners' thorium lung burden.

Results: The highest thorium lung burden of 638 miners was 11.