Acute Otitis Media occurs mostly after upper respiratory tract infection; the causative bacteria are those colonized in the nasopharynx. We studied 709 URI episodes and found that children with...Full Text Available
We examined the bacterial aerobic nasal flora of 216 healthy volunteers to identify potential competitive interactions among different species, with special emphasis on the influence of staphylococcal...Full Text Available
Many pathogens colonize different anatomical sites, but the selective pressures contributing to survival in the diverse niches are poorly understood. Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is...Full Text Available
Caries is a multifactorial disease, and studies aiming to unravel the factors modulating its etiology must consider all known predisposing factors. One major factor is bacterialcolonization,...Full Text Available
Saccharococcus sacchari is the primary colonizer of the developing “sterile” tissue between the leaf sheath and stem of sugar cane. The honeydew secreted by the mealybugs...Full Text Available
Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the mucosal surface of the human upper respiratory tract. A colonization event is gradually cleared through phagocytosis by monocytes/macrophages that are recruited to the airway lumen. Here, we sought to define the bacterial and host factors that promote monocyte/macrophage influx and S. pneumoniae clearance using intranasal bacterial challenge in mice. We found that the recruitment of monocytes/macrophages required their expression of the chemokine receptor CCR2 and correlated with expression of the CCR2 ligand CCL2. Production of CCL2 and monocyte/macrophage recruitment were deficient in mice lacking digestion of peptidoglycan by lysozyme (LysM) and cytosolic sensing of the products of digestion by Nod2. Ex vivo macrophages produced CCL2 following bacterial uptake, digestion by LysM, and sensing of peptidoglycan by Nod2. Sensing of digested ...
The colonization of an implant surface by bacteria is an extremely important medical problem, which often leads to the failure of medical devices. Modern surface modification techniques, such as ion implantation, can confer to the surfaces very different properties from those of the bulk underlying material. In this work, austenitic stainless steel 316 LVM has been superficially modified by Si^+ ion implantation. The effect of surface modification on the biocompatibility and bacterial adhesion to 316 LVM stainless steel has been investigated. To this aim, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), as precursor of osteoblastic cells, and bacterial strains relevant in infections related to orthopedic implants, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, have been assayed. For the ...
In acute liver failure following hepatitis, toxic insults, or after major liver surgery, there is an increased bacterial translocation from the gut. This may explain some of the infectious complications seen in these conditions. To elucidate mechanisms and find possible preventive measures, we investigated the effect of rectal administration of arginine and probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus spp.) on bacterial translocation and the extent of liver failure. Sprague-Dawley rats were used and five different Lactobacillus strains (Lb. reuteri R2LC, Lb. rhamnosus DSM 6594 (= strain 271), Lb. plantarum DSM 9843 (= strain 299v), Lb. fermentum 8704:3 (= strain 245), and Lb. reuteri (= strain 108) were administered rectally once daily for 8 days with and without 2% arginine. Acute liver injury (ALI) was induced on the eighth day by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactosamine (1.1 g/kg body weight), and samples were collected after 24 and 48 hours. ...
The use of indigenous bacterial root endophytes with biocontrol activity against soil-borne phytopathogens is an environmentally-friendly and ecologically-efficient action within an integrated disease management framework. The earliest steps of olive root colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 and Pseudomonas putida PICP2, effective biocontrol agents (BCAs) against Verticillium wilt of olive (Olea europaea L.) caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb., are here described. A gnotobiotic study system using in vitro propagated olive plants, differential fluorescent-protein tagging of bacteria, and confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis have been successfully used to examine olive roots?Pseudomonas spp. interactions at the single-cell level. In vivo simultaneous visualization...
BackgroundDinoflagellates are unicellular, often photosynthetic protists that play a major role in the dynamics of the Earth's oceans and climate. Sequencing of dinoflagellate nuclear...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe successful interaction of bacterial pathogens with host tissues requires the sensing of specific chemical and physical cues. The human gut contains a huge number of...Full Text Available
In tomato crop, the induction of resistance emerges as an important alternative for achieving the reduction of chemicals in disease control. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of 28 Trichoderma isolates to promote the growth of tomato seedlings and to induce systemic resistance (ISR) against Xanthomonas euvesicatoria and Alternaria solani, the causal agents of bacterial spot and early blight, respectively. Twelve isolates promoted the increase of plant dry matter mass (DMM) above 100%, showing the great potential of these strains. All isolates were able to colonize the root system of tomato plants. The plant growth-promoting isolates were further evaluated for potential elicitation of ISR. Treatment of the soil with all Trichoderma isolates provided protection in tomato plants from 2...
Campylobacter spp. are present in the intestinal tract and internal tissues of broiler breeder and broiler chickens. Campylobacter spp. are known to cause acute bacterial gastroenteritis in humans and raw poultry products have been implicated as a significant source of these infections. The object...
Clinical questionWhat is the best treatment for bacterial conjunctivitis?ResultsTopical antibiotics expedite recovery from bacterial conjunctivitis....Full Text Available
Objective: To determine whether asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with upper genital tract inflammation or bacterialcolonization.Methods: Fifty nonpregnant women with intact uteri who planned to undergo gynecologic surgery and had no recent symptoms of vaginal infection were enrolled. We obtained a vaginal swab for Gram stain, endocervical swab for chlamydia and gonorrhea DNA probe testing, and Pipelle endometrial biopsy for aerobic and anaerobic cultures and histology. We correlated surgical findings and histology of available surgical specimens with the microbiologic results. The diagnosis of BV was made according to Speigel's criteria. Bacteria isolated from the uterus were classified as high virulence versus low virulence. Contingency tables were analyzed using the chi-square or Fisher Exact tests.Results: Twenty-one of 50 patients had BV on Gram stain, 3 had intermediate BV, and 3 had unreadable ...
The effect of X-irradiation on production of MUC1 was studied with human colon carcinoma HT-29 cells. As evaluated by immunocytochemical staining, the percentages or MUC1-positive cells in cells at 4 days after 6 Gy irradiation and in unirradiated control cells were 52#+-#3.5% (n=6) and 26#+-#2.8% (n=6), respectively. Flow-cytometric analysis of living cells showed that MUC1 began to rise from day 1, reaching a plateau by day 4 after 6 Gy irradiation. Western blot analysis with monoclonal antibody MY.1E12 against glycosylated MUC1 (mature form) showed dose-dependent increases of two bands (500 and 390 kDa) corresponding to two polymorphic MUC1 alleles. Premature forms of MUC1 (350 and 240 kDa) were detectable with monoclonal antibody HMFG-2 only in irradiated cells, suggesting that new core protein synthesis had been induced. The transcriptional activity of the MUC1 gene was analyzed in terms of transient expression of MUC1-CAT reporter plasmids containing ...
Hyperproliferation of the colonic epithelium, leading to expansion of colonic crypt progenitors, is a recognized risk factor for colorectal cancer. Overexpression of progastrin, a nonamidated and incompletely...Full Text Available
The effects of sennosides on colonic motility were investigated in eight conscious dogs chronically fitted with two strain gauge transducers in the proximal colon, an intracolonic silicone catheter...Full Text Available
Abstract. The potential effects of synthetic unmethylated oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing CpG motifs, mimicking bacterial DNA, has never been evaluated on the immune response in the teleost fish gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), the most important fish species in Mediterranean aquaculture. First, binding and competition studies have demonstrated that binding is saturated and promiscuous, suggesting the participation of several receptors. Moreover, leucocyte cytotoxic (NCC) activity, production of ROIs (reactive oxygen intermediates), and expression of immune-relevant genes was greatly primed by ODNs. Focusing on the mechanism, the TLR9 gene is widely distributed in seabream tissues and differently regulated in vitro by several stimuli. Moreover, and for the first time in fish, TLR9...
Complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is the largest enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Compared to its bacterial counterpart which encompasses 14-17 subunits, mitochondrial complex I has almost tripled its subunit composition during evolution of eukaryotes, by recruitment of so-called accessory subunits, part of them being specific to distinct evolutionary lineages. The increasing availability of numerous broadly sampled eukaryotic genomes now enables the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this large protein complex. Here, a combination of profile-based sequence comparisons and basic structural properties analyses at the protein level enabled to pinpoint homology relationships between complex I subunits from fungi, mammals or green plants, previously identified...
Acidification is one of the most common and serious problems inducing process failure in anaerobic digesters. The production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) mainly triggers acidic shock. However, little is known about the bacteria involved in the processes of acidogenic metabolism, such as fermentation and reductive acetogenesis. Here, the metabolic responses of a methanogenic community to the acidification and resulting process deterioration were investigated using transcriptional profiling of both the 16S rRNA and formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase (FTHFS) genes. The 16S rRNA-based analyses demonstrated that the dynamic shift of bacterial populations was closely correlated with reactor performance, especially with VFA accumulation levels. The pH drop accompanied by an increase in VFAs stim...
This paper describes a comprehensive model of wastewater treatment in secondary facultative ponds, which combines 3D hydrodynamics with a mechanistic water quality model. The hydrodynamics are based on the Navier-Stokes equation for incompressible fluids under shallow water and Boussinesq assumptions capturing the flow dynamics along length, breadth and depth of the pond. The water quality sub model is based on the Activated Sludge Model (ASM) concept, describing COD and nutrient removal as function of bacterial growth following Monod kinetics, except for Escherichia coli removal, which was modelled as first order decay. The model was implemented in the Delft3D software and was used to evaluate the effect of wind and the addition of baffles on the water flow pattern, temperature profiles i...
Most common bacterial species causing peritonitis in the course of peritoneal dialysis (PDP) are coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci. Haemophilus influenzae is rarely associated with PDP. Hereby we present the first known case of APD-associated peritonitis caused by non-type able H. influenzae (NTHi) presenting the beta-lactamase negative, ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) phenotype. An 18 year old boy who had been treated with the APD for 12 months due to SLE was admitted in good general condition with diagnosis of PDP. Standard diagnostic and therapeutical procedures were initiated. Dialysis fluid was turbid with cytosis of 435 WBC/ml. From dialysis fluid pure culture of Gram-negative coccobacillus was isolated. The isolate was identified as a BLNAR phenotype. The same bacterium was isolated from nasal swab. Blood cultures were negative. After evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility the treatment was changed for the oral ...
AIM: To isolate and identify the biological characteristics of human colon cancer stem cells (SW1116 cells) and further study their proteome.METHODS: SW1116 cells were isolated and cultured with...Full Text Available
About 20% of adults are persistently colonized with S. aureus in the anterior nares. Host genetic factors could contribute susceptibility to this phenotype. The objective of...Full Text Available
Background and AimsVariation in mating patterns may be particularly evident in colonizing species because they commonly experience wide variation in plant density. Here, the role...Full Text Available
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon with a high incidence of colon cancer. Dysplasia is a precursor to carcinoma and a predictor of malignant potential; epithelia...Full Text Available
We studied the dynamics of microbial communities attached to model aggregates (4-mm-diameter agar spheres) and the component processes of colonization, detachment, growth, and grazing mortality. Agar...Full Text Available
Objectives. The purposes of this study were to test the hypothesis that vaginal douching is linked to bacterial vaginosis in both symptomatic and asymptomatic women and to identify...Full Text Available
Chemoreceptors are crucial components in the bacterial sensory systems that mediate chemotaxis. Chemotactic responses exhibit exquisite sensitivity, extensive dynamic range and precise adaptation....Full Text Available
We present the case of a 68-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with cancer of the descending colon in July 1994 and underwent partial resection of the colon (type 2, moderately to well differentiated...Full Text Available
Abstract: Decomposition and insect colonization of pig (Sus scrofa L.) carcasses were observed over a 42 day period inside and outside a house in a suburban region of Edmonton, Alberta. Three freshly killed pig carcasses were placed outdoors on grass and three carcasses were placed in separate rooms inside a house in a suburban residential area. The carcasses were examined and sampled regularly. Outside carcasses were colonized rapidly by Calliphora vicina (R D), Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Lucilia illustris (Meigen), Eucalliphora latifrons (Hough), Cynomya cadaverina (R D), Phormia regina (Meigen), and Protophormia terraenovae (R D). There was a delay of 5 days before inside carcasses were first colonized but all species except E. latifrons and L. illustris readily colonized at this time. ...
Bacterial cellulose was produced by Acetobacter xylinum (strain TISTR 975). Bacterial cellulose is an interesting material for using as a wound dressing since it provides moist environment to a wound resulting in a better wound healing. However, bacterial cellulose itself has no antimicrobial activity to prevent wound infection. To achieve antimicrobial activity, silver nanoparticles were impregnated into bacterial cellulose by immersing bacterial cellulose in silver nitrate solution. Sodium borohydride was then used to reduce the absorbed silver ion (Ag+) inside of bacterial cellulose to the metallic silver nanoparticles (Ag0). Silver nanoparticles displayed the optical absorption band around 420nm. The red-shift and broadening of the optical absorption band was observed when the mole rat...
This study reports on the physical-chemical behaviour of swelling di-octahedral clays (smectites) and their interaction with aqueous solutions and bacteria (Shewanella putrefaciens). Experimental results are presented for compacted clays, hydrated under confined volume conditions, using a new type of reaction-cell (the 'wet-cell' of Warr and Hoffman, 2004) that was designed for in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. For comparison, dispersed clay systems were studied using standard batch solutions subjected to varying degrees of agitation. The combination of time-dependent in situ XRD measurements with gravimetric measurements and calculated diffraction patterns using the CALCMIX software (Plancon and Drits, 1999) allowed to successful quantification of the dynamics of water uptake and storage. This analytical procedure combined with published water vapour adsorption data enabled determination of the abundance of structured water layers, developed in the ...
Since 1988, the Expertise group of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) is an important partner in the development of the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA). The MELiSSA was designed to allow a small crew to survive on an Antarctic, lunar or Mars outpost, and is a joint research project currently fostered by the European Space Agency, ESA. The MELiSSA functions through a series of five interconnected compartments, of which four are microbial bioreactors and was engineered to degrade organic waste, regenerate the outpost's atmosphere and water, and provide the crew with an additional vegetarian diet. The bioreactor of the third compartment provides the edible cyanobacteria and plants of the fourth compartment with nitrate instead of ammonium as a source of nitrogen. The two bacteria responsible for the biological transformation of ammonium to nitrate (nitrification) are Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter winogradskyi. Since all MELiSSA-reactors are to be ...
Results are presented applying an enteral nutrition by means of probes with Cosilat in complex therapy of patients with radiotherapeutic late effects of the colon. This nutrition was prescribed with the intention to gave the colon a functional recovery and to guarantee optimal conditions for repair of radiation injuries. Good results were seen in 27 of 28 patients (96.7%), the situation of one patient (3.3%) continued without any change. Cosilat has a high nutritive value, good organoleptic qualities and is well digested without any complications. (author).
Abstract Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is an immune sensor for gram-positive bacterial cell wall components. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TLR2 gene that impair its function may, therefore, influence the risk and outcomes of gram-positive bacterial infections. In a cohort of 694 liver transplant recipients, we assessed the TLR2 SNP that is translated into an amino acid substitution of arginine for glutamine at position 753 (R753Q), and we found that its presence was associated with the clinical characteristics and outcomes of gram-positive bacterial infections. The proportions of patients with the TLR2 R753Q SNP did not significantly differ between those with gram-positive bacterial infections and those without gram-positive bacterial infections (9.6% versus 9.6%, P = 0.999)....
A fast and accurate segmentation of organs at risk, such as the healthy colon, would be of benefit for planning of radiotherapy, in particular in an adaptive scenario. For the treatment of pelvic tumours, a great challenge is the segmentation of the most adjacent and sensitive parts of the gastrointestinal tract, the sigmoid and descending colon. We propose a semi-automated method to segment these bowel parts using the fast marching (FM) method. Standard 3D computed tomography (CT) image data obtained from routine radiotherapy planning were used. Our pre-processing steps distinguish the intestine, muscles and air from connective tissue. The core part of our method separates the sigmoid and descending colon from the muscles and other segments of the intestine. This is done by utilizing the ability of the FM method to compute a specified minimal energy functional integrated along a path, and thereby extracting the ...
The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a multi-systemic disease being characterized by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies that involves both arterial and venous systems resulting in arterial...Full Text Available
The Cox proportional hazards model is the most widely used model for survival analysis because of its simplicity. The fundamental assumption in this model is the proportionality of the hazard function....Full Text Available
At present time, there is evidence from randomized controlled studies of the success of laparoscopic resection for the treatment of colon cancer with reported smaller incisions, lower morbidity rate...Full Text Available
We compared the incidence of nasopharyngeal colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the serotypes causing mucosal and invasive diseases, and the antibiotic resistance of these strains...Full Text Available
Interkingdom signaling is established in the gastrointestinal tract in that human hormones trigger responses in bacteria; here, we show that the corollary is true, that a specific bacterial signal,...Full Text Available
Norepinephrine stimulates the growth of a range of bacterial species in nutritionally poor SAPI minimal salts medium containing 30% serum. Addition of size-fractionated serum components to SAPI...Full Text Available
Genome-wide studies of bacterial gene expression are shifting from microarray technology to second generation sequencing platforms. RNA-seq has a number of advantages over hybridization-based techniques,...Full Text Available
Fatty acid biomarker analysis coupled with gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry was used to confirm the presence of methanotrophic and thiotrophic bacterial endosymbionts in the tissues...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe study of bacterial species interactions in a mixed-species community can be facilitated by transcriptome analysis of one species in the community using cDNA microarray...Full Text Available
The results of antibiotic tests on bacterial pathogens freshly isolated from avian tissues and bovine milk are presented. Coliform isolates from the avian species showed an increased resistance to...Full Text Available
We have examined the association between cytokine, chemokine and growth factor concentrations with bacterial vaginosis (BV) in pregnant white and black women. A nested case-control analysis...Full Text Available
The objective of this study was to determine if inflammatory tolerance and enhancement of innate immune function could be induced by the gram-positive cell wall component peptidoglycan (PGN)....Full Text Available
The introduction and survival of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in poultry farming have been linked to bacterial association with free-living protozoa. To date, however, no information is available on...Full Text Available
Severe pericardial effusion is a rare complication of bacterial pneumonia and it usually disappears under medical treatment. Herein we report a case of a girl with a congenital immunodeficient syndrome...Full Text Available
An explicit proposal for experiments leading to abrupt transitions in spatially extended bacterial populations in a Petri dish is presented on the basis of an exact formula obtained through an analytic...Full Text Available
Neonatal bacterial infection in rats alters the responses to a variety of subsequent challenges later in life. Here we explored the effects of neonatal bacterial infection on a subsequent drug...Full Text Available
Sibling Paenibacillus dendritiformis bacterial colonies grown on low-nutrient agar medium mutually inhibit growth through secretion of a lethal factor. Analysis of secretions reveals...Full Text Available
Infection due to multidrug resistance pathogens is difficult to manage due to bacterial virulence factors and because of a relatively limited choice of antimicrobial agents. Thus, it is imperative to...Full Text Available
The vaginal bacterial microbiota of 19 premenopausal women was examined by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing of the V2-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Ten of the women...Full Text Available
Enteric infections with attaching/effacing lesion-inducing bacterial pathogens are a worldwide health problem. A murine infection model with one such pathogen, Citrobacter rodentium,...Full Text Available
The genetic systems of bacteria that have the ability to use organic pollutants as carbon and energy sources can be adapted to create bacterial biosensors for the detection of industrial pollution....Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo examine the role of first trimester bacterial vaginosis (BV) and level of BV-associated microorganisms diagnosed using the Nugent’s Gram stain...Full Text Available
Aim:The effect of Tualang honey on wound healing in bacterial contaminated full-thickness burn wounds was evaluated in 36 male Sprague Dawley rats.Materials...Full Text Available
In the Archaea only a handful of ribonucleases involved in RNA processing and degradation have been characterized. One potential group of archaeal ribonucleases are homologues of the bacterial RNase...Full Text Available
BackgroundBacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition that is associated with preterm birth and acquisition of complex communities of vaginal bacteria that include several fastidious...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe bacterial genus Listeria contains pathogenic and non-pathogenic species, including the pathogens L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii,...Full Text Available
Bacterial pathogens use virulence strategies to invade epithelial barriers, but active processes of epithelial cells may also contribute to the endocytosis of microbial particles. To focus on the latter,...Full Text Available
The purpose of the work was to quantitatively characterize temperature effects on the bacterial leaching of sulfide ore material containing several sulfide minerals. The leaching was tested at eight...Full Text Available
We have used a sintered glass bead core to simulate the spaces and surfaces of reservoir rock in studies of the bacterial plugging phenomenon that affects waterflood oil recovery operations. The passage...Full Text Available
Gene expression from bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones has been demonstrated to facilitate physiologically relevant levels compared to viral and nonviral cDNA vectors. BACs are large enough...Full Text Available
ObjectivesTo assess whether bacterial vaginosis or chlamydial infection before 10 weeks' gestation is associated with miscarriage before 16 weeks.DesignProspective...Full Text Available
Model systems to study the effects of chemicals of environmental concern on bacterial and parasitic diseases as well as the immunosurveillance and destruction of transplantable tumor cells were described...Full Text Available
To diagnose asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV), self-sampled vaginal smears were collected during a study of risk factors for preterm birth in African American women. More than 90% of those...Full Text Available
Little is known about the conservation of determinants for the identities of tRNAs between organisms. We showed previously that Escherichia coli tyrosine tRNA synthetase can charge the Saccharomyces...Full Text Available
Intimin facilitates intestinal colonization by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7; however, the importance of intimin binding to its translocated receptor (Tir) as opposed to...Full Text Available
The tissue distribution of "1"3"1I-transferrin ("1"3"1I-Tf) was studied in athymic nude mice having s.c. human colonic adenocarcinoma HT-29 xenografts. Four days after "1"3"1I-Tf injection, the "1"3"1I specific activity measured in the HT-29 tumor, i.e. amount of radioactivity per gram of fresh tissue, represented 0.31 #+-# 0.09% of the injected radioactivity and was 1.90 fold more than that measured in the murine colon (P < 0.05). After correction for intravascular "1"3"1I-Tf as estimated by mean of "9"9"mTc-Sn in vivo labeling of red blood cells, the "1"3"1I specific activity observed in the HT-29 tumor was 7.21 fold more than that observed in the murine colon. This subtracting method enabled us to localize a HT-29 tumor xenograft by #gamma# scintigraphy of the entire animal and demonstrated that "1"3"1I-Tf could be a non-specific but potent marker for human colon cancer. (author).
A Norwegian Research Program on Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) in North Sea reservoirs was launched in 1992. Microbial methods, applied in this context, is a part of this program. The scope, the methodological approach, and results from the three first years are presented. Water profile control, using biomass to block high permeable zones of a reservoir, has been investigated using nitrate-reducing bacteria in the injected sea water as plugging agents. Emphasis has been put on developing a process that does not have disadvantages secondary to the process itself, such as souring and impairment of the overall injectivity of the field. Data from continuous culture studies indicate that souring may successfully be mitigated by adding nitrite to the injected seawater. The morphology and size of generic-nitrate-reducing seawater bacteria have been investigated. Screening of growth-promoting nutrients has been carried out, and some sources were detected as favorable. ...
This paper reported on a study in which designs for Chinese and Indian fixed-dome anaerobic digesters were modified in an effort to produce smaller and more affordable digesters. While these types of systems are common in tropical regions of developing countries, they have not been used in colder climates because of the low biogas yield during the winter months. Although there is evidence that sufficient biogas production can be maintained in colder temperatures through design and operational changes, there is a lack of knowledge about the seasonal changes in the composition of the microbial communities in ambient temperature digesters. More knowledge is needed to design and operate systems for maximum biogas yield in temperate climates. The purpose of this study was to cultivate a microbial community that maximizes biogas production at psychrophilic temperatures. The study was conducted on a 300 gallon experimental anaerobic digester on the campus of Ohio State University. ...
We aim to examine the spectrum of bacteria causing corneal infections and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. This will serve as a guideline for empiric therapy of corneal infections. We conducted the study over a period of 18 months from March 2001 through December 2002 in King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Corneal specimens taken from 200 patients were inoculated directly onto different types of media. The isolates were identified and then tested against the appropriate topical or systemic antibiotics. Sixty-seven (33.5%) of the total specimens were culture positive and 133 (66.5%) were culture negative. Fourteen (7%) of these showed organisms in the Gram stained smears and correlated well with the culture reports. Of the 67 positive cultures, 53 (79.1%) were Gram-positive bacteria mostly coagulase-negative Staphylococci 29 (43.3%) followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) 13 (19.4%). Among Gram-negative bacteria 14 (20.9%), ...
A computed tomography (CT) cut-off for differentiating neoplastic lesions (polyps/carcinoma) from normal colon in contrast-enhanced CT colonography (CTC) relating to the contrast phase and lesion size is determined. CT values of 64 colonic lesions (27 polyps <10 mm, 13 polyps {>=}10 mm, 24 carcinomas) were determined by region-of-interest (ROI) measurements in 38 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CTC. In addition, the height (H) of the colonic lesions was measured in CT. CT values were also measured in the aorta (A), superior mesenteric vein (V) and colonic wall. The contrast phase was defined by xA + (1 - x)V using x as a weighting factor for describing the different contrast phases ranging from the pure arterial phase (x=1) over the intermediate phases (x=0.9-0.1) to the pure venous phase (x=0). The CT values of the lesions were correlated with their height (H), the different ...
Abstract Lysis and extraction of cells are essential sample processing steps for investigations pertaining to metabolism of xenobiotics in cell culture studies. Of particular importance to these procedures are maintaining high lysis efficiency and analyte integrity as they influence the qualitative and quantitative distribution of drug and toxicant metabolites in the intra- and extracellular milieus. In this study we have compared the efficiency of different procedures viz. homogenization, sonication, bead beating, and molecular grinding resin treatment for disruption of HT-29 colon cells exposed to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compound and a suspected colon carcinogen. Also, we have evaluated the efficiency of various procedures for extracting BaP parent c...
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the world and about half of the patients with colorectal cancer require adjuvant therapy after surgical resection. Therefore, the eradication of cancer cells via chemotherapy constitutes a viable approach to treating patients with colorectal cancer. In this study, the effects of bufalin isolated from a traditional Chinese medicine were evaluated and characterized in HT-29 and Caco-2 human colon cancer cells. Contrary to its well-documented apoptosis-promoting activity in other cancer cells, bufalin did not cause caspase-dependent cell death in colon cancer cells, as indicated by the absence of significant early apoptosis as well as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspase-3 cleavage. Instead, bufalin activated an autophagy...
Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase T (PTPRT/PTPρ) is frequently mutated in human cancers including colon, lung, gastric and skin cancers. More than half of the identified tumor-derived...Full Text Available
AIM: To investigate the effects of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) on the differentiation of colonic lamina propria fibroblasts (CLPF) into myofibroblasts in vitro.METHODS:...Full Text Available
Syndecan-2, a transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan, is a critical mediator in the tumorigenesis of colon carcinoma cells. We explored the function of syndecan-2 in melanoma, one of the most invasive...Full Text Available
Selection of the denitrifying community by plant roots (i.e., increase in the denitrifier/total heterotroph ratio in the rhizosphere) has been reported by several authors. However, very few studies...Full Text Available
Background The relationships between coffee, tea, and sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drink consumption and colon cancer risk remain unresolved. Methods We investigated prospectively the association between coffee, tea, and sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drink consumption and colon cancer risk in a pooled analysis of primary data from 13 cohort studies. Among 731 441 participants followed for up to 6-20 years, 5604 incident colon cancer case patients were identified. Study-specific relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models and then pooled using a random-effects model. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Compared with nonconsumers, the pooled multivariable relative risks were 1.07 (95% CI = 0.89 to 1.30, Ptrend = ...
Severe damage to the pelvic viscera is a complication of irradiation therapy that, unfortunately, cannot always be avoided. Resulting rectal and rectocolonic strictures, rectovaginal fistulas, and shortening and stenosis of the vagina present very difficult problems that frequently require a colostomy for relief and may permanently impair sexual function. The authors present a new approach to correction of these unfortunate lesions based on the use of proximal nonirradiated colon which serves as a vascular pedicle graft to correct the defect without a complicated and massive resection. Twenty-two such operations have been done with 19 satisfactory to excellent results and two total failures (one death from small bowel complications). All patterns and combinations of irradiation injury have been found amenable to this technique of repair. These have included both web and linear strictures with and without fistulas. In half of the patients, it was possible to make ...
Forty species of anaerobes were screened for the ability to produce an ether-extractable mutagen which is present in the feces of 15 to 20% of individuals in populations at high risk for colon cancer....Full Text Available
Purpose:The goal of this study was to use two separate databases to evaluate the clinical outcomes and the economic impact of adherence to Level I Pathways, an evidence-based oncology...Full Text Available
... al. (1992) and Santos and Bueno (2002) in Scylla serrata and Cal. ornatus, respectively. According to these authors, ... S. Poovachiranon. 1992. Age of the mangrove crab Scylla serrata at colonization by ...
In longitudinal and spatial studies, observations often demonstrate strong correlations that are stationary in time or distance lags, and the times or locations of these data being sampled may not be homogeneous. We propose a nonparametric estimator of the correlation function in such data, using kernel methods. We develop a pointwise asymptotic normal distribution for the proposed estimator, when the number of subjects is fixed and the number of vectors or functions within each subject goes to infinity. Based on the asymptotic theory, we propose a weighted block bootstrapping method for making inferences about the correlation function, where the weights account for the inhomogeneity of the distribution of the times or locations. The method is applied to a data set from a colon carcinogenesis study, in which colonic crypts were sampled from a piece of colon segment from each of the 12 rats in the experiment and the ...
A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of right lateroabdominal pain. He was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, and then developed multiple brain embolic infarctions 7...Full Text Available
BackgroundRecent advances in the understanding of the maternal and paternal heritage of south and southwest Asian populations have highlighted their role in the colonization of Eurasia...Full Text Available
Early detection of precancerous tissue has significantly improved survival of most cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC). Animal models designed to study the early stages of cancer are valuable...Full Text Available
Laparoscopic colon surgery for select cancers is slowly evolving as the standard of care but minimally invasive approaches for rectal cancer have been viewed with significant skepticism. This procedure...Full Text Available
Friends and colleagues remember John N. Brady, Ph.D., Chief of the Virus Tumor Biology Section of the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, who died much too young at the age of 57 on April 27, 2009 of colon...Full Text Available
BackgroundCD26 (dipeptidyl peptidase IV, DPPIV) is a 110 kDa surface glycoprotein expressed in most normal tissues, and is a potential novel therapeutic target for selected cancers....Full Text Available
Colonization of barley (Hordeum vulgare cv Salome) roots by an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus intraradices Schenck & Smith, leads to elevated levels...Full Text Available
... protein is abundant in cytosolic portions of malignant epithelial tissue (Fig. 3A). In contrast, the degree of CCTβ staining in normal epithelial tissue (Fig. 3B) or connective tissues was much weaker ......
Chronic colonization of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium, is the major cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Recent...Full Text Available
Multiple discrete regions at 8q24 were recently shown to contain alleles that predispose to many cancers including prostate, breast, and colon. These regions are far from any annotated gene and their...Full Text Available
IntroductionColorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, but currently available non-invasive screening programs have achieved only...Full Text Available
Attention has shifted from the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) to chemoprevention using aspirin and folic acid as agents capable of preventing the onset of colon cancer. However, no sensitive...Full Text Available
IntroductionColonoscopic perforation is a rare but serious complication of colonoscopy. Factors known to increase the risk of perforation include colonic strictures, extensive diverticulosis,...Full Text Available
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third-ranked neoplasm in order of incidence and mortality, worldwide, and the second cause of cancer death in industrialized countries. One of the most important environmental...Full Text Available
Colorectal cancer is extremely rare in children. We report a case of a 12-year-old boy who presented with a five-month history of weight loss and anorexia, associated with vomiting episodes, dizziness,...Full Text Available
The pharynx is the primary reservoir for strains of group A Streptococcus (GAS) associated both with pharyngitis (streptococcal sore throat) and with invasive or “flesh-eating”...Full Text Available
The level of total extracellular neuraminidase produced by 74 clinical isolates of group B streptococci isolated from diseased or asymptomatically colonized infants was assayed. Extracellular neuraminidase...Full Text Available
Siderophores are essential factors for iron (Fe) acquisition in bacteria during colonization and infection of eukaryotic hosts, which restrain iron access through iron-binding protein, such as lactoferrin...Full Text Available
The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quantification of several vaginal bacterial groups in healthy women and patients developing asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV) and candidiasis (CA) was performed. Statistical analysis revealed that the BV condition is characterised by a great variability among subjects and that it is associated with a significant increase of Prevotella, Atopobium, Veillonella and Gardnerella vaginalis, and a drop in Lactobacillus. On the contrary, the vaginal microflora of healthy women and patients developing CA was found to be homogeneous and stable over time. PMID:18762999
The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quantification of several vaginal bacterial groups in healthy women and patients developing asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV) and candidiasis (CA) was performed. Statistical analysis revealed that the BV condition is characterised by a great variability among subjects and that it is associated with a significant increase of Prevotella, Atopobium, Veillonella and Gardnerella vaginalis, and a drop in Lactobacillus. On the contrary, the vaginal microflora of healthy women and patients developing CA was found to be homogeneous and stable over time.
The emergence of bacterial antibiotic resistance is a growing problem, yet the variables that influence the rate of emergence of resistance are not well understood. In a microfluidic device designed to mimic naturally occurring bacterial niches, resistance of Escherichia coli to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin developed within 10 hours. Resistance emerged with as few as 100 bacteria in the initial inoculation. Whole-genome sequencing of the resistant organisms revealed that four functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms attained fixation. Knowledge about the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance in the heterogeneous conditions within the mammalian body may be helpful in understanding the emergence of drug resistance during cancer chemotherapy. PMID:21940899
Indium-111 is currently the radionuclide of choice for colonic transit study. However, it is expensive and not available in many hospitals. Technetium-99m has been proposed for colonic transit study but the short half-life has limited its use. Gallium-67 citrate is inexpensive and available in most countries. Most importantly, it has a suitable half-life for colonic transit study. Attempts have been made in some studies to use {sup 67}Ga citrate to label activated charcoal, but the results have not been good because of poor stability. In this study, we successfully labelled activated charcoal with {sup 67}Ga citrate by adding alcohol and 5% glucose solution. To evaluate the in vitro stability, the {sup 67}Ga-activated charcoal was incubated in a milieu mimicking the intestinal content, containing lipase, trypsin and glycochenodeoxycholate at different pH values (6.0, 7.0, 7.4 and 8.0) and for different durations (0 h, 24 h, ...
Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative bacterial species that is ubiquitous in almost any aqueous environment. It is the agent of Legionnaires’ disease, an acute and often...Full Text Available
BackgroundIt is well established that Legionella pneumophila is a waterborne pathogen; by contrast, the mode of Helicobacter pylori transmission...Full Text Available
Periodontitis is an infectious process characterized by inflammation affecting the supporting structures of the teeth. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major oral bacterial species implicated...Full Text Available
Examining the relationship between biodiversity and functional stability (resistance and resilience) of activated sludge bacterial communities following disturbance is an important first step towards developing strategies for the design of robust biological wastewater treatment systems. This study investigates the relationship between functional resistance and biodiversity of dominant bacterial taxa by subjecting activated sludge samples, with different levels of biodiversity, to toxic shock loading with cupric sulfate (Cu[II]), 3,5-dichlorophenol (3,5-DCP), or 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Respirometric batch experiments were performed to determine the functional resistance of activated sludge bacterial community to the three toxicants. Functional resistance was estimated as the 30?min IC50 or th...
... 84. Fields BS, Haupt T, Davis JP, Arduino MJ, Butler JC. Pontiac fever due to Legionella micdadei from a whirlpool spa: Possible role of bacterial endotoxin. ...
BackgroundThe metagenomic analysis of microbial communities holds the potential to improve our understanding of the role of microbes in clinical conditions. Recent, dramatic improvements...Full Text Available
The bacterium Serratia marcescens produces a plethora of multicellular shapes of different colorations on solid substrates, allowing immediate visual detection of varieties. Such a...Full Text Available
Background"Nubiotics" are synthetic oligonucleotides and nucleotides with nuclease-resistant backbones, and are fully protonated for enhanced ability to be taken up by bacterial...Full Text Available
Alpha-toxin, the major cytotoxic agent elaborated by Staphylococcus aureus, was the first bacterial exotoxin to be identified as a pore former. The protein is secreted as a single-chain, water-soluble...Full Text Available
Protein isolated from hen egg-white and functions as a bacteriostatic enzyme by degrading bacterial cell walls. First enzyme ever characterized by protein ...
Bacterial plasmids contain specific genes for resistances to toxic heavy metal ions including Ag+, AsO2-, AsO4(3-), Cd2+, Co2+, CrO4(2-), Cu2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Sb3+, and Zn2+. Recent progress with...Full Text Available
Caffeine and related xanthines were identified as potent stimulators for the bacterial cellulose production in A. xylinum. These compounds are present in several plants whose infusions are useful as culture-medium supplements for this acetobacterium. The proposed target for these native purine-like inhibitory substances is the novel diguanyl nucleotide phosphodiesterase(s) that participates in the bacterial cellulogenic complex.
β-Lactamases are the main cause of bacterial resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins. Class A β-lactamases, the largest group of β-lactamases, have been found in many bacterial...Full Text Available
A nuclear fuel waste disposal vault would not likely be a sterile environment. Bacterial activity would be expected in those areas of the vault conducive to bacterial life, i.e., where effects of heat, moisture content, radiation and compaction would not prevent or severely restrict bacterial life and where suitable and sufficient nutrients would be present. An inventory of bacterial nutrients that would be emplaced 'intentionally' with vault materials (fuel waste, waste containers, buffer and backfill materials) has been made previously. This report assesses bacterial nutrients that would be added 'inadvertently' to a vault in the form of residues of materials used to excavate and operate a vault. Measurements of blasting material residues in the various water supplies, excavated broken rock (muck) and in cores drilled in old and new tunnel walls were made at AECL's Underground ...
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of meningitis in newborn infants. Bacterial cell surface appendages, known as pili, have been recently described in streptococcal pathogens, including GBS. The pilus tip adhesin, PilA, contributes to GBS adherence to blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelium; however, the host receptor and the contribution of PilA in central nervous system (CNS) disease pathogenesis are unknown. Here we show that PilA binds collagen, which promotes GBS interaction with the ?(2)?(1) integrin resulting in activation of host chemokine expression and neutrophil recruitment during infection. Mice infected with the PilA-deficient mutant exhibit delayed mortality, a decrease in neutrophil infiltration and bacterial CNS dissemination. We find that PilA-mediated virulence is dependent on neutrophil influx as neutrophil depletion results in a decrease in BBB permeability and GBS-BBB penetration. Our results suggest that the ...
Bacterial attachment-effacement (att-eff) is emerging as an important virulence characteristic common to both enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). The contribution of the plasmid-encoded EPEC adherence factor to the production of mucosal lesions and diarrhea was investigated in gnotobiotic piglets. Bacterial att-aff in the intestinal mucosa of piglets infected with plasmid-cured EPEC strain E2348/69 (O127) was indistinguishable from that in piglets infected with the parent strain, but the distribution of lesions was different; it occurred in the small intestines of 6 of 7 piglets infected with the parent strain compared with only 2 of 11 (P = 0.006) infected with the plasmid-cured strain. Plasmid-encoded factors in EPEC and EHEC strains did not appear to contribute to bacterial competition with normal gut microflora. Of 13 strains belonging to five EPEC serogroups, O55, O142, O26, ...
For supersonic plasma flow velocities, instead of the usual shelf-step profile seen for subsonic flow, an overdense bump and cavity is observed. The profile is stable for long times even for moderate power microwaves.
J.V. Poplawski and Associates, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Effect of Roller Profile on Cylindrical. Roller Bearing Life Prediction. NASA/TM2000-210368 ...
The authors used radioligand binding and studies of cell contraction to characterize muscarinic receptors on dispersed smooth muscle cells from rabbit proximal and distal colon. Cells obtained after serial incubations in collagenase were used to measure binding of tritiated quinuclidinyl benzilate (["3H]QNB). At 37 degree C, specific ["3H]QNB binding was saturable and linearly related to cell number. Nonlinear regression analysis was used to determine the affinity of ["3H]QNB for its receptor. The IC_5_0 for the muscarinic agonists bethanechol and oxotremorine were 80 and 0.57 #mu#M, respectively. Hill coefficients were 0.67 for both, suggesting more complex interaction involving receptors of different affinities. In studies of cell contraction, bethanechol stimulated a dose-dependent decrease in cell length with half the maximal contraction occurring at 100 pM. These results suggest that (1) contraction is mediated by binding of bethanechol to M_2-muscarinic ...
Norepinephrine stimulates the growth of a range of bacterial species in nutritionally poor SAPI minimal salts medium containing 30% serum. Addition of size-fractionated serum components to SAPI medium indicated that transferrin was required for norepinephrine stimulation of growth of Escherichia coli. Since bacteriostasis by serum is primarily due to the iron-withholding capacity of transferrin, we considered the possibility that norepinephrine can overcome this effect by supplying transferrin-bound iron for growth. Incubation with concentrations of norepinephrine that stimulated bacterial growth in serum-SAPI medium resulted in loss of bound iron from iron-saturated transferrin, as indicated by the appearance of monoferric and apo- isoforms upon electrophoresis in denaturing gels. Norepinephrine also caused the loss of iron from lactoferrin. The pharmacologically inactive metabolite norepinephrine 3-O-sulfate, by contrast, did not result in ...
Purpose: `Exoscopic` and endoscopic identification of colorectal pathologies via MRI. Methods: 5 patients (36-88 years), two normal and three with different colorectal pathologies (diverticular disease, polyps and carcinoma of the colon), were examined by MRI after colonoscopy. Subsequent to filling of the colon with a gadolinium-water mixture under MRI-monitoring, 3D-data sets of the colon were acquired in prone and supine positions over a 28 sec breathold interval. Subsequently multiplanar T{sub 1}-weighted 2D-sequences were acquired before and following i.v. administration of Gd-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg BW). All imaging was performed in the coronal orientation. The 3D-data were interactively analysed based on various displays: Maximum intensity projection (MIP), surface shadowed display (SSD), multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), virtual colonoscopy (VC). Results: All of the colorectal pathologies could be interactively diagnosed ...
The growth power-time curves of a strain of petroleum bacteria, B-2, in various kinds of cultures containing different kinds of carbon sources, glucose, n-tetradecane, n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, and different kinds of microemulsions have been determined by using a 2277 Thermal Activity Monitor. The curves showed a single peak for cultures containing a single carbon source, glucose, and two peaks for cultures containing two kinds of carbon sources, glucose and one of the n-alkanes. The first peak indicated that bacteria grew by consuming glucose and the second peak indicated that bacteria grew by consuming n-alkane. The curves were complex when the bacterium grows in a microemulsion culture. According to a kinetic equation of bacterial growth under limited conditions, the rate constants of bacterial growth were obtained. The results showed that the microemulsion culture was more appropriate to bacteria to grow on n-alkanes.
This study investigates the turnover of polysaccharides by heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the northern Bay of Biscay, a productive marine system on the continental margin of the temperate Atlantic Ocean. Bacterial biomass production (BBP) near the surface ranged from 0.5 to 25.7 nmol C L?1 h?1 during small phytoplankton blooms in May and June that occurred after the main spring bloom. A direct relationship between BBP and total polysaccharides strongly suggests the dependence of bacterial growth on the availability of semi-labile organic matter. Concentrations of combined glucose as well as rate constants of extracellular glucosidase activity and glucose uptake were determined to estimate the actual carbon fluxes from bacterial polysaccharide turnover. Results reveal that ...
Preterm birth is a common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Many asymptomatic genital infections have been associated with preterm birth, but attempts to determine a causal relationship between specific infections and preterm birth have been disappointing. Treatment trials of specific infections have generally failed to show a positive effect, and in some trials have shown a deleterious effect. Although there is a strong association between the presence of bacterial vaginosis and Trichomonas vaginalis in pregnancy and preterm birth, randomized treatment trials have failed to show a benefit of treatment of these organisms. Treatment of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis or T. vaginalis to prevent preterm birth is not warranted. PMID:12112946
Coral populations have precipitously declined on Caribbean reefs while algal abundance has increased, leading to enhanced competitive damage to corals, which likely is mediated by the potent allelochemicals produced by both macroalgae and benthic cyanobacteria. Allelochemicals may affect the composition and abundance of coral-associated microorganisms that control host responses and adaptations to environmental change, including susceptibility to bacterial diseases. Here, we demonstrate that extracts of six Caribbean macroalgae and two benthic cyanobacteria have both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on bacterial taxa cultured from the surfaces of Caribbean corals, macroalgae, and corals exposed to macroalgal extracts. The growth of 54 bacterial isolates was monitored in the presence of l...
Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of death and a major public health problem in western countries. We examined the isoflavone content of 70% ethanol extract of soy germ (SG) and its apoptotic effect in HT-29 colon cancer cells. Our results showed that the major isoflavones of the SG extract were daidzein and genistein, and it effectively induced apoptosis in HT-29 cancer cells. In addition, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) expression was reduced in cells treated with the SG extract, which reduced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. These combined effects ultimately resulted in apoptosis via caspase-3 activation. In addition, daidzein and genistein, the major isoflavones of SG extract, also exerted the apoptotic effect against HT-29 cancer cells. Thes...
AbstractBackground: The dinitrofluorobenzene/dinitrosulfonic acid (DNFB/DNS) model was originally described as an experimental model of intestinal inflammation resembling human ulcerative colitis (UC). Due to the absence of acceptable UC experimental models for pharmacological preclinical assays, here we examine the immune response induced in this model. Methods: Balb/c mice were sensitized by skin application of DNFB on day 1, followed by an intrarectal challenge with DNS on day 5. We further expanded this model by administering a second DNS challenge on day 15. The features of colonic inflammation and immune response were evaluated. Results: The changes observed in colonic tissue corresponded, in comparison to the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis model, to a mild mucosal effe...
Pro-inflammatory cytokines may directly influence the viability and metabolic function of colonic epithelial cells (CEC) as an early event in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. We report here that TNF-alpha+IFN-gamma induced a synergistic, concentration-dependent decline in butyrate oxidation, an essential energy supply, in HT-29 and DLD-1 cells. TNF-alpha+IFN-gamma induced a parallel profound decline in cell viability in HT-29 cells, but not in DLD-1 cells, where impairment of butyrate oxidation seemed to precede later occurrence of cell damage. TNF-alpha+INF-gamma induced CEC damage was independent on NO formation and involved the IFN-gamma signalling pathway as well as induction of apoptosis. If cytokines have similar effects in vivo, these may lead to energy deficiency and thus contribute to CEC damage and disturbance of the epithelial integrity.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cause of cancer death among Canadian non-smokers. Each year about 21,500 Canadians are diagnosed with CRC. Ninety percent of cases occur in people aged 50 years or older. An estimated 4,800 Canadian men and 4,100 Canadian women die each year from the disease. About 75% of all new CRC cases arise in people with no known risk factors. Computed tomography colonography (CTC), a cross-sectional imaging examination that permits complete structural examination of the colon, shows promise as a tool for CRC screening. This article reviews the rationale for CRC screening, currently recommended Canadian and American screening guidelines and screening tools, and current evidence supporting CTC as a CRC screening tool and its advantages over conventional screening methods. (author)
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cause of cancer death among Canadian non-smokers. Each year about 21,500 Canadians are diagnosed with CRC. Ninety percent of cases occur in people aged 50 years or older. An estimated 4,800 Canadian men and 4,100 Canadian women die each year from the disease. About 75% of all new CRC cases arise in people with no known risk factors. Computed tomography colonography (CTC), a cross-sectional imaging examination that permits complete structural examination of the colon, shows promise as a tool for CRC screening. This article reviews the rationale for CRC screening, currently recommended Canadian and American screening guidelines and screening tools, and current evidence supporting CTC as a CRC screening tool and its advantages over conventional screening methods. (author)
The paper reports the results of a preliminary experience with volume rendering technique of virtual computerized tomography colonoscopy and compares it with endoscopy and surgery showing its capability in detecting colon and rectal cancers. [Italian] Scopo del lavoro e' riportare l'esperienza personale preliminare nell'uso della colonscopia TC virtuale confrontando i risultati con quelli dell'endoscopia e dei riscontri operatori, dimostrandone l'efficacia nella diagnosi delle malattie tumorali del colon-retto.
A range of 6-substituted imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines were synthesized using a multicomponent coupling reaction. Most of these compounds were found to exhibit excellent activity against the colon cancer cell lines HT-29 and Caco-2, whilst not showing significant toxicity against white blood cells. Our studies have shown that the proteolytic phase of apoptosis was initiated 2 h after treatment with these imidazo-[1,2-a]pyridines. The data suggests that the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-induced cell death in HT-29 and Caco-2 cells is mediated via pathway(s) that include the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol and the activation of caspase 3 and caspase 8.
Here we use published 16S rRNA gene sequences to compare the bacterial assemblages associated with humans, other mammals, other metazoa, and free-living microbial communities spanning a range...Full Text Available
Peri-prosthetic infections are notoriously difficult to treat as the biomaterial implant is ideal for bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, resulting in decreased antibiotic sensitivity....Full Text Available
BackgroundStreptococcus suis is an emerging zoonotic pathogen and is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in adults in Vietnam. Systematic data on the antimicrobial...Full Text Available
Many bacterial pathogens produce extracellular proteases that degrade the extracellular matrix of the host and therefore are involved in disease pathogenesis. Dichelobacter nodosus...Full Text Available
Enzymes are versatile catalysts in laboratories and on an industrial scale; improving their immobilization would be beneficial to broadening their applicability and ensuring their (re)use. Lipid-coated...Full Text Available
A previous report of high levels of members of the domain Archaea in Antarctic coastal waters prompted us to investigate the ecology of Antarctic planktonic prokaryotes. rRNA hybridization...Full Text Available
Bacterial hydroxy fatty acids and alpha-hydroxy fatty acids have been demonstrated in complex lipid extracts of subgingival plaque and gingival tissue. However, little is known about the relationship...Full Text Available
The pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa disseminated infections depends on bacterial interaction with blood vessels. We have hypothesized that in order to traverse the endothelial barrier, bacteria...Full Text Available
Several commonly occurring freshwater and marine plants and algae were screened for beta-D-galactosidase and beta-D-glucuronidase activities by using a 60-min enzyme assay based on the hydrolysis by...Full Text Available
Adaptive radiation is the rapid origination of multiple species from a single ancestor as the result of concurrent adaptation to disparate environments. This fundamental evolutionary process is considered...Full Text Available
In order to efficiently utilize natural cellulose materials to produce ethylene, three expression vectors containing the ethylene-forming enzyme (efe) gene from Pseudomonas...Full Text Available
Type 1 pilus directs bladder epithelial binding and invasion by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in the initial stage of cystitis, but the bacterial determinants of postinvasion...Full Text Available
Increased construction of residential canal communities along the southern coastline of the United States has led to a concern about their impact on water quality. Pollution of such dead-end canals...Full Text Available
Macrophage activation by the proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) is a critical component of the host innate response to bacterial pathogenesis. However, the precise nature...Full Text Available
Bartonella species are being recognized as important bacterial human and canine pathogens, and are associated with multiple arthropod vectors. Bartonella DNA extracted...Full Text Available
Bacterial processes in soil, including biodegradation, require contact between bacteria and substrates. Knowledge of the three-dimensional spatial distribution of bacteria at the microscale is necessary...Full Text Available
A method of measuring the water potential of stored potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) was needed to investigate the relationship of bacterial soft rot in tubers to water potential....Full Text Available
... were erroneous. The oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis Rothschild, is considered to be the primary vector of ... laboratory and production of Weigl's exanthematous typhus vaccine. In Maintenance of hum...
BackgroundThe maternally inherited, bacterial symbiont, parthenogenesis inducing (PI) Wolbachia, causes females in some haplodiploid insects to produce daughters...Full Text Available
The gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria is the causative agent of bacterial spot disease in pepper and tomato plants, which leads to economically...Full Text Available
Previous experimental data from various laboratories indicate that endotoxin of gram-negative oral microorganisms might be one of the most important bacterial products involved in bone resorption during...Full Text Available
To define the import pathway for apoiso-1-cytochrome c in vivo, the coding region for bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) or yeast copper metallothionein (CuMT) was fused to the carboxy...Full Text Available
The plasmid pE194 (3.7 kilobases) is capable of integrating into the genome of the bacterial host Bacillus subtilis in the absence of the major homology-dependent RecE recombination system. Multiple...Full Text Available
The electrokinetic patterns of four bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Agrobacterium radiobacter), two yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida...Full Text Available
Clindamycin concentrations in gingival crevicular fluid and in blood were determined over a 7-h period and were related to the minimal inhibitory concentrations of this agent for 340 bacterial strains...Full Text Available
The continued evolution of bacterial pathogens has major implications for both human and animal disease, but the exchange of genetic material between host-restricted pathogens is rarely considered....Full Text Available
Zinc is an essential trace metal ion for growth, but an excess of Zn is toxic and microorganisms express diverse resistance mechanisms. To understand global bacterial responses to excess Zn, we conducted...Full Text Available
Purpose of reviewSevere congenital neutropenia (SCN) is a primary immunodeficiency in which lack of neutrophils causes inadequate innate immune host response to bacterial...Full Text Available
BackgroundBerberine is a plant alkaloid that is widely used as an anti-infective in traditional medicine. Escherichia coli exposed to berberine form filaments, suggesting...Full Text Available
On agar plates, daughter cells of Escherichia coli mutually slide and align side-by-side in parallel during the first round of binary fission. This phenomenon has been previously attributed...Full Text Available
Clostridium perfringens type A food poisoning is the second most commonly identified bacterial food-borne illness. Sporulation contributes to this disease in two ways: (i) most food-poisoning...Full Text Available
This study examines the results of bacterial culture from 159 endometrial biopsy samples from 97 commercial dairy cows and correlations between bacteriological and histological findings. Bacteria were...Full Text Available
Bacterial nitric oxide synthases (bNOS) are present in many Gram-positive species and have been demonstrated to synthesize NO from arginine in vitro and in vivo. However, the physiological role...Full Text Available
We investigated the effects of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge on the ecology of bacterial communities in the sediment of a small, low-gradient stream in South Australia. The quantification...Full Text Available
Rumen-cannulated cows (n = 4) were fed successively silage made from either conventional or genetically modified (GM) maize. Results revealed no effects of GM maize on the dynamics...Full Text Available
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease characterized by single or multiple ulcerations. Secondary bacterial infections are one of the complications that can increase the tissue destruction...Full Text Available
The display of proteins such as feed enzymes at the surface of bacterial spore systems has a great potential use for animal feed. Feed enzymes increase the digestibility of nutrients, leading to greater...Full Text Available
We sequenced 16S rRNA genes from the vaginal swab contents of a postmenopausal woman with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV). Sequences from Atopobium vaginae were the most commonly...Full Text Available
In order to identify novel high value antibacterial targets it is desirable to delineate whether the inactivation of the target enzyme will lead to bacterial death or stasis. This knowledge is particularly...Full Text Available
Several independent studies of bacterial degradation of nitrate ester explosives have demonstrated the involvement of flavin-dependent oxidoreductases related to the old yellow enzyme (OYE) of yeast....Full Text Available
Biodegradation/solubilization of coal is described. The degradation of dibenzothiophene by two bacterial strains is reported. The effects of adding salicylate to the treatments was also investigated. 2 figs., 5 tabs. (CBS)
Certain pathogenic species of Bacillus and Clostridium have developed unique methods for intoxicating cells that employ the classic enzymatic “A-B” paradigm for protein toxins. The binary...Full Text Available
BackgroundOceans are iron-deficient and nutrient-poor environments. These conditions impart limitations on our understanding of and our ability to identify microorganisms from the...Full Text Available
Escherichia coli infection of the endometrium causes uterine disease after parturition and is associated with prolonged luteal phases of the ovarian cycle in cattle. Termination...Full Text Available
In Iran, microscopic examination of skin scrapings from 2202 individuals with clinically diagnosed cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) lesions revealed the presence of amastigotes in 1123 cases (51.0%). Bacteriological...Full Text Available
Inadequate measures of water quality have been used in many studies of the health effects associated with water supplies in developing countries. The present 1-year epidemiological-microbiological study...Full Text Available
The CD1 family of proteins binds self and foreign glycolipids for presentation to CD1-restricted T cells. To identify previously uncharacterized active CD1 ligands, especially those of microbial origin,...Full Text Available
BackgroundSepsis or bacteraemia, however rare, is a significant cause of high mortality and serious complications in children. In previous studies skin disease or skin infections...Full Text Available
A total of 193 bacterial strains were tested for their susceptibilities to 14 antimicrobial agents. Penicillin G was active at 2 U/ml against 98% of the oral isolates. Other antibiotics with good activity...Full Text Available
The distribution and activity of communities of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and methanogenic archaea in two contrasting Antarctic sediments were investigated. Methanogenesis dominated in freshwater...Full Text Available
The mechanism by which enzyme IIIglc of the bacterial phosphotransferase system regulates the activity of crystalline glycerol kinase from Escherichia coli has been studied, and the inhibitory effects...Full Text Available
BackgroundBacterial constituents, such as Gram-negative derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), can initiate inflammatory bone loss through induction of host-derived inflammatory...Full Text Available
The accumulation of α-1,4-polyglucans is an important strategy to cope with transient starvation conditions in the environment. In bacteria and plants, the synthesis of glycogen and starch occurs...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE: The efficacy of Toto ointment and soap on common skin disorders was tested. METHODOLOGY: A cohort of Nigerians with common skin conditions such as fungal and bacterial skin infections, scabies,...Full Text Available
Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones are effective mapping and sequencing reagents for use with a wide variety of small and large genomes. This report describes the development of a physical...Full Text Available
A DNA fragment located on the 3' side of the Coxiella burnetii htpAB operon was determined by Southern blotting to exist in approximately 19 copies in the Nine Mile I genome. The DNA sequences of this...Full Text Available
We present a study of 66 barred, early-type (S0-Sb) disk galaxies, focused on the disk surface brightness profile outside the bar region and the nature of Freeman Type I and II profiles, their origins, and their possible relation to disk truncations. This paper discusses the data and their reduction, outlines our classification system, and presents $R$-band profiles and classifications for all galaxies in the sample. The profiles are derived from a variety of different sources, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Data Release 5). For about half of the galaxies, we have profiles derived from more than one telescope; this allows us to check the stability and repeatability of our profile extraction and classification. The vast majority of the profiles are reliable down to levels of mu_R ~ 27 mag arcsec^-2; in exceptional cases, we can trace ...
The transfer of fish from field to laboratory facilities or their propagation in closed or restricted systems frequently results in bacterial infection and ultimately large-scale mortality. In attemps to alleviate this problem, we have added tetracycline hydrochloride to the water prophylactically (pretreating tanks before wild fish were added) and therapeutically (treating tanks after bacterial outbreaks were detected.) In the present study, we examined the effect of tetracyline hydrochloride on the critical thermal maximum (CTM) of the common shiner (Notropis cornutus).
The formation mechanism of the cold-rolled strip shape with high tension was studied. An advanced method to calculate the allowable variation of strip transverse profiles was established by the strip buckling criterion, which can be more properly used in cold rolling. With this method, the aim allowable variation of the product strip transverse profile and the required transverse profile range of incoming strips can be reached. Besides, this method has been successfully applied in a domestic tandem cold mill, and the transverse profile range of incoming strips suggested with this method is more practicable and complete. Consequently, the good performance is acquired.
The use of absorbable polyglactin 910 mesh (Vicryl) is described in a case of Ewing's sarcoma of the pelvis. An operation was performed to hold the small bowel and colon out of the pelvis for a temporary period during which radical radiotherapy was delivered. The mesh allowed the temporary displacement of bowel and obviated bowel radiation morbidity. (author).
Ketamine-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed in H orientation to far-field 9.3-GHz continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed (2 microseconds 500 pps) radiofrequency radiation (RFR) at average power densities of 30 and 60 mW/sq. cm (whole-body average specific absorption rates of 9.3 and 18.6 W/kg, respectively). Irradiation was conducted to cyclicly increase colonic temperature from 38.5 to 39.5 C. Colonic, tympanic, and subcutaneous temperatures, ECG, blood pressure, and respiratory rate were continuously recorded during experimentation. At both power densities, the subcutaneous and tympanic temperature increases significantly exceeded the colonic temperature increase. At both exposure levels, heart rate increased significantly during irradiation and returned to baseline when exposure was discontinued. Blood pressure and respiratory rate did not significantly change during irradiation. There were no significant differences ...
Megasphaera elsdenii is a lactate-fermenting, obligately anaerobic bacterium commonly present in the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, including humans. Swine M. elsdenii strains were previously shown to have high levels of tetracycline resistance (MIC = 64->256 micro g/ml) and to carry mosaic (re...
Streptococcus pyogenes is an important human pathogen and surface structures allow it to adhere to, colonize and invade the human host. Proteins containing leucine rich repeats (LRR)...Full Text Available
HT-29 human colon tumor cells growing as spheroids have been evaluated as a model system for measuring the response of human colon tumor cell to antineoplastic agents. HT-29 cells have been capacity to form spheroids up to 1 mm or more in diameter when grown in spinner culture. The multicellular HT-29 spheroids develop hypoxic centers reflecting the cellular conditions found in human cancer treatment, i.e., nutritionally deficient hypoxic cells that are felt to be a significant source of both radiation and chemotherapy clinical treatment failures. Spheroids of increasing size were radiated and then dispersed into single cells for colony survival assay. Compared with irradiated single cell suspensions, the spheroid cells demonstrated a significant increase in radioresistance. Growing spheroids developed a complex radiation survival curve which was variable with respect to size of the spheroid. The drug 5-Fu was studied to examine in a ...
A preliminary geologic investigation was conducted to determine if Triassic sedimentary rocks of the Sanford basin and Colon cross structure in North Carolina are favorable hosts for uranium deposits. Rocks of adjacent Carolina slate belt were also examined as a potential source of uranium. On the basis of favorability criteria for sandstone-type uranium deposits, and geologic and geophysical investigations of the study area, the most favorable sites for further investigation are (1) at the contacts between the Pekin and Cumnock and between the Pekin and Sanford Formations near the Colon cross structure and (2) at the base of the Jonesboro fault, which lies below the Sanford Formation, northwest of Sanford. The highly weathered granites southeast of the Jonesboro fault were a source of the detritus deposited on the cross structure and may have been a primary source of uranium. Uranium leached from the coarse sediment (Pekin Formation) of the ...
Defects in mismatch repair genes cause the genetic instability characteristic of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and a subset of sporadic colon tumors. The newest member of the mismatch repair gene family, GTBP, has recently been identified as a partial cDNA. Here, we describe the isolation of its 5{prime} terminus, allowing definition of the entire coding region. Several polymorphisms within the 5{prime} end were identified and are presented. 13 refs., 1 fig.
Foreign travel has been suggested to be a risk factor for the acquisition of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae. To our knowledge, this has not previously...Full Text Available
Using an adenoviral system as a delivery mediator of therapeutic gene, we investigated the therapeutic effects of the use of combined MDR1 shRNA and human NIS (hNIS)...Full Text Available
Ketamine-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to far-field 700-MHz continuous-wave radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in both E and H orientations. Irradiation was conducted at whole-body average specific absorption rates (SARs) of 9.2 and 13.0 W/kg (E and H, respectively) that resulted in approximately equivalent colonic specific heating rates (SHRs). Exposures were performed to repeatedly increase colonic temperature by 1 deg C (38.5 to 39.5 deg C). Tympanic, tail, left and right subcutaneous (toward and away from RFR source), and colonic temperatures, arterial blood pressure, and respiratory rate were continuously recorded. In spite of equivalent colonic SHRs and the reduced E-orientation average SAR, the right subcutaneous, tympanic, and tail SARs, SHRs and absolute temperature increases were significantly greater in E than in H orientation. The cooling rate at all monitoring sites was also ...
The CT colonography or virtual coloscopy is a new diagnostic method that allows the presentation of the whole colon using minimal invasive procedures. The method allows the detection of colorectal polyps and colorectal carcinomas. The book includes the following chapters: indications for CT colonography, diagnostic procedures, data processing and interpretation, diagnostic findings, preparation of the diagnostic result description and documentation, screening.
We used bovine intestinal organ culture to study infection by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serogroups O157, O26, and O111. We show colonization and attaching and effacing lesion...Full Text Available
To investigate the growth inhibitory effects, and the underlying mechanism of human colon cancer cell (HT-29) death, induced by a new synthetic bile derivative (HS-1200). Human colon cancer cells (HT-29), in exponential growth phase, were treated with various concentrations of a new synthetic bile acid derivative (HS-1200). The growth inhibitory effects on HT-19 cells were examined using a trypan blue exclusion assay. The extent of apoptosis was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis, TUNEL assays and Hoechst staining. The apoptotic cell death was also confirmed by Western blotting of PARP, caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation factor (DFF) analysis. To investigate the involvement of mitochondria, we employed immunofluorescent staining of cytochrome c and mitochondrial membrane potential analyses. The dose required for the half maximal inhibition (IC_5_0) of the HT-29 cell growth was 100 #approx# 150 #mu# M of HS-1200. Several changes, ...
The influence of the velocity profile at the inlet boundary on the simulation of air velocity distribution inside an electrostatic precipitator is presented in this study. Measurements and simulations were performed in a duct and an electrostatic precipitator (ESP). A four-hole cobra probe was used for the measurement of velocity distribution. The flow simulation was performed by using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. Numerical calculations for the air flow were carried out by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the realizable k-{epsilon} turbulence model equations. Simulations were performed with two different velocity profiles at the inlet boundary - one with a uniform (ideal) velocity profile and the other with a non-uniform (real) velocity profile to demonstrate the effect of velocity inlet boundary condition on the flow simulation results inside an ...
Expression of Bacterial luciferase enzyme (lux) in mammalian cells would be a powerful bioreporter protein system for in vivo imaging because eukaryotic luciferases need expensive substrates. However, only a few efforts have been made to express bacterial luciferase enzyme in mammalian cells. As the result of this, we attempted to construct bicistronic vector including two bacterial luciferase genes (LuxA and LuxB) for assessing the potential to be visualized in vitro or in vivo by optical imaging system after transfection to mammalian cells. We designed and synthesized luxA and luxB genes from Photorhabdus Luminescens. To co-express both luxA and luxB genes from a single promoter, we cloned as a bicistronic transcript fused with an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES). This bicistronic transcript was transfected by Superfect to HEK 293T cell line. We also transfected lux A and lux B vector to HEK 293T cells separately. To ...
Profile of aid statistics to Pakistan. Shows the amount of aid received, the major donors and the form in which the majority of the aid is given. Especially useful when compared to the aid profile of similar countries. Shows that ODA accounts for about 1.5% of Pakistani GDP and that it is distributed over various sectors.
We present several new results on the classic problem of estimating Gaussian profile parameters from a set of noisy data, showing that an exact solution of the maximum likelihood equations exists...Full Text Available
The mechanical properties of laminated window profiles manufactured using two types of adhesives were determined. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of heat treatment on some mechanical...Full Text Available
Instantaneous cross sectional flow velocity profiles from early mitral flow in 10 healthy men were constructed by time interpolation of the velocity data from each point in sequentially delayed two...Full Text Available
The techniques of thermogravimetry and derivative thermogravimetry (dTG) have been applied to a range of fuel oils and two 'fingerprinting' tests have been developed, one using an inert and the other an oxidizing atmosphere. These tests have been named evaporation profile and burning profile. 4 refs.
Gene expression profiling has played an important role in cancer risk classification and has shown promising results. Since gene expression profiling often involves determination of a set of...Full Text Available
The data set consists of the following: - Biochemical analysis of Deschampsia leaves and root; - Chromatographic Analysis of membrane lipids (lipid profile) ...
In situ Auger sputter depth profiles of saturation implants of 3 keV N/sub 2//sup +/ in silicon at room temperature exhibit a sharp peak in the nitrogen concentration in the outermost layers, followed by a monotonic decrease. No broad plateau was observed. The energy of the Auger line corresponding to the Si(2p) core electron excitation, monitored throughout the profiling, exhibits a chemical shift of up to 7 eV at the surface peak concentration. Inert gas ion post-bombardment of unsaturated implants significantly modifies the profile, and supports the suggestion that the surface peak arises through radiation enhanced diffusion of implanted atoms.
Multi-machine experimental observations indicate resilience in the temperature profiles at low pedestal temperatures,whereas at high pedestal temperatures the profile stiffness seems to disappear.The change of the profile behavior impacts the energy confinement,basically due to a strong non-linear dependence of the energy transport on the pedestal temperature together with different critical conditions for the onset of turbulence in the ions and electrons.This possible explanation for the different observations is based on the assumption that both ion and electron energy transport is governed by turbulence which sets in at a critical temperature gradient as well as on a significant energy equipartition between electrons and ions.
The entrainment flow rate distribution, the gas velocity profile, and the concentration profile of droplets across the channel cross section in fully developed region of a horizontal rectangular channel of 150mm width and 50mm height were measured. The concentration profile of droplets was expressed by a simple equation based on a constant diffusion coefficient model. From this equation the effects of gravity and turbulent diffusion of droplets on the concentration profile were evaluated. The characteristic mean settling velocity of a group of droplets with various diameters was derived, and using this value the mean diffusion coefficient of the group of droplets was obtained
The entrainment flow rate distribution, the gas velocity profile, and the concentration profile of droplets across the channel cross section in fully developed region of a horizontal rectangular channel of 150 mm width and 50 mm height were measured. The concentration profile of droplets was expressed by a simple equation based on a constant diffusion coefficient model. From this equation the effects of gravity and turbulent diffusion of droplets on the concentration profile were evaluated. The characteristic mean settling velocity of a group of droplets with various diameters was derived, and using this value the mean diffusion coefficient of the group of droplets was obtained. (author).
The Long Trace Profiler (Takacs et al.) is a slope-measuring instrument which was introduced several years ago. Development of this instrument continues at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in improving both hardware design and software algorithms for turning the raw interference data (a sequence of intensity patterns) into properly interpreted representations of surface slope and height. This report presents a mathematical model of the interference pattern and methods of extracting the slope and height profile from such patterns. 9 refs.
The transport of Rn through activated charcoal was modelled for a charcoal canister used for surface emanation measurements. Derived Rn concentration distributions in full and half charcoal charges were compared with measured Rn profiles. The distributions were also compared with an empirical expression for the measured profiles. Close agreement was observed between the measured, empirically generated and derived profiles. The influence of temperature and humidity on Rn accumulation and transport is also discussed.
The possibilities and problems of PCA in phase separation are shown on Ni, Pd, and Pt silicides. The PCA depth profiles are less influenced by sputter and matrix effects than usual Auger depth profiles. The position of the silicide-Si interface is well defined by the component distribution crossover in PCA profiles. An interface component between Pd and Pt silicides and Si substrate is determined by PCA.
The possibilities and problems of PCA in phase separation are shown on Ni, Pd, and Pt silicides. The PCA depth profiles are less influenced by sputter and matrix effects than usual Auger depth profiles. The position of the silicide-Si interface is well defined by the component distribution crossover in PCA profiles. An interface component between Pd and Pt silicides and Si substrate is determined by PCA. (author).
The droplet concentration profile in a liquid film-mist two-phase flow in a developing flow region of a horizontal rectangular channel was analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The effects of the mean settling velocity of droplets v sub(f) and the turbulent diffusion coefficient epsilon sub(p) on the droplet concentration profile were investigated by the theoretical analysis. The calculated results of the droplet concentration profile using the proper values of v sub(f) and epsilon sub(p) agreed with the experimental results.
The droplet concentration profile in a liquid film-mist two-phase flow in a developing flow region of a horizontal rectangular channel was analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The effects of the mean settling velocity of droplets v sub(f) and the turbulent diffusion coefficient epsilon sub(p) on the droplet concentration profile were investigated by the theoretical analysis. The calculated results of the droplet concentration profile using the proper values of v sub(f) and epsilon sub(p) agreed with the experimental results. (author).
This report is a compilation of the Chalk Point surface weather and ambient atmospheric profile data for the months of September to December 1975. The atmospheric profiles were made using rawinsonde instrumentation. The compilation includes the 0700 EST d...
Calculations of the Compton profiles for the transition metals Ta and W are performed, using electron wave functions obtained from self-consistent augmented plane wave (APW) band structure calculations within the local density formalism of Hedin-Lundqvist. Relativistic effects are included except for the spin-orbit interaction. The observed structures of the Compton profiles in these metals are understood in terms of the topology of their Fermi surfaces. (author).
An analysis of trapezoidal profile convective pin fins, with internal heat generation density is presented. The solution of the optimal problem is also given, when either the desired heat dissipation rate or the volume of the pin is specified. The results are presented graphically and in polynomial forms that are particularly useful for computerized calculations. The effect of the fin`s profile and thermal conductivity upon the optimum dimensions is discussed. An example serves to demonstrate the usefulness of the method.
Cultures of 3T3-L1 cells were incubated with either 10 ng/ml cholera toxin or 10 ng/ml pertussis toxin from 4 days prior to the initiation of differentiation and throughout the subsequent incubation. Toxin concentrations were sufficient to completely prevent the labelling of alpha-subunits with ["3"2P]NAD"+ and pertussis toxin and to prevent by more than 90% the labelling with ["3"2P]NAD"+ and cholera toxin in membranes prepared from these cells. Neither toxin prevented the differentiation to the adipocyte phenotype. Neither toxin prevented the increases in the relative amounts of G-proteins which occur upon differentiation. Both toxins dramatically decreased the amount of beta-subunits. As measured by quantitative immunoblotting with antisera specific for both the 35 kDa and 36 kDa beta-subunits, levels of beta-subunit were decreased by more than 50% of steady-state level of control cells. Thus, bacterial toxins which modifies G-protein alpha-subunits are capable ...
The two-compartment radioassay for microbial kinetics based on continuous measurement of the {sup 14}CO{sub 2} released by bacterial metabolism of 14C-labeled substrate offers a valuable approach to testing the potency of antimicrobial drugs. By using a previously validated radioassay with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, a group of protein synthesis inhibitors was evaluated for their effect on microbial growth kinetics. All tested drugs induced changes in both the slopes and intercepts of the growth curves. An exponential growth model was applied to quantify the drug effect on the processes of bacterial {sup 14}CO{sub 2} liberation and cell generation. The response was measured in terms of a generation rate constant. A linear dependence of the generation rate constant on the dose of spectinomycin was observed with Escherichia coli. Sigmoidal-shaped curves were found in the assays of chloramphenicol and tetracycline. The implications ...
In 18 piglets, weighing 10-15 kg, third-degree burns or full-thickness skin excisions of 4 X 4 cm were inflicted. The effect of five dressing materials on adhesiveness to the wounds, appearance, conformability, wound contraction, bacterial count, and morphology of the wound was studied at the end of the seventh and fourteenth days without dressing changes. In 11 piglets with a burn wound, the most adherent dressing was collagen sponge(CS), followed by polyurethane sponge (PU), pigskin xenograph (PS), and xeroform. CS more effectively debrided the wound from coagulated necrotic tissue than the other dressings. Wound contraction was maximal with CS dressing (52%), followed by PU (44%), xeroform (32%), and PS (27%). In another seven piglets with full-thickness excised wounds, a velour dressing made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or PU adhered significantly more than CS or PS. Wound contraction was greater with CS (37%) or PTFE (35%) than with PS (23%) or PU (18%). ...
A comprehensive and highly selective method for detecting in bacterial supernatants a modified sulfur nucleoside, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), and its metabolites, i.e., S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), adenosine (Ado), 5prime-deoxy-5prime-methylthioadenosine (MTA), adenine (Ade), S-adenosyl-methioninamine (dcSAM), homocysteine (Hcy) and methionine (Met), was developed. The method is based on reversed-phase liquid chromatography with positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) coupled to a hybrid linear quadrupole ion trap (LTQ) and 7-T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICRMS). A gradient elution was employed with a binary solvent of 0.05 M ammonium formate at pH 4 and acetonitrile. The assay involves a simultaneous cleanup of cell-free bacterial broths by solid-pha...
BackgroundMetastases to the stomach from an extra-gastric neoplasm are an unusual event, identified in less than 2% of cancer patients at autopsy. The stomach may be involved by hematogenous spread from a distant primary (most commonly breast, melanoma or lung), or by contiguous spread from an adjacent malignancy, such as the pancreas, esophagus and gallbladder. These latter sites may also involve the stomach via lymphatic or haematogenous spread. We present three cases of secondary gastric malignancy.Methods/ResultsThe first is a 19-year-old male who received a diagnosis of testicular choriocarcinoma in September 2004. Metastatic malignancy was demonstrated in the stomach after partial gastrectomy was performed to control gastric hemorrhage.The second is a 75-year-old male, generally well, who was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung in September 2005. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung was demonstrated in a subsequent biopsy of "gastric polyps".The third is an ...
Anesthetized rats were exposed to 5.6-GHz continuous-wave radiofrequency radiation (RFR) at an average power density of 60 mW/Sq. cm (average specific absorption rate 12 W/kg). Exposure was performed to raise colonic temperature from 38.5 to 39.5C. Following acute administration of chlorpromazine, body temperature exhibited a faster return to baseline temperature when exposure was discontinued. When exposure was initiated at 38.5C and continued until lethal temperature resulted, chlorpromazine-treated animals exhibited significantly shorter survival times than saline-treated animals. Thus, although chlorpromazine enhanced thermoregulatory efficiency at colonic temperature below 39.5 deg C, the drug caused increased susceptibility to terminal RFR. The present results, when compared with previous studies of irradiation at 2.8 GHz, indicate that the effects of chlorpromazine on thermal response to RFR during intermittent and terminal exposure are ...
In a previous study, to identify genes of importance for hepatocellular carcinogenesis, and especially for processes involved in malignant transformation, the authors investigated differences in gene expression between adenomas and carcinomas by DNA microarray. In the present study, the authors investigated AW434047, one of the sequences that was upregulated in carcinomas. The investigation led to the identification of a novel gene, which the authors named hepatocyte malignant transforming factor (HMTF), of unknown function whose expression was increased in hepatocellular carcinomas. Northern blot and in situ hybridization also demonstrated high levels of HMTF in rat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, lymphocytes in the spleen, colon mucosal epithelia, spermatocytes, and granule cells of the hippocampus. Reduction of HMTF by RNA interference (RNAi) in N1 cells, an HCC cell line, caused suppression of cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Suppression ...
Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 19-9 and 73-3 specific for human colon adenocarcinoma were labelled with a high number of gadolinium atoms. Twenty five DTPA were chelated per MAb, with only slight loss of immunoreactivity. The NMR contrast agent Gd-25 DTPA-MAb 19-9 or 73-3 ((Gd) 17 mumole/kg, (MAb) 60 microM) was injected into nude mice bearing human colon adenocarcinoma (SW948). Tumors were removed 24 hr after injection and T1 was measured in vitro. T1 relaxation time varied according to MAb specificity against tumour targets; T1 decreased 20% for MAb 19-9 and MAb 73-3 with SW948 tumor. Imaging was performed with this model. Very good contrast was obtained 24 hr after Gd-25 DTPA-MAb injection.
The use of entire plant communities of native species is gaining interest in the green roof industry. Plant communities must be matched with environmental conditions that mimic conditions in their original habitats. Urban built environments do not differ significantly from the rocky outcrops with poor, shallow soil that many plants colonize. This paper provided details of an experiment investigating the impact of plant community structure and species diversity on living roof performance. The aim of the experiment was to determine the impact of species diversity on precipitation interception, nutrient retention, temporal biomass constancy and roof temperature constancy. The diversity treatment included separate monocultures of 8 species in the community, randomly determined mixtures of 4 species, and a mixture of all 8. Functional groups included mosses, liverworts, colonial algae and a mycorrhizal inoculum. In a second experiment, between 1 and 4 of the functional ...
A dialyzable factor(s) in human serum is known to stimulate gonococcal oxygen consumption. Its effect on other human pathogens was investigated. A 10% serum solution increased peak O2 consumption for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to 157% (P less than 0.05) and 199% (P less than 0.02), respectively, of their O2 consumption when suspended in Hanks balanced salt solution, compared with a 356% increase for Neisseria gonorrhoeae with serum. Dialyzed serum lacked stimulatory capacity. Bacteria, serum, and neutrophils are often incubated to evaluate neutrophil bactericidal activity. Samples of 10(8) N. gonorrhoeae, S. aureus, and E. coli turned resazurin colorless (anaerobic conditions, Eh less than -42 mV) after 7.4, 13.3, and 15.1 min, respectively. Because neutrophil formation of reactive oxygen intermediates requires ambient O2, the effect of live bacteria and serum on this process was explored. After 5 min of incubation of 10(8) N. gonorrhoeae or S. aureus in 10% normal or ...
Doses to the salivary glands, thyroid gland, breast, lung, stomach and colon during mass radiological gastric screening, mass radiographic chest screening, upper gastrointestinal series and computed tomography were determined by exposing a female human phantom to simulated radiological X-ray examinations as performed in community hospitals. The doses were measured using thermoluminescent dosemeters, and the results will be used to document organ doses received by participants in the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission/Radiation Effects Research Foundation Adult Health Study. (Author).
Doses to the salivary glands, thyroid gland, breast, lung, stomach and colon during mass radiological gastric screening, mass radiographic chest screening, upper gastrointestinal series and computed tomography were determined by exposing a female human phantom to simulated radiological X-ray examinations as performed in community hospitals. The doses were measured using thermoluminescent dosemeters, and the results will be used to document organ doses received by participants in the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission/Radiation Effects Research Foundation Adult Health Study. (Author).
Objective To compare matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 and MMP-9 levels in the vaginal secretions of pregnant women with or without asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV). Methods In this study, vaginal levels and molecular forms of MMP-8 and MMP-9 were studied in 36 pregnant women between 28 and 34 weeks of gestation with asymptomatic BV and 41 pregnant women, matched for gestational age, without BV. Results Vaginal MMP-8 concentrations were significantly higher (P = .023) in BV-positive women. There was no significant difference in MMP-9 levels between healthy pregnant controls and BV-positive pregnant women. The presence of MMP-8 was confirmed by a 38-kd band on Western blots. Conclusions Our findings show that BV is associated with increased levels of MMP-8 in vaginal fluid. Increased pr...
We revisit a recently proposed agent-based model of active biological motion and compare its predictions with own experimental findings for the speed distribution of bacterial cells, Salmonella typhimurium. Agents move according to a stochastic dynamics and use energy stored in an internal depot for metabolism and active motion. We discuss different assumptions of how the conversion from internal to kinetic energy d(v) may depend on the actual speed, to conclude that d 2 v ? with either ? = 2 or 1 ? < 2 are promising hypotheses. To test these, we compare the model?s prediction with the speed distribution of bacteria which were obtained in media of different nutrient concentration and at different times. We find that both hypotheses are in line with the experimental observations, with ? bet...
Eugenol, the principal chemical component of clove oil from Eugenia aromatica has been long known for its analgesic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. The interaction of the eugenol with ten different hydrophobic and hydrophilic antibiotics was studied against five different Gram negative bacteria. The MIC of the combination was found to decrease by a factor of 5-1000 with respect to their individual MIC. This synergy is because of the membrane damaging nature of eugenol, where 1mM of its concentration is able to damage nearly 50% of the bacterial membrane. Eugenol was also able to enhance the activities of lysozyme, Triton X-100 and SDS in damaging the bacterial cell membrane. The hydrophilic antibiotics such as vancomycin and b-lactam antibiotics which have ...
Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) demonstrate an increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections (IBI). The most common organisms causing IBI are Streptococcus pneumoniae, nontyphi Salmonella species and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). IBI are the most common causes of death in children below 5 years of age with SCD. Increased susceptibility to IBI is because of several factors including dysfunctional antibody production and opsonophagocytosis as well as defective splenic clearance. Early diagnosis of Hib and pneumococcal infections combined with antibiotic prophylaxis and immunization programs, could lead to significant improvements in mortality, especially in Africa. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:401-406. Copyright 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Abstract Plant pathogenic bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas cause a variety of diseases in economically important monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous crop plants worldwide. Successful infection and bacterial multiplication in the host tissue often depend on the virulence factors secreted including adhesins, polysaccharides, LPS and degradative enzymes. One of the key pathogenicity factors is the type III secretion system, which injects effector proteins into the host cell cytosol to manipulate plant cellular processes such as basal defense to the benefit of the pathogen. The coordinated expression of bacterial virulence factors is orchestrated by quorum-sensing pathways, multiple two-component systems and transcriptional regulators such as Clp, Zur, FhrR, HrpX and HpaR. Furthermore, virule...
For the purpose of nationwide surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens collected from patients in Japan, the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy conducted a third year of nationwide surveillance during the period from January to April 2008. A total of 1,097 strains were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections. Susceptibility testing was evaluable with 987 strains (189 Staphylococcus aureus, 211 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 6 Streptococcus pyogenes, 187 Haemophilus influenzae, 106 Moraxella catarrhalis, 126 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 162 Pseudomonas aeruginosa). A total of 44 antibacterial agents, including 26 ?-lactams (four penicillins, three penicillins in combination with ?-lacta...
This paper reports the results of leaching experiments conducted with and without Thiobacillus ferroxidans at the same conditions in solution. The extent of leaching of ZnS with Bacteria is significantly higher than that without bacteria at high concentrations of ferrous ions. A porous layer of elemental sulfur is present on the surfaces of the chemically leached particles, which no sulfur is present on the surfaces of the bacterially leached particles. The analysis of the data using the shrinking-core model shows that the chemical leaching of ZnS is limited by the diffusion of ferrous ions through the sulfur product layer at high concentrations of ferrous ions. The analysis of the data shows that diffusion through the product layer does not limit the rate of dissolution when bacteria are present. This suggests that the action of T.ferroxidans in oxidizing the sulfur formed on the particle surface is to remove the barrier to diffusion by ferrous ions.
In situ synthesis of silver chloride (AgCl) nanoparticles was carried out under ambient conditions in nanoporous bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes as nanoreactors. The growth of the nanoparticles was readily obtained by alternating dipping of BC membranes in the solution of silver nitrate or sodium chloride followed by a rinse step. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated the existence of AgCl nanoparticles in the BC and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the AgCl nanoparticles well dispersed on the surface of BC and penetrated into the BC network. The AgCl nanoparticle-impregnated BC membranes exhibited high hydrophilic ability and strong antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive). The preparative proced...
Abstract The efficacy of iodine and glutaraldehyde as fish egg surface disinfectants were assessed in red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) and white sea bream (Diplodus sargus sargus) eggs, two species of interest for Mediterranean aquaculture. Iodine was effective in reducing the bacterial load of the 1-day-old eggs when applied at 50 mg L-1 for 5 min. The same concentration did not cause any significant change in hatching success or survival of the larvae for the first 5 days. Glutaraldehyde failed to reduce the bacterial load of the fish eggs at concentrations that were safe for the eggs (100 mg L-1 for 5 min), as it had a significant effect in preventing hatching of the developed embryo. Disinfecting 0-day-old eggs with iodine resulted in a significant reduction of hatching percentage, while larv...
In this study, bacterial strains were investigated in order to determine their heavy metal tolerance. The bacterial strains were identified as Bacillus cereus and Bacillus pumilus. In the batch system, the effects of operating variables such as solution pH, initial metal concentration, contact time, and adsorbent dosage were investigated. Both isolates were highly resistance to copper and lead in comparison with the control strain examined. The adsorption capacities of B. cereus and B. pumilus were found to be 22.1mg/g and 28.06mg/g, respectively. The biosorption follows pseudo-second order kinetics and the isotherm fits well to the Langmuir isotherm model. In column experiments, the biosorption was fitted well by the Thomas model. The breakthrough and exhaustion capacity of each biosorben...
Bacterial cellulose produced by the gram-negative bacterium Gluconacetobacter xylinum was found to be an excellent native starting material for preparing shaped ultra-lightweight cellulose aerogels. The procedure comprises thorough washing and sterilization of the aquogel, quantitative solvent exchange and subsequent drying with supercritical carbon dioxide at 40 degreeC and 100 bar. The average density of the obtained dry cellulose aerogels is only about 8 mg cm-3 which is comparable to the most lightweight silica aerogels and distinctly lower than all values for cellulosic aerogels obtained from plant cellulose so far. SEM, ESEM and nitrogen adsorption experiments at 77 K reveal an open-porous network structure that consists of a comparatively high percentage of large mesopores and small...
We compared an idealised mathematical model of the lower part of the pelagic food web to experimental data from a mesocosm experiment in which the supplies of mineral nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous), bioavailable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC, as glucose), and silicate were manipulated. The central hypothesis of the experiment was that bacterial consumption of BDOC depends on whether the growth rate of heterotrophic bacteria is limited by organic-C or by mineral nutrients. In previous work, this hypothesis was examined qualitatively using a conceptual food web model. Here we explore the extent to which a ?simplest possible?? mathematical version of this conceptual model can reproduce the observed dynamics. The model combines algal?bacterial competition for mineral nutrients (phosphor...
Apoptosis is a pattern of cell death involving nuclear pycnosis, cytoplasmic condensation, and karyorrhexis. Apoptosis induced by continuous irradiation with gamma rays (externally given by a 137Cs source) or with beta rays (from tritiated water injected ip) was quantified in the crypts of two portions of mouse bowel, the small intestine and descending colon. The time-course change in the incidence of apoptosis after each type of radiation could be explained on the basis of the innate circadian rhythm of the cells susceptible to apoptotic death and of the excretion of tritiated water (HTO) from the body. For 6-h continuous gamma irradiation at various dose rates (0.6-480 mGy/h) and for 6 h after injection of HTO of various radioactivities (0.15-150 GBq per kg body wt), the relationships between dose and incidence of apoptosis were obtained. Survival curves were then constructed from the curves for dose vs incidence of apoptosis. For the calculation of the absorbed ...
The distribution profiles of the chemical structural changes induced in low density polyethylene(LDPE) irradiated by various ion-beams were obtained by micro-FT-IR measurement. Predominant species induced by ion-beam irradiation were trans-vinylene, hydroxyl group and carbonyl group. It was found that the depth profiles of these species resemble the Bragg curve, but they are rather different from the depth profile of the stopping power calculated by TRIM code. The terminal of the chemical reaction was observed to be deeper than the range calculated by TRIM code for all ion particles. This suggests that the energy profile in the region which the energy of the ion particle becomes lower is very complicated. (author).
A new band gap profile (exponential profile) for the active layer of the a-SiGe:H single junction cell has been designed and experimentally demonstrated. In this paper we compare its optical and electrical characteristics with the two more common profiles: the U- and V-shapes. As predicted by the simulations, the new profile combines the advantages of both profiles. Like the V-shape, the exponential shape reduces the amount of Ge in the i-layer, decreasing both the space charge defect density inside the i-layer and the recombination losses. It also improves the electric field. At the same time, the exponential shape generates the same current density as the U-shape.
The authors describe an effect of suppression of invasion of the guinea pig eye conjunctiva and the HEp-2 epithelial cells by virulent Sh. flexneri bacilli, with a simultaneous administration of the same dose of avirulent shigella mutants, genetically connected with them. The data of morphological study and experiments with 3H-glucose labeled shigellae carried out on the cell species model indicated that the bacterial competition for the specific sites for absorption on the epithelial cells underlay the observed phenomenon. PMID:331774
Aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria were isolated from surface soils and coastal plain subsurface (including deep aquifer) sediments (depths to 265 m) at a study site near Aiken, S.C., by plating on...Full Text Available
Pseudomonas syringae is a gram-negative bacterial plant pathogen that is dependent on a type III protein secretion system (TTSS) and the effector proteins it translocates into plant...Full Text Available
Bacteriocins are an abundant class of antimicrobial molecules that appear to mediate population dynamics within species. The bacteriocins of Escherichia coli have served as a model for exploring the ecological role of these potent toxins. Studies suggest that colicins provide a competitive edge in nutrient-poor environments and that there might be a trade-off between the costs and benefits of colicin production. PMID:10203843
Our work is towards mechanistically understanding interactions of unsaturated bacterial biofilms and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with actinide metals and metal surrogates under vadose zone conditions. Because metal contaminants in the vadose zone co-occur with organic pollutants, some of our work has included experiments with organic pollutants.
Tonsillar and nasal swabs were collected from weanling pigs in 50 representative Ontario swine herds and tested for the presence of 5 important bacterial upper respiratory tract pathogens. All but 1...Full Text Available
We introduce a discrete multiplicative process as a generic model of competition. Players with different abilities successively join the game and compete for finite resources. Emergence of dominant players and evolutionary development occur as a phase transition. The competitive dynamics underlying this transition is understood from a formal analogy to statistical mechanics. The theory is applicable to bacterial competition, predicting novel population dynamics near criticality.
The positive control function of the bacterial enhancer-binding protein NtrC resides in its central domain, which is highly conserved among activators of ς54 holoenzyme. Previous...Full Text Available
An Escherichia coli B strain, B834 galU56, has been isolated which supports growth of bacteriophage T4 with cytosine in its DNA while restricting growth of T4 with hydroxymethylcytosine. This host is...Full Text Available
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is the second most common primary malignant hepatic neoplasm. We describe two cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma which initially presented as liver abscess both clinically and radiologically. Mucin-hypersecretion from the tumor cells and extensive necrosis or secondary bacterial infection was responsible for the radiologic appearance of a liver abscess.=20
Staphylococcus aureus survives inside eukaryotic cells. Our objective was to assess the activity of NZ2114, a novel peptidic antibiotic, against intracellular S. aureus in comparison with established antistaphylococcal agents acting on the bacterial envelope with a distinct mechanism.
PurposeCoexistence of different classes of β-lactamases in a single bacterial isolate may pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. We investigated a spread of Klebsiella...Full Text Available
We sequenced 16S rRNA genes from the vaginal swab contents of a postmenopausal woman with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV). Sequences from Atopobium vaginae were the most commonly detected. In a survey of 35 other postmenopausal women, this organism was detected in 44% with BV but not in any subjects deemed healthy. PMID:15071062
BackgroundThe ability of catecholamines to stimulate bacterial growth was first demonstrated just over a decade ago. Little is still known however, concerning the nature of the putative...Full Text Available
BackgroundThermostable bacterial lipases occupy a place of prominence among biocatalysts owing to their novel, multifold applications and resistance to high temperature and other...Full Text Available
In this work, we investigate the interstitial injection into the silicon lattice due to high-dose, low-energy arsenic implantation. The approach consists in monitoring the diffusion of the arsenic profile as well as of the boron profile in buried #delta#-doped layers, when amounts of the as-implanted arsenic profile are removed by low-temperature wet silicon etching. The experimental results indicate that the contribution of the implantation damage to the transient enhanced diffusion of boron, and thus the interstitial injection, is not the main one. On the contrary, interstitial generation due to arsenic clustering seems to be more important for the present conditions.
This contribution analyzes elastic-backscatter lidar data and temperature and humidity profiles from radiosondes acquired in Barcelona in July 1992. Elastic-backscatter lidar data reveal the distribution of aerosols within the volume of atmosphere scanned. By comparing this information with temperature and humidity profiles of the atmosphere at a similar time, we are able to asses de relationship among aerosol distribution and atmospheric stability or water content, respectively. Comparisons have shown how lidar`s revealed layers of aerosols correspond to atmospheric layers with different stability condition and water content.
The proteolytic activities of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM); a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) families play important...Full Text Available
The unified web presence for the NASA Astrobiology Program which includes the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), Astrobiology Science and Technology for ...
Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Cancer --- Choose a Cancer Site --- All Cancer Sites Bladder Brain & ONS Breast (Female) Breast (Female in situ) Cervix Childhood...
This is our response to a comment by Walter Eifler on our paper `A simple model for the short-time evolution of near-surface current and temperature profiles' (arXiv:physics/0503186, accepted for publication in Deep-Sea Research II). Although Eifler raises genuine issues regarding our model's validity and applicability, we are nevertheless of the opinion that it is of value for the short-term evolution of the upper-ocean profiles of current and temperature. The fact that the effective eddy viscosity tends to infinity for infinite time under a steady wind stress may not be surprising. It can be interpreted as a vertical shift of the eddy viscosity profile and an increase in the size of the dominant turbulent eddies under the assumed conditions of small stratification and infinite water depth.
Jun 30, 2003 ... He graduated from training with top honors and served as a parachute rigger and paratrooper for the 82nd airborne division at Fort Bragg, ...
The profile of focused boron ion beam (FIB) from a liquid metal ion source was determined by MOS device characteristics and resist exposure experiments. A focused boron ion beam was line-scanned into the middle of the channel region along the source to drain direction of a MOSFET, and the effective channel width is determined from electrical measurements. PMMA resist was also exposed by a line-scanned boron FIB and the developed contour was observed by a SEM. The profile of the focused boron ion beam with a diameter of around 0.2 ..mu..m was determined by these two methods and it was found to have about a 1 ..mu..m wide tail at around three orders of magnitude below the peak current density region. The profile difference between the two measurements are attributed to the boron diffusion in silicon by subsequent heat-treatments during device fabrication.
BackgroundMolecular genetic studies of Bombyx mori have led to profound advances in our understanding of the regulation of development. Bombyx mori brain,...Full Text Available
Metastable and somatically heritable patterns of DNA methylation provide an important level of genomic regulation. In this article, we review methods for analyzing these genome-wide epigenetic...Full Text Available
The effect of sugar on plant metabolism, which is known to be similar to hormone-like signaling, was metabolomically studied using Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). The metabolite profiles of M. officinalis treated with sucrose were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and principal component analysis (PCA). A total of 64 metabolites from various chemical classes including alcohols, amines, amino acids, fatty acids, inorganic acids, organic acids, phosphates, and sugars were identified by GC-MS. Three groups treated with different sucrose concentrations were clearly separated by PCA of their metabolite profiles, indicating changes in the levels of many metabolites depending on the sucrose concentration. Metabolite profiling revealed that treatment with a higher sucrose ...
Southam, G., Rothschild, L. & Westall, F. (2007). The geology and habitability of terrestrial planets: fundamental requirements for life.. In: K.E. Fishbaugh, P. ...
A number of biological agents are available or being investigated for the treatment of asthma and rhinitis. The safety profiles of these biologic agents, which may modify allergic and immunological...Full Text Available
Publications Science Highlights Researcher Profiles Internship Funding to push battery technology from Argonne Laboratory to marketplace Bookmark and Share (Download...
Eukaryotes may influence pollutant degradation processes in groundwater ecosystems by activities such as predation on bacteria and recycling of nutrients. Culture-independent community profiling and...Full Text Available
Copper deficiency is associated with impaired brain development and mitochondrial dysfunction. Perinatal copper deficiency was produced in Holtzman rats. In vivo proton NMR...Full Text Available
This report is a compilation of the Chalk Point surface weather and ambient atmospheric profile data for the second intensive test period, June 14-24, 1976. The atmospheric profiles were made using rawinsonde instrumentation. The compilation includes the 0700 EST daily weather chart, hourly surface observations from Chalk Point, Patuxent River Naval Test Center, MD and Andrews Air Force Base, MD. Temperature, relative humidity, dew point, wind speed and wind direction are presented in graphical profiles. All other data are presented in tabular form.
AbstractThe elucidation of the human and mouse genome sequence and developments in high-throughput genome analysis, and in computational tools, have made it possible to profile entire...Full Text Available
Breast cancer in the elderly has attracted considerable interest in recent years for three main reasons. Firstly, information concerning the profile (clinical and biological) of the disease in the geriatric...Full Text Available
The Systems Development Group and the Pharmacy Service of the Washington D.C. VAMC are involved in automating the administrative and clinical data requirements of a satellite out-patient pharmacy....Full Text Available
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...on Environmental Expert Aanderaa Data Instruments develops, manufactures and markets oceanographic and meteorological instruments and special systems for collecting environmental data. Data can be ...
Ultra-short-pulse reflectometry is studied by means of the numerical integration of a one-dimensional full-wave equation for ordinary modes propagating in a plasma. The numerical calculations illustrate the potential of using the reflection of ultra-short-pulse, microwaves as an effective probe of the density profile even in the presence of significant density fluctuations. The difference in time delays of differing frequency components of the microwaves can be used to deduce the density profile. The modification of the reflected pulses in the presence of density fluctuations is examined and can be understood based on considerations of Bragg resonance. A simple and effective profile-reconstruction algorithm using the zero-crossings of the reflected pulse and subsequent Abel inversion is demonstrated. The robustness of the profile reconstruction algorithm in the presence of a sufficiently small amplitude ...
ObjectiveTo develop a simple summary risk score for the prediction of Alzheimer disease in elderly persons based on their vascular risk profiles.DesignFull Text Available
In order to study the species composition of endophytes from wheat healthy plants in Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) and to determine their infection frequencies from leaves, stems, glumes and grains, wheat plants were collected from five cultivars at five growth stages from crop emergence to harvest. A total of 1,750 plant segments (leaves, stems, glumes and grains) were processed from the five wheat cultivars at five growth stages, and 722 isolates of endophytic fungi recovered were identified as 30 fungal genera. Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium herbarum, Epicoccum nigrum, Cryptococcus sp., Rhodotorula rubra, Penicillium sp. and Fusarium graminearum were the fungi that showed the highest colonization frequency (CF%) in all the tissues and organs analysed. The number of taxa isolated...
Unlike the well-characterized nuclear function of the Notch intracellular domain, it has been difficult to identify a nuclear role for the ligands of Notch. Here we provide evidence for the nuclear function of the Notch ligand Delta-like 1 in colon cancer (CC) cells exposed to butyrate. We demonstrate that the intracellular domain of Delta-like 1 (Dll1icd) augments the activity of Wnt signaling-dependent reporters and that of the promoter of the connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) gene. Data suggest that Dll1icd upregulates CTGF promoter activity through both direct and indirect mechanisms. The direct mechanism is supported by co-immunoprecipitation of endogenous Smad2/3 proteins and Dll1 and by chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses that revealed the occupancy of Dll1icd on CTGF promot...
Seventy-one patients with intestinal injury secondary to pelvic irradiation had predominantly large bowel lesions. Seventeen cases were treated conservatively and 54 came to surgery, 28 patients having more than one operation. Following this essentially salvage surgery there were more ileal than colonic anastomotic leaks. Thirty-four patients died during the follow-up period (2-12 years), 19 from recurrent malignancy, and nine as a result of continuing radiation effects. Seventy per cent of the patients who had a radiation fistula died as a result of malignancy. Of 42000 cases of pelvic malignancy treated by irradiation over the decade 1972-1982, surgical referrals for complications constituted 1.7%, with an overall radiation-related mortality of 0.2%. It is our opinion that colostomy alone has little part to play in this condition, and a policy based on excisional surgery is suggested.
Invasive weeds have threatened the integrity of ecosystems throughout the world. They affect not only the species diversity of native areas but also their biological integrity. In India, a number of invasive exotic weeds have been reported but some viz. Parthenium hysterophorus, Lantana camara and Ageratum conyzoides, especially those from tropical America are troublesome and have caused adverse ecological, economic and social impact. These weeds can be seen growing in different landscapes but are luxuriantly localized in unattended forests and cultivated areas. Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae, commonly known as congress grass) is perhaps the most troublesome and noxious weed of urban and rural India. Besides rapidly colonizing areas replacing the native vegetation, it is also known t...
Hsp20, referred to as HspB6, is constitutively expressed in various tissues. Specifically, HspB6 is most highly expressed in different types of muscle including vascular, airway, colonic, bladder, and uterine smooth muscle; cardiac muscle; and skeletal muscle. It can be phosphorylated at Ser-16 by both cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKA/PKG). Recently, Hsp20 and its phosphorylation have been implicated in multiple physiological and pathophysiological processes including smooth muscle relaxation, platelet aggregation, exercise training, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance and Alzheimer's disease. In the heart, key advances have been made in elucidating the significance of Hsp20 in contractile function and cardioprotection over the last decade. This mini-rev...
Numbers of wintering sea ducks, including buffleheads (Bucephala albeola; BUFF), common goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula; COGO), and long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis; LTDU), increased substantially at Lake Ontario after Dreissenid mussels (Dreissena bugensis and D. polymorpha) colonized the Great Lakes. Invertebrates, including Dreissenid mussels, are major diving duck prey items that can transfer some trace elements, such as selenium (Se) to higher trophic levels. Se can be problematic for waterfowl and it often has been detected at elevated levels in organisms using the Great Lakes. There are, however, few data on hepatic Se concentrations in sea ducks, particularly during the winter at Lake Ontario. In this study, we evaluated interspecific differences and temporal trends in hepatic S...
Abstract The treatment of advanced colorectal cancer with 5-fluorouracil has two major problems: development of tumor resistance and toxicity toward normal tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible advantages of combining 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with resveratrol (trans-3, 4prime, 5-trihydroxystilbene) for treating HT-29 and SW-620 colorectal carcinoma cell lines. Since combined treatment using 5-FU with resveratrol resulted in a significant decrease in long-term cell survival, we investigated the possible basis of this synergistic interaction at a molecular level, focusing on oxidative stress as a possible mediator of cell death. Resveratrol established interactions with the mitochondria of cancer cells and induced an imbalance in cellular antioxidant activities, leading...
Bark beetles that colonize living conifers and their microbial associates encounter constitutive and induced chemical defenses of their host. Monoterpene hydrocarbons comprise a major component of these allelochemicals, and many are antibiotic to insects, fungi, and bacteria. Some bark beetle species exhaust these defenses by killing their host through mass attacks mediated by aggregation pheromones. Others lack adult aggregation pheromones and do not engage in pheromone-mediated mass attacks, but rather have the ability to complete development within live hosts. In the former species, the larvae develop in tissue largely depleted of host terpenes, whereas in the latter exposure to these compounds persists throughout development. A substantial literature exists on how monoterpenes affect b...
Abstract:- Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, -3 and -9 has been demonstrated in Crohn-s disease fistulas, but it is unknown whether these enzymes are biologically active and represent a therapeutic target. Therefore, we investigated the proteolytic activity of MMPs in fistula tissue and examined the effect of inhibitors, including clinically available drugs that beside their main action also suppress MMPs. Fistula specimens were obtained by surgical excision from 22 patients with Crohn-s disease and from 10 patients with fistulas resulting from other causes. Colonic endoscopic biopsies from six controls were also included. Total functional MMP activity was measured by a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based, fluorogenic MMP-substrate cleavage assay, and t...
To investigate the role of intravenously administered, radioiodinated peanut lectin ("1"3"1I-PNA) in the non-invasive detection of cancer, the pharmacokinetics and scintigraphic distribution of this novel tumor-seeking compound were studied in 8 patients with metastatic cancer of the colon, breast or lung. Scintigraphic localization of "1"3"1I-PNA was apparent at certain anatomical sites of known metastases in 2 patients and in a further 2 patients an adjacent malignant pleural effusion was visualized. The rapid clearance of radioactivity from the whole body and plasma with marked renal concentration and rapid urinary excretion of significant amounts of intact "1"3"1I-PNA (mol.wt. 107,000,pI 5.95) implied that this molecule was excreted selectively by the renal tubules. PNA or other lectins may find a role in the scintigraphic detection of selected types of cancer. (author).
Roads function as prime habitats and corridors for invasive plant species. Yet despite the diversity of road types, there is little research on the influence of these types on the spread of invaders. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), a plant producing large amounts of allergenic pollen, was selected as a species model for examining the impact of road type on the spread of invasive plants. We examined this relationship in an agricultural region of Quebec, Canada. We mapped plant distribution along different road types, and constructed a model of species presence. Common ragweed was found in almost all sampling sites located along regional (97%) and local paved (81%) roads. However, verges of unpaved local roads were rarely (13%) colonized by the plant. A model (53% of variance expla...
Periphyton is typically a heterogeneous assemblage of filamentous and single celled photoautotrophic and heterotrophic micoorganisms suspended in a mucopolysaccharide matrix which they produce. By definition, the assemblage is attached to a substratum such as rock, sediment, or plant in an aquatic environment. Microtechniques with high spatial and temporal resolution are required to define metabolic interactions among the heterotrophic and autotrophic constituents, and between periphyton and its environment. This study used oxygen sensitive microelectrodes with tip diameters of < 30 m to investigate the effects of photosynthesis and respiration on the oxygen dynamics of several diverse periphyton communities both in situ and in laboratory microcosms. A novel flow-through system that utilized TSP radiotracer and that permitted manipulation of the velocity, flushing rate, and oxygen concentration of overlying water was developed to investigate the role of photosynthetic oxygen ...
When evaluating the risks of oncogenesis and cancer mortality following exposure to the radiations of the atomic bombs (A-bombs), the medical X-ray doses received by the A-bomb survivors must also be estimated and considered. Using a human phantom, dosimetry was performed to estimate the X-ray doses received by A-bomb survivors during medical examinations at the Radiation Effects Foundation (RERF) as part of the long-term follow-up on the Adult Health Study (AHS). These examinations have been estimated to represent nearly 45% of the survivors' cumulative medical irradiation dose. Doses to the salivary glands, thyroid gland, lung, breast, stomach and colon were measured using thermoluminescent dosemeters. The results, which are reported here, will aid in estimating organ doses received by individual AHS participants. (Author).
When evaluating the risks of oncogenesis and cancer mortality following exposure to the radiations of the atomic bombs (A-bombs), the medical X-ray doses received by the A-bomb survivors must also be estimated and considered. Using a human phantom, dosimetry was performed to estimate the X-ray doses received by A-bomb survivors during medical examinations at the Radiation Effects Foundation (RERF) as part of the long-term follow-up on the Adult Health Study (AHS). These examinations have been estimated to represent nearly 45% of the survivors' cumulative medical irradiation dose. Doses to the salivary glands, thyroid gland, lung, breast, stomach and colon were measured using thermoluminescent dosemeters. The results, which are reported here, will aid in estimating organ doses received by individual AHS participants. (Author).
Microanalytical methods suitable for the determination of Fe, Cu in HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma) cells treated with different iron compounds (Fe(II) sulfate, Fe(III) chloride, Fe(III) citrate and Fe(III) transferrin) and cultured in medium supplemented or not with 10% (v/v) fetal calf serum (FCS) by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) and simultaneous graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) were developed. The developed TXRF method was also suitable for Zn determination in the samples. The main advantage of the proposed methods is the execution of all sample preparation steps following incubation and prior to the elemental analysis in the same Eppendorf tubes. Sample preparation was performed at microscale (115mL sample volume) with 65% nitric aci...
Purpose Elective laparoscopic sigmoid resection (LSR) for symptomatic diverticular disease is supposed to have significant short-term advantages compared to open surgery (open sigmoid resection (OSR)). This opinion is rather based on inferences from trials on colonic resections for malignant diseases or minor laparoscopic surgery. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare quality of life as well as morbidity and clinical outcome after LSR vs. OSR following a midterm follow-up period. Methods Patients presenting with a symptomatic sigmoid diverticular disease stage II/III (Stock/Hansen) were randomly allocated to LSR or OSR in a prospective multicenter trial. Endpoints included the quality of life assessed with a standardized questionnaire, postoperative mortality, and compl...
Chronic mesenteric arterial ischemia is an uncommon condition associated a high morbidity and mortality. It is most Commonly caused by atherosclerotic occlusive disease. Patients may suffer epigastric or periumbilical postprandial pain ten to thirty minutes after eating. A case of chronic mesenteric artery stenosis, the diagnosis was performance with colonoscopy and biopsy. We present a case report of a patient with chronic mesenteric ischemia. Mesenteric arteriography was performed and documented estenosis of the mesenteric superior artery. Then percutaneous arteriography with angioplasty and implant of stent was performed. The patients became completely asymptomatic and normal colon mucous is observed in control colonoscopy. The purpose of this report is to present the case endoscopy, clinic and radiological features and to describe the percutaneous angioplasty and implant of stent. We believe that angioplasty treatment offers and improvement in this pathology ...
The gastrointestinal transit was studied in 20 patients with loop transverse colostomies and previously normal colons. This analysis was performed through radiological observation of progression of 20 radiopaque pellets and measurements of its transit time in the various segments of the digestive tract. An evaluation of other related clinical and radiological events was carried out sentimentality's. In order to better understand the influence of the surgical procedure, the study was performed under similar dietary and supportive care conditions and standard radiological studies before and after the re-establishment of transit, thus enabling a comparison with the same individual. (author)
Erythroid differentiation regulator (Erdr1) was first discovered in mouse leukemia cell lines and functions as a stress-related survival factor. This study investigated whether Erdr1 regulates murine melanoma progression, as well as the mechanism involved in Erdr1-regulated metastasis. The expression of Erdr1 is negatively correlated with IL-18 expression, which has a pro-cancer effect in melanoma. To study the role of Erdr1 as an anti-cancer factor, cell migration, invasion, and proliferation were measured. Erdr1 overexpression markedly inhibited the level of cell migration, invasion, and proliferation in B16F10 cells in vitro. In addition, Erdr1 overexpression significantly suppressed melanoma lung colonization, metastasis, and tumor growth in vivo. To identify the factors involved in Er...
Continuing high rates of acidic deposition in the eastern United States may lead to long-term effects on stream communities, because sensitive catchments are continuing to lose anions and cations. A two-year study of the effects of pH and associated water chemistry variables on detrital processing in three streams with different bedrock geology in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia were investigated. Leaf pack processing rates and macroinvertebrate colonization and microbial biomass (ATP concentration) on the packs in the three stream were compared. It was found that macroinvertebrate and microbial communities differed both among streams that differed in their capacity to buffer the effects of acidic precipitation and among years in the same stream; these differences in biotic communities were not large enough to affect rates of leaf processing between the two years of the study, but they did significantly affect processing rates between acidic and ...
BackgroundAlthough self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) insertion is widely used for relief of malignant colorectal obstructions, the immediate technical and clinical failure rates of SEMSs and the associated risk factors remain largely unknown. ObjectiveTo identify rates and factors predictive of technical and clinical failure of SEMSs when their use is attempted for the decompression of malignant colorectal obstruction. DesignRetrospective chart review. SettingA tertiary-care academic medical center in South Korea. PatientsThis study involved a total of 412 patients with malignant colorectal obstruction in whom SEMS insertion was attempted. InterventionPlacement of colonic SEMSs. Main Outcome MeasurementsTechnical success and immediate and long-term clinical success rates. ResultsTechnical...
This study concerns the thermotolerance of spores of mesophilic fungi isolated from a tropical semi-arid habitat subject to dry season fire in the Western Ghats, southern India. Among 25 species of Ascomycota isolated from leaf litter, nine were able to grow after incubation in a drying oven for 2h at 100degreeC; the spores of two of these species survived 2h incubation at 110degreeC, and one survived exposure to 115degreeC for 2h. The range of thermotolerance among mesophilic fungi isolated from the leaf litter was surprising: filamentous fungi from other habitats, including species that colonize scorched vegetation after fires and thermophilic forms occurring in self-heating plant composts, cannot survive even brief exposure to such high temperatures. It is possible that the exceptional ...
A sensitive and rapid method to evaluate toxic and genotoxic properties of drinking water supplied from Lake Trasimeno (Umbria, Central Italy) was worked out analysing bile in Cyprinus carpio exposed for 20d to lake water treated with 3 different disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and peracetic acid (PAA). Fish were sacrificed at 0, 10 and 20d in order to investigate the time course of these endpoints. An aliquot of bile samples was fractionated by adsorption on C18 silica cartridges and the genotoxic potential of whole bile and of bile fractions was evaluated by the single-cell microgel-electrophoresis (comet) assay on human colonic adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2). Bile (both whole and fractionated) from specimens exposed to the three disinfectants always sh...
Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) have experienced a healthy growth during the last decade. However, improvement in properties is necessary to increase their utility for structural applications. The toughness of WPCs can be improved by creating a fine cellular structure while reducing the density. Extrusion processing is one of the most economical methods for profile formation. For our study, rectangular profiles were extruded using a twin-screw extrusion system with different grades of HDPE and with varying wood fibre and lubricant contents together with maleated polyethylene (MAPE) coupling agent to investigate their effects on WPC processing and mechanical properties. Work has been done to redesign the extrusion system setup to achieve smoother and stronger profiles. A guiding shaper, submerged in the water, has been designed to guide the material directly through water immediately after exiting the die; instead of passing ...
A quantitative description is proposed for the depletion-induced slip thickness and velocity profile of a polymer solution near the wall-fluid interface in simple shear flow. The inhomogeneous polymer density profile at a flat wall is inserted into the equations of motion for the flow of a polymer solution near the flat wall. The theory is in quantitative agreement with simulation results. (letter to the editor)
Nine-component vertical seismic profiling has been conducted at the UE-25 UZ No. 16 borehole at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, in support of investigation of the hydrologic significance of fault and fracture systems. A large data set from multi-component sources and receivers allows state-of-the-art advances in processing using polarization filtering and reverse time migration, for enhanced interpretation of geologic features.
Nine-component vertical seismic profiling has been conducted at the UE-25 UZ No. 16 borehole at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, in support of investigation of the hydrologic significance of fault and fracture systems. A large data set from multi-component sources and receivers allows state-of-the-art advances in processing using polarization filtering and reverse time migration, for enhanced interpretation of geologic features.
Two-year uninterrupted sodar measurements of vertical profiles of wind speed and direction in the height range 40 to 250-500 m were carried out in two points of Moscow megalopolis. Seasonal and diurnal courses of mean speed profiles, wind speed distributions, wind roses and occurrence of strong and weak wind speed events are shown. Influence of urban heat island and orography on wind field is discussed.
This paper presents the results obtained in the gamma scanning of two fuel pins from the bent subassembly of the fast breeder test reactor (FBTR) using a segmented gamma scanning system employing segment correlation developed for the assay of glove box solid waste. In addition to the actinide profiles, the paper also discusses the fission products and clad activation product profiles and tries to correlate the experimental values of the latter with computed values. (author). 4 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.
Respiration and related physiologic variables in different tissues of Barytelphusa guerini and the respiration of this freshwater crab as a whole are closely synchronized in phase and in frequency along the circadian scale, in the face of large differences in circadian amplitude. A very close timing of most of the 36 variables examined in 2 separate circadian profiles and a modulation of some of these variables in added profiles as a function of lunar stage are clearly demonstrable, statistically significant and illustrative of time relations at 2 interacting frequencies. PMID:6745009
The resonance reaction /sup 11/B(p,/alpha/)/sup 8/Be was used to determine the boron profiles in the surface of: (1) boron implanted silicon; (2) boron diffused silicon; and (3) boron containing films deposited on silicon wafers. The boron distribution in the various samples was found to be stable under the bombardment of the proton beam. The convolution process used to obtain yield curves from the depth distribution, and the program used for this purpose are described.
Within the framework of the IEA project Annex 20 - Airflow patters within buildings , an airflow data base was built up as a prototype. It enables airflow profiles, comfort and interior air quality to be studied without having to carry out a 1:1 experiment or having to run an expensive simulation code. The data base contains a number of pre-calculated room airflow profiles with their associated depictions of air quality and risks of drafts for given premises and for different ventilation systems. figs., tabs., refs.
Biofumigation with Muscodor albus was investigated to control four fungal decay pathogens (Phytophthora erythroseptica, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium expansum) and four bacterial pathogens (Erwinia carotovora pv. carotovora, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, Listeria innocua) in controlled atmosphere conditions (regular air (20.8% O2+0.03% CO2), high CO2 (20.8% O2+15% CO2) or low O2 (1% O2+0.03% CO2)). In vitro experiments involved 48h exposure to M. albus at 3degreeC or 20degreeC, in vivo experiments involved 72h exposure to M. albus at 3degreeC. In vitro biofumigation with M. albus in regular air at 20degreeC killed all the pathogens. Bacterial growth was best controlled by M. albus at 20degreeC regardless of atmospheric conditions whereas fungal gro...
Products of a power plant flue gas desulfurization scrubber are discharged into a pond as sludge consisting of calcite (initial delta13C 3.2-3.8 per thousand), gypsum (initial delta34S 7.6-8.6 per thousand), and aqueous solution. Reducing conditions exist below a boundary that appears to move vertically as a function of changes in pond water level. Under reducing conditions, bacteria partially reduce aqueous sulfate to low-delta34S sulfide, consuming organic carbon and generating low-delta13C bicarbonate. Under oxidizing conditions, sulfide is converted to sulfate, leading to calcite dissolution, gypsum precipitation, and isotopic re-equilibration of remaining calcite with dissolved bicarbonate near the pond surface. The gypsum has delta34S near 6 per thousand, and calcite has delta13C as low as -1.7 per thousand; the changes from initial values correspond to predictions based on isotopic balance and reaction stoichiometry. The pond largely contains the products of ...
This randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, parallel dose-response study investigated the impact of 4-week commercial yoghurt consumption supplemented with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BB-12) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA-5) on fecal bacterial counts of healthy adults. Fifty-eight volunteers were randomly assigned to three different groups: 1. placebo (no probiotic, no starter and no green tea extract); 2. Yoptimal (10^9cfu/100g of BB-12 and LA-5 and 40mg of green tea extract) and 3. Yoptimal-10 (10^1^0cfu/100g of BB-12, 10^9cfu/100g of LA-5 and 40mg of green tea extract). These yoghurt products also contained Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (10^7cfu/100g) and Streptococcus thermophilus (10^1^0cfu/100g). The quantitative PCR (qPCR) results showed that ther...
The origin of natural gas in the Japanese oil and gas fields are geochemically studied. Samples are taken from structural natural gas, surface gas seepage, water-dissolved natural gas and coal-field gas of the Japan Sea coast area. The origins of primary hydrocarbons are classified into bacteria gas and thermogenic gas, the latter being subclassified into gas in oil production zone with the per million deviation of the carbon isotope (/sup 13/C/sup 1/) of methane less than -35 and those gases with maturity higher than this. Surface gas seepage is subjected to migration and bacterial oxidation. Coal gas is similar to oil gas. The CO/sub 2/ concentration is 0 - 2% and /sup 13/CO/sub 2/ deviations from -30 - +30. The origin can be barely estimated from the isotopic composition because of the wide secondary change in the composition. The origin and migration of gas from the gas field of northern Niigata are not similar to those in the southern area, which consist of a ...
Objective To compare the levels of interleukin (IL)-1?, IL-6, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 in the vaginal secretions of pregnant women with a positive fetal fibronectin (fFN) test result with or without asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV) before and after treatment with oral clindamycin. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted among 43 pregnant women with a positive fFN test result. All patients were treated with clindamycin, and the pre- and post-treatment levels of IL-1?, IL-6, and MMP-8 were compared. Results Before treatment, levels of IL-1? and MMP-8 were significantly higher in women with BV compared with women without BV (P<0.05). Vaginal levels of IL-1? and IL-6, but not MMP-8, decreased after treatment in pregnant women with BV. Conclusions The inability of clin...
The genus Conexibacter (Monciardini et al. 2003) represents the type genus of the family Conexibacteraceae (Stackebrandt 2005, emend. Zhi et al. 2009) with Conexibacter woesei as the type species of the genus. C. woesei is a representative of a deep evolutionary line of des-cent within the class Actinobacteria. Strain ID131577T was originally isolated from temperate forest soil in Gerenzano (Italy). Cells are small, short rods that are motile by peritrichous fla-gella. They may form aggregates after a longer period of growth and, then as a typical charac-teristic, an undulate structure is formed by self-aggregation of flagella with entangled bacteri-al cells. Here we describe the features of the organism, together with the complete sequence and annotation. The 6,359,369 bp long genome of C. woesei contains 5,950 protein-coding and 48 RNA genes and is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.
Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in global gene regulation. Researchers in recombinant protein production have proposed miRNAs as biomarkers and cell engineering targets. However, miRNA expression remains understudied in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, one of the most commonly used host cell systems for therapeutic protein production. To profile highly conserved miRNA expression, we used the miRCURY- miRNA array for screening miRNAs in CHO cells. The selection criteria for further miRNA profiling included positive hybridization signals and experimentally validated predicted regulatory targets. On the basis of screening, we selected 16 miRNAs for quantitative RT-PCR profiling. We profiled miR expression in parental CHO DG44 and CHO K1 cell lines as well as four recombinant DG44...
Site measurements were collected at Mount John University Observatory in 2005 and 2007 using a purpose-built scintillation detection and ranging system. $C_n^2(h)$ profiling indicates a weak layer located at 12 - 14 km above sea level and strong low altitude turbulence extending up to 5 km. During calm weather conditions, an additional layer was detected at 6 - 8 km above sea level. $V(h)$ profiling suggests that tropopause layer velocities are nominally 12 - 30 m/s, and near-ground velocities range between 2 -- 20 m/s, dependent on weather. Little seasonal variation was detected in either $C_n^2(h)$ and $V(h)$ profiles. The average coherence length, $r_0$, was found to be $7 \\pm 1$ cm for the full profile at a wavelength of 589 nm. The average isoplanatic angle, $\\theta_0$, was $1.0 \\pm 0.1$ arcsec. The mean turbulence altitude, $\\bar{h_0}$, was found to be $2.0\\pm0.7$ km above sea level. No ...
We have calculated the on-axis spectrum of spontaneous radiation emitted by an electron moving along a planar undulator that has a magnetic profile along the axis that approximates a square wave. (This could be obtained in practice by driving a ferromagnetic undulator into saturation by excessivecurrent in the windings.) We find considerable enhancement of the harmonic radiation spectrum. We compare the harmonic power emitted by an electron moving through an undulator having a sine-wave field profile with the radiation emitted from an undulator having a square-wave profile; the latter is approximated by the first three Fourier components of the undulator magnetic field profile along the axial direction. Examples are computed for 40MeV electrons taking K1 is greatly enhanced for the approximate square-wave magnetic profile: the ratio of the power emitted at f=5 by the square-wave ...
We have calculated the on-axis spectrum of spontaneous radiation emitted by an electron moving along a planar undulator that has a magnetic profile along the axis that approximates a square wave. (This could be obtained in practice by driving a ferromagnetic undulator into saturation by excessive current in the windings.) We find considerable enhancement of the harmonic radiation spectrum. We compare the harmonic power emitted by an electron moving through an undulator having a sine-wave field profile with the radiation emitted from an undulator having a square-wave profile; the latter is approximated by the first three Fourier components of the undulator magnetic field profile along the axial direction. Examples are computed for 40MeV electrons taking K < 1, for spontaneous radiation emitted along the axis of the system. The emission at harmonics f > 1 is greatly enhanced for the approximate ...
The current--density profile of a focused ion beam (FIB) has a central peak accompanied by broader ``wings`` that, while unimportant in lithographic applications, can lead to unwanted effects during an implantation operation. The origin of the wings, and hence the best way to minimize them, is not clear and needs further study. We have measured the line profiles of several of the ions available in our FIB machine as a function of a number of variables, under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. No effects are observed from changes in emission current or deliberate defocusing of the objective lens. There are some changes with beam aperture and/or current, but the biggest differences seem to be associated with a change of source type and hence, possibly, with a change in the source/extractor configuration or in the alloy and the emission process. The wing amplitudes are appreciably lower than many previously observed, and their ...
The current--density profile of a focused ion beam (FIB) has a central peak accompanied by broader ''wings'' that, while unimportant in lithographic applications, can lead to unwanted effects during an implantation operation. The origin of the wings, and hence the best way to minimize them, is not clear and needs further study. We have measured the line profiles of several of the ions available in our FIB machine as a function of a number of variables, under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. No effects are observed from changes in emission current or deliberate defocusing of the objective lens. There are some changes with beam aperture and/or current, but the biggest differences seem to be associated with a change of source type and hence, possibly, with a change in the source/extractor configuration or in the alloy and the emission process. The wing amplitudes are appreciably lower than many previously observed, and their ...
A C{sub 60} {sup +} primary ion source has been coupled to an ion microscope secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) instrument to examine sputtering of silicon with an emphasis on possible application of C{sub 60} {sup +} depth profiling for high depth resolution SIMS analysis of silicon semiconductor materials. Unexpectedly, C{sub 60} {sup +} SIMS depth profiling of silicon was found to be complicated by the deposition of an amorphous carbon layer which buries the silicon substrate. Sputtering of the silicon was observed only at the highest accessible beam energies (14.5 keV impact) or by using oxygen backfilling. C{sub 60} {sup +} SIMS depth profiling of As delta-doped test samples at 14.5 keV demonstrated a substantial (factor of 5) degradation in depth resolution compared to Cs{sup +} SIMS depth profiling. This degradation is thought to result from the formation of an unusual platelet-like grain ...
A simple analytical/numerical model has been developed for computing the evolution, over periods of up to a few hours, of the current and temperature profile in the upper layer of the ocean. The model is based upon conservation laws for heat and momentum, and employs an eddy diffusion parameterisation which is dependent on both the wind speed and the wind stress applied at the sea surface. Other parameters such as the bulk-skin surface temperature difference and CO$_2$ flux are determined by application of the Molecular Oceanic Boundary Layer Model (MOBLAM) of Schluessel and Soloviev. A similar model, for the current profile only, predicts a temporary increase in wave breaking intensity and decrease in wave height under conditions where the wind speed increases suddenly, such as, for example, during gusts and squalls. The model results are compared with measurements from the lagrangian Skin Depth Experimental Profiler ...
Infant mice were used to measure the amount of fluid accumulation (enterosorption) in the intestinal tract after oral inoculation of a porcine strain of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (K88-+, Ent-+). Significant reduction in the amount of fluid found in the intestinal tract was observed if the mice were first inoculated with a K88-possessing, non-enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli. The protection provided is thought to be due to specific competition for attachment sites on cells of the small intestine. PMID:1095492
The effect of UV radiation in the wavelength region 230 nm to 302 nm on the ability of an irradiated mammalian cell to reactivate UV-irradiated mammalian virus was tested. An action spectrum for radiation enhanced reactivation (RER) is presented. The shape of the action spectrum points to a combined nucleic acid-protein target for UV radiation effects on this cellular parameter. An analysis of the results of others involving the biochemical and photobiological events involved in RER does not allow us to distinguish which macromolecule is the major contributor to this effect. Studies involving an analogous phenomenon in bacteris (Weigle reactivation) imply that RER and WR amy involve similar mechanisms. (author).
Papers in this book illustrate the utility of mineral biotechnology with respect to biobeneficiation, bioleaching, bioremediation and biomineralization. Papers of particular interest to the coal industry include: depression of pyrite flotation by yeast and bacteris (S.K. Kawatra and T.C. Eisele); desulfurization of coal by microbial flotation in a semicontinuous system (T. Nagaoka and others); biochemical removal of HAP precursors from coal - INEEL slurry column testing (K.S. Noah and G.J. Olson); microorganisms, biotechnology and acid rock drainage - emphasis on passive-biological control and treatment methods (N. Kuyucak); and utility of bioreagents in mineral processing (P. Somasundaran and others).
The microbial safety of foods cooked in microwave ovens was investigated. The mechanisms of microwave destruction of microorganisms were examined. Effects of time and temperature on microorganisms in different food systems were described. Studies showed that: microwave heating of food is more ''''food dependent'' than conventional heating; recommended microwave treatment time for some foods may not destroy high levels of bacteria; use of microwaves in combination with conventional heating methods results in more uniform heating of foods and destruction of bacteria; and microwaves exert different killing effects on individual bacterial species. (78 references, 2 tables)
The analgesic, dipyrone (1,phenyl-2,3-dimethyl-5-pyrazolone-4-methylamino methane sulphonate sodium), at 20 mM concentration, inhibited the rejoining of single-strand scissions in DNA of Escherichia coli B/r cells induced by 20 krad gamma-radiation. The chemical altered the cell membrane structure as evidenced from the uptake of acriflavin, the efflux of potassium ions from the bacterial cells and the inhibition of alkaline phosphatase-a cell membrane associated enzyme. (author). 18 refs., 6 figures.
The analgesic, dipyrone (1,phenyl-2,3-dimethyl-5-pyrazolone-4-methylamino methane sulphonate sodium), at 20 mM concentration, inhibited the rejoining of single-strand scissions in DNA of Escherichia coli B/r cells induced by 20 krad gamma-radiation. The chemical altered the cell membrane structure as evidenced from the uptake of acriflavin, the efflux of potassium ions from the bacterial cells and the inhibition of alkaline phosphatase-a cell membrane associated enzyme. (author).
Summary Although many antibiotics are available for the treatment of bacterial infections, the emergence and global spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a community-wide problem. To overcome this problem, we must explore alternative antimicrobials. This study investigated the antibacterial properties of quercetin, a flavonoid present in vegetables and fruits. Quercetin was tested against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and was found to exert selective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Some clinical MRSA strains showed remarkable susceptibility to quercetin. In combination with antibiotics, such as oxacillin, ampicillin, vancomycin, gentamicin, and erythromycin, quercetin sho...
Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a powerful in situ probe of sulfur biochemistry in intact cells and tissues. Under favorable circumstances the technique can provide quantitative information on the chemical identify of the sulfur species that are present in a sample. Prange et al. have recently reported an X-ray absorption spectroscopic study of bacterial sulfur storage globules. Unfortunately there are substantial problems with the experimental technique employed that, they contend, lead to completely erroneous conclusions. In the more recent of their two papers Prange et al. employed a curve-fitting method similar to that used by us (for more than 10 years). In essence, the method employs simply fitting a linear combination of the spectra of standard compounds to that of the unknown, in this case cultures of bacterial cells. This type of analysis can provide quantitative estimates of the individual sulfur types in the sample, ...
This thesis contains the candidate's original work on excitonic structure and energy transfer dynamics of two bacterial antenna complexes as studied using spectral hole-burning spectroscopy. The general introduction is divided into two chapters (1 and 2). Chapter 1 provides background material on photosynthesis and bacterial antenna complexes with emphasis on the two bacterial antenna systems related to the thesis research. Chapter 2 reviews the underlying principles and mechanism of persistent nonphotochemical hole-burning (NPHB) spectroscopy. Relevant energy transfer theories are also discussed. Chapters 3 and 4 are papers by the candidate that have been published. Chapter 3 describes the application of NPHB spectroscopy to the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex from the green sulfur bacterium Prosthecochloris aestuarii; emphasis is on determination of the low energy vibrational structure that is important for ...
Immidacloprid is a cyclodiene organochlorine used as an insecticide all over the world and possessing a serous environmental threat. It is mostly used for cotton insects (bollworm, aphid and white fly). For isolation of imidacloprid degrading bacteria, two soil samples were collected from industrial contaminated sites of Kala Shah Kahu district sheikupura, having ten year history of use. Soil samples were analyzed by measuring pH and electric conductivity. The isolation of imidacroprid degrading bacteria was performed by enrichment technique. Eight bacterial strains, S/sub 1-a/ S/2-2-b/ S/2-c/ S/2-d/ S/2-e/ S/sub 2-f/ and S/sub 2-g/ and S/sub e-a/ were isolated on the basis of their colony morphologies. The purified colonies were characterized morphologically, physiologically and biochemically. Gram staining was done and Gram negative strain were confirmed on MacConkey agar and Eosin Methylene Blue. Bacterial strains were also checked for ...
Spice extracts under the form of essential oils were tested for their efficiency to increase the relative radiosensitivity of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157H7 in culture media. The two pathogens were treated by gamma-irradiation alone or in combination with oregano essential oil to evaluate their mechanism of action. The membrane murein composition, and the intracellular and extracellular concentration of ATP was determined. The bacterial strains were treated with two irradiation doses: 1.2 kGy to induce cell damage and 3.5 kGy to cause cell death for L. monocytogenes. A dose of 0.4 kGy to induce cell damages, 1.1 kGy to obtain viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state and 1.3 kGy to obtain a lethal dose was also applied on E. coli O157H7. Oregano essential oil was used at 0.020% and 0.025% (w/v), which is the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for L. monocytogenes. For E. coli O157H7, a concentration of 0.006% and 0.025% (w/v) which is the ...
The US Department of the Army, Baltimore District Corps of Engineers, oversees a long-term monitoring study to assess and evaluate effects of the Jennings-Randolph reservoir on biota in the North Branch Potomac River. The reservoir was intended, in part, to mitigate effects of acid mine drainage originating in upstream and headwater area. The present study assessed recovery of benthos and fish in this system, six years after completion of the reservoir. Higher pH and lower iron and sulfate concentrations were observed upstream of the reservoir compared to preimpoundment conditions, suggesting better overall water quality in the upper North Branch. Water quality improved slightly directly downstream of the reservoir. However, the reservoir itself was poorly colonized by macrophytes and benthic organisms, and plankton composition suggested either metal toxicity and/or nutrient limitation. One large tributary to the North Branch and the reservoir (Stony River) was ...
An assay system for the stem cell that colonizes the thymus and differentiates into T cells was developed, and by using this assay system the existence of two subpopulations of stem cells for T cell lineage was clarified. Part-body-shielded and 900-R-irradiated C57BL/6 (H-2b, Thy-1.2) recipient mice, which do not require the transfer of pluripotent stem cells for their survival, were transferred with cells from B10 X Thy-1.1 (H-2b, Thy-1.1) donor mice. The reconstitution of the recipient's thymus lymphocytes was accomplished by stem cells in the donor cells and those spared in the shielded portion of the recipient that competitively colonize the thymus. Thus, the stem cell activity of donor cells can be evaluated by determining the proportion of donor-type (Thy-1.1+) cells in the recipient's thymus. Bone marrow cells were the most potent source of stem cells. By contrast, when the stem cell activity was compared between spleen ...
S100A4, a member of the Ca(2+)-activated S100 protein family, regulates the motility and invasiveness of cancer cells. Moreover, high S100A4 expression levels correlate with poor patient survival in several cancers. Although biochemical, biophysical, and structural data indicate that S100A4 is a noncovalent dimer, it is unknown if two functional S100A4 monomers are required for the productive recognition of protein targets and the promotion of cell invasion. To address this question, we created covalently linked S100A4 dimers using a glycine rich flexible linker. The single-chain S100A4 (sc-S100A4) proteins exhibited wild-type affinities for calcium and nonmuscle myosin-IIA, retained the ability to regulate nonmuscle myosin-IIA assembly, and promoted tumor cell invasion when expressed in S100A4-deficient colon carcinoma cells. Mutation of the two calcium-binding EF-hands in one monomer, while leaving the other monomer intact, caused a 30-60-fold reduction in ...
Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant tumor and the fourth-leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The crucial role of fatty acids for a number of important biological processes suggests a more in depth analysis of inter-individual differences in fatty acid metabolizing genes as contributing factor to colon carcinogenesis. We examined the association between genetic variability in 43 fatty acid metabolism-related genes and colorectal risk in 1225 CRC cases and 2032 controls participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. 392 single nucleotide polymorphisms were selected using pairwise tagging with an r(2) cutoff of 0.8 and a minor allele frequency of >5%. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Haplotype analysis was performed using a generalized linear model framework. On the genotype level, HPGD, PLA2G6, and TRPV3 were ...
To evaluate the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of using a polyurethane-covered expandable nitinol stent in the palliative treatment of malignant duodenal obstruction. Under fluoroscopic guidance, a polyurethane-covered expandable nitinol stent was placed in 12 consecutive patients with malignant duodenal obstructions. All presented with severe nausea and recurrent vomiting. The underlying causes of obstruction were duodenal carcinoma (n=4), pancreatic carcinoma (n=4), gall bladder carcinoma (n=2), distal CBD carcinoma (n=1), and uterine cervical carcinoma (n=1). The sites of obstruction were part I (n=1), part II (n=8), and III (n=3). Due to pre-existing jaundice, eight patients with part II obstructions underwent biliary decompression prior to stent placement. An introducer sheath with a 6-mm outer diameter and stents 16 mm in diameter were employed, and to place the stent, and after-loading technique was used. Stent placement was technically successful in ten patients, and no ...
The present study was undertaken to determine the involvement of calcium-protein kinase C pathway in the mechanism of action of Escherichia coli heat stable enterotoxin (STa) apart from STa-induced activation of guanylate cyclase in human colonic carcinoma cell line COLO-205, which was used as a model cultured cell line to study the mechanism of action of E. coli STa. In response to E. coli STa, protein kinase C (PKC) activity was increased in a time-dependent manner with its physical translocation from cytosol to membrane. Inhibition of the PKC activity in membrane fraction and inhibition of its physical translocation in response to IP_3-mediated calcium release inhibitor dantrolene suggested the involvement of intracellular store depletion in the regulation of PKC activity. Among different PKC isoforms, predominant involvement of calcium-dependent protein kinase C (PKC#alpha#) was specified using isotype-specific pseudosubstrate, which showed pronounce enzyme ...
IL-4-induced Stat6 signaling is active in a variety of cell types and plays a role in cell proliferation/growth and resistance to apoptosis. Using EMSA, we identified differential IL-4/Stat6 activities in colorectal cancer cell lines, HT-29 being active Stat6"h"i"g"h phenotype and Caco-2 being defective Stat6"n"u"l"l phenotype, respectively. Active Stat6"h"i"g"h HT-29 cells exhibited resistance to apoptosis by flowcytometry and aggressive metastasis by Transwell assay compared with defective Stat6"n"u"l"l Caco-2 cells. Comparing one another using RT-PCR, Stat6"h"i"g"h HT-29 cells expressed more mRNA of anti-apoptotic and pro-metastatic genes Survivin, MDM2, and TMPRSS4, while Stat6"n"u"l"l Caco-2 cells expressed more mRNA of pro-apoptotic and anti-metastatic genes BAX, CAV1, and P53, respectively. This is the first study describing correlations of IL-4/Stat6 activities with apoptosis and metastasis in colon cancer. These findings, together with the observation of ...
Previous experiments had indicated a slight genotoxic potential both in rat and in human colon cells of a sample of 2-dodecylcyclobutanone, a compound formed by irradiation of food containing palmitic acid in its triglycerides. Up to date, there is no evidence that 2-alkylcyclobutanones occur in non-irradiated foodstuffs, consequently it is prudent to test several members of the class of 2-alkylcyclobutanones which are produced by treatment of fat-containing food with ionising radiation. In this work, 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (derived from stearic acid) has been tested for its cytotoxic and genotoxic potential. Human colon tumor cell lines, i.e. HT 29 and HT 29 clone 19A, were employed as models for in vitro experiments for cytotoxicity and genotoxicity tests. Cytotoxicity was measured by tetrazolium salt reduction assays (MTT and WST-1) and genotoxicity by determining DNA damage using the Comet Assay. Neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic effects ...
Recent two major topics of Large Helical Device (LHD) towards fusion relevant conditions, high-density operation and high-ion-temperature operation, are reported. Super dense core plasma was obtained by the combination of repetitive hydrogen ice pellet injection and high power neutral beam injection (NBI) heating. A very peaked density profile with the highest central density of 1.1x1021 m-3 was produced showing that the particle transport was suppressed very well in the plasma core. The spatial density varies as the position of magnetic axis (Rax), and the steepest profile is obtained at Rax=3.95 m. The highest central ion temperature of 5.6 keV was obtained in hydrogen plasma at electron density of 1.6 x 1019 m-3 by NBI, where a peaked ion-temperature profile with internal ion energy transport barrier was observed. The profile of electron temperature did not change much and was broad even when the ion ...
BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Abnormal flow conditions across aortic bioprosthetic valves may result in degenerative processes. Thus, it is important to implant biological valve prostheses with velocity profiles similar to those of native valves. The study aim was to compare blood velocity and velocity gradient profiles downstream of stented and stentless aortic valves implanted in pigs, and in native porcine valves. METHODS: Stented valve prostheses (Mitroflow, n = 7) or stentless valve prostheses (Solo, n = 5 or Toronto SPV, n = 7) were implanted into pigs; the native valve was retained in eight animals. After weaning the animals from cardiopulmonary bypass, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed to determine the blood velocities and velocity gradient profiles. RESULTS: The native valves had a significantly lower peakvelocity (92 +/- 26 cm/s) than the artificial valves (Solo: 247 +/- 107 cm/s; Toronto: 252 ...
There are clearly identified scientific requirements for continuous profiling of atmospheric water vapor at the Department of Energy, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program, Southern Great Plains CART (Cloud and Radiation Testbed) site in northern Oklahoma. Research conducted at several laboratories has demonstrated the suitability of Raman lidar for providing measurements that are an excellent match to those requirements. We have developed and installed a ruggedized Raman lidar system that resides permanently at the CART site, and that is computer automated to eliminate the requirements for operator interaction. In addition to the design goal of profiling water vapor through most of the troposphere during nighttime and through the boundary layer during daytime, the lidar provides quantitative characterizations of aerosols and clouds, including depolarization measurements for particle phase studies.
An investigation into a three-dimensional, curved shock wave interacting with a three-dimensional, curved boundary layer on a slender body is presented. Three different nose profiles mounted on a cylindrical body were tested in a supersonic wind tunnel and numerically simulated by solving the Navier?Stokes equations. The conical and hemispherical nose profiles tested were found to generate shock waves of sufficient strength to separate the boundary layer on the cylinder, while the shock wave generated by the ogival profile did not separate the boundary layer. For the separated flow, separation was found to occur predominantly on the windward side of the cylinder with the lee-side remaining shielded from the direct impact of the incident shock wave. A thickening of the boundary layer on the...
The cross section and activity profile of different radioisotopes produced by #alpha#-induced nuclear reaction on natural zirconium, have been obtained by stacked foil activation using 40 MeV #alpha#-particles from Variable Energy Cyclotron (VEC) machine at Calcutta. The activity profile would be used to study the surface loss of zircaloy materials of engineering components by thin layer activation (TLA) technique. Generally, isotopes with suitable #gamma#-rays and long half-lives are the most useful in TLA technique, e.g., "9"2Nb, "9"5"gNb and "9"5Zr. (author). 2 refs., 1 tab.
The depletion of stratospheric ozone is caused by chlorine species formed in heterogeneous processes on the surfaces of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) particles. For studying local PSC formation processes in the Arctic a temperature lidar receiver was developed that makes use of the rotational Raman method, the only lidar technique for measuring atmospheric temperature profiles not perturbed by the presence of aerosols or cloud particles. The receiver was implemented in the mobile GKSS Raman lidar and transferred to Esrange (67.9 N, 21.1 E) near Kiruna in northern Sweden in winter 1997/98. Temperature data measured between January 22 and February 6, 1998, are presented and compared to model data analyzed by the European centre for medium-range weather forecast. Local temperature profiles are studied in three cases of type-Ib PSCs. This type is characterized by a low depolarization ratio. (orig.)
A new theory has been developed to calculate the steady state temperature profile in a cylindrical sample positioned along the entire axis of a cylindrical microwave cavity. Temperature profiles were computed for alumina rods of various radii contained in a cavity excited in one of the TM{sub 0n0} modes with n = 1, 2 or 3. Calculations were also performed with a concentric outer cylindrical tube surrounding the rod to investigate hybrid treating. The parametric studies of the total sample center and surface temperatures were performed as a function of the total power transmitted into the cavity. Also, the total hemispherical emissivity was varied at boundaries of the rod, surrounding tube, and cavity walls. The results are discussed in the context of controlling the average rod temperature and the temperature distribution in the rod during microwave processing.
The basic relationships of the convolution/superposition dose calculation technique are reviewed, and a modelling technique that can be used for obtaining a satisfactory beam model for a commercially available convolution/superposition-based treatment planning system is described. A fluence energy spectrum for a Co-60 treatment machine obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation was used for modelling the fluence spectrum for a Rokus M machine. In order to achieve this model we measured the depth dose distribution and the dose profiles with a Wellhofer dosimetry system. The primary fluence was iteratively modelled by comparing the computed depth dose curves and beam profiles with the depth dose curves and crossbeam profiles measured in a water phantom. The objective of beam modelling is to build a model of the primary fluence that the patient is exposed to, which can then be used for the calculation of the dose deposited in the ...
The use of X-ray diffraction line profile analysis for the study of nanocrystalline powders is described. The fundamentals of the theory are presented in terms of crystallite/domain size, size distribution, lattice distortion, dislocations density and stacking faults. Line profile parameters and the methods of pattern fitting introduced to overcome the diffraction-line overlap problem are discussed. The approaches based of the integral breadth of the measured line profiles and the Fourier method are discussed. In addition, simplified approaches are also commented. Representative examples are selected to illustrate various cases of microstructure, such as nanomaterials with strain-free spherical nano crystallites, strain-free crystallites with anisotropic crystallite shape, anisotropic crystallites with microstrains and spherical crystallites with dislocation densities and crystallite size distributions. (author)
Laser welding of AISI 904 L super austenitic stainless steel using a diffusion cooled slab 3.5kW CO2 laser and employing two different shielding gases, namely argon and helium, was carried out. The laser weld bead profile depends on various parameters such as beam power (BP), travel speed (TS) and focal position (FP) of the laser spot. These parameters have to be selected suitably to obtain the desirable output. The cross sectioned area of the bead profiles measured using an optical microscope to determine the bead width and depth of penetration. X-ray diffraction used for phase identification confirmed that the weld structure was fully austenitic and dendritic. Hardness was observed to increase in the weld bead with respect to the parent metal and it was related to the microstructural ref...
Young children are at increased risk for valproic acid (VPA) hepatotoxicity. Urinary organic acid profiles, as a surrogate of mitochondrial function, were obtained in children 1.9 to 17.3 years of age (n = 52) who were undergoing treatment with VPA for seizure disorders. Age-matched patients receiving treatment with carbamazepine (CBZ; n = 50) and healthy children not undergoing treatment (n = 22) served as controls. Age-related changes in organic acid profiles were observed in all three groups. Although the untreated and CBZ control groups were indistinguishable from each other with respect to the principal-component analysis (PCA) score plots of the subjects, a distinct boundary was apparent between the VPA and each of the control groups. Interindividual variability was observed in the V...
Dimensioning of actinides waste packages for long duration storage has to take into account helium production from natural decay and release rates from the material. For the latter, we propose here an improved method for the determination of the helium diffusion coefficient in britholite, to be used for minor actinides storage. This work is based on results we previously published using the classical three steps method: "3He implantation on a Van de Graaff facility, "3He profile determination analysing the protons resulting from the "3He(d,p)"4He reaction in a nuclear microprobe, evolution of the helium profile during annealings. Taking explicitly into account the incident deuterons energy stragglings allows us to show that the implanted helium profiles are bimodal, each component leading to a different helium diffusion coefficient.
The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany's national metrology institute, developed an alignment strategy to specify elemental depth profiling in vertical sidewall layers on structured wafers. For this purpose, PTB's irradiation chamber for 200?mm and 300?mm silicon wafers was used to combine total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and grazing incidence XRF (GIXRF) techniques by employing monochromatized undulator radiation of the BESSY II electron storage ring. 3-D test structures were fabricated to develop an optimal alignment strategy allowing for depth profiling in such nanolayers. The test structures consisted of silicon bars with widths/spacings either in the ?m or in the nm range. In order to be able to differentiate the sidewalls more easily from the remainder of ...
Solar cells consisting of polymer layers sandwiched between a transparent electrode on glass and a metal top electrode are studied using dynamic time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) in dual-beam mode. Because depth profiling of polymers and polymer-metal stacks is a relatively new field the craters were thoroughly investigated by environmental SEM (ESEM), interferometry, surface profilometry and tapping mode AFM. A huge increase in crater bottom roughness was observed when starting from the aluminum top layer going in depth, resulting in a loss of depth resolution. It is shown that layer-to-layer diffusion and contaminants at buried interfaces can be extracted from the depth profiles when taking into account the loss of depth resolution.
A 20-MeV proton accelerator is developed by Proton Engineering Frontier Project (PEFP) at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The 20MeV accelerator consists of 50keV proton injector, 3MeV RFQ (Radio frequency Quadrupole), 20MeV DTL (Drift Tube Linac) and 20MeV beam line. The beam profile was measured at the end of the 20MeV beam line with wire scanner. Moreover the beam emittance was calculated from the quad scan method using beam line quadrupole magnets. In this paper, the beam profile measurement results are presented and the emittance measurement from the quad scan method is discussed
Antisense- or RNAi-mediated suppression of the biosynthesis of nutritionally inferior storage proteins is a promising strategy for improving the amino acid profile of seeds. However, the potential pleiotropic effects of this on interconnected pathways and the agronomic quality traits need to be addressed. In the current study, a transcriptomic analysis of an antisense C-hordein line of barley was performed, using a grain-specific cDNA array. The C-hordein antisense line is characterized by marked changes in storage protein and amino acid profiles, while the seed weight is within the normal range and no external morphological irregularities were observed. The results of the transcriptome analysis showed excellent correlation with data on changes in the relative proportions of storage protei...
We describe a method of determining the system parameters in non-eclipsing interacting binaries. We find that the extent to which an observer sees the shape of the Roche-lobe of the secondary star governs the amount of distortion of the absorption line profiles. The width and degree of asymmetry of the phase-resolved absorption line profiles show a characteristic shape, which depends primarily on the binary inclination and gravity darkening exponent. We show that, in principle, by obtaining high spectral and time resolution spectra of quiescent cataclysmic variables or low mass X-ray binaries in which the mass-losing star is visible, fitting the shape of absorption line profiles will allow one to determine not only the mass function of the binary, but also the binary inclination and hence the mass of the binary components.
and streambed sediment samples 2-6. Graphs showing: 2. Cesium-137 profile in HOE core 3. PAH trends in Lake Houston cores 4. DDE trends in Lake Houston cores 5. Trends in six trace...
BackgroundIsoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice has been used in a number of studies to model human cardiac disease. In this study, we compared the transcriptional response...Full Text Available
PurposeA time-course analysis of gene regulation in the adult rat retina after intraorbital nerve crush (IONC) and intraorbital nerve transection (IONT).MethodsRNA...Full Text Available
Lithium isotope separation by displacement chromatography is studied using fundamental principles; the equations are derived assuming theoretical stages in lithium adsorption bands. The concentration profiles in the band are calculated numerically under unsteady state.
We present a set of structural parameters for the central parts of 57 early-type galaxies observed with the Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope. These parameters are based on a new empirical law that successfully characterizes the centers of early type galaxies. This empirical law assumes that the surface brightness profile is a combination of two power laws with different slopes gamma and beta for the inner and outer regions. Conventional structural parameters such as core radius and central surface brightness are replaced by break radius r_b, where the transition between power-law slopes takes place, and surface brightness mu_b at that radius. An additional parameter alpha describes the sharpness of the break. The structural parameters are derived using a chi-squared minimization process applied to the mean surface brightness profiles. The resulting model profiles generally give very good agreement to the ...
BackgroundTwenty-eight genes putatively encoding cytosolic glutathione transferases have been identified in the Anopheles gambiae genome. We manually annotated these...Full Text Available
The ice cover in high mountain lakes breaks up and disappears in about an hour, in part because it has been divided into fragile vertical spindles, which are individual crystals. Contributing to this...Full Text Available
BackgroundAzithromycin (AZM) is a macrolide antibiotic that displays an excellent safety profile even in children and pregnant women and has been shown to have anti-malarial activity...Full Text Available
The Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect gives a measure of the thermal energy and electron pressure in groups and clusters of galaxies. In the near future SZ surveys will map hundreds of systems, shedding light on the pressure distribution in the systems. The thermal energy is related to the total mass of a system of galaxies, but it is only a projection that is observed through the SZ effect. A model for the 3D distribution of pressure is needed to link the SZ signal to the total mass of the system. In this work we construct an empirical model for the 2D and 3D SZ profile, and compare it to a set of realistic high resolution SPH simulations of galaxy clusters and groups, and to a stacked SZ profile for massive clusters derived from WMAP data. Furthermore, we combine observed temperature profiles with dark matter potentials to yield an additional constraint, under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium. We find a very tight ...
Analysis of the pulsed-field gel electrophoretic profiles of 82 pneumococcal isolates with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (RSC) and of 90 co-occurring susceptible isolates indicates a considerable...Full Text Available
We ran a comparative analysis of all patients for whom a positive culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was available between April 2004 and October 2005 and whose HIV serology...Full Text Available
BackgroundPeroxiredoxins (Prxs) have recently been suggested to have a role in tumorigenesis.MethodsWe studied the expression of Prx I-VI and their...Full Text Available
To promote more efficient use of small-diameter timber, research efforts are being focused on the development and evaluation of connection methods that can be easily applied to non-standard round wood profiles. This report summarizes an evaluation of a 'd...
Microhardness decarburization profiles are often used in the industry to estimate the carbon distribution in steels. For quantitative evaluation, an analysis based on diffusion theory must be performed, the fundamentals and mathematical basics of which are presented. If the relationship between hardness and carbon content is known, microhardness-distance curves of steels can be analyzed in this way. For martensitic grades, for instance, a linearized expression holds in the concentration range from 0.15 to 0.6 m.% C. Microhardness depth profiles of higher carbon steels and other microstructures, however, are also evaluated in the literature. The applicability of quantitative diffusion modeling is discussed in detail. Through hardenable rolling bearing steel 100Cr6 (1.3505, SAE 52100) serves as model material: carbon concentration-distance curves are measured with high accuracy by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and compared with ...
Previous studies have been conducted in gene expression profiling to identify groups of genes that characterize the colorectal carcinoma disease. Despite the success of previous attempts to identify...Full Text Available
AimsTo assess the tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile of single and repeat doses of the oral matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor marimastat in healthy male volunteers.Full Text Available
The relationship between the current density distribution and the electron density profile during the flat-top phase of Ohmic discharges in TEXTOR has been investigated by means of far-infrared interferometry and polarimetry. It is found that neither gradual nor rapid changes of the electron density distribution (induced by continuous gas feed or pellet injection) alter the current profile significantly. The conclusion is drawn from the temporal evolution of the measured Faraday rotation signals #alpha#_e_x_p(x,t) which are proportional to the line integrals of n_c times the poloidal magnetic field component B_p_c along the probing beam paths (x is the distance of a chord from the plasma centre). By taking into account the known variation of the density profile but keeping the current distribution fixed, theoretical signals #alpha#_s_i_m(x,t) can be calculated which match the observed waveforms very well without any need to ...
The DUR3 gene, which encodes a component required for active transport of urea in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been isolated, and its sequence has been determined. The deduced DUR3 protein profile...Full Text Available
We used two high profile articles as cases to demonstrate that use of fishery landings data can lead to faulty interpretations about the condition of fishery ecosystems. One case uses the mean trophic...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeveral proteins are known to be markedly expressed in the brain during cerebral ischemia; however, the changes in protein profiles within the ischemic brain after an ischemic...Full Text Available
We quantified antibody responses to the HCV proteome that are associated with sustained virologic response (SVR) in HIV/HCV co-infected patients treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin....Full Text Available
Treatment of functional bowel disorders of irritable bowel-type (IBS) in children remains a difficult task because of a lack of drugs with low adverse event profile. We here report the results of a...Full Text Available
Research on the feasibility of growing cattails as an energy crop is described. The following topics are included: productivity in natural strands, germination requirements for seed, establishing stands by seeding, rhizome dormancy and development, harvesting and stand establishment, and analysis of canopy structure and radiation profiles in a natural community. (MHR)
Toxicogenomics provides the ability to examine in greater detail the underlying molecular events that precede and accompany toxicity, thus allowing prediction of adverse events at much earlier...Full Text Available
IntroductionIn the last few years, various studies have underlined a correlation between thyroid function and male sexual function, hypothesizing a direct action of thyroid hormones...Full Text Available
Since the beam width on the helical tomotherapy machine produced by TomoTherapy, Inc. is typically a few centimeters in the longitudinal direction (into the bore), the optimizer must choose...Full Text Available
Telbivudine is a novel nucleoside drug recently approved for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B. Its nonclinical safety was evaluated in a comprehensive program of studies, including...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE—Identification of arterial genes and pathways altered in obesity and diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Aortic gene expression profiles of...Full Text Available
BackgroundMalignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a lethal disease of cattle, characterized by vasculitis, necrosis, and accumulation of activated, dysregulated cytotoxic lymphocytes...Full Text Available
A brief profile of Janet Doe is given. Twenty-five years of library automation are reviewed from the author's point of view. Major projects such as the SUNY Biomedical Communication Network and the...Full Text Available
BackgroundGene expression profiling and the analysis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks may support the identification of disease bio-markers and potential drug targets....Full Text Available
Computational prediction of microRNA targets remains a challenging problem. The existing rule-based, data-driven and expression profiling approaches to target prediction are mostly approached from the...Full Text Available
BackgroundClinical studies suggest that local wall shear stress (WSS) patterns modulate the site and the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)...Full Text Available
Isogenic strains containing insertional disruptions of 10 Haemophilus influenzae Rd genes were investigated for their effects on the susceptibility of the organism to various classes...Full Text Available
IntroductionThe murine air pouch is a bursa-like space that resembles the human synovial membrane. Injection of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals into the pouch elicits an acute inflammatory...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the profile of osteoporosis treatment among patients hospitalized due to hip fractures at a tertiary-level university hospital. To compare the impact of hospitalization...Full Text Available
lines indicate location of GPR profiles in Figure 4. Air photo from Northern Arizona University web page (http://vishnu.glg.nau.edu/gces/studysites.html) Description of GPR...
... at depths greater than 29 m. Egmont Deep Seismic Stratigraphy Seismic profile data indicate that both the mouth ... 131. CrossRefDuncan, D. S. 1993. Neogene to Recent Seismic Stratigraphy of the Lower ...
Forum domains are stretches of chromosomal DNA that are excised from eukaryotic chromosomes during their spontaneous non-random fragmentation. Most forum domains are 50–200 kb in length....Full Text Available
Bovine embryos can be generated by in vitro fertilization or somatic nuclear transfer; however, these differ from their in vivo counterparts in many aspects and exhibit a higher proportion of developmental...Full Text Available
Neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress (OS), whereas those in CA3 are resistant. To uncover mechanisms for selective CA1 vulnerability to OS, we...Full Text Available
BackgroundA strong association between stress resistance and longevity in multicellular organisms has been established as many mutations that extend lifespan also show increased...Full Text Available
BackgroundEpidemiological studies showed that physical exercise, specifically moderate lifelong training, is protective against cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Most experimental...Full Text Available
Metabolic profiling analyses were performed to determine metabolite temporal dynamics associated with the induction of acquired thermotolerance in response to heat shock and acquired freezing tolerance...Full Text Available
Hematopoietic stem cells replenish all the cells of the blood throughout the lifetime of an animal. Although thousands of stem cells reside in the bone marrow, only a few contribute to blood production...Full Text Available
Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are often prescribed as first-line therapy for patients with asthma Despite their efficacy and improved safety profile compared with oral corticosteroids, the potential...Full Text Available
We classified microorganisms from the clinical laboratory by using information provided by the Gram stain and antibiotic sensitivity profiles obtained with the Bauer-Kirby technique. Approximately 4,000...Full Text Available
BackgroundCells dynamically adapt their gene expression patterns in response to various stimuli. This response is orchestrated into a number of gene expression modules consisting...Full Text Available
This volume described in detail the Department's research and technology development activities and their funding at the Department's laboratories. It includes 166 Mission Activity Profiles, organized by major mission area, with each representing a discrete budget function called a Budget and Reporting (B ampersand R) Code. The activities profiled here encompass the total research and technology development funding of the laboratories from the Department. Each profile includes a description of the activity and shows how the funding for that activity is distributed among the DOE laboratories as well as universities and industry. The profiles also indicate the principal laboratories for each activity, as well as which other laboratories are involved. The information in this volume is at the core of the Strategic Laboratory Mission Plan. It enables a reader to follow funds from the Department's ...
BackgroundThe transcription factor Pax6 is essential for the development of the central nervous system and it exerts its multiple functions by regulating the expression of downstream...Full Text Available
Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) offers high sensitivity and high accuracy in quantitative measurements of chemical compositions and mass coverages. Owing to the low detection limits of the wavelength-dispersive technique, monolayers with mass coverages of about 0.05 pg cm z can be detected. Assuming a density of 5 g cm--3 this corresponds to a thickness of 0.1 nm. With these advantages in mind, EPMA was extended to depth profile analysis in the sub-micron range using a surface removal technique. The present paper shows how depth profile analysis can be improved by combining EPMA and the focused ion beam (FIB) technique. The focused ion beam system uses a Ga+ ion beam. The ion beam allows the milling of defined geometries on the nanometer scale, so that very shallow bevels with exactly defined angles in relation to the surface can be obtained. Low surface damage is expected due to low sputtering effects. Calibrated WDX measurements along the ...
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of wheeled mobility devices differed with respect to age, gender, residential setting, and health-related factors among older adults. A total...Full Text Available
AbstractThe present study aimed to compare the whole-cell protein profiles of Haemophilus parasuis field isolates by using a computer-based analysis, and evaluate the...Full Text Available
BackgroundInterest in lycopene metabolism and regulation is growing rapidly because accumulative studies have suggested an important role for lycopene in human health promotion....Full Text Available
Recently, there have been multiple high-profile incidents involving the release of classified government information. Perhaps most prominent was Wikileaks.org's unauthorized publication of more than 600,000 classified Department of Defense documents. Such...
In this study we have profiled the free sterol content of cerebrospinal fluid by a combination of charge tagging and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, the most abundant cholesterol...Full Text Available
We propose behavior-oriented services as a new paradigm of communication in mobile human networks. Our study is motivated by the tight user-network coupling in future mobile societies. In such a paradigm, messages are sent to inferred behavioral profiles, instead of explicit IDs. Our paper provides a systematic framework in providing such services. First, user behavioral profiles are constructed based on traces collected from two large wireless networks, and their spatio-temporal stability is analyzed. The implicit relationship discovered between mobile users could be utilized to provide a service for message delivery and discovery in various network environments. As an example application, we provide a detailed design of such a service in challenged opportunistic network architecture, named CSI. We provide a fully distributed solution using behavioral profile space gradients and small world structures. Our analysis shows ...
Comparative sociogenomics has the potential to provide important insights into how social behaviour evolved. We examined brain gene expression profiles of the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn 1988, the SPILI project was established in order to evaluate the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profile of the inhabitants of Spili, in rural Crete, Greece. The first...Full Text Available
The frequency dependence of the lasing power of a He-Ne laser was studied using the electrooptic effect in a KDP crystal. The gain profile of the power curve was found to differ noticeably between the high-frequency and low-frequency edges. (AIP). (AIP)
BackgroundFabry patients have symptoms and signs compatible with autonomic dysfunction. These symptoms and signs are considered to be due to impairment of the peripheral nervous...Full Text Available
BackgroundGenomics has substantially changed our approach to cancer research. Gene expression profiling, for example, has been utilized to delineate subtypes of cancer, and facilitated...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThis study sought to determine whether differential treatment effects in the targeted mechanisms of change and eating disorder (ED) symptoms are associated...Full Text Available
Alton Ochsner was a giant of American surgery. His career encompassed patient care, teaching, and research as symbolized on the original seal of the Ochsner Clinic. His ideas were innovative and groundbreaking...Full Text Available
A combined ozone and aerosol LIDAR was developed at the Institute of Physics of the Atmosphere at the DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen. It is an airborne version, that, based on the DIAL-principle, permits the recording of two-dimensional ozone profiles. This presentation will focus on the ozone-part; the aerosol subsection will be treated later.
Ozone (O3) is an oxidant gas that can directly induce lung injury. Knowledge of the initial molecular events of the acute O3 response would be useful in developing biomarkers of...Full Text Available
A unified physically based ion implantation damage model has been developed which successfully predicts both the impurity profiles and the damage profiles for a wide range of implant conditions for arsenic, phosphorus, BF{sub 2}, and boron implants into single-crystal silicon. In addition, the amorphous layer thicknesses predicted by this new damage model are also in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. This damage model is based on the physics of point defects in silicon, and explicitly simulates the defect production, diffusion, and their interactions which include interstitial-vacancy recombination, clustering of same type of defects, defect-impurity complex formation, emission of mobile defects from clusters, and surface effects for the first time. New computationally efficient algorithms have been developed to overcome the barrier of the excessive computational requirements. In addition, the new model has been incorporated ...
A unified physically based ion implantation damage model has been developed which successfully predicts both the impurity profiles and the damage profiles for a wide range of implant conditions for arsenic, phosphorus, BF_2, and boron implants into single-crystal silicon. In addition, the amorphous layer thicknesses predicted by this new damage model are also in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. This damage model is based on the physics of point defects in silicon, and explicitly simulates the defect production, diffusion, and their interactions which include interstitial-vacancy recombination, clustering of same type of defects, defect-impurity complex formation, emission of mobile defects from clusters, and surface effects for the first time. New computationally efficient algorithms have been developed to overcome the barrier of the excessive computational requirements. In addition, the new model has been incorporated in the ...
BackgroundPathophysiological mechanisms involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are complex and none has identified reliable markers useful in routine patient evaluation....Full Text Available
The pH of the solution is shown to significantly effect the reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) profiles of adenine adsorbed at Au(110)/electrolyte interfaces. At pH 12.8 the net adsorption is very weak due the formation of negative adenine ions in solution. The sensitivity of the RAS profiles to the pH of the solution is probably due to a change in the geometry of the adsorbed molecules caused by a disruption of the base stacking configuration that is adopted when adenine is adsorbed from solutions at pH 7.1. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
A pre-stack migration algorithm for elastic waves in two-dimensional variable-velocity media is developed, implemented, and tested. The algorithm operates in the time-space domain and is based on reverse-time finite-difference extrapolation of elastic waves. The algorithm is explained and demonstrated in the context of imaging of elastic vertical seismic profile data, but is applicable to any source-recorder geometry. Synthetic test examples include a point diffractor, laterally homogeneous layers, and the flank of a salt dome.
In the present work the geometry of annular ducts with asymmetrical longitudinal fins is optimized in order to enhance the heat transfer under laminar coolant flow conditions. The heat transferred is also maximized for a given amount of material or hydraulic resistance. Polynomial profiles are assigned to the two lateral fin surfaces. Velocity and temperature distributions on the annular duct cross section are determined with the help of a finite-element model. A global heat transfer coefficient and an equivalent Nusselt number are then calculated. Lastly, optimum asymmetrical fins obtained by means of a genetic algorithm are shown for different situations and their performance is compared with those of optimum symmetrical fins.
The mine dumps that arise from the gold mining operations in South Africa are a potential source of high concentrations of radon (222"Rn). Studying the diffusion of radon and the emanation from the soil will help to deduce the radon flux from these dumps to identify the problem areas for rehabilitation. This study describes measurements of the emanation coefficient and the modelling of the depth profile of the radon activity concentration, which is compared to a depth profile that was measured on such a mine dump. Emanation coefficients ranging from 0.13 to 0.39 have been obtained.
Stabilized formation temperatures were estimated at different depths in 40 wells from the Los Humeros geothermal field, Mexico, using the Horner and the spherical radial flow (SRF) methods. The results showed that the Horner method underestimates formation temperatures, while the SRF method gives temperatures that are closer to the true formation temperatures. This was supported by numerical simulation of a combined circulation and shut-in period in several wells, and results for well H-26 are presented. Numerical reproduction of logged temperature is more feasible if an initial temperature profile based on the SRF method is employed instead of using an initial temperature profile based on the Horner method. (Author)
This contribution describes our research and development effort towards an electrically rechargeable zinc/air battery which is capable of meeting the demands of a scaled power profile (driving-cycle tests). The power profiles DST (Dynamic Stress Test) and ECE15-L (European Driving Cycle for alkaline Batteries) were applied to our 200 and 50 cm{sup 2} electrically rechargeable Zn/O{sub 2} cells with nominal capacities of 30 and 7.5 Ah, respectively. (authors)
We investigate how 'extra' or 'excess' central light in the surface brightness profiles of cusp or power-law elliptical galaxies relates to the profiles of ellipticals with cores. The envelopes of cusp ellipticals are established by violent relaxation in mergers acting on stars present in gas-rich progenitor disks, while their centers are structured by the relics of dissipational, compact starbursts. Ellipticals with cores are formed by the subsequent merging of the now gas-poor cusp ellipticals, with the fossil starburst components combining to preserve a dense, compact component in these galaxies as well (although mixing of stars smooths the transition from the outer to inner components in the profiles). By comparing extensive hydrodynamical simulations to observed profiles spanning a broad mass range, we show how to observationally isolate and characterize the relic starburst component in core ...
Density oscillations induced by MHD activities were observed in NBI heated plasmas on CHS by using an HCN laser interferometer. The accompanied changes of the density profiles were also observed. The oscillations are composition of m=0 sawteeth like crash and m=2 sinusoidal oscillations as a post courser of the crash. Possible models of the oscillation structure are examined in order to explain experimental data of the interferometer. Rotating plasma core, which is hollow profile and keeps constant elongation of the flux surface can explain amplitude and phase distribution of the sinusoidal oscillation. (author)
Sufficient discussion of the elements of the leasing and permitting programs is included to place the information developed in proper context. A table and process flow diagram developed previously which outline the steps in the non-competitive leasing process, is reprinted. Computer printout profiles are presented on 195 identifiable areas in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Sufficient information on the boundaries of these areas is contained in the report to permit identification of their general location on any map of the appropriate state which shows township and range locations.