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Sample records for long-term human marrow

  1. Long-term high-level expression of human beta-globin occurs following transplantation of transgenic marrow into irradiated mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Himelstein, A; Ward, M; Podda, S; de la Flor Weiss, E; Costantini, F; Bank, A

    1993-03-01

    When the human beta-globin gene is transferred into the bone marrow cells of live mice, its expression is very low. To investigate the reason for this, we transferred the bone marrow of transgenic mice containing and expressing the human beta-globin into irradiated recipients. We demonstrate that long-term high level expression of the human beta-globin gene can be maintained in the marrow and blood of irradiated recipients following transplantation. Although expression decreased over time in most animals because of host marrow reconstitution, the ratio of human beta-globin transgene expression to endogenous mouse beta-globin gene expression in donor-derived erythroid cells remained constant over time. We conclude that there is no inherent limitation to efficient expression of an exogenous human beta-globin gene in mouse bone marrow cells following marrow transplantation.

  2. Regulated proliferation of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells in long-term human marrow cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cashman, J.; Eaves, A.C.; Eaves, C.J.

    1985-01-01

    We have examined the cycling status of various classes of erythroid and granulopoietic progenitor populations maintained for many weeks in standard normal long-term human marrow cultures. These were initiated with a single inoculum of marrow aspirate and were routinely fed by weekly removal of half of the nonadherent cells and replacement of half of the growth medium. Progenitors of large erythroid colonies (more than eight erythroblast clusters) present in the nonadherent fraction and progenitors of small granulocyte/macrophage colonies (fewer than 500 cells) present in both the nonadherent and adherent fractions were found to be actively cycling at all times examined (28% to 63% kill following a 20-minute exposure to 20 microCi/mL of high specific activity 3 H-thymidine). In contrast, progenitors of large granulocyte/macrophage colonies (more than 500 cells) and progenitors of large erythroid colonies (more than eight erythroblast clusters), present in the adherent layer, consistently alternated between a quiescent state at the time of each weekly medium change and a proliferating state two to three days later (0% to 13% kill and 21% to 49% kill, respectively). Additional experiments revealed that the activation of primitive progenitors in the adherent layer was not dependent on the addition of fresh glutamine or hydrocortisone, nor on the physical manipulations involved in changing the growth medium. These studies provide the first direct evidence that normal long-term human marrow cultures support the continued turnover of a variety of early hematopoietic progenitor cell types. Further, they indicate that the proliferative activity of the most primitive of these progenitors is regulated by stage-specific cell-cell interactions that are subject to manipulation

  3. Use of long-term human marrow cultures to demonstrate progenitor cell precursors in marrow treated with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winton, E.F.; Colenda, K.W.

    1987-01-01

    The continued retrieval of progenitor cells (CFU-GEMM, BFU-E, CFU-E, CFU-GM) from human long-term marrow cultures (LTMC) is not uncommonly used as evidence that proliferation and differentiation are occurring in more primitive hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in these cultures. Alternatively, the continued presence of progenitors in LTMC could be the result of survival and/or limited self-renewal of progenitor cells present when the culture was initiated, and such progenitors would have little relevance to the parent HSC. The following studies were designed to determine the relative contributions of precursors of progenitor cells to the total progenitor cells present in LTMC using a two-stage regeneration model. The adherent layer in LTMC was established over 3 weeks, irradiated (875 rad) to permanently eliminate resident hematopoietic cells, and recharged with autologous cryo-preserved marrow that was either treated or not treated (control) with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC, 100 micrograms/ml for 30 min). The 4-HC-treated marrow contained no progenitor cells, yet based on clinical autologous bone marrow transplant experience, has intact HSC. Within 1-3 weeks, progenitor cells reappeared in the irradiated LTMC recharged with 4-HC-treated marrow, and were preferentially located in the adherent layer. By 2-6 weeks, the number of progenitor cells in the adherent layer of LTMC recharged with 4-HC marrow was equivalent to control LTMC. The progenitors regenerating in the irradiated LTMC recharged with 4-HC-treated marrow appear to originate from precursors of progenitor cells, perhaps HSC. We propose this model may be useful in elucidating cellular and molecular correlates of progenitor cell regeneration from precursors

  4. Effects of marrow storage at 4 degrees C on the subsequent generation of long-term marrow cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, M.; Singer, J.W.

    1985-01-01

    The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of marrow preservation at 4 degrees C on subsequent long-term culture, which evaluates both hematopoietic precursor cells and hematopoietic microenvironmental cells. Storage of unfractionated marrow was superior to storage of buffy-coat cells in tissue culture medium with 20% fetal calf serum. CFU-C recovery in unfractionated marrow was 48.4% at four days and 21.4% at seven days. Long-term marrow cultures from cells stored at 4 degrees C for up to seven days produced CFU-C for up to seven weeks and established confluent marrow stromal cell layers. Suspension cultures of marrow cells preserved at 4 degrees C for seven days cultured with irradiated allogeneic marrow stromal cell layers from normal long-term marrow cultures showed significantly increased CFU-C production from week 2 to week 5 when compared with the control cultures without adherent cell layers. These data suggest that marrow storage at 4 degrees C for up to seven days preserves early hematopoietic precursor cells and microenvironmental cells and may be used for autologous rescue from marrow ablative therapy

  5. TBTC induces adipocyte differentiation in human bone marrow long term culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carfi, M.; Croera, C.; Ferrario, D.; Campi, V.; Bowe, G.; Pieters, R.; Gribaldo, L.

    2008-01-01

    Organotins are widely used in agriculture and the chemical industry, causing persistent and widespread pollution. Organotins may affect the brain, liver and immune system and eventually human health. Recently, it has been shown that tri-butyltin (TBT) interacts with nuclear receptors PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) and RXR (retinoid x receptor) leading to adipocyte differentiation in the 3T3 cell line. Since adipocytes are known to influence haematopoiesis, for instance through the expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules, it was considered of interest to further study the adipocyte-stimulating effect of TBTC in human bone marrow cultures. Nile Red spectrofluorimetric analysis showed a significant increase of adipocytes in TBTC-treated cultures after 14 days of long term culture. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis confirmed the high expression of the specific adipocyte differentiation marker aP2 (adipocyte-specific fatty acid binding protein). PPARγ, but not RXR, mRNA was increased after 24 h and 48 h exposure. TBTC also induced a decrease in a number of chemokines, interleukins, and growth factors. Also the expression of leptin, a hormone involved in haematopoiesis, was down regulated by TBTC treatment. It therefore appears that TBTC induced adipocyte differentiation, whilst reducing a number of haematopoietic factors. This study indicates that TBTC may interfere in the haematopoietic process through an alteration of the stromal layer and cytokine homeostasis

  6. Thyroid dysfunction among long-term survivors of bone marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sklar, C.A.; Kim, T.H.; Ramsay, N.K.

    1982-01-01

    Thyroid function studies were followed serially in 27 long-term survivors (median 33 months) of bone marrow transplantation. There were 15 men and 12 women (median age 13 1/12 years, range 11/12 to 22 6/12 years). Aplastic anemia (14 patients) and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (eight patients) were the major reasons for bone marrow transplantation. Pretransplant conditioning consisted of single-dose irradiation combined with high-dose, short-term chemotherapy in 23 patients, while four patients received a bone marrow transplantation without any radiation therapy. Thyroid dysfunction occurred in 10 of 23 (43 percent) irradiated patients; compensated hypothyroidism (elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels only) developed in eight subjects, and two patients had primary thyroid failure (elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and low T4 index). The abnormal thyroid studies were detected a median of 13 months after bone marrow transplantation. The four subjects who underwent transplantation without radiation therapy have remained euthyroid (median follow-up two years). The only variable that appeared to correlate with the subsequent development of impaired thyroid function was the type of graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis employed; the irradiated subjects treated with methotrexate alone had a higher incidence of thyroid dysfunction compared to those treated with methotrexate combined with antithymocyte globulin and prednisone (eight of 12 versus two of 11, p less than 0.05). The high incidence and subtle nature of impaired thyroid function following single-dose irradiation for bone marrow transplantation are discussed

  7. Long-term accumulation and microdistribution of uranium in the bone and marrow of beagle dog.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arruda-Neto, J D T; Manso Guevara, M V; Nogueira, G P; Taricano, I D; Saiki, M; Zamboni, C B; Bonamin, L V; Camargo, S P; Cestari, A C; Deppman, A; Garcia, F; Gouveia, A N; Guzman, F; Helene, O A M; Jorge, S A C; Likhachev, V P; Martins, M N; Mesa, J; Rodriguez, O; Vanin, V R

    2004-08-01

    The accumulation and microdistribution of uranium in the bone and marrow of Beagle dogs were determined by both neutron activation and neutron-fission analysis. The experiment started immediately after the weaning period, lasting till maturity. Two animal groups were fed daily with uranyl nitrate at concentrations of 20 and 100 microg g(-1) food. Of the two measuring techniques, uranium accumulated along the marrow as much as in the bone, contrary to the results obtained with single, acute doses. The role played by this finding for the evaluation of radiobiological long-term risks is discussed. It was demonstrated, by means of a biokinetical approach, that the long-term accumulation of uranium in bone and marrow could be described by a piling up of single dose daily incorporation.

  8. Selective inhibition of B lymphocytes in TBTC-treated human bone marrow long-term culture.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carfi', M.; Bowe, G.; Pieters, R.; Gribaldo, L.

    2010-01-01

    Tributyltin chloride (TBTC) is well known for its immunotoxic effect, in particular towards immature thymocytes. TBTC is also known to induce adipocyte differentiation in primary human bone marrow cultures, which is reflected in the decrease in a number of adipocyte-derived cytokines, chemokines and

  9. Monitoring Tumour Cell Purge by Long Term Marrow Culture in Acute Leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Masry, M.; Hashem, T. M.

    2001-01-01

    Purging of leukemic cells from bone marrow harvested for autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) remains a challenge. This work aimed at evaluating the efficacy of long-term marrow culture (LTMC) on purging leukemic progenitors in acute leukemia. Design and methods: We planned to study the presence of immunoglobulin heavy (lgH) chain gene rearrangements by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at diagnosis for bone marrow of 23 patients with acute leukemia. LTMC was performed only for patients who showed positive IgH chain gene monoclonality at diagnosis. The efficiency of purge was evaluated by PCR for monoclonal IgH chain gene on weekly basis of LTMC. Results: Of the 23 studied cases, 18 (78.26%) showed positive clonal IgH chain gene at diagnosis. LTMC study showed that 6/]8 (33.33%), 3/18 (16.67%),7/18 (38.89%) and 2/18 (11.11 %) underwent complete purging of the leukemic progenitors at the first, second, third and fourth weeks of culture, respectively. Follow up could be performed for 14 positive ALL cases after induction of remission; 12/14 (85.7%) showed minimal residual disease (MRD) while only two cases did not show MRD. Complete purging of the latter two cases by LTMC occurred on the second and third weeks of culture. Conclusion: LTMC is a useful and successful method for leukemic cell purging. LTMC should be undertaken at initial diagnosis and on an individual basis. Each case should be dealt with solely to determine at which week of culture complete purging could be obtained for subsequent autologous grafting of the purged marrow

  10. Individual clones of hemopoietic cells in murine long-term bone marrow culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chertkov, J.L.; Deryugina, E.I.; Drize, N.J.; Udalov, G.A.

    1987-01-01

    Forty-seven individual hemopoietic cell clones bearing unique radiation markers were studied in long-term bone marrow cultures. Throughout cultivation clones appeared at different times, from 1 to 12 weeks after explantation, survived during 1-10 more weeks, and were characterized by marked variability in size. Usually, the number of metaphases peculiar to an individual clone rapidly increased, achieved maximum, and then underwent a decline. Cells of reliably disappearing clones were never seen again. The experimental results provide further evidence for the model of hemopoiesis by clonal succession

  11. Primary tumor cells of myeloma patients induce interleukin-6 secretion in long-term bone marrow cultures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lokhorst, H. M.; Lamme, T.; de Smet, M.; Klein, S.; de Weger, R. A.; van Oers, R.; Bloem, A. C.

    1994-01-01

    Long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) from patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and normal donors were analyzed for immunophenotype and cytokine production. Both LTBMC adherent cells from myeloma and normal donor origin expressed CD10, CD13, the adhesion molecules CD44, CD54, vascular cell adhesion

  12. Long-term transfer and expression of the human beta-globin gene in a mouse transplant model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raftopoulos, H; Ward, M; Leboulch, P; Bank, A

    1997-11-01

    Somatic gene therapy of hemoglobinopathies depends initially on the demonstration of safe, efficient gene transfer and long-term, high-level expression of the transferred human beta-globin gene in animal models. We have used a beta-globin gene/beta-locus control region retroviral vector containing several modifications to optimize gene transfer and expression in a mouse transplant model. In this report we show that transplantation of beta-globin-transduced hematopoietic cells into lethally irradiated mice leads to the continued presence of the gene up to 8 months posttransplantation. The transferred human beta-globin gene is detected in 3 of 5 mice surviving long term (>4 months) transplanted with bone marrow cells transduced with high-titer virus. Southern blotting confirms the presence of the unrearranged 5.1-kb human beta-globin gene-containing provirus in 2 of these mice. In addition, long-term expression of the transferred gene is seen in 2 mice at levels of 5% and 20% that of endogenous murine beta-globin at 6 and 8 months posttransplantation. We further document stem cell transduction by the successful transfer and high-level expression of the human beta-globin gene from mice transduced 9 months earlier into irradiated secondary recipient mice. These results demonstrate high-level, long-term somatic human beta-globin gene transfer into the hematopoietic stem cells of an animal for the first time, and suggest the potential feasibility of a retroviral gene therapy approach to sickle cell disease and the beta thalassemias.

  13. Reduced bone mass and preserved marrow adipose tissue in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases in long-term remission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastos, C M; Araújo, I M; Nogueira-Barbosa, M H; Salmon, C E G; de Paula, F J A; Troncon, L E A

    2017-07-01

    Bone marrow adipose tissue has not been studied in patients with inactive inflammatory bowel disease. We found that these patients have preserved marrow adiposity even with low bone mass. Factors involved in bone loss in active disease may have long-lasting effects but do not seem to affect bone marrow adiposity. Reduced bone mass is known to occur at varying prevalence in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) because of inflammation, malnutrition, and steroid therapy. Osteoporosis may develop in these patients as the result of an imbalanced relationship between osteoblasts and adipocytes in bone marrow. This study aimed to evaluate for the first time bone mass and bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) in a particular subgroup of IBD patients characterized by long-term, steroid-free remission. Patients with Crohn's disease (CD; N = 21) and ulcerative colitis (UC; N = 15) and controls (C; N = 65) underwent dual X-ray energy absorptiometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the L3 lumbar vertebra for BMAT assessment. Both the CD and UC subgroups showed significantly higher proportions of patients than controls with Z-score ≤-2.0 at L1-L4 (C 1.54%; CD 19.05%; UC 20%; p = 0.02), but not at other sites. The proportions of CD patients with a T-score ˂-1.0 at the femoral neck (C 18.46%; CD 47.62%; p = 0.02) and total hip (C 16.92%; CD 42.86%; p = 0.03) were significantly higher than among controls. There were no statistically significant differences between IBD patients and controls regarding BMAT at L3 (C 28.62 ± 8.15%; CD 29.81 ± 6.90%; UC 27.35 ± 9.80%; p = 0.67). IBD patients in long-term, steroid-free remission may have a low bone mass in spite of preserved BMAT. These findings confirm the heterogeneity of bone disorders in IBD and may indicate that factors involved in bone loss in active disease may have long-lasting effects on these patients.

  14. Leukemia prevention and long-term survival of AKR mice transplanted with MHC-matched or MHC-mismatched bone marrow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Longley, R.E.; Good, R.A.

    1986-01-01

    The current studies were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of marrow transplantation within and outside the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the long-term survival and occurrence of spontaneous leukemia in AKR mice. AKR mice, which were lethally irradiated and received MHC-matched marrow from CBA/J mice (CBA----AKR), never developed leukemia and were alive and remained healthy for up to 280 days post-transplant. These long-term surviving chimeras possessed substantial immune vigor when both cell-mediated and humoral responses were tested. Lethally irradiated AKR mice, which had received MHC-mismatched marrow (anti-Thy-1.2 treated or nontreated) from C57BL/6J mice (B6----AKR), never developed leukemia and survived up to 170 days post-transplant. However, both groups of these chimeras began dying 180 to 270 days post-transplant due to a disease process which could not be readily identified. Histological analysis of B6----AKR chimeras revealed severe lymphoid cell depletion in thymus and spleen; however, none of these chimeras exhibited classical features of acute graft versus host disease. Concanavalin A mitogenesis, primary antibody responses to sheep red blood cells and the production of interleukin 2 (IL-2) were suppressed in B6----AKR chimeras. IL-2 treatment of B6----AKR chimeras was shown to partially correct these deficiencies without stimulating mixed lymphocyte responsiveness to donor or host lymphocytes. These studies indicate that the use of MHC-mismatched marrow for the prevention of spontaneous AKR leukemia may rely on augmentative IL-2 therapy for complete immune reconstitution of leukemia-free chimeras

  15. High-level transfer and long-term expression of the human beta-globin gene in a mouse transplant model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raftopoulos, H; Ward, M; Bank, A

    1998-06-30

    Insertion of a normally functioning human beta-globin gene into the hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) of patients with beta-thalassemia may be an effective approach to the therapy of this disorder. Safe, efficient gene transfer and long-term, high-level expression of the transferred human beta-globin gene in animal models are prerequisites for HSC somatic gene therapy. We have recently shown for the first time that, using a modified beta-globin retroviral vector in a mouse transplant model, long-term, high-level expression of a transferred human beta-globin gene is possible. The human beta-globin gene continues to be detected up to eight months post-transplantation of beta-globin-transduced hematopoietic cells into lethally irradiated mice. The transferred human beta-globin gene is detected in three of five mice surviving long-term (> 4 months) transplanted with bone marrow cells transduced with high-titer virus. The unrearranged 5.1 kb human beta-globin gene-containing provirus is seen by Southern blotting in two of these mice. More importantly, long-term expression of the transferred gene is seen in two mice at levels of 5% and 20% that of endogenous murine beta-globin. We document stem cell transduction by showing continued high-level expression of the human beta-globin gene in secondarily transplanted recipient mice. These results provide evidence of HSC transduction with a human beta-globin gene in animals and demonstrate that retroviral-mediated unrearranged human beta-globin gene transfer leads to a high level of human beta-globin gene expression in the long term for the first time. A gene therapy strategy may be a feasible therapeutic approach to the beta-thalassemias if consistent human beta-globin gene transfer and expression into HSC can be achieved.

  16. Maintenance of differentiation potential of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells immortalized by human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene despite [corrected] extensive proliferation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abdallah, Basem M; Haack-Sørensen, Mandana; Burns, Jorge S

    2005-01-01

    Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) represent a population of stem cells that are capable of differentiation into multiple lineages. However, these cells exhibit senescence-associated growth arrest and phenotypic changes during long-term in vitro culture. We have recently demonstrated...

  17. Hematopoietic microenvironment. Origin, lineage, and transplantability of the stromal cells in long-term bone marrow cultures from chimeric mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perkins, S.; Fleischman, R.A.

    1988-01-01

    Studies of bone marrow transplant patients have suggested that the stromal cells of the in vitro hematopoietic microenvironment are transplantable into conditioned recipients. Moreover, in patients with myeloproliferative disorders, all of the stromal cells, which include presumptive endothelial cells, appear to be derived from hematopoietic precursors. To confirm these findings, we have constructed two chimeric mouse models: (a) traditional radiation chimeras, and (b) fetal chimeras, produced by placental injection of bone marrow into genetically anemic Wx/Wv fetuses, a technique that essentially precludes engraftment of nonhematopoietic cells. Using two-color indirect immunofluorescence, the stromal cells in long-term bone marrow culture derived from these chimeras were analyzed for donor or host origin by strain-specific H-2 antigens, and for cell lineage by a variety of other specific markers. 75-95% of the stromal cells were shown to be hematopoietic cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage, based upon donor origin, phagocytosis, and expression of specific hematopoietic surface antigens. The remaining 5-25% of the stromal cells were exclusively host in origin. Apart from occasional fat cells, these cells uniformly expressed collagen type IV, laminin, and a surface antigen associated with endothelial cells. Since these endothelial-like cells are not transplantable into radiation or fetal chimeras, they are not derived from hematopoietic stem cells. The contrast between our findings and human studies suggests either unexpected species differences in the origin of stromal lineages or limitations in the previous methodology used to detect nonhematopoietic stromal cells

  18. Allogeneic marrow grafting for acute leukemia: A follow-up of long-term survivors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stewart, P.S.; Buckner, C.D.; Clift, R.A.; Sanders, J.E.; Storb, R.; Leonard, J.M.; Thomas, E.D.

    1979-01-01

    We have reported 100 consecutive patients with refractory acute leukemia treated with chemotherapy, total body irradiation (TBI) and marrow from an HLA identical sibling. At the time of the report 17 patients were alive after 11-53 months. All patients have now been followed more than 3 years. At the time of the last report 4 of the 17 patients had relapsed: two in the narrow, one in the central nervous system and one in the testicle. Three of these four patients have died of their disease 27, 34 and 50 months following tranplant. The patient with a solitary testicular relapse remains in complete remission 49 months after local irradiation without concomitant systemic therapy. One other patient died 26 months following transplantation from cardiopulmonary complications following multiple respiratory infections. Of the 13 surviving patients, three suffer from chronic graft-versus-host disease. Summaries of the problems encountered in these patients after the first 100 days are presented. Ten of the original 100 patients are living productive lives 36-80 months after transplantation. The data clearly demonstrate that long-term unmaintained remissions are possible in a small fraction of patients with terminal leukemia treated with various chemotherapy regimens and TBO followed by marrow transplantation. (author)

  19. Allogeneic marrow grafting for acute leukemia: A follow-up of long-term survivors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stewart, P S; Buckner, C D; Clift, R A; Sanders, J E; Storb, R; Leonard, J M; Thomas, E D [Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, and U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA

    1979-01-01

    We have reported 100 consecutive patients with refractory acute leukemia treated with chemotherapy, total body irradiation (TBI) and marrow from an HLA identical sibling. At the time of the report 17 patients were alive after 11-53 months. All patients have now been followed more than 3 years. At the time of the last report 4 of the 17 patients had relapsed: two in the narrow, one in the central nervous system and one in the testicle. Three of these four patients have died of their disease 27, 34 and 50 months following tranplant. The patient with a solitary testicular relapse remains in complete remission 49 months after local irradiation without concomitant systemic therapy. One other patient died 26 months following transplantation from cardiopulmonary complications following multiple respiratory infections. Of the 13 surviving patients, three suffer from chronic graft-versus-host disease. Summaries of the problems encountered in these patients after the first 100 days are presented. Ten of the original 100 patients are living productive lives 36-80 months after transplantation. The data clearly demonstrate that long-term unmaintained remissions are possible in a small fraction of patients with terminal leukemia treated with various chemotherapy regimens and TBO followed by marrow transplantation.

  20. Long-term engraftment of bone marrow-derived cells in the intimal hyperplasia lesion of autologous vein grafts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diao, Yanpeng; Guthrie, Steve; Xia, Shen-Ling; Ouyang, Xiaosen; Zhang, Li; Xue, Jing; Lee, Pui; Grant, Maria; Scott, Edward; Segal, Mark S

    2008-03-01

    Intimal hyperplasia of autologous vein grafts is a critical problem affecting the long-term patency of many types of vascular reconstruction. Within intimal hyperplasia lesions, smooth muscle cells are a major component, playing an essential role in the pathological process. Given that bone marrow-derived cells may differentiate into smooth muscle cells in the neointima of injured arteries, we hypothesized that the bone marrow may serve as a source for some of the smooth muscle cells within intimal hyperplasia lesions of vein grafts. To test this hypothesis, we used an established mouse model for intimal hyperplasia in wild-type mice that had been transplanted with bone marrow from a green fluorescent protein (GFP+/+) transgenic mouse. High-resolution confocal microscopy analysis performed 2 and 8 weeks after grafting demonstrated expression of GFP in 5.4 +/- 0.8% and 11.9 +/- 2.3%, respectively, of smooth muscle cells within intimal hyperplasia lesions. By 16 weeks, GFP expression in smooth muscle cells was not detected by immunohistochemistry; however, real-time PCR revealed that 20.2 +/- 1.7% of the smooth muscle cells captured from the neointima lesion by laser capture microdissection at 16 weeks contained GFP DNA. Our results suggest that bone marrow-derived cells differentiated into smooth muscle cells within the intimal lesion and may provide a novel clinical approach for decreasing intimal hyperplasia in vein grafts.

  1. Dynamic of distribution of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells after transplantation into adult unconditioned mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allers, Carolina; Sierralta, Walter D; Neubauer, Sonia; Rivera, Francisco; Minguell, José J; Conget, Paulette A

    2004-08-27

    The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for cell therapy relies on their capacity to engraft and survive long-term in the appropriate target tissue(s). Animal models have demonstrated that the syngeneic or xenogeneic transplantation of MSC results in donor engraftment into the bone marrow and other tissues of conditioned recipients. However, there are no reliable data showing the fate of human MSC infused into conditioned or unconditioned adult recipients. In the present study, the authors investigated, by using imaging, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and in situ hybridization, the biodistribution of human bone marrow-derived MSC after intravenous infusion into unconditioned adult nude mice. As assessed by imaging (gamma camera), PCR, and in situ hybridization analysis, the authors' results demonstrate the presence of human MSC in bone marrow, spleen, and mesenchymal tissues of recipient mice. These results suggest that human MSC transplantation into unconditioned recipients represents an option for providing cellular therapy and avoids the complications associated with drugs or radiation conditioning.

  2. Pulmonary function changes in long-term survivors of bone marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gore, Elizabeth M.; Lawton, Colleen A.; Ash, Robert C.; Lipchik, Randolph J.

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: This study was undertaken to evaluate long-term pulmonary function changes in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT), to assess their clinical significance, and to identify factors influencing these changes. Methods and Materials: Pulmonary function tests (PFT) were evaluated before and after BMT in 111 adult patients undergoing BMT between 1985 and 1991. Forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV 1 ), forced vital capacity (FVC), diffusing capacity (DLCO), and total lung capacity (TLC) were evaluated. One hundred and three patients (92.8%) received total body irradiation (TBI) to a total dose of 14 Gy in nine equal fractions. The lung dose was restricted to 1 , FVC, and TLC were lower than pre transplant values (p 1 did not fall significantly in patients without acute or chronic GVHD and recovered earlier than in patients without post transplant pulmonary infection. Recovery of FVC, TLC, and DLCO was also delayed in patients with acute and chronic GVHD and post transplant pulmonary infection. Multiple regression analysis revealed an association between a higher radiation dose to the lungs, and decreased FVC at 2 years (p = 0.01). Progressive obstructive pulmonary disease was not observed. Conclusions: An initial decline in PFTs with subsequent recovery was observed. Factors associated with delayed recovery and incomplete recovery of PFTs were GVHD, post transplant pulmonary infection, and higher radiation dose to the lungs. The conditioning regimen used at Medical College of Wisconsin, including relatively high TBI doses with partial transmission pulmonary shielding, appears to be well tolerated by the lungs in long-term survivors. No progressive decline in PFTs or symptomatic decline in pulmonary function was observed during the time interval studied

  3. Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer of a human c-fos cDNA into mouse bone marrow stromal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roux, P; Verrier, B; Klein, B; Niccolino, M; Marty, L; Alexandre, C; Piechaczyk, M

    1991-11-01

    A cDNA encoding a complete human c-fos protein was isolated and inserted into two different murine MoMuLV-derived recombinant retroviruses allowing expression of c-fos protein in different cell types. One c-fos-expressing retrovirus, chosen for its ability to express high levels of proteins in fibroblast-like cells, was shown to potentiate long-term cultures of mouse bone marrow stromal cells in vitro and therefore constitutes a potential tool for immortalizing such cells. Moreover, when tested in an in vitro differentiation assay, stromal cells constitutively expressing c-fos favor the granulocyte differentiation of hematopoietic precursors. Interestingly, retroviruses expressing v-src and v-abl oncogenes, included as controls in our experiments, do not produce any detectable effects, whereas those expressing polyoma virus middle T antigen facilitate long-term growth in vitro of stromal cells that favor the macrophage differentiation pathway of bone marrow stem cells. Our observation supports the idea that constitutive expression of some oncogenes, including c-fos and polyoma virus middle T antigen, may influence cytokine production by bone marrow stromal cells.

  4. [In vitro activity of human bone marrow cells after cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen for 21 - 25 years].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, You-Zhang; Shen, Jian-Liang; Gong, Li-Zhong; Zheng, Pei-Hao; Liu, Yi; Yin, Wen-Jie; Cen, Jian; Wang, Ning; Zhao, De-Feng

    2010-02-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the best method to preserve human bone marrow cells and the effectiveness of long term cryopreservation at -80 degrees C. The human bone marrow cells in 20 samples were firstly frozen by a programmed freezer or -80 degrees C refrigerator, and then were preserved in liquid nitrogen with DMSO-AuP (10% dimethylsulfonamide, 10% autologous plasma) or DMSO-HES-HuA (5% dimethylsulfonamide, 6% hydroxyethyl starch, 4% human serum albumin) as cryoprotectant for 21 to 25 years. They were thawed in 38 degrees C. The cell sample frozen in -80 degrees C refrigerator was frozen at a low frozen speed of 1 degrees C/min which was the same as the programmed freezer before -30 degrees C. Before detection the bone marrow cells were taken from liquid nitrogen and were thawed in 38 degrees C, then the suspension of bone marrow cells was prepared for detection. The cell morphology and recovery rate of erythrocytes, nucleocytes and platelets; the recovery rate of hematopoietic stem progenitors cells, as well as mesenchymal stem cells were determined. The results showed that the protective effectiveness of DMSO-HES-HuA was better than DMSO-AuP. The mature erythrocytes were destroyed lightly [(3.5 +/- 1.5)% versus (12.6 +/- 4.8)%], the hemolysis rate was lower [(3.3 +/- 1.6)% versus (23.1 +/- 5.1)%]. Osmotic fragility of erythrocytes in the former was not changed, but was dropped in the latter. The recovery rates of red cell, platelet, granulocyte-macrophage colony forming units and long term culture-initiating cells were higher in the former than that in the latter [(96.1 +/- 1.8)%, (70.0 +/- 9.5)%, (49.2 +/- 10.9)%, (54.2 +/- 13.8)% versus (76.3 +/- 5.6)%, (52.7 +/- 8.1)%, (43.5 +/- 12.3)%, (47.2 +/- 13.6)% respectively]. With each kind of cryoprotectant or frozen method, the frozen MSC could keep the original growth properties. With the same cryoprotectant and different frozen method, the cryopreservative effectiveness was not different. The

  5. Ultrastructural and radiobiological characterization of stromal cells in continuous, long-term marrow culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tavassoli, M.

    1982-01-01

    Hemopoietic stromal cells were studied in continuous, long-term marrow culture. A correlative study was carried out involving cytochemistry as well as scanning (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with sections cut either perpendicular or parallel to the substratum. Only two stromal cell types were identified: epithelioid cells and macrophages. The appearance of these cells, however, varied according to their topography in the culture and the method of observation; a finding that may explain the multiplicity of the cell types reported in these cultures. The two cell types displayed considerable interconnections and interactions which may be essential in their support function for the proliferation and maintenance of hemopoietic stem cells. They also demonstrated numerous coated pits and vesicles suggestive of extensive receptor-mediated endocytosis. Stromal cells, generally thought to be relatively radioresistant, demonstrated hitherto unrecognized radiosensitivity in culture. Doses of radiation as low as 500 rads interfered with their support function for the maintenance of the hemopoietic stem cell

  6. Human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells are superior to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for cell therapy in regenerative medicine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tomar, Geetanjali B.; Srivastava, Rupesh K.; Gupta, Navita; Barhanpurkar, Amruta P.; Pote, Satish T. [National Center for Cell Science, University of Pune Campus, Pune 411 007 (India); Jhaveri, Hiral M. [Department of Periodontics and Oral Implantology, Dr. D.Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Pune (India); Mishra, Gyan C. [National Center for Cell Science, University of Pune Campus, Pune 411 007 (India); Wani, Mohan R., E-mail: mohanwani@nccs.res.in [National Center for Cell Science, University of Pune Campus, Pune 411 007 (India)

    2010-03-12

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell lineages. Presently, bone marrow is considered as a prime source of MSCs; however, there are some drawbacks and limitations in use of these MSCs for cell therapy. In this study, we demonstrate that human gingival tissue-derived MSCs have several advantages over bone marrow-derived MSCs. Gingival MSCs are easy to isolate, homogenous and proliferate faster than bone marrow MSCs without any growth factor. Importantly, gingival MSCs display stable morphology and do not loose MSC characteristic at higher passages. In addition, gingival MSCs maintain normal karyotype and telomerase activity in long-term cultures, and are not tumorigenic. Thus, we reveal that human gingiva is a better source of MSCs than bone marrow, and large number of functionally competent clinical grade MSCs can be generated in short duration for cell therapy in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

  7. Human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells are superior to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for cell therapy in regenerative medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomar, Geetanjali B.; Srivastava, Rupesh K.; Gupta, Navita; Barhanpurkar, Amruta P.; Pote, Satish T.; Jhaveri, Hiral M.; Mishra, Gyan C.; Wani, Mohan R.

    2010-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell lineages. Presently, bone marrow is considered as a prime source of MSCs; however, there are some drawbacks and limitations in use of these MSCs for cell therapy. In this study, we demonstrate that human gingival tissue-derived MSCs have several advantages over bone marrow-derived MSCs. Gingival MSCs are easy to isolate, homogenous and proliferate faster than bone marrow MSCs without any growth factor. Importantly, gingival MSCs display stable morphology and do not loose MSC characteristic at higher passages. In addition, gingival MSCs maintain normal karyotype and telomerase activity in long-term cultures, and are not tumorigenic. Thus, we reveal that human gingiva is a better source of MSCs than bone marrow, and large number of functionally competent clinical grade MSCs can be generated in short duration for cell therapy in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

  8. Dominance and persistence of donor marrow in long-lived allogeneic radiation chimeras obtained with unmanipulated bone marrow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pierpaoli, W.; Maestroni, G.J.M.

    1983-01-01

    Allogeneic, H-2-incompatible irradiation chimeras (H-2sup(d) → H-2sup(b)) constructed with normal, unmanipulated bone marrow and with marrow-derived factors live long and do not manifest a GvH disease. Their response to primary immunization is deficient but their alloreactivity is normal. This chimeric allotolerance cannot be passively transferred from chimeric donors to normal irradiated recipients. Passive transfer of both donor- or recipient-type immuno-competent T-cells into the chimeric mice does not lead to syngeneic reconstitution, rejection of the engrafted marrow or GvH disease, and the mice maintain permanently their chimerism. This new model demonstrates that chimerism is not eradicable in long-lived chimeras reconstituted with unmanipulated bone marrow, and that the bone marrow itself plays a dominant role in maintenance of chimerism. (Auth.)

  9. Bone marrow involvement in Gaucher disease at MRI: what long-term evolution can we expect under enzyme replacement therapy?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fedida, Benjamin; Touraine, Sebastien; Laredo, Jean-Denis; Stirnemann, Jerome; Belmatoug, Nadia; Petrover, David

    2015-01-01

    To study the long-term evolution of the bone marrow burden (BMB) score at MRI in patients with Gaucher disease (GD) under enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Forty patients treated for GD were retrospectively studied in a referral centre. BMB scores were assessed on spine and femur MR examinations performed between January 2003 and June 2014. The long-term evolution of the BMB scores was analyzed using a linear mixed model. A total of 121 MRI examinations were performed during the study period with a mean follow-up of 7.1 years ± 5.6, an average rate of 3.1 MR examinations ± 1.7 per patient and an interval of 2.3 years ± 1.1 between examinations. Patients had received ERT during 12 years on average ± 6.7. The trend of BMB scores with time decreased significantly by 15 % (P = 0.008) during the total study period and 39 % (P = 0.01) during the first 5 years of treatment. No changes in BMB scores were observed after five years of treatment. In Gaucher patients, the trend of MRI BMB scores with time decreased significantly under ERT the first 5 years of treatment before a long-term stabilization. (orig.)

  10. Bone marrow involvement in Gaucher disease at MRI: what long-term evolution can we expect under enzyme replacement therapy?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fedida, Benjamin; Touraine, Sebastien; Laredo, Jean-Denis [Hopital Lariboisiere, AP-HP, Department of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Paris (France); Stirnemann, Jerome [Universite Paris-Diderot Hopital Bichat, AP-HP, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Data Processing, INSERM UMR 738, Paris (France); Geneva University Hospital, Division of General Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva (Switzerland); Belmatoug, Nadia [Hopital Beaujon, AP-HP, Referral Center for Lysosomal Diseases (RCLD), Clichy (France); Hopital Beaujon, AP-HP, Department of Internal Medicine, Clichy (France); Petrover, David [Hopital Lariboisiere, AP-HP, Department of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Paris (France); Hopital Beaujon, AP-HP, Referral Center for Lysosomal Diseases (RCLD), Clichy (France)

    2015-10-15

    To study the long-term evolution of the bone marrow burden (BMB) score at MRI in patients with Gaucher disease (GD) under enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Forty patients treated for GD were retrospectively studied in a referral centre. BMB scores were assessed on spine and femur MR examinations performed between January 2003 and June 2014. The long-term evolution of the BMB scores was analyzed using a linear mixed model. A total of 121 MRI examinations were performed during the study period with a mean follow-up of 7.1 years ± 5.6, an average rate of 3.1 MR examinations ± 1.7 per patient and an interval of 2.3 years ± 1.1 between examinations. Patients had received ERT during 12 years on average ± 6.7. The trend of BMB scores with time decreased significantly by 15 % (P = 0.008) during the total study period and 39 % (P = 0.01) during the first 5 years of treatment. No changes in BMB scores were observed after five years of treatment. In Gaucher patients, the trend of MRI BMB scores with time decreased significantly under ERT the first 5 years of treatment before a long-term stabilization. (orig.)

  11. CGH and SNP array using DNA extracted from fixed cytogenetic preparations and long-term refrigerated bone marrow specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MacKinnon Ruth N

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The analysis of nucleic acids is limited by the availability of archival specimens and the quality and amount of the extracted material. Archived cytogenetic preparations are stored in many laboratories and are a potential source of total genomic DNA for array karyotyping and other applications. Array CGH using DNA from fixed cytogenetic preparations has been described, but it is not known whether it can be used for SNP arrays. Diagnostic bone marrow specimens taken during the assessment of hematological malignancies are also a potential source of DNA, but it is generally assumed that DNA must be extracted, or the specimen frozen, within a day or two of collection, to obtain DNA suitable for further analysis. We have assessed DNA extracted from these materials for both SNP array and array CGH. Results We show that both SNP array and array CGH can be performed on genomic DNA extracted from cytogenetic specimens stored in Carnoy's fixative, and from bone marrow which has been stored unfrozen, at 4°C, for at least 36 days. We describe a procedure for extracting a usable concentration of total genomic DNA from cytogenetic suspensions of low cellularity. Conclusions The ability to use these archival specimens for DNA-based analysis increases the potential for retrospective genetic analysis of clinical specimens. Fixed cytogenetic preparations and long-term refrigerated bone marrow both provide DNA suitable for array karyotyping, and may be suitable for a wider range of analytical procedures.

  12. The predominant mechanism of intercellular calcium wave propagation changes during long-term culture of human osteoblast-like cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Zanne; Hiken, Jeffrey F; Steinberg, Thomas H

    2006-01-01

    cells still responded to addition of ATP, but P2Y desensitization did not inhibit ICW propagation. Our data indicate that the relative role of P2Y-mediated and gap junction-mediated ICW changes during osteoblast differentiation in vitro. In less differentiated cells, P2Y-mediated ICW predominate......Intercellular calcium waves (ICW) are calcium transients that spread from cell to cell in response to different stimuli. We previously demonstrated that human osteoblast-like cells in culture propagate ICW in response to mechanical stimulation by two mechanisms. One mechanism involves autocrine...... activation of P2Y receptors, and the other requires gap junctional communication. In the current work we ask whether long-term culture of osteoblast-like cells affects the propagation of ICW by these two mechanisms. Human osteoblast-like cells were isolated from bone marrow. Mechanically induced ICW were...

  13. Bone marrow blood vessel ossification and "microvascular dead space" in rat and human long bone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prisby, Rhonda D

    2014-07-01

    Severe calcification of the bone microvascular network was observed in rats, whereby the bone marrow blood vessels appeared ossified. This study sought to characterize the magnitude of ossification in relation to patent blood vessels and adipocyte content in femoral diaphyses. Additionally, this study confirmed the presence of ossified vessels in patients with arteriosclerotic vascular disease and peripheral vascular disease and cellulitis. Young (4-6 month; n=8) and old (22-24 month; n=8) male Fischer-344 rats were perfused with barium sulfate to visualize patent bone marrow blood vessels. Femoral shafts were processed for bone histomorphometry to quantify ossified (Goldner's Trichrome) and calcified (Alizarin Red) vessels. Adipocyte content was also determined. Additional femora (n=5/age group) were scanned via μCT to quantify microvascular ossification. Bone marrow blood vessels from the rats and the human patients were also isolated and examined via microscopy. Ossified vessels (rats and humans) had osteocyte lacunae on the vessel surfaces and "normal" vessels were transitioning into bone. The volume of ossified vessels was 4800% higher (pnecrosis. Progression of bone microvascular ossification may provide the common link associated with age-related changes in bone and bone marrow. The clinical implications may be evident in the difficulties treating bone disease in the elderly. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Endothelial Cells Promote Expansion of Long-Term Engrafting Marrow Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Primates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gori, Jennifer L; Butler, Jason M; Kunar, Balvir; Poulos, Michael G; Ginsberg, Michael; Nolan, Daniel J; Norgaard, Zachary K; Adair, Jennifer E; Rafii, Shahin; Kiem, Hans-Peter

    2017-03-01

    Successful expansion of bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) would benefit many HSPC transplantation and gene therapy/editing applications. However, current expansion technologies have been limited by a loss of multipotency and self-renewal properties ex vivo. We hypothesized that an ex vivo vascular niche would provide prohematopoietic signals to expand HSPCs while maintaining multipotency and self-renewal. To test this hypothesis, BM autologous CD34 + cells were expanded in endothelial cell (EC) coculture and transplanted in nonhuman primates. CD34 + C38 - HSPCs cocultured with ECs expanded up to 17-fold, with a significant increase in hematopoietic colony-forming activity compared with cells cultured with cytokines alone (colony-forming unit-granulocyte-erythroid-macrophage-monocyte; p < .005). BM CD34 + cells that were transduced with green fluorescent protein lentivirus vector and expanded on ECs engrafted long term with multilineage polyclonal reconstitution. Gene marking was observed in granulocytes, lymphocytes, platelets, and erythrocytes. Whole transcriptome analysis indicated that EC coculture altered the expression profile of 75 genes in the BM CD34 + cells without impeding the long-term engraftment potential. These findings show that an ex vivo vascular niche is an effective platform for expansion of adult BM HSPCs. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:864-876. © 2016 The Authors Stem Cells Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AlphaMed Press.

  15. A quality of life study in 20 adult long-term survivors of unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marks, D I; Gale, D J; Vedhara, K; Bird, J M

    1999-07-01

    There are few specific data available concerning quality of life (QOL) of survivors of unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation (UD-BMT). The procedure is expensive, difficult and is being employed increasingly yet we have little information concerning the QOL of survivors to justify this intervention. In this study, 20 long-term (>1 year post-BMT) survivors were studied with four self report questionnaires designed to assess quality of life, satisfaction with life, social support and employment status. Overall, satisfaction with life measures was above average but there was dissatisfaction with physical strength and appearance. The post-transplant employment data indicates that 60% of long-term survivors returned to full-time work and 15% to part-time work. Failure to return to work was not correlated with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), relapse, age at or time since transplant. In general, there was a good correlation between the clinician's and patient's view of their health but the clinician's assessment of the patients mental health and energy was higher than the patients reported. Further research is required in the area of QOL post-UD-BMT. This will enable transplant physicians to counsel patients better pre-BMT and to evaluate fully the results achieved by different centres performing the procedure.

  16. Bone Marrow Blood Vessel Ossification and “Microvascular Dead Space” in Rat and Human Long Bone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prisby, Rhonda D.

    2014-01-01

    Severe calcification of the bone microvascular network was observed in rats, whereby the bone marrow blood vessels appeared ossified. This study sought to characterize the magnitude of ossification in relation to patent blood vessels and adipocyte content in femoral diaphyses. Additionally, this study confirmed the presence of ossified vessels in patients with arteriosclerotic vascular disease and peripheral vascular disease and cellulitis. Young (4–6 mon; n=8) and old (22–24 mon; n=8) male Fischer-344 rats were perfused with barium sulfate to visualize patent bone marrow blood vessels. Femoral shafts were processed for bone histomorphometry to quantify ossified (Goldner’s Trichrome) and calcified (Alizarin Red) vessels. Adipocyte content was also determined. Additional femora (n=5/age group) were scanned via µCT to quantify microvascular ossification. Bone marrow blood vessels from rats and the human patients were also isolated and examined via microscopy. Ossified vessels (rats and humans) had osteocyte lacunae on the vessel surfaces and “normal” vessels were transitioning into bone. The volume of ossified vessels was 4800% higher (p necrosis. The progression of bone microvascular ossification may provide the common link associated with age-related changes in bone and bone marrow. The clinical implications may be evident in the difficulties treating bone disease in the elderly. PMID:24680721

  17. Decreased "ineffective erythropoiesis" preserves polycythemia in mice under long-term hypoxia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harada, Tomonori; Tsuboi, Isao; Hirabayashi, Yukio; Kosaku, Kazuhiro; Naito, Michiko; Hara, Hiroyuki; Inoue, Tohru; Aizawa, Shin

    2015-05-01

    Hypoxia induces innumerable changes in humans and other animals, including an increase in peripheral red blood cells (polycythemia) caused by the activation of erythropoiesis mediated by increased erythropoietin (EPO) production. However, the elevation of EPO is limited and levels return to normal ranges under normoxia within 5-7 days of exposure to hypoxia, whereas polycythemia continues for as long as hypoxia persists. We investigated erythropoiesis in bone marrow and spleens from mouse models of long-term normobaric hypoxia (10 % O2) to clarify the mechanism of prolonged polycythemia in chronic hypoxia. The numbers of erythroid colony-forming units (CFU-E) in the spleen remarkably increased along with elevated serum EPO levels indicating the activation of erythropoiesis during the first 7 days of hypoxia. After 14 days of hypoxia, the numbers of CFU-E returned to normoxic levels, whereas polycythemia persisted for >140 days. Flow cytometry revealed a prolonged increase in the numbers of TER119-positive cells (erythroid cells derived from pro-erythroblasts through mature erythrocyte stages), especially the TER119 (high) CD71 (high) population, in bone marrow. The numbers of annexin-V-positive cells among the TER119-positive cells particularly declined under chronic hypoxia, suggesting that the numbers of apoptotic cells decrease during erythroid cell maturation. Furthermore, RT-PCR analysis showed that the RNA expression of BMP-4 and stem cell factor that reduces apoptotic changes during erythroid cell proliferation and maturation was increased in bone marrow under hypoxia. These findings indicated that decreased apoptosis of erythroid cells during erythropoiesis contributes to polycythemia in mice during chronic exposure to long-term hypoxia.

  18. Long-Term Results of Cartilage Repair after Allogeneic Transplantation of Cartilaginous Aggregates Formed from Bone Marrow-Derived Cells for Large Osteochondral Defects in Rabbit Knees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshioka, Tomokazu; Mishima, Hajime; Sakai, Shinsuke; Uemura, Toshimasa

    2013-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of cartilage repair after allogeneic transplantation of cartilaginous aggregates formed from bone marrow-derived cells. Bone marrow cells were harvested from 12-day-old rabbits. The cells were subjected to a monolayer culture, and the spindle-shaped cells attached to the flask surface were defined as bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells. After the monolayer culture, a 3-dimensional cartilaginous aggregate was formed using a bioreactor with chondrogenesis. We created osteochondral defects, measuring 5 mm in diameter and 4 mm in depth, at the femoral trochlea of 10-week-old rabbits. Two groups were established, the transplanted group in which the cartilaginous aggregate was transplanted into the defect, and the control group in which the defect was left untreated. Twenty-six and 52 weeks after surgery, the rabbits were sacrificed and their tissue repair status was evaluated macroscopically (International Cartilage Repair Society [ICRS] score) and histologically (O'Driscoll score). The ICRS scores were as follows: at week 26, 7.2 ± 0.5 and 7.6 ± 0.8; at week 52, 7.6 ± 1.1 and 9.7 ± 0.7, for the transplanted and control groups, respectively. O'Driscoll scores were as follows: at week 26, 12.6 ± 1.9 and 10.1 ± 1.9; at week 52, 9.6 ± 3.0 and 14.0 ± 1.4, each for transplanted and control groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the groups. This study demonstrates that allogeneic transplantation of cartilaginous aggregates formed from bone marrow-derived cells produces comparable long-term results based on macroscopic and histological outcome measures when compared with osteochondral defects that are left untreated.

  19. Long-term Culture of Human iPS Cell-derived Telencephalic Neuron Aggregates on Collagen Gel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oyama, Hiroshi; Takahashi, Koji; Tanaka, Yoshikazu; Takemoto, Hiroshi; Haga, Hisashi

    2018-01-01

    It takes several months to form the 3-dimensional morphology of the human embryonic brain. Therefore, establishing a long-term culture method for neuronal tissues derived from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells is very important for studying human brain development. However, it is difficult to keep primary neurons alive for more than 3 weeks in culture. Moreover, long-term adherent culture to maintain the morphology of telencephalic neuron aggregates induced from human iPS cells is also difficult. Although collagen gel has been widely used to support long-term culture of cells, it is not clear whether human iPS cell-derived neuron aggregates can be cultured for long periods on this substrate. In the present study, we differentiated human iPS cells to telencephalic neuron aggregates and examined long-term culture of these aggregates on collagen gel. The results indicated that these aggregates could be cultured for over 3 months by adhering tightly onto collagen gel. Furthermore, telencephalic neuronal precursors within these aggregates matured over time and formed layered structures. Thus, long-term culture of telencephalic neuron aggregates derived from human iPS cells on collagen gel would be useful for studying human cerebral cortex development.Key words: Induced pluripotent stem cell, forebrain neuron, collagen gel, long-term culture.

  20. Anterior cruciate ligament injury: post-traumatic bone marrow oedema correlates with long-term prognosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filardo, Giuseppe; Kon, Elizaveta; Tentoni, Francesco; Andriolo, Luca; Di Martino, Alessandro; Busacca, Maurizio; Di Matteo, Berardo; Marcacci, Maurilio

    2016-01-01

    Bone marrow oedema (BME) in the knee is a feature of several pathological conditions, and it has been described with high frequency in patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The aim of this study is to evaluate the significance of BME, assessed in MRIs performed for ACL injury, with regards to clinical outcome and return to sport. A total of 134 patients (98 men, 36 women) with ACL tear and MRI knee scan within six months from trauma were analysed. The presence of BME was evaluated on MRI images considering: extension and hyperintensity, the WORMS score oedema classification, and measuring the BME area. The clinical results were documented by IKDC-subjective score and the sport activity level by Tegner score at a minimum of five years follow up. BME was present in 74 knees (55.2 %), with a mean area of 523 ± 370 mm². The presence of BME showed a gradual decrease over time (p = 0.008), being detectable in MRIs performed more than three months after trauma in just 25.0 % of cases. Although 54 % of the patients without BME after three months returned to their previous sport level, no patients with oedema reached a full sport recovery (p = 0.01). In the group that underwent ACL reconstruction, the BME area was significantly correlated with a return to the previous sport level at the mid/long-term follow-up (p = 0.038). BME is a common finding, which decreases over time after injury. However, when BME is still detectable it correlates with clinical prognosis, and even in sport-active patients undergoing ACL reconstruction, a higher BME area is a negative predictive factor for a successful outcome at the mid/long-term follow-up.

  1. Identification of senescence-associated genes in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Eunsook; Hong, Su; Kang, Jaeku; Woo, Junghoon; Park, Jungjun; Lee, Jongho; Seo, Jeong-Sun

    2008-01-01

    Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into several specialized cell types, including bone, cartilage, and fat cells. The proliferative capacity of hBMMSCs paves the way for the development of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, long-term in vitro culture of hBMMSCs leads to a reduced life span of the cells due to senescence, which leads eventually to growth arrest. To investigate the molecular mechanism behind the cellular senescence of hBMMSCs, microarray analysis was used to compare the expression profiles of early passage hBMMSCs, late passage hBMMSCs and hBMMSCs ectopically expressing human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Using an intersection analysis of 3892 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) out of 27,171 total genes analyzed, we identified 338 senescence-related DEGs. GO term categorization and pathway network analysis revealed that the identified genes are strongly related to known senescence pathways and mechanisms. The genes identified using this approach will facilitate future studies of the mechanisms underlying the cellular senescence of hBMMSCs

  2. Short-term and long-term plasticity interaction in human primary motor cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iezzi, Ennio; Suppa, Antonio; Conte, Antonella; Li Voti, Pietro; Bologna, Matteo; Berardelli, Alfredo

    2011-05-01

    Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over primary motor cortex (M1) elicits changes in motor evoked potential (MEP) size thought to reflect short- and long-term forms of synaptic plasticity, resembling short-term potentiation (STP) and long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/LTD) observed in animal experiments. We designed this study in healthy humans to investigate whether STP as elicited by 5-Hz rTMS interferes with LTP/LTD-like plasticity induced by intermittent and continuous theta-burst stimulation (iTBS and cTBS). The effects induced by 5-Hz rTMS and iTBS/cTBS were indexed as changes in MEP size. We separately evaluated changes induced by 5-Hz rTMS, iTBS and cTBS applied alone and those induced by iTBS and cTBS delivered after priming 5-Hz rTMS. Interactions between 5-Hz rTMS and iTBS/cTBS were investigated under several experimental conditions by delivering 5-Hz rTMS at suprathreshold and subthreshold intensity, allowing 1 and 5 min intervals to elapse between 5-Hz rTMS and TBS, and delivering one and ten 5-Hz rTMS trains. We also investigated whether 5-Hz rTMS induces changes in intracortical excitability tested with paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation. When given alone, 5-Hz rTMS induced short-lasting and iTBS/cTBS induced long-lasting changes in MEP amplitudes. When M1 was primed with 10 suprathreshold 5-Hz rTMS trains at 1 min before iTBS or cTBS, the iTBS/cTBS-induced after-effects disappeared. The 5-Hz rTMS left intracortical excitability unchanged. We suggest that STP elicited by suprathreshold 5-Hz rTMS abolishes iTBS/cTBS-induced LTP/LTD-like plasticity through non-homeostatic metaplasticity mechanisms. Our study provides new information on interactions between short-term and long-term rTMS-induced plasticity in human M1. © 2011 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2011 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  3. Multipotent human stromal cells improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction in mice without long-term engraftment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iso, Yoshitaka; Spees, Jeffrey L.; Serrano, Claudia; Bakondi, Benjamin; Pochampally, Radhika; Song, Yao-Hua; Sobel, Burton E.; Delafontaine, Patrick; Prockop, Darwin J.

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether intravenously administered multipotent stromal cells from human bone marrow (hMSCs) can improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI) without long-term engraftment and therefore whether transitory paracrine effects or secreted factors are responsible for the benefit conferred. hMSCs were injected systemically into immunodeficient mice with acute MI. Cardiac function and fibrosis after MI in the hMSC-treated group were significantly improved compared with controls. However, despite the cardiac improvement, there was no evident hMSC engraftment in the heart 3 weeks after MI. Microarray assays and ELISAs demonstrated that multiple protective factors were expressed and secreted from the hMSCs in culture. Factors secreted by hMSCs prevented cell death of cultured cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells under conditions that mimicked tissue ischemia. The favorable effects of hMSCs appear to reflect the impact of secreted factors rather than engraftment, differentiation, or cell fusion

  4. Human Adult Stem Cells Maintain a Constant Phenotype Profile Irrespective of Their Origin, Basal Media, and Long Term Cultures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indumathi Somasundaram

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The study aims to identify the phenotypic marker expressions of different human adult stem cells derived from, namely, bone marrow, subcutaneous fat, and omentum fat, cultured in different media, namely, DMEM-Low Glucose, Alpha-MEM, DMEM-F12 and DMEM-KO and under long term culture conditions (>P20. We characterized immunophenotype by using various hematopoietic, mesenchymal, endothelial markers, and cell adhesion molecules in the long term cultures (Passages-P1, P3, P5, P9, P12, P15, and P20. Interestingly, data revealed similar marker expression profiles irrespective of source, basal media, and extensive culturing. This demonstrates that all adult stem cell sources mentioned in this study share similar phenotypic marker and all media seem appropriate for culturing these sources. However, a disparity was observed in the markers such as CD49d, CD54, CD117, CD29, and CD106, thereby warranting further research on these markers. Besides the aforesaid objective, it is understood from the study that immunophenotyping acts as a valuable tool to identify inherent property of each cell, thereby leading to a valuable cell based therapy.

  5. [Bone marrow stromal damage mediated by immune response activity].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vojinović, J; Kamenov, B; Najman, S; Branković, Lj; Dimitrijević, H

    1994-01-01

    The aim of this work was to estimate influence of activated immune response on hematopoiesis in vitro, using the experimental model of BCG immunized BALB/c mice and in patients with chronic immunoactivation: long-lasting infections, autoimmunity or malignancy. We correlated changes in long term bone marrow cultures (Dexter) and NBT reduction with appearance of anemia in patients and experimental model of immunization by BCG. Increased spontaneous NBT reduction pointed out role of macrophage activation in bone marrow stroma damage. Long-term bone marrow cultures showed reduced number of hematopoietic cells, with predomination of fibroblasts and loss of fat cells. This results correlated with anemia and leucocytosis with stimulated myelopoiesis in peripheral blood. Activation of immune response, or acting of any agent that directly changes extracellular matrix and cellularity of bone marrow, may result in microenviroment bone marrow damage that modify hematopoiesis.

  6. Intramyocardial bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation in ischemic heart failure: Long-term follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehtinen, Miia; Pätilä, Tommi; Kankuri, Esko; Lauerma, Kirsi; Sinisalo, Juha; Laine, Mika; Kupari, Markku; Vento, Antti; Harjula, Ari

    2015-07-01

    Long-term results regarding treatment of chronic ischemic heart failure with bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) have been few. We received encouraging results at the 1-year follow-up of patients treated with combined coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and BMMCs, so we decided to extend the follow-up. The study patients had received injections of BMMCs or vehicle into the myocardial infarction border area during CABG in a randomized and double-blind manner. We could contact 36 of the 39 patients recruited for the original study. Pre-operatively and after an extended follow-up period, we performed magnetic resonance imaging, measured pro-B-type amino-terminal natriuretic peptide, reviewed patient records from the follow-up period, and determined current quality of life with the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey. The median follow-up time was 60.7 months (interquartile range [IQR], 45.1-72.6 months). No statistically significant difference was detected in change of pro-B-type amino-terminal natriuretic peptide values or in quality of life between groups. The median change in left ventricular ejection fraction was 4.9% (IQR, -2.1% to 12.3%) for controls and 3.9% (IQR, -5.2% to 10.2%) for the BMMC group (p = 0.647). Wall thickening in injected segments increased by a median of 17% (IQR, -5% to 30%) for controls and 15% (IQR, -12% to 19%) for BMMC patients (p = 0.434). Scar size in injected segments increased by a median of 2% (IQR, -7% to 19%) for controls but diminished for BMMC patients, with a median change of -17% (IQR, -30% to -6%; p = 0.011). In the treatment of chronic ischemic heart failure, combining intramyocardial BMMC therapy with CABG fails to affect cardiac function but can sustainably reduce scar size, even in the long-term. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Human Behaviour in Long-Term Missions

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-01-01

    In this session, Session WP1, the discussion focuses on the following topics: Psychological Support for International Space Station Mission; Psycho-social Training for Man in Space; Study of the Physiological Adaptation of the Crew During A 135-Day Space Simulation; Interpersonal Relationships in Space Simulation, The Long-Term Bed Rest in Head-Down Tilt Position; Psychological Adaptation in Groups of Varying Sizes and Environments; Deviance Among Expeditioners, Defining the Off-Nominal Act in Space and Polar Field Analogs; Getting Effective Sleep in the Space-Station Environment; Human Sleep and Circadian Rhythms are Altered During Spaceflight; and Methodological Approach to Study of Cosmonauts Errors and Its Instrumental Support.

  8. Human meniscal proteoglycan metabolism in long-term tissue culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verbruggen, G.; Verdonk, R.; Veys, E. M.; van Daele, P.; de Smet, P.; van den Abbeele, K.; Claus, B.; Baeten, D.

    1996-01-01

    For the purpose of human meniscal allografting, menisci have been maintained viable in in vitro culture. The influence of long-term tissue culture on the extracellular matrix metabolism of the meniscus has been studied. Fetal calf serum (FCS) was used as a supplement for the growth factors necessary

  9. Analysis of the immune system of multiple myeloma patients achieving long-term disease control by multidimensional flow cytometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pessoa de Magalhães, Roberto J.; Vidriales, María-Belén; Paiva, Bruno; Fernandez-Gimenez, Carlos; García-Sanz, Ramón; Mateos, Maria-Victoria; Gutierrez, Norma C.; Lecrevisse, Quentin; Blanco, Juan F; Hernández, Jose; de las Heras, Natalia; Martinez-Lopez, Joaquin; Roig, Monica; Costa, Elaine Sobral; Ocio, Enrique M.; Perez-Andres, Martin; Maiolino, Angelo; Nucci, Marcio; De La Rubia, Javier; Lahuerta, Juan-Jose; San-Miguel, Jesús F.; Orfao, Alberto

    2013-01-01

    Multiple myeloma remains largely incurable. However, a few patients experience more than 10 years of relapse-free survival and can be considered as operationally cured. Interestingly, long-term disease control in multiple myeloma is not restricted to patients with a complete response, since some patients revert to having a profile of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. We compared the distribution of multiple compartments of lymphocytes and dendritic cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood of multiple myeloma patients with long-term disease control (n=28), patients with newly diagnosed monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (n=23), patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (n=23), and age-matched healthy adults (n=10). Similarly to the patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and symptomatic multiple myeloma, patients with long-term disease control showed an expansion of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells. However, the numbers of bone marrow T-regulatory cells were lower in patients with long-term disease control than in those with symptomatic multiple myeloma. It is noteworthy that B cells were depleted in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and in those with symptomatic multiple myeloma, but recovered in both the bone marrow and peripheral blood of patients with long-term disease control, due to an increase in normal bone marrow B-cell precursors and plasma cells, as well as pre-germinal center peripheral blood B cells. The number of bone marrow dendritic cells and tissue macrophages differed significantly between patients with long-term disease control and those with symptomatic multiple myeloma, with a trend to cell count recovering in the former group of patients towards levels similar to those found in healthy adults. In summary, our results indicate that multiple myeloma patients with long-term disease control have a constellation of unique immune changes

  10. Normal human bone marrow and its variations in MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vahlensieck, M.; Schmidt, H.M.

    2000-01-01

    Physiology and age dependant changes of human bone marrow are described. The resulting normal distribution patterns of active and inactive bone marrow including the various contrasts on different MR-sequences are discussed. (orig.) [de

  11. High-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in a Japanese allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipient on long-term voriconazole.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, William; Takahashi, Akira; Muto, Yusuke; Yamazaki, Naoya

    2017-10-01

    Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas arise as secondary cancers in hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors. They have been documented primarily in Western cohorts and relatively little is known about their occurrence in Asian hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, with no reports of squamous cell carcinomas with high-risk features in Asian patients. We describe a case of a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with high-risk features on the scalp of a Japanese bone marrow transplant recipient approximately 6.5 years post-transplant, who was on long-term voriconazole. The history of a photodistributed erythema followed by the appearance of multiple actinic keratoses and solar lentigines, together with the rarity of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in Asian hematopoietic stem cell transplant cohorts revealed in our literature review, suggest that voriconazole use contributed to the development of high-risk squamous cell carcinoma in our patient. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  12. In vitro formation of osteoclasts from long-term cultures of bone marrow mononuclear phagocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burger, E.H.; Van der Meer, J.W.; van de Gevel, J.S.; Gribnau, J.C.; Thesingh, G.W.; van Furth, R.

    1982-01-01

    The origin of osteoclasts was studied in an in vitro model using organ cultures of periosteum-free embryonic mouse long-bone primordia, which were co-cultured with various cell populations. The bone rudiments were freed of their periosteum-perichondrium by collagenase treatment in a stage before cartilage erosion and osteoclast formation, and co-cultured for 7 d with either embryonic liver or mononuclear phagocytes from various sources. Light and electron microscopic examination of the cultures showed that mineralized matrix-resorbing osteoclasts developed only in bones co-cultured with embryonic liver or with cultured bone marrow mononuclear phagocytes but not when co-cultured with blood monocytes or resident or exudate peritoneal macrophages. Osteoclasts developed from the weakly adherent, but not from the strongly adherent cells of bone marrow cultures, whereas 1,000 rad irradiation destroyed the capacity of such cultures to form osteoclasts. In bone cultures to which no other cells were added, osteoclasts were virtually absent. Bone-resorbing activity of in vitro formed osteoclasts was demonstrated by 45 Ca release studies. These studies demonstrate that osteoclasts develop from cells present in cultures of proliferating mononuclear phagocytes and that, at least in our system, monocytes and macrophages are unable to form osteoclasts. The most likely candidates for osteoclast precursor cells seem to be monoblasts and promonocytes

  13. Is fatty acid composition of human bone marrow significant to bone health?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pino, Ana María; Rodríguez, J Pablo

    2017-12-16

    The bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) is a conserved component of the marrow microenvironment, providing storage and release of energy and stabilizing the marrow extent. Also, it is recognized both the amount and quality of BMAT are relevant to preserve the functional relationships between BMAT, bone, and blood cell production. In this article we ponder the information supporting the tenet that the quality of BMAT is relevant to bone health. In the human adult the distribution of BMAT is heterogeneous over the entire skeleton, and both BMAT accumulation and bone loss come about with aging in healthy populations. But some pathological conditions which increase BMAT formation lead to bone impairment and fragility. Analysis in vivo of the relative content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (FA) in BMAT indicates site-related bone marrow fat composition and an association between increased unsaturation index (UI) and bone health. With aging some impairment ensues in the regulation of bone marrow cells and systemic signals leading to local chronic inflammation. Most of the bone loss diseases which evolve altered BMAT composition have as common factors aging and/or chronic inflammation. Both saturated and unsaturated FAs originate lipid species which are active mediators in the inflammation process. Increased free saturated FAs may lead to lipotoxicity of bone marrow cells. The pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory or resolving actions of compounds derived from long chain poly unsaturated FAs (PUFA) on bone cells is varied, and depending on the metabolism of the parent n:3 or n:6 PUFAs series. Taking together the evidence substantiate that marrow adipocyte function is fundamental for an efficient link between systemic and marrow fatty acids to accomplish specific energy or regulatory needs of skeletal and marrow cells. Further, they reveal marrow requirements of PUFAs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Alkylating chemotherapeutic agents cyclophosphamide and melphalan cause functional injury to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemp, Kevin; Morse, Ruth; Sanders, Kelly; Hows, Jill; Donaldson, Craig

    2011-07-01

    The adverse effects of melphalan and cyclophosphamide on hematopoietic stem cells are well-known; however, the effects on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) residing in the bone marrow are less well characterised. Examining the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on patient MSCs in vivo is difficult due to variability in patients and differences in the drug combinations used, both of which could have implications on MSC function. As drugs are not commonly used as single agents during high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) regimens, there is a lack of data comparing the short- or long-term effects these drugs have on patients post treatment. To help address these problems, the effects of the alkylating chemotherapeutic agents cyclophosphamide and melphalan on human bone marrow MSCs were evaluated in vitro. Within this study, the exposure of MSCs to the chemotherapeutic agents cyclophosphamide or melphalan had strong negative effects on MSC expansion and CD44 expression. In addition, changes were seen in the ability of MSCs to support hematopoietic cell migration and repopulation. These observations therefore highlight potential disadvantages in the use of autologous MSCs in chemotherapeutically pre-treated patients for future therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, this study suggests that if the damage caused by chemotherapeutic agents to marrow MSCs is substantial, it would be logical to use cultured allogeneic MSCs therapeutically to assist or repair the marrow microenvironment after HDC.

  15. [A case of gastric cancer accompanied by disseminated carcinomatosis of bone marrow wherein long-term chemotherapy was enabled by early supportive palliative care].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamagiwa, Tetsuya; Amakawa, Ryuichi; Takeda, Yasuhiro; Fukuda, Akiko; Ito, Satoko; Nakayama, Shinya; Shiotani, Tomohiro; Watanabe, Go; Kita, Kenkichi; Yamaoka, Yoshio

    2014-02-01

    Here we report gastric cancer accompanied by bone marrow carcinomatosis in a patient for whom long-term chemotherapy was enabled by early pain-relief therapy. A 45-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of back pain associated with multiple spinal tumors in June 2011. Blood tests showed a trend toward disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC) and gastric cancer was suspected as the primary lesion. Because pain was severe, emergency pain relief was provided by flurbiprofen axetil and a continuous subcutaneous infusion of fentanyl citrate. After bone marrow examination gave a diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, we performed sequential methotrexate(MTX)and 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)therapy. The therapy successfully decreased tumor marker levels, and alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase levels normalized. Finally, gastric cancer accompanied by bone marrow carcinomatosis was diagnosed. Because the patient had anxiety and spiritual pain from the time of admission, psychiatric care was also required. In November 2011, the tumor recurred, and we switched therapy to a combination of S-1 and cisplatin. The patient's pain was controlled by combined treatment with a fentanyl patch and etodolac, and he was discharged in December 2011. However, severe pain recurred and pain therapy was continued. DIC developed in February 2012 and transiently resolved after resuming combination therapy with MTX and 5-FU; however, it subsequently recurred, leading to the patient's death in May 2012.

  16. Pre-irradiation of tissue culture flasks leads to diminished stem and progenitor cell production in long-term bone marrow cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rooney, P.; Wright, E.G.

    1993-01-01

    Empty plastic tissue culture flasks were exposed to X-irradiation doses of 0.3-10.0 Gy, prior to the establishment of long-term bone marrow cultures. During the course of a 10 week culture period, all irradiated plastic flasks exhibited a dramatic decrease in the number of both haemopoietic stem cells and myeloid progenitor cells, in the non-adherent layer, when compared with controls. This decrease was not due to a decrease in the number of non-adherent cells produced. Histological examination of non-adherent cells showed an increase in mature granulocytic cells with few blast cells. Morphologically, the adherent layers of irradiated flasks demonstrated a delay in appearance or absence of fat cell production. X-irradiation of glass tissue culture flasks had no deleterious effect. (author)

  17. Recovery of the proliferative and functional integrity of mouse bone marrow in long-term cultures established after whole-body irradiation at different doses and dose rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bierkens, J.G.; Hendry, J.H.; Testa, N.G.

    1991-01-01

    Injury inflicted upon the bone marrow stroma following whole-body irradiation and its repair over a 1-year period has been assessed in murine long-term bone marrow cultures established at increasing time intervals after irradiation. Different doses at different dose rates (10 Gy at 0.05 cGy/min, 4.5 Gy and 10 Gy at 1.6 cGy/min, and 4 x 4.5 Gy [3 weeks between doses] at 60 cGy/min) were chosen so as to maximize differences in effect in the stroma. The cellularity of the adherent layer in long-term cultures established 1 month after irradiation was reduced by 40%-90% depending on the dose and dose rate. Simultaneous with the poor ability of the marrow to form adherent layers, the cumulative spleen colony-forming unit (CFU-S) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cell (GM-CFC) production over a 7-week period was reduced to 0% and 30% of control cultures, respectively. The slow recovery of the adherent layer was paralleled by an increase in the numbers of CFU-S and GM-CFC in the supernatant. Cultures established from repeatedly irradiated mice performed poorly over the entire 1-year period. Whereas the regeneration of the stroma was near complete 1 year after irradiation, the CFU-S and GM-CFC levels reached only between 50% and 80% of control cultures, respectively. Also, the concentration of CFU-S and GM-CFC in the supernatant remained persistently lower in cultures established from irradiated mice as compared to control cultures. The levels of sulfated glycosaminoglycans, which have been implicated in the establishment of the functional integrity of the microenvironment, were not reduced in the adherent layers at any time after irradiation. These results indicate that the regeneration of the stroma is accompanied by an incomplete recovery of active hemopoiesis in vitro

  18. The long and the short of telomeres in bone marrow recipient SCID patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarzotti-Kelsoe, Marcella; Daniell, Xiaoju G; Whitesides, John F; Buckley, Rebecca H

    2011-04-01

    Telomeres are noncoding DNA regions at the end of the chromosomes that are crucial for genome stability. Since telomere length decreases with cell division, they can be used as a signature of cell proliferation history. T-cell reconstitution in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) subjects, recipients of T-cell-depleted, allogeneic-related bone marrow cells, is due to the development and maturation of donor T-cell precursors in the infant's vestigial thymus and to homeostatic proliferation of mature T cells in the peripheral organs. Since T-cell function, thymic output, and T-cell clonal diversity are maintained long term in these patients, we investigated whether donor T-cell engraftment resulted in increased telomere shortening. Our study of seven SCID patients, following successful bone marrow transplantation, demonstrates that the patients' peripheral T cells did not exhibit greater than normal telomere shortening.

  19. Long-term survival after a favorable response to anti-EGFR antibody plus chemotherapy to treat bone marrow metastasis: a case report of KRAS-wildtype rectal cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nakamura S

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Sho Nakamura, Tadahisa Fukui, Shuhei Suzuki, Hiroyuki Takeda, Kaname Watanabe, Takashi Yoshioka Department of Clinical Oncology, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan Abstract: Bone marrow metastasis is a rare consequence of colorectal cancer that results in a poor prognosis; few reports describe a favorable response to doublet chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy, which is currently the standard treatment. We experienced a case where anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR antibody produced a marked anti-tumor response to bone marrow metastasis that led to long-term survival. A 51-year-old man was diagnosed with a primary KRAS-wildtype rectal cancer with multiple metastases, including the bone marrow. Disease control was achieved for 10.8 months following chemotherapy with a modified FOLFOX6 regimen combined with an anti-EGFR antibody. He died of cancer 22.7 and 16.6 months after disease onset and first-line chemotherapy, respectively. This case shows that early tumor shrinkage and deepness of response to the anti-EGFR antibody were observed even in a patient with bone marrow metastasis. Anti-EGFR antibody therapy should therefore be considered even when a patient’s medical condition appears to be poor owing to bone marrow metastasis. Moreover, tumors that are likely to be sensitive to chemotherapy, such as RAS-wildtype colorectal cancers, can be considered for anti-EGFR antibody therapy even if the patient is considered unfit for chemotherapy. Keywords: colorectal cancer, anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody, molecular targeted therapies, disseminated intravascular coagulation, standard of care

  20. A portable chemotaxis platform for short and long term analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chenjie Xu

    Full Text Available Flow-based microfluidic systems have been widely utilized for cell migration studies given their ability to generate versatile and precisely defined chemical gradients and to permit direct visualization of migrating cells. Nonetheless, the general need for bulky peripherals such as mechanical pumps and tubing and the complicated setup procedures significantly limit the widespread use of these microfluidic systems for cell migration studies. Here we present a simple method to power microfluidic devices for chemotaxis assays using the commercially available ALZET® osmotic pumps. Specifically, we developed a standalone chemotaxis platform that has the same footprint as a multiwell plate and can generate well-defined, stable chemical gradients continuously for up to 7 days. Using this platform, we validated the short-term (24 hours and long-term (72 hours concentration dependent PDGF-BB chemotaxis response of human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells.

  1. Long-term potentiation and long-term depression: a clinical perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy V.P. Bliss

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Long-term potentiation and long-term depression are enduring changes in synaptic strength, induced by specific patterns of synaptic activity, that have received much attention as cellular models of information storage in the central nervous system. Work in a number of brain regions, from the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex, and in many animal species, ranging from invertebrates to humans, has demonstrated a reliable capacity for chemical synapses to undergo lasting changes in efficacy in response to a variety of induction protocols. In addition to their physiological relevance, long-term potentiation and depression may have important clinical applications. A growing insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes, and technological advances in non-invasive manipulation of brain activity, now puts us at the threshold of harnessing long-term potentiation and depression and other forms of synaptic, cellular and circuit plasticity to manipulate synaptic strength in the human nervous system. Drugs may be used to erase or treat pathological synaptic states and non-invasive stimulation devices may be used to artificially induce synaptic plasticity to ameliorate conditions arising from disrupted synaptic drive. These approaches hold promise for the treatment of a variety of neurological conditions, including neuropathic pain, epilepsy, depression, amblyopia, tinnitus and stroke.

  2. Tritium: a model for low level long-term ionizing radiation exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carsten, A.L.

    1984-01-01

    The somatic, cytogenetic and genetic effects of single and chronic tritiated water (HTO) ingestion in mice was investigated. This study serves not only as an evaluation of tritium toxicity (TRITOX) but due to its design involving long-term low concentration ingestion of HTO may serve as a model for low level long-term ionizing radiation exposure in general. Long-term studies involved animals maintained on HTO at concentrations of 0.3 μCi/ml, 1.0 μCi/ml, 3.0 μCi/ml or depth dose equivalent chronic external exposures to 137 Cs gamma rays. Maintenance on 3.0 μCi/ml resulted in no effect on growth, life-time shortening or bone marrow cellularity, but did result in a reduction of bone marrow stem cells, an increase in DLM's in second generation animals maintained on this regimen and cytogenetic effects as indicated by increased sister chromatid exchanges (SCE's) in bone marrow cells, increased chromosome aberrations in the regenerating liver and an increase in micronuclei in red blood cells. Biochemical and microdosimetry studies showed that animals placed on the HTO regimen reached tritium equilibrium in the body water in approximately 17 to 21 days with a more gradual increase in bound tritium. When animals maintained for 180 days on 3.0 μCi/ml HTO were placed on a tap water regimen, the tritium level in tissue dropped from the equilibrium value of 2.02 μCi/ml before withdrawal to 0.001 μCi/ml at 28 days. 18 references

  3. Studying frequency processing of the brain to enhance long-term memory and develop a human brain protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedrich, Wernher; Du, Shengzhi; Balt, Karlien

    2015-01-01

    The temporal lobe in conjunction with the hippocampus is responsible for memory processing. The gamma wave is involved with this process. To develop a human brain protocol, a better understanding of the relationship between gamma and long-term memory is vital. A more comprehensive understanding of the human brain and specific analogue waves it uses will support the development of a human brain protocol. Fifty-eight participants aged between 6 and 60 years participated in long-term memory experiments. It is envisaged that the brain could be stimulated through binaural beats (sound frequency) at 40 Hz (gamma) to enhance long-term memory capacity. EEG recordings have been transformed to sound and then to an information standard, namely ASCII. Statistical analysis showed a proportional relationship between long-term memory and gamma activity. Results from EEG recordings indicate a pattern. The pattern was obtained through the de-codification of an EEG recording to sound and then to ASCII. Stimulation of gamma should enhance long term memory capacity. More research is required to unlock the human brains' protocol key. This key will enable the processing of information directly to and from human memory via gamma, the hippocampus and the temporal lobe.

  4. Recovery of humoral immunity parameters in mice under a long-term action of tritium oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirillova, E.N.; Man'ko, V.M.; Muksinova, K.N.

    1986-01-01

    Using the mice-males of the CBA line at the age of 10-12 weeks and body mass of 20-23 g the recovery value of quantitative and qualitative factors of humoral immunity under a long-term action of tritium oxide which has been injected during 6 months in the quantity of 370 kBq per 1g of body mass (cumulative dose 8.73 Gy). The long-term internal mice irradiation with tritium oxide resulted in marked devastation of central and peripheral organs of immune system. An earlier and complete recovery of cells quantity in the bone marrow and spleen, recover up to 50% in lymphnodes and minimum repopulation (from 10 to 20%) in thymus as compared with tested animals of the same age is pointed out. In experimental mice CFU 5 pool decrease in bone marrow and spleen is found. CFUs content in the spleen recovered up to the norm, whereas in the bone marrow it constituted not more than 55% of the control. Deep function injury of V-lymphocyte and T - helper precursors the activity of which has not recovered during the whole observation period. The long-term tritium oxide intake lead to antibodies production suppression (by 30-50%), the tendency to the decrease of antibody formation of these animals has been conserved up to the end of life. The functional activity of T - suppressors in humoral response to thymus-dependent antigen during the remote periods upon long-term irradiation decreased more than twice

  5. Long-Term Expansion, Enhanced Chondrogenic Potential, and Suppression of Endochondral Ossification of Adult Human MSCs via WNT Signaling Modulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Narcisi

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs are a potential source of chondrogenic cells for the treatment of cartilage disorders, but loss of chondrogenic potential during in vitro expansion and the propensity of cartilage to undergo hypertrophic maturation impede their therapeutic application. Here we report that the signaling protein WNT3A, in combination with FGF2, supports long-term expansion of human bone marrow-derived MSCs. The cells retained their chondrogenic potential and other phenotypic and functional properties of multipotent MSCs, which were gradually lost in the absence of WNT3A. Moreover, we discovered that endogenous WNT signals are the main drivers of the hypertrophic maturation that follows chondrogenic differentiation. Inhibition of WNT signals during differentiation prevented calcification and maintained cartilage properties following implantation in a mouse model. By maintaining potency during expansion and preventing hypertrophic maturation following differentiation, the modulation of WNT signaling removes two major obstacles that impede the clinical application of MSCs in cartilage repair.

  6. Bone marrow mononuclear cell implantation in myocardial laser channels in the ischemic heart disease surgery. Long-term results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chernyavskiy, Alexander; Fomichev, Alexey; Minin, Stanislav; Nikitin, Nikita

    2017-10-01

    Background: The problem of incomplete myocardial revascularization for diffuse and distal lesions of the myocardium is still relevant. We assessed the clinical and instrumental long-term results of autologous bone marrow cell (BMC) implantation in laser channels in ischemic heart disease with diffuse and distal coronary disease. 35 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with diffuse and distal coronary disease during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) underwent BMC implantation in laser channels. The control group consisted of 29 patients. All patients in this group underwent only CABG. Clinical and instrumental assessment of the method's effect was carried out at two weeks, six months, and six years after surgery. Indirect revascularization showed more significant decreasing of the functional class (FC) New York Heart Association (NYHA), myocardial perfusion and contractility improvement. Autologous BMC implantation in laser channels is an effective method of CHD surgical treatment if it is impossible to perform direct myocardial revascularization. The indirect revascularization effect is formed in the first six months after surgery and remains at the same level for six years.

  7. Differential Gene Expression Profiling of Enriched Human Spermatogonia after Short- and Long-Term Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabine Conrad

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to provide a molecular signature for enriched adult human stem/progenitor spermatogonia during short-term (<2 weeks and long-term culture (up to more than 14 months in comparison to human testicular fibroblasts and human embryonic stem cells. Human spermatogonia were isolated by CD49f magnetic activated cell sorting and collagen−/laminin+ matrix binding from primary testis cultures obtained from ten adult men. For transcriptomic analysis, single spermatogonia-like cells were collected based on their morphology and dimensions using a micromanipulation system from the enriched germ cell cultures. Immunocytochemical, RT-PCR and microarray analyses revealed that the analyzed populations of cells were distinct at the molecular level. The germ- and pluripotency-associated genes and genes of differentiation/spermatogenesis pathway were highly expressed in enriched short-term cultured spermatogonia. After long-term culture, a proportion of cells retained and aggravated the “spermatogonial” gene expression profile with the expression of germ and pluripotency-associated genes, while in the majority of long-term cultured cells this molecular profile, typical for the differentiation pathway, was reduced and more genes related to the extracellular matrix production and attachment were expressed. The approach we provide here to study the molecular status of in vitro cultured spermatogonia may be important to optimize the culture conditions and to evaluate the germ cell plasticity in the future.

  8. Prolonged bone marrow and skin allograft survival after pretransplant conditioning with cyclophosphamide and total lymphoid irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kersey, J.H.; Kruger, J.; Song, C.; Kloster, B.

    1980-01-01

    Current studies were designed to provide long-term survival of allogeneic skin and bone marrow in mice preconditioned with various combinations of cyclophosphamide (CY) and/or total lymphoid irradiation (TLI). Long-term skin graft and bone marrow survival was obtained across the major histocompatibility barrier (BALB/c into C57BL/6) using pregrafting conditioning with either fractionated TLI or the combination of CY with a single dose of TLI. CY alone and a single dose of TLI alone were relatively ineffective as regrafting immunosuppressive combinations. Allogeneic bone marrow was required for long-term skin graft survival with either conditioning regimen. Allogeneic marrow transplantation resulted in somewhat more deaths than syngeneic transplantation with both CY + TLI and fractionated TLI

  9. Long-term leukocyte reconstitution in NSG mice transplanted with human cord blood hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audigé, Annette; Rochat, Mary-Aude; Li, Duo; Ivic, Sandra; Fahrny, Audrey; Muller, Christina K S; Gers-Huber, Gustavo; Myburgh, Renier; Bredl, Simon; Schlaepfer, Erika; Scherrer, Alexandra U; Kuster, Stefan P; Speck, Roberto F

    2017-05-30

    Humanized mice (hu mice) are based on the transplantation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells into immunodeficient mice and have become important pre-clinical models for biomedical research. However, data about their hematopoiesis over time are scarce. We therefore characterized leukocyte reconstitution in NSG mice, which were sublethally irradiated and transplanted with human cord blood-derived CD34+ cells at newborn age, longitudinally in peripheral blood and, for more detailed analyses, cross-sectionally in peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow at different time points. Human cell chimerism and absolute human cell count decreased between week 16 and 24 in the peripheral blood of hu mice, but were stable thereafter as assessed up to 32 weeks. Human cell chimerism in spleen and bone marrow was maintained over time. Notably, human cell chimerism in peripheral blood and spleen as well as bone marrow positively correlated with each other. Percentage of B cells decreased between week 16 and 24, whereas percentage of T cells increased; subsequently, they levelled off with T cells clearly predominating at week 32. Natural killer cells, monocytes and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs) as well as CD1c + and CD141+ myeloid DCs were all present in hu mice. Proliferative responses of splenic T cells to stimulation were preserved over time. Importantly, the percentage of more primitive hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in bone marrow was maintained over time. Overall, leukocyte reconstitution was maintained up to 32 weeks post-transplantation in our hu NSG model, possibly explained by the maintenance of HSCs in the bone marrow. Notably, we observed great variation in multi-lineage hematopoietic reconstitution in hu mice that needs to be taken into account for the experimental design with hu mice.

  10. Biochemical effects on long-term frozen human costal cartilage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santin, Stefany P.; Martinho Junior, Antonio C.; Yoshito, Daniele; Soares, Fernando A.N.; Mathor, Monica B., E-mail: mathor@ipen.b [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    Currently, the progresses on treatment of musculoskeletal diseases with the evolving of artificial implants and the success of tissue transplantation between genetically different individuals have conducted to an increase in radiosterilization. Regarding to tissue transplantation, it is essential to have sterile tissue and many tissue banks use radiosterilization as an effective method to sterilize these tissues. However, high doses of ionizing radiation and the preservation method may induce structural modifications in the tissues, as degradation of structural scaffold, decreasing its mechanical properties. Particularly, cartilage have been preserved in high concentrations of glycerol or deep-frozen at -70 degree C for storage after radiosterilization. Therefore, it is important to study the modifications induced in cartilage by preservation methods and by radiosterilization to determine the appropriated parameters for high quality of human allografts. Costal cartilages were obtained from cadaveric donors and were frozen at -20 degree C for 2 years long in order to compare with previous studies for fresh, deep-frozen and glycerolised cartilages. The mechanical tests were carried out in a universal testing machine until sample failure. According our results, there is no significant statistical difference between stress at break of fresh, long-term - 20 degree C frozen cartilages and deep-frozen cartilage. This early result suggests, regarding to tensile property, that long-term - 20 degree C frozen cartilages corresponds to glycerolised costal cartilages irradiated with 25 kGy or deep-frozen cartilages irradiated with 25 and 50 kGy. Thus, this long-term frozen cartilages may be used for tissue banks, but more studies about effects of ionizing radiation are necessary. (author)

  11. Biochemical effects on long-term frozen human costal cartilage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santin, Stefany P.; Martinho Junior, Antonio C.; Yoshito, Daniele; Soares, Fernando A.N.; Mathor, Monica B.

    2011-01-01

    Currently, the progresses on treatment of musculoskeletal diseases with the evolving of artificial implants and the success of tissue transplantation between genetically different individuals have conducted to an increase in radiosterilization. Regarding to tissue transplantation, it is essential to have sterile tissue and many tissue banks use radiosterilization as an effective method to sterilize these tissues. However, high doses of ionizing radiation and the preservation method may induce structural modifications in the tissues, as degradation of structural scaffold, decreasing its mechanical properties. Particularly, cartilage have been preserved in high concentrations of glycerol or deep-frozen at -70 degree C for storage after radiosterilization. Therefore, it is important to study the modifications induced in cartilage by preservation methods and by radiosterilization to determine the appropriated parameters for high quality of human allografts. Costal cartilages were obtained from cadaveric donors and were frozen at -20 degree C for 2 years long in order to compare with previous studies for fresh, deep-frozen and glycerolised cartilages. The mechanical tests were carried out in a universal testing machine until sample failure. According our results, there is no significant statistical difference between stress at break of fresh, long-term - 20 degree C frozen cartilages and deep-frozen cartilage. This early result suggests, regarding to tensile property, that long-term - 20 degree C frozen cartilages corresponds to glycerolised costal cartilages irradiated with 25 kGy or deep-frozen cartilages irradiated with 25 and 50 kGy. Thus, this long-term frozen cartilages may be used for tissue banks, but more studies about effects of ionizing radiation are necessary. (author)

  12. Transplantation of cryopreserved allogeneic bone marrow after its long-term storage to lethally irradiated dogs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Novikova, N.N.; Fedotenkov, A.G.; Sukyasyan, G.V.; Timakova, L.A.

    1982-01-01

    The study of the dog bone marrow preserved at -196 deg C during 6-12 years has shown that in the body of lethally irradiated animals (8Gy), due to the antigenic difference in the tissues of the donor and the irradiated recipients, the cells of cryopreserved allogeneic bone marrow were differentiated by the lymphoid type similar to that observed in transplantation of freshly prepared myelocaryocytes. However, their proliferative activity in the period of active lymphocyte transformation was quantitatively less manifest than in freshly transplanted cells. The results of the study evidence that the bone marrow cells cryopreserved during 6-12 years retain their functional activity

  13. Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Long-Term Memory in Healthy Humans: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brambilla, Michela; Manenti, Rosa; de Girolamo, Giovanni; Adenzato, Mauro; Bocchio-Chiavetto, Luisella; Cotelli, Maria

    2016-12-01

    Preclinical Research The neuropeptide oxytocin (Oxt) is implicated in complex emotional and social behaviors and appears to play an important role in learning and memory. Animal studies have shown that the effects of exogenous Oxt on memory vary according to the timing of administration, context, gender, and dose and may improve the memory of social, but not nonsocial stimuli. Oxt is intimately involved in a broad array of neuropsychiatric functions and may therefore be a pharmacological target for several psychiatric disorders. This review summarizes the potential effects of Oxt on long-term memory processes in healthy humans based on a PubMed search over the period 1980-2016. The effects of intranasal Oxt on human memory are controversial and the studies included in this review have applied a variety of learning paradigms, in turn producing variable outcomes. Specifically, data on the long-term memory of nonemotional stimuli found no effect or even worsening in memory, while studies using emotional stimuli showed an improvement of long-term memory performance. In conclusion, this review identified a link between long-term memory performance and exogenous intranasal Oxt in humans, although these results still warrant further confirmation in large, multicenter randomized controlled trials. Drug Dev Res 77 : 479-488, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Amyloid Deposition in Transplanted Human Pancreatic Islets: A Conceivable Cause of Their Long-Term Failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arne Andersson

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Following the encouraging report of the Edmonton group, there was a rejuvenation of the islet transplantation field. After that, more pessimistic views spread when long-term results of the clinical outcome were published. A progressive loss of the β-cell function meant that almost all patients were back on insulin therapy after 5 years. More than 10 years ago, we demonstrated that amyloid deposits rapidly formed in human islets and in mouse islets transgenic for human IAPP when grafted into nude mice. It is, therefore, conceivable to consider amyloid formation as one potential candidate for the long-term failure. The present paper reviews attempts in our laboratories to elucidate the dynamics of and mechanisms behind the formation of amyloid in transplanted islets with special emphasis on the impact of long-term hyperglycemia.

  15. Long-term constraints on human activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lovins, A. B.

    1976-04-01

    Biophysical and other ''outer limits'' of food, land, water, climatic change, stratospheric chemistry, energy, hazardous substances, non-fuel minerals, human stress, and social and ecological stability raise fundamental questions about present trends in management methods and in global organization. The diverse outer limits reflect complex, poorly perceived, and often unsuspected, interconnections between numerous biological and geophysical processes, many of which are obscure or still unknown. Our lack of predictive power, let alone of quantitative understanding, implies a need to treat essential life-support systems with great caution and forbearance, lest we erode safety margins whose importance we do not yet appreciate. Even those outer limits which now seem remote are relevant to present policy, as their timely avoidance may require us to discard otherwise attractive short-term policies in favor of others that offer less immediate advantage but that retain options which may be needed later. Such alternative policies may have to rely more on social than on technical innovation in order to address underlying disequilibria rather than merely palliating their symptoms. Moreover, some outer limits are sufficiently imminent, or require such long lead-times to avoid, that fundamental changes in policy, in institutions, and in the degree of global interdependence, seem necessary if we are to live to enjoy some of the later and more interesting limits to human activity.

  16. Yeast-2-Hybrid data file showing progranulin interactions in human fetal brain and bone marrow libraries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tegeder, Irmgard

    2016-12-01

    Progranulin deficiency in humans is associated with neurodegeneration. Its mechanisms are not yet fully understood. We performed a Yeast-2-Hybrid screen using human full-length progranulin as bait to assess the interactions of progranulin. Progranulin was screened against human fetal brain and human bone marrow libraries using the standard Matchmaker technology (Clontech). This article contains the full Y2H data table, including blast results and sequences, a sorted table according to selection criteria for likely positive, putatively positive, likely false and false preys, and tables showing the gene ontology terms associated with the likely and putative preys of the brain and bone marrow libraries. The interactions with autophagy proteins were confirmed and functionally analyzed in "Progranulin overexpression in sensory neurons attenuates neuropathic pain in mice: Role of autophagy" (C. Altmann, S. Hardt, C. Fischer, J. Heidler, H.Y. Lim, A. Haussler, B. Albuquerque, B. Zimmer, C. Moser, C. Behrends, F. Koentgen, I. Wittig, M.H. Schmidt, A.M. Clement, T. Deller, I. Tegeder, 2016) [1].

  17. Reframing Photographic Research Methods in Human Geography: A Long-Term Reflection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Tim

    2015-01-01

    This paper offers a long-term reflection on the introduction of a photographic research project into a third-year undergraduate Human Geography module. The findings indicate that, whilst the students valued the project, it did impact on their overall performance, their evaluation of the module and the ways in which they spoke about it. The paper…

  18. Immune Humanization of Immunodeficient Mice Using Diagnostic Bone Marrow Aspirates from Carcinoma Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werner-Klein, Melanie; Proske, Judith; Werno, Christian; Schneider, Katharina; Hofmann, Hans-Stefan; Rack, Brigitte; Buchholz, Stefan; Ganzer, Roman; Blana, Andreas; Seelbach-Göbel, Birgit; Nitsche, Ulrich

    2014-01-01

    Tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice, while routinely used in cancer research, preclude studying interactions of immune and cancer cells or, if humanized by allogeneic immune cells, are of limited use for tumor-immunological questions. Here, we explore a novel way to generate cancer models with an autologous humanized immune system. We demonstrate that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow aspirates of non-metastasized carcinoma patients, which are taken at specialized centers for diagnostic purposes, can be used to generate a human immune system in NOD-scid IL2rγ(null) (NSG) and HLA-I expressing NSG mice (NSG-HLA-A2/HHD) comprising both, lymphoid and myeloid cell lineages. Using NSG-HLA-A2/HHD mice, we show that responsive and self-tolerant human T cells develop and human antigen presenting cells can activate human T cells. As critical factors we identified the low potential of bone marrow HSPCs to engraft, generally low HSPC numbers in patient-derived bone marrow samples, cryopreservation and routes of cell administration. We provide here an optimized protocol that uses a minimum number of HSPCs, preselects high-quality bone marrow samples defined by the number of initially isolated leukocytes and intra-femoral or intra-venous injection. In conclusion, the use of diagnostic bone marrow aspirates from non-metastasized carcinoma patients for the immunological humanization of immunodeficient mice is feasible and opens the chance for individualized analyses of anti-tumoral T cell responses. PMID:24830425

  19. Immune humanization of immunodeficient mice using diagnostic bone marrow aspirates from carcinoma patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melanie Werner-Klein

    Full Text Available Tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice, while routinely used in cancer research, preclude studying interactions of immune and cancer cells or, if humanized by allogeneic immune cells, are of limited use for tumor-immunological questions. Here, we explore a novel way to generate cancer models with an autologous humanized immune system. We demonstrate that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs from bone marrow aspirates of non-metastasized carcinoma patients, which are taken at specialized centers for diagnostic purposes, can be used to generate a human immune system in NOD-scid IL2rγ(null (NSG and HLA-I expressing NSG mice (NSG-HLA-A2/HHD comprising both, lymphoid and myeloid cell lineages. Using NSG-HLA-A2/HHD mice, we show that responsive and self-tolerant human T cells develop and human antigen presenting cells can activate human T cells. As critical factors we identified the low potential of bone marrow HSPCs to engraft, generally low HSPC numbers in patient-derived bone marrow samples, cryopreservation and routes of cell administration. We provide here an optimized protocol that uses a minimum number of HSPCs, preselects high-quality bone marrow samples defined by the number of initially isolated leukocytes and intra-femoral or intra-venous injection. In conclusion, the use of diagnostic bone marrow aspirates from non-metastasized carcinoma patients for the immunological humanization of immunodeficient mice is feasible and opens the chance for individualized analyses of anti-tumoral T cell responses.

  20. Confluence of arts, humanities, and science at sites of long-term ecological inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frederick J. Swanson

    2015-01-01

    Over the past century, ecology, the arts, and humanities diverged, but are now converging again, especially at sites of long-term, place-based ecological inquiry. This convergence has been inspired in part by the works of creative, boundary-spanning individuals and the long-standing examples of artshumanities programs in intriguing landscapes, such as artist and writer...

  1. Establishing long-term cultures with self-renewing acute myeloid leukemia stem/progenitor cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Gosliga, Djoke; Schepers, Hein; Rizo, Aleksandra; van der Kolk, Dorina; Vellenga, Edo; Schuringa, Jan Jacob

    2007-01-01

    Objective. With the emergence of the concept of the leukemia stem cell, assays to study them remain pivotal in understanding (leukemic) stem cell biology. Methods. We have cultured acute myeloid leukemia CD34(+) cells on bone marrow stroma. Long-term expansion was monitored and self-renewal was

  2. Human Endothelial Cells: Use of Heparin in Cloning and Long-Term Serial Cultivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornton, Susan C.; Mueller, Stephen N.; Levine, Elliot M.

    1983-11-01

    Endothelial cells from human blood vessels were cultured in vitro, with doubling times of 17 to 21 hours for 42 to 79 population doublings. Cloned human endothelial cell strains were established for the first time and had similar proliferative capacities. This vigorous cell growth was achieved by addition of heparin to culture medium containing reduced concentrations of endothelial cell growth factor. The routine cloning and long-term culture of human endothelial cells will facilitate studying the human endothelium in vitro.

  3. Long-term expansion of epithelial organoids from human colon, adenoma, adenocarcinoma, and Barrett's epithelium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Toshiro; Stange, Daniel E; Ferrante, Marc; Vries, Robert G J; Van Es, Johan H; Van den Brink, Stieneke; Van Houdt, Winan J; Pronk, Apollo; Van Gorp, Joost; Siersema, Peter D; Clevers, Hans

    2011-11-01

    We previously established long-term culture conditions under which single crypts or stem cells derived from mouse small intestine expand over long periods. The expanding crypts undergo multiple crypt fission events, simultaneously generating villus-like epithelial domains that contain all differentiated types of cells. We have adapted the culture conditions to grow similar epithelial organoids from mouse colon and human small intestine and colon. Based on the mouse small intestinal culture system, we optimized the mouse and human colon culture systems. Addition of Wnt3A to the combination of growth factors applied to mouse colon crypts allowed them to expand indefinitely. Addition of nicotinamide, along with a small molecule inhibitor of Alk and an inhibitor of p38, were required for long-term culture of human small intestine and colon tissues. The culture system also allowed growth of mouse Apc-deficient adenomas, human colorectal cancer cells, and human metaplastic epithelia from regions of Barrett's esophagus. We developed a technology that can be used to study infected, inflammatory, or neoplastic tissues from the human gastrointestinal tract. These tools might have applications in regenerative biology through ex vivo expansion of the intestinal epithelia. Studies of these cultures indicate that there is no inherent restriction in the replicative potential of adult stem cells (or a Hayflick limit) ex vivo. Copyright © 2011 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Long-term selenium status in humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baskett, C.K.; Spate, V.L.; Mason, M.M.; Nichols, T.A.; Williams, A.; Dubman, I.M.; Gudino, A.; Denison, J.; Morris, J.S.

    2001-01-01

    The association of sub-optimal selenium status with increased risk factors for some cancers has been reported in two recent epidemiological studies. In both studies the same threshold in selenium status was observed, below which, cancer incidence increased. To assess the use of nails as a biologic monitor to measure the long-term selenium status, an eight-year longitudinal study was undertaken with a group of 11 adult subjects, 5 women and 6 men. Selenium has been measured by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Differences between fingernails and toenails with be discussed. In addition, the results will be discussed in the context of the long-term stability of the nail monitor to measure selenium status during those periods when selenium determinants are static; and the changes that occur as a result of selenium supplementation. (author)

  5. Bone and bone marrow function of reconstructed chest wall after surgical correction of pectus excavatum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Yoh; Magara, Tatsuo; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Ichihashi, Takumi; Hikishima, Hiroshi

    1984-01-01

    Bone and Bone marrow functions of the reconstructed chest wall after surgical correction of the funnel chest deformities were evaluated by scanning method. In our series, three kinds of operative procedures were employed; strut method for adult cases, sternal turnover method with and without muscle pedicle for infant cases. Bone function was scanned by sup(99m)Tc-methylene-diphosphonate and bone marrow function was evaluated by sup(99m)Tc-sulfur-colloid. For the cases undergone each surgical procedure, bone and bone marrow scan were done at short term after surgery (within 30 days), at intermediate stage (one month to 12 months), and at long term stage (beyond one year). The results were as follows: By the evaluation at the long term stage of the cases undergoing strut method, bone as well as bone marrow scan visualized normal view of the reconstructed sternum. Regarding the cases undergone sternal turnover method without muscle pedicle, or free graft implantation of the plastron, the bone scan at the long term follow-up stage showed abnormal finding, i.e. hypo-, or defect-visualization of the inverted sternum, in 11.5% of the cases. Furthermore, bone marrow scan showed abnormality in 33.3% of the cases. On the other hand, the cases undergone sternal turnover method with muscle pedicle, in which blood supply to the plastron were preserved by the connection from superior epigastric artery to internal mammary artery, showed no abnormality as far as at the long term follow-up study neither in bone scan nor bone marrow scan. However, in the evaluation at short term after surgery, 50% of the cases undergoing bone scan showed abnormality. In addition, in this stage 85.7% of the bone marrow scan showed abnormal finding. These abnormality, however, normalized within 6 months for bone scan and 12 months for bone marrow scan, in contrast to the results of the cases undergone sternal turnover without pedicle. (J.P.N.)

  6. Hyaline cartilage regeneration by combined therapy of microfracture and long-term bone morphogenetic protein-2 delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Hee Seok; La, Wan-Geun; Bhang, Suk Ho; Kim, Hak-Jun; Im, Gun-Il; Lee, Haeshin; Park, Jung-Ho; Kim, Byung-Soo

    2011-07-01

    Microfracture of cartilage induces migration of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. However, this treatment often results in fibrocartilage regeneration. Growth factors such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 induce the differentiation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into chondrocytes, which can be used for hyaline cartilage regeneration. Here, we tested the hypothesis that long-term delivery of BMP-2 to cartilage defects subjected to microfracture results in regeneration of high-quality hyaline-like cartilage, as opposed to short-term delivery of BMP-2 or no BMP-2 delivery. Heparin-conjugated fibrin (HCF) and normal fibrin were used as carriers for the long- and short-term delivery of BMP-2, respectively. Rabbit articular cartilage defects were treated with microfracture combined with one of the following: no treatment, fibrin, short-term delivery of BMP-2, HCF, or long-term delivery of BMP-2. Eight weeks after treatment, histological analysis revealed that the long-term delivery of BMP-2 group (microfracture + HCF + BMP-2) showed the most staining with alcian blue. A biochemical assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction assay and Western blot analysis all revealed that the long-term delivery of BMP-2 group had the highest glucosaminoglycan content as well as the highest expression level of collagen type II. Taken together, the long-term delivery of BMP-2 to cartilage defects subjected to microfracture resulted in regeneration of hyaline-like cartilage, as opposed to short-term delivery or no BMP-2 delivery. Therefore, this method could be more convenient for hyaline cartilage regeneration than autologous chondrocyte implantation due to its less invasive nature and lack of cell implantation.

  7. Frequency of chromosomal aberrations in rat myelocaryocytes during long-term repeated irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uryadnitskaya, T.I.; Sukhodoev, V.V.; Muksinova, K.N.

    1977-01-01

    In the course of a long-term daily irradiation of rats (50R/day), the frequency of chromosome aberrations in the bone marrow cells increased disproportionally to a total radiation dose which was due to the reduced frequency of chromosome damage at the intervals between daily exposures. The rate of this reduction was mainly determined by myelocaryocyte proliferation

  8. Nucleic acid metabolism in hemopoietic tissues of polycythemic rats during long-term fractionated irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mushkacheva, G.S.; Murzina, L.D.

    1980-01-01

    A study was made of the effect of long-term fractionated exposure with a daily dose of 50 R on the nucleic acid metabolism in hemopoietic tissues (bone marrow and spleen) of rats with erythropoiesis selectively inhibited by posttransfusion polycythemia. The comparison of present and previously obtained results enables us to conclude that the pathways of changes in the nucleic acid metabolism, which is responsible for hemopoiesis compensation during long-term exposure, are, in the main, similar for both white and red compartments of hemopoiesis

  9. [Progesterone Promotes Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Synthesize Fibronectin via ERK Pathway].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Zhen-Yong; Chen, Jing-Li; Huang, Shu; Zhang, Hui; Wang, Fang; Wang, Yan; Bi, Xiao-Yun; Guo, Zi-Kuan

    2015-12-01

    To investigate whether the progesterone can promote fibronection (FN) synthesis by human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and to explore the potential underlying mechanism. The human bone marrow MSCs were cultured in a serum-free medium with progesterone for 72 hours, the MTT test was performed to observe the proliferation status and adhension ability of the treated cells. Western blot was used to detect the content of FN in MSDs with GAPDH as the internal reference, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, as well as the FN content in MSC treated by PD98059, a specific inhibitor of ERK1/2. The progesterone at a range of certain doses not effect on the proliferation of human bone marrow MSCs. Progesterone (25 µg/L) treatment enhanced the FN expression and adherent ability of marrow MSCs. Progesterone could induce prompt phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 and its promoting effects on FN synthesis was reversed by PD98059. The progesterone can promote FN synthesis by human bone marrow MSCs via ERK 1/2 pathway, and it might be used to culture MSCs in serum-free medium.

  10. Modeling Marrow Failure and MDS for Novel Therapeutics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-03-01

    syndrome (MDS) and leukemia is also markedly elevated in patients with inherited marrow failure syndromes compared to age-matched controls. Prognosis of...Novel Therapeutics W81XWH-16-1-0054 1. Introduction Clonal evolution is a potentially life threatening long-term complication of inherited and...The risk of early progression to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and leukemia is also markedly elevated in patients with inherited marrow failure

  11. Continuous Timescale Long-Short Term Memory Neural Network for Human Intent Understanding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhibin Yu

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Understanding of human intention by observing a series of human actions has been a challenging task. In order to do so, we need to analyze longer sequences of human actions related with intentions and extract the context from the dynamic features. The multiple timescales recurrent neural network (MTRNN model, which is believed to be a kind of solution, is a useful tool for recording and regenerating a continuous signal for dynamic tasks. However, the conventional MTRNN suffers from the vanishing gradient problem which renders it impossible to be used for longer sequence understanding. To address this problem, we propose a new model named Continuous Timescale Long-Short Term Memory (CTLSTM in which we inherit the multiple timescales concept into the Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM recurrent neural network (RNN that addresses the vanishing gradient problem. We design an additional recurrent connection in the LSTM cell outputs to produce a time-delay in order to capture the slow context. Our experiments show that the proposed model exhibits better context modeling ability and captures the dynamic features on multiple large dataset classification tasks. The results illustrate that the multiple timescales concept enhances the ability of our model to handle longer sequences related with human intentions and hence proving to be more suitable for complex tasks, such as intention recognition.

  12. Yeast-2-Hybrid data file showing progranulin interactions in human fetal brain and bone marrow libraries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irmgard Tegeder

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Progranulin deficiency in humans is associated with neurodegeneration. Its mechanisms are not yet fully understood. We performed a Yeast-2-Hybrid screen using human full-length progranulin as bait to assess the interactions of progranulin. Progranulin was screened against human fetal brain and human bone marrow libraries using the standard Matchmaker technology (Clontech. This article contains the full Y2H data table, including blast results and sequences, a sorted table according to selection criteria for likely positive, putatively positive, likely false and false preys, and tables showing the gene ontology terms associated with the likely and putative preys of the brain and bone marrow libraries. The interactions with autophagy proteins were confirmed and functionally analyzed in "Progranulin overexpression in sensory neurons attenuates neuropathic pain in mice: Role of autophagy" (C. Altmann, S. Hardt, C. Fischer, J. Heidler, H.Y. Lim, A. Haussler, B. Albuquerque, B. Zimmer, C. Moser, C. Behrends, F. Koentgen, I. Wittig, M.H. Schmidt, A.M. Clement, T. Deller, I. Tegeder, 2016 [1].

  13. High-dose total-body irradiation and autologous marrow reconstitution in dogs: dose-rate-related acute toxicity and fractionation-dependent long-term survival

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deeg, H.J.; Storb, R.; Weiden, P.L.; Schumacher, D.; Shulman, H.; Graham, T.; Thomas, E.D.

    1981-01-01

    Beagle dogs treated by total-body irradiation (TBI) were given autologous marrow grafts in order to avoid death from marrow toxicity. Acute and delayed non-marrow toxicities of high single-dose (27 dogs) and fractionated TBI (20 dogs) delivered at 0.05 or 0.1 Gy/min were compared. Fractionated TBI was given in increments of 2 Gy every 6 hr for three increments per day. Acute toxicity and early mortality (<1 month) at identical total irradiation doses were comparable for dogs given fractionated or single-dose TBI. With single-dose TBI, 14, 16, and 18 Gy, respectively, given at 0.05 Gy/min, 0/5, 5/5, and 2/2 dogs died from acute toxicity; with 10, 12, and 14 Gy, respectively, given at 0.1 Gy/min, 1/5, 4/5, and 5/5 dogs died acutely. With fractionated TBI, 14 and 16 Gy, respectively, given at 0.1 Gy/min, 1/5, 4/5, and 2/2 dogs died auctely. Early deaths were due to radiation enteritis with or without associated septicemia (29 dogs; less than or equal to Day 10). Three dogs given 10 Gy of TBI at 0.1 Gy/min died from bacterial pneumonia; one (Day 18) had been given fractionated and two (Days 14, 22) single-dose TBI. Fifteen dogs survived beyond 1 month; eight of these had single-dose TBI (10-14 Gy) and all died within 7 months of irradiation from a syndrome consisting of hepatic damage, pancreatic fibrosis, malnutrition, wasting, and anemia. Seven of the 15 had fractionated TBI, and only one (14 Gy) died on Day 33 from hepatic failure, whereas 6 (10-14 Gy) are alive and well 250 to 500 days after irradiation. In conclusion, fractionated TBI did not offer advantages over single-dose TBI with regard to acute toxicity and early mortality; rather, these were dependent upon the total dose of TBI. The total acutely tolerated dose was dependent upon the exposure rate; however, only dogs given fractionated TBI became healthy long-term survivors

  14. Co-cultured hBMSCs and HUVECs on human bio-derived bone scaffolds provide support for the long-term ex vivo culture of HSC/HPCs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xiaobing; Li, Chenglong; Zhu, Biao; Wang, Hailian; Luo, Xiangwei; Wei, Lingling

    2016-05-01

    In order to closely mimic a multi-cell state in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC/HPCs) vascular niche, we co-cultured human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) without any cytokines as feeder cells and applied bio-derived bone from human femoral metaphyseal portion as scaffold to develop a new HSC/HPCs three-dimensional culture system (named 3D-Mix cultures). Scanning electron and fluorescent microscopy showed excellent biocompatibility of bio-derived bone to hBMSCs and HUVECs in vitro. Flow cytometry analysis and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay of p21 expression demonstrated that 3D-Mix could promote self-renewal and ex vivo expansion of HSCs/HPCs significantly higher than 3D-hMSC and 3D-HUVEC. Long-term culture initiating cell (LTC-IC) confirmed that 3D-Mix had the most powerful activity of maintaining multipotent differentiation of primitive cell subpopulation in HSCs. The nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) repopulating cell (SRC) assay demonstrated that 3D-Mix promoted the expansion of long-term primitive transplantable HSCs. qPCR of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OC) demonstrated that HUVECs enhanced the early osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Western blot and qPCR revealed that HUVECs activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling in hBMSCs inducing Notch signal activation in HSCs. Our study indicated that interaction between hMSCs and HUVECs may have a critical role in to influent on HSCs/HPCs fate in vitro. These results demonstrated that the 3D-Mix have the ability to support the maintenance and proliferation of HSCs/HPCs in vitro. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Effects of Long Term Antibiotic Therapy on Human Oral and Fecal Viromes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abeles, Shira R; Ly, Melissa; Santiago-Rodriguez, Tasha M; Pride, David T

    2015-01-01

    Viruses are integral members of the human microbiome. Many of the viruses comprising the human virome have been identified as bacteriophage, and little is known about how they respond to perturbations within the human ecosystem. The intimate association of phage with their cellular hosts suggests their communities may change in response to shifts in bacterial community membership. Alterations to human bacterial biota can result in human disease including a reduction in the host's resilience to pathogens. Here we report the ecology of oral and fecal viral communities and their responses to long-term antibiotic therapy in a cohort of human subjects. We found significant differences between the viral communities of each body site with a more heterogeneous fecal virus community compared with viruses in saliva. We measured the relative diversity of viruses, and found that the oral viromes were significantly more diverse than fecal viromes. There were characteristic changes in the membership of oral and fecal bacterial communities in response to antibiotics, but changes in fecal viral communities were less distinguishing. In the oral cavity, an abundance of papillomaviruses found in subjects on antibiotics suggests an association between antibiotics and papillomavirus production. Despite the abundance of papillomaviruses identified, in neither the oral nor the fecal viromes did antibiotic therapy have any significant impact upon overall viral diversity. There was, however, an apparent expansion of the reservoir of genes putatively involved in resistance to numerous classes of antibiotics in fecal viromes that was not paralleled in oral viromes. The emergence of antibiotic resistance in fecal viromes in response to long-term antibiotic therapy in humans suggests that viruses play an important role in the resilience of human microbial communities to antibiotic disturbances.

  16. LONG-LIVED BONE MARROW PLASMA CELLS DURING IMMUNE RESPONSE TO ALPHA (1→3 DEXTRAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. N. Chernyshova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Production kinetics and some functional properties of long-lived marrow plasma cells were studied in mice immunized with T-independent type 2 antigens. Alpha (1→3 dextran was used as an antigen for immunization. The mice were immunized by dextran, and the numbers of IgM antibody producing cells were determined by ELISPOT method. The cell phenotype was determined by cytofluorimetric technique. In the area of normal bone marrow lymphocytes ~4% of T and ~85% of B cells were detected. About 35% of the cells expressed a plasmocyte marker (CD138; 3% were CD138+IgM+, and about 6% of the lymphocytes were double-positive for CD138+IgA+. Among spleen lymphocytes, 50% of T and 47% of B cells were detected. About 1.5% lymphocytes were CD138+, and 0.5% were positive for CD138 and IgM. Time kinetics of antibody-producing cells in bone marrow and spleen was different. In spleen populations, the peak amounts of antibody-secreting cells have been shown on the day 4; the process abated by the day 28. Vice versa, the numbers of the antibody-producing cells in bone marrow started to increase on the day 4. The process reached its maximum on day 14, and after 28th day became stationary. The in vitro experiments have shown that supplementation of bone marrow cells from immune mice with dextran did not influence their functional activity. It was previously shown for cells responding to T-dependent antigens only. A specific marker for the long-lived plasma cells is still unknown. However, these cells possess a common CD138 marker specific for all plasma cells. A method for isolation of bone marrow CD138+ cells was developed. The CD138+ cells were of 87-97% purity, being enriched in long-lived bone marrow cells, and produced monospecific antibodies.

  17. Long-term injury in B-lymphocyte precursor cells in repeatedly-irradiated mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendry, J.H.; Clarke, D.; Testa, N.; Kimber, J.

    1984-01-01

    Mice irradiated with 4 doses of 4,5 Gy X-rays at 3-week intervals, demonstrated long-term proliferative defects in B lymphocytes. There was a reduced mitogenic response to bacterial polysaccharide (30%), a lower concentration (35%) of B-lymphocyte colony-forming cells (BL-CFC) in agar with an increased proportion of clusters (x2), and a reduced concentration (30%) of plaque-forming cells. Grafts of thymocytes were able to restore the levels of BL-CFC in the short term, but in the long term large grafts of femoral marrow cells were much better in restoring the numbers of BL-CFC. The reduced mitogenesis (25%) of splenocytes by concanavalin A and the diminished number of plaque-forming cells, may suggest persistent injury in T-B cell cooperation

  18. Differential Secondary Reconstitution of In Vivo-Selected Human SCID-Repopulating Cells in NOD/SCID versus NOD/SCID/γ chainnull Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shanbao Cai

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Humanized bone-marrow xenograft models that can monitor the long-term impact of gene-therapy strategies will help facilitate evaluation of clinical utility. The ability of the murine bone-marrow microenvironment in NOD/SCID versus NOD/SCID/γ chainnull mice to support long-term engraftment of MGMTP140K-transduced human-hematopoietic cells following alkylator-mediated in vivo selection was investigated. Mice were transplanted with MGMTP140K-transduced CD34+ cells and transduced cells selected in vivo. At 4 months after transplantation, levels of human-cell engraftment, and MGMTP140K-transduced cells in the bone marrow of NOD/SCID versus NSG mice varied slightly in vehicle- and drug-treated mice. In secondary transplants, although equal numbers of MGMTP140K-transduced human cells were transplanted, engraftment was significantly higher in NOD/SCID/γ chainnull mice compared to NOD/SCID mice at 2 months after transplantation. These data indicate that reconstitution of NOD/SCID/γ chainnull mice with human-hematopoietic cells represents a more promising model in which to test for genotoxicity and efficacy of strategies that focus on manipulation of long-term repopulating cells of human origin.

  19. In vitro generation of long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells by fibroblast growth factor-1

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Haan, G; Weersing, E; Dontje, B; van Os, R; Bystrykh, LV; Vellenga, E; Miller, G

    The role of fibroblast growth factors and their receptors (FGFRs) in the regulation of normal hematopoietic stem cells is unknown. Here we show that, in mouse bone marrow, long-term repopulating stem cells are found exclusively in the FGFR(+) cell fraction. During differentiation toward committed

  20. Preservation of Bone-Marrow Cells, Leucocytes and Platelets at Low Temperatures. A Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ashwood-Smith, M. J. [Medical Research Council, Radiobiological Research Unit, Harwell, Berks. (United Kingdom)

    1969-07-15

    The basic principles of cryobiology are discussed and applications of these principles by numerous workers in attempts to preserve marrow cells, leucocytes and platelets at low temperatures are reviewed. It is concluded that: (1) Lymphocytes from animals and man can be stored for long periods of time at low temperatures when cooled slowly in 10-15% DMSO or glycerol and thawed rapidly. Recovery figures are high and function is intact and unaltered. DMSO is probably a better preservative than glycerol, and storage life at -196 Degree-Sign C is probably indefinite for all practical purposes. Other leucocytes can be stored with similar techniques but recoveries after freezing and thawing are probably lower than with lymphocytes. (2) Bone-marrow cells of several animals including mouse, rabbit and dog can be preserved at -196 Degree-Sign C, probably indefinitely, and similar procedures to those used for lymphocytes give the best results. The comprehensive studies of Lewis and Trobaugh indicate that under carefully controlled conditions 95% of the stem cells in mouse marrow are viable after freezing and thawing. Opinions are divided over the efficacy of the two preservatives, DMSO and glycerol, but in view of the well documented accounts of the lack of toxicity of glycerol it would seem advisable for the moment to use this agent with all human marrow samples. The usefulness of PVP as a preservative for marrow is still to be resolved. Human marrow after freezing and thawing probably behaves in a similar manner to mouse marrow both in vitro and in vivo. However, it would be wise to consider that there might be differences which could cause wrong assessments of freezing procedures. (3) Platelet preservation, clinically perhaps the most useful procedure discussed in this review, is still to a large extent in the experimental stage. Much work has been done but even the best methods available permit relatively low recoveries of viable platelets. Preservation of human platelets

  1. Bone-marrow densitometry: Assessment of marrow space of human vertebrae by single energy high resolution-quantitative computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peña, Jaime A.; Damm, Timo; Bastgen, Jan; Barkmann, Reinhard; Glüer, Claus C.; Thomsen, Felix; Campbell, Graeme M.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Accurate noninvasive assessment of vertebral bone marrow fat fraction is important for diagnostic assessment of a variety of disorders and therapies known to affect marrow composition. Moreover, it provides a means to correct fat-induced bias of single energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT) based bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. The authors developed new segmentation and calibration methods to obtain quantitative surrogate measures of marrow-fat density in the axial skeleton. Methods: The authors developed and tested two high resolution-QCT (HR-QCT) based methods which permit segmentation of bone voids in between trabeculae hypothesizing that they are representative of bone marrow space. The methods permit calculation of marrow content in units of mineral equivalent marrow density (MeMD). The first method is based on global thresholding and peeling (GTP) to define a volume of interest away from the transition between trabecular bone and marrow. The second method, morphological filtering (MF), uses spherical elements of different radii (0.1–1.2 mm) and automatically places them in between trabeculae to identify regions with large trabecular interspace, the bone-void space. To determine their performance, data were compared ex vivo to high-resolution peripheral CT (HR-pQCT) images as the gold-standard. The performance of the methods was tested on a set of excised human vertebrae with intact bone marrow tissue representative of an elderly population with low BMD. Results: 86% (GTP) and 87% (MF) of the voxels identified as true marrow space on HR-pQCT images were correctly identified on HR-QCT images and thus these volumes of interest can be considered to be representative of true marrow space. Within this volume, MeMD was estimated with residual errors of 4.8 mg/cm 3 corresponding to accuracy errors in fat fraction on the order of 5% both for GTP and MF methods. Conclusions: The GTP and MF methods on HR-QCT images permit noninvasive

  2. Granulocyte-mobilized bone marrow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arcese, William; De Angelis, Gottardo; Cerretti, Raffaella

    2012-11-01

    In the last few years, mobilized peripheral blood has overcome bone marrow as a graft source, but, despite the evidence of a more rapid engraftment, the incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease is significantly higher with, consequently, more transplant-related mortality on the long follow-up. Overall, the posttransplant outcome of mobilized peripheral blood recipients is similar to that of patients who are bone marrow grafted. More recently, the use of bone marrow after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) donor priming has been introduced in the transplant practice. Herein, we review biological acquisitions and clinical results on the use of G-CSF-primed bone marrow as a source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. G-CSF the increases the HSC compartment and exerts an intense immunoregulatory effect on marrow T-cells resulting in the shift from Th1 to Th2 phenotype with higher production of anti-inflammatory cytokines. The potential advantages of these biological effects have been translated in the clinical practice by using G-CSF primed unmanipulated bone marrow in the setting of transplant from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical donor with highly encouraging results. For patients lacking an HLA-identical sibling, the transplant of G-CSF primed unmanipulated bone marrow from a haploidentical donor combined with an intense in-vivo immunosuppression is a valid alternative achieving results that are well comparable with those reported for umbilical cord blood, HLA-matched unrelated peripheral blood/bone marrow or T-cell-depleted haploidentical transplant.

  3. Long-term culture and differentiation of porcine red bone marrow hematopoietic cells co-cultured with immortalized mesenchymal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garba, Abubakar; Acar, Delphine D; Roukaerts, Inge D M; Desmarets, Lowiese M B; Devriendt, Bert; Nauwynck, Hans J

    2017-09-01

    Mesenchymal cells are multipotent stromal cells with self-renewal, differentiation and immunomodulatory capabilities. We aimed to develop a co-culture model for differentiating hematopoietic cells on top of immortalized mesenchymal cells for studying interactions between hematopoietic and mesenchymal cells, useful for adequately exploring the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal cells. In this study, we investigated the survival, proliferation and differentiation of porcine red bone marrow hematopoietic cells co-cultured with immortalized porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells for a period of five weeks. Directly after collection, primary porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells adhered firmly to the bottom of the culture plates and showed a fibroblast-like appearance, one week after isolation. Upon immortalization, porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells were continuously proliferating. They were positive for simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen and the mesenchymal cell markers CD44 and CD55. Isolated red bone marrow cells were added to these immortalized mesenchymal cells. Five weeks post-seeding, 92±6% of the red bone marrow hematopoietic cells were still alive and their number increased 3-fold during five weekly subpassages on top of the immortalized mesenchymal cells. The red bone marrow hematopoietic cells were originally small and round; later, the cells increased in size. Some of them became elongated, while others remained round. Tiny dendrites appeared attaching hematopoietic cells to the underlying immortalized mesenchymal cells. Furthermore, weekly differential-quick staining of the cells indicated the presence of monoblasts, monocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes in the co-cultures. At three weeks of co-culture, flow cytometry analysis showed an increased surface expression of CD172a, CD14, CD163, CD169, CD4 and CD8 up to 37±0.8%, 40±8%, 41±4%, 23±3% and 19±5% of the hematopoietic cells, respectively. In conclusion, continuous mesenchymal cell

  4. Changes of the proliferation kinetics of human bone marrow in vivo through hydroxyurea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ertl, E.

    1982-01-01

    A 10-hour oral continuous infusion with hydroxyurea (HU) at a non-toxic concentration was performed in 20 malignoma patients with undisturbed bone marrow. Bone marrow taken before, during and after HU-administration was examined for 3H-TdR incorporation by means of autoradiography and liquid scintimetry, for cell phase distribution by means of flow cytophotometry, morphologically and by means of CFUc. 3H-TdR incorporation into bone marrow cells dropped to 16% of the initial value under HU and rose to 156% 10 h after HU-effect terminated. Cytophotometry did not furnish any proof of a decrease of S-phase cells or increase of cells in G 1 -to-S-transition during HU. S-cells rise to 129% of the initial value 10 h after having fallen below minimum inhibition concentration. Under HU, there is an equal number of cells in S which incorporate much less 3H-thymidine; after HU more S-cells incorporate more 3H-thymidine than before HU. During HU action, DNA synthesis activity is reduced to 17% and reaches the initial value with 105% afterwards. In human bone marrow, hydroxyurea in non-toxic concentration causes a temporary DNA synthesis inhibition in terms of activity reduction and partial arrest in S. A stop-and-go of the cell cycle effected by HU does not occur; the effect is rather a slow-down of DNA synthesis. (orig./MG) [de

  5. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of human sensory-evoked potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirk, Ian J; McNair, Nicolas A; Hamm, Jeffrey P; Clapp, Wesley C; Mathalon, Daniel H; Cavus, Idil; Teyler, Timothy J

    2010-09-01

    Long-term potentiation (LTP) is the principal candidate synaptic mechanism underlying learning and memory, and has been studied extensively at the cellular and molecular level in laboratory animals. Inquiry into the functional significance of LTP has been hindered by the absence of a human model as, until recently, LTP has only been directly demonstrated in humans in isolated cortical tissue obtained from patients undergoing surgery, where it displays properties identical to those seen in non-human preparations. In this brief review, we describe the results of paradigms recently developed in our laboratory for inducing LTP-like changes in visual-, and auditory-evoked potentials. We describe how rapid, repetitive presentation of sensory stimuli leads to a persistent enhancement of components of sensory-evoked potential in normal humans. Experiments to date, investigating the locus, stimulus specificity, and NMDA receptor dependence of these LTP-like changes suggest that they have the essential characteristics of LTP seen in experimental animals. The ability to elicit LTP from non-surgical patients will provide a human model system allowing the detailed examination of synaptic plasticity in normal subjects and may have future clinical applications in the assessment of cognitive disorders. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Functional Maturation of Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons in Long-Term Cultures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca S Lam

    Full Text Available Differentiated neurons can be rapidly acquired, within days, by inducing stem cells to express neurogenic transcription factors. We developed a protocol to maintain long-term cultures of human neurons, called iNGNs, which are obtained by inducing Neurogenin-1 and Neurogenin-2 expression in induced pluripotent stem cells. We followed the functional development of iNGNs over months and they showed many hallmark properties for neuronal maturation, including robust electrical and synaptic activity. Using iNGNs expressing a variant of channelrhodopsin-2, called CatCh, we could control iNGN activity with blue light stimulation. In combination with optogenetic tools, iNGNs offer opportunities for studies that require precise spatial and temporal resolution. iNGNs developed spontaneous network activity, and these networks had excitatory glutamatergic synapses, which we characterized with single-cell synaptic recordings. AMPA glutamatergic receptor activity was especially dominant in postsynaptic recordings, whereas NMDA glutamatergic receptor activity was absent from postsynaptic recordings but present in extrasynaptic recordings. Our results on long-term cultures of iNGNs could help in future studies elucidating mechanisms of human synaptogenesis and neurotransmission, along with the ability to scale-up the size of the cultures.

  7. NOTCH-Mediated Maintenance and Expansion of Human Bone Marrow Stromal/Stem Cells: A Technology Designed for Orthopedic Regenerative Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Yufeng; Long, Teng; Wang, Cuicui; Mirando, Anthony J; Chen, Jianquan; O'Keefe, Regis J; Hilton, Matthew J

    2014-12-01

    Human bone marrow-derived stromal/stem cells (BMSCs) have great therapeutic potential for treating skeletal disease and facilitating skeletal repair, although maintaining their multipotency and expanding these cells ex vivo have proven difficult. Because most stem cell-based applications to skeletal regeneration and repair in the clinic would require large numbers of functional BMSCs, recent research has focused on methods for the appropriate selection, expansion, and maintenance of BMSC populations during long-term culture. We describe here a novel biological method that entails selection of human BMSCs based on NOTCH2 expression and activation of the NOTCH signaling pathway in cultured BMSCs via a tissue culture plate coated with recombinant human JAGGED1 (JAG1) ligand. We demonstrate that transient JAG1-mediated NOTCH signaling promotes human BMSC maintenance and expansion while increasing their skeletogenic differentiation capacity, both ex vivo and in vivo. This study is the first of its kind to describe a NOTCH-mediated methodology for the maintenance and expansion of human BMSCs and will serve as a platform for future clinical or translational studies aimed at skeletal regeneration and repair. ©AlphaMed Press.

  8. Bone marrow contributes to epithelial cancers in mice and humans as developmental mimicry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cogle, Christopher R; Theise, Neil D; Fu, Dongtao; Ucar, Deniz; Lee, Sean; Guthrie, Steven M; Lonergan, Jean; Rybka, Witold; Krause, Diane S; Scott, Edward W

    2007-08-01

    Bone marrow cells have the capacity to contribute to distant organs. We show that marrow also contributes to epithelial neoplasias of the small bowel, colon, and lung, but not the skin. In particular, epithelial neoplasias found in patients after hematopoietic cell transplantations demonstrate that human marrow incorporates into neoplasias by adopting the phenotype of the surrounding neoplastic environment. To more rigorously evaluate marrow contribution to epithelial cancer, we employed mouse models of intestinal and lung neoplasias, which revealed specifically that the hematopoietic stem cell and its progeny incorporate within cancer. Furthermore, this marrow involvement in epithelial cancer does not appear to occur by induction of stable fusion. Whereas previous claims have been made that marrow can serve as a direct source of epithelial neoplasia, our results indicate a more cautionary note, that marrow contributes to cancer as a means of developmental mimicry. Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest is found at the end of this article.

  9. Generation of high-yield insulin producing cells from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jafarian, Arefeh; Taghikhani, Mohammad; Abroun, Saeid; Pourpak, Zahra; Allahverdi, Amir; Soleimani, Masoud

    2014-07-01

    Allogenic islet transplantation is a most efficient approach for treatment of diabetes mellitus. However, the scarcity of islets and long term need for an immunosuppressant limits its application. Recently, cell replacement therapies that generate of unlimited sources of β cells have been developed to overcome these limitations. In this study we have described a stage specific differentiation protocol for the generation of insulin producing islet-like clusters from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). This specific stepwise protocol induced differentiation of hMSCs into definitive endoderm, pancreatic endoderm and pancreatic endocrine cells that expressed of sox17, foxa2, pdx1, ngn3, nkx2.2, insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide, and glut2 transcripts respectively. In addition, immunocytochemical analysis confirmed protein expression of the above mentioned genes. Western blot analysis discriminated insulin from proinsulin in the final differentiated cells. In derived insulin producing cells (IPCs), secreted insulin and C-peptide was in a glucose dependent manner. We have developed a protocol that generates effective high-yield human IPCs from hBM-MSCs in vitro. These finding suggest that functional IPCs generated by this procedure can be used as a cell-based approach for insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

  10. Bone-marrow densitometry: Assessment of marrow space of human vertebrae by single energy high resolution-quantitative computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peña, Jaime A.; Damm, Timo; Bastgen, Jan; Barkmann, Reinhard; Glüer, Claus C., E-mail: glueer@rad.uni-kiel.de [Sektion Biomedizinische Bildgebung, Klinik für Radiologie und Neuroradiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Campus Kiel, Kiel 24118 (Germany); Thomsen, Felix [Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca 8000 (Argentina); Campbell, Graeme M. [Sektion Biomedizinische Bildgebung, Klinik für Radiologie und Neuroradiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Campus Kiel, Kiel 24118, Germany and Institut für Biomechanik, Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg (TUHH), Hamburg 21073 (Germany)

    2016-07-15

    Purpose: Accurate noninvasive assessment of vertebral bone marrow fat fraction is important for diagnostic assessment of a variety of disorders and therapies known to affect marrow composition. Moreover, it provides a means to correct fat-induced bias of single energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT) based bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. The authors developed new segmentation and calibration methods to obtain quantitative surrogate measures of marrow-fat density in the axial skeleton. Methods: The authors developed and tested two high resolution-QCT (HR-QCT) based methods which permit segmentation of bone voids in between trabeculae hypothesizing that they are representative of bone marrow space. The methods permit calculation of marrow content in units of mineral equivalent marrow density (MeMD). The first method is based on global thresholding and peeling (GTP) to define a volume of interest away from the transition between trabecular bone and marrow. The second method, morphological filtering (MF), uses spherical elements of different radii (0.1–1.2 mm) and automatically places them in between trabeculae to identify regions with large trabecular interspace, the bone-void space. To determine their performance, data were compared ex vivo to high-resolution peripheral CT (HR-pQCT) images as the gold-standard. The performance of the methods was tested on a set of excised human vertebrae with intact bone marrow tissue representative of an elderly population with low BMD. Results: 86% (GTP) and 87% (MF) of the voxels identified as true marrow space on HR-pQCT images were correctly identified on HR-QCT images and thus these volumes of interest can be considered to be representative of true marrow space. Within this volume, MeMD was estimated with residual errors of 4.8 mg/cm{sup 3} corresponding to accuracy errors in fat fraction on the order of 5% both for GTP and MF methods. Conclusions: The GTP and MF methods on HR-QCT images permit noninvasive

  11. Leukemia inhibitory factor favours neurogenic differentiation of long-term propagated human midbrain precursor cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Rikke K; Widmer, Hans R; Zimmer, Jens

    2009-01-01

    There is a lot of excitement about the potential use of multipotent neural stem cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the strategy is compromised by the general loss of multipotency and ability to generate neurons after long-term in vitro propagation. In the present study......, human embryonic (5 weeks post-conception) ventral mesencephalic (VM) precursor cells were propagated as neural tissue-spheres (NTS) in epidermal growth factor (EGF; 20 ng/ml) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2; 20 ng/ml). After more than 325 days, the NTS were transferred to media containing either...... EGF+FGF2, EGF+FGF2+heparin or leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF; 10 ng/ml)+FGF2+heparin. Cultures were subsequently propagated for more than 180 days with NTS analyzed at various time-points. Our data show for the first time that human VM neural precursor cells can be long-term propagated as NTS...

  12. Phenotypic and functional characterization of human mammary stem/progenitor cells in long term culture.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Devaveena Dey

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells exhibit close resemblance to normal stem cells in phenotype as well as function. Hence, studying normal stem cell behavior is important in understanding cancer pathogenesis. It has recently been shown that human breast stem cells can be enriched in suspension cultures as mammospheres. However, little is known about the behavior of these cells in long-term cultures. Since extensive self-renewal potential is the hallmark of stem cells, we undertook a detailed phenotypic and functional characterization of human mammospheres over long-term passages. METHODOLOGY: Single cell suspensions derived from human breast 'organoids' were seeded in ultra low attachment plates in serum free media. Resulting primary mammospheres after a week (termed T1 mammospheres were subjected to passaging every 7th day leading to the generation of T2, T3, and T4 mammospheres. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We show that primary mammospheres contain a distinct side-population (SP that displays a CD24(low/CD44(low phenotype, but fails to generate mammospheres. Instead, the mammosphere-initiating potential rests within the CD44(high/CD24(low cells, in keeping with the phenotype of breast cancer-initiating cells. In serial sphere formation assays we find that even though primary (T1 mammospheres show telomerase activity and fourth passage T4 spheres contain label-retaining cells, they fail to initiate new mammospheres beyond T5. With increasing passages, mammospheres showed an increase in smaller sized spheres, reduction in proliferation potential and sphere forming efficiency, and increased differentiation towards the myoepithelial lineage. Significantly, staining for senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity revealed a dramatic increase in the number of senescent cells with passage, which might in part explain the inability to continuously generate mammospheres in culture. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the self-renewal potential of human breast stem cells is

  13. Bone marrow extract as a growth supplement for human iliac apophyseal chondrocyte culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balasubramanian Balakumar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background & objectives: Human bone marrow is rich in various growth factors which may support the chondrocyte growth. This study was conducted to compare the culture characteristics of human growth plate chondrocyte in foetal bovine serum (FBS and human autologous bone marrow extract (BME in monolayer culture. Methods: Iliac crest apophyseal cartilage was harvested from four donors, aged between two and nine years, undergoing hip surgery. Chondrocytes were propagated under two culture conditions, with 10 per cent FBS and 10 per cent autologous BME harvested from the same donors. Cells were harvested at 7, 14 and 21 days to assess viability, morphology, cell count and immunocytochemistry. Results: With an initial seeding density of 2500 cells/cm 2 , the average yield in monolayer cultured with FBS was 3.35 × 10 5 , 5.9 × 10 5 , 14.1 × 10 5 and BME was 0.66 × 10 5 , 1.57 × 10 5 and 3.48 × 10 5 at 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. Viability was 98.21 per cent with FBS and 97.45 per cent with BME at 21 days. In BME supplemented cultures, hyaline phenotype was maintained up to 21 days. The yield was higher in the FBS supplemented group; however, the phenotype could not be maintained by the FBS group as long as BME group. Interpretation & conclusions: Autologous BME was found to be a safer alternative to FBS for human studies. BME could maintain the hyaline phenotype for a longer time. Ways to enhance the cell yield needs to be explored in future studies.

  14. Rotating three-dimensional dynamic culture of adult human bone marrow-derived cells for tissue engineering of hyaline cartilage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakai, Shinsuke; Mishima, Hajime; Ishii, Tomoo; Akaogi, Hiroshi; Yoshioka, Tomokazu; Ohyabu, Yoshimi; Chang, Fei; Ochiai, Naoyuki; Uemura, Toshimasa

    2009-04-01

    The method of constructing cartilage tissue from bone marrow-derived cells in vitro is considered a valuable technique for hyaline cartilage regenerative medicine. Using a rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor developed in a NASA space experiment, we attempted to efficiently construct hyaline cartilage tissue from human bone marrow-derived cells without using a scaffold. Bone marrow aspirates were obtained from the iliac crest of nine patients during orthopedic operation. After their proliferation in monolayer culture, the adherent cells were cultured in the RWV bioreactor with chondrogenic medium for 2 weeks. Cells from the same source were cultured in pellet culture as controls. Histological and immunohistological evaluations (collagen type I and II) and quantification of glycosaminoglycan were performed on formed tissues and compared. The engineered constructs obtained using the RWV bioreactor showed strong features of hyaline cartilage in terms of their morphology as determined by histological and immunohistological evaluations. The glycosaminoglycan contents per microg DNA of the tissues were 10.01 +/- 3.49 microg/microg DNA in the case of the RWV bioreactor and 6.27 +/- 3.41 microg/microg DNA in the case of the pellet culture, and their difference was significant. The RWV bioreactor could provide an excellent environment for three-dimensional cartilage tissue architecture that can promote the chondrogenic differentiation of adult human bone marrow-derived cells.

  15. Bone marrow transplantation - a field in continuous development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfeffer, P.F.

    1975-01-01

    The symptoms of the radiation syndrome are described briefly and the Vinca accident in 1958 is used as an illustration of the application of bone marrow transplantation as a treatment in radiation accidents. Thereafter the immunological problems arising when a permanent substitution of donor marrow is required are discussed. Greatest experience in bone marrow transplantation has been had in the treatment of aplastic anemia and acute leukemia. In these cases the recipient's bone marrow cells must be killed by whole body irradiation or by cyclophosphamide to preclude graft-host reaction. The removal of marrow from the donor and transplanting in the recipient are described, as is the progress of the patient in a typical case. The graft-host reaction is then discussed, as is the danger of secondary infections. In conclusion the long term results are evaluated and the future developments of the treatment discussed. (JIW)

  16. Long-term ecological research in a human-dominated world

    Science.gov (United States)

    G. Philip Robertson; Scott L. Collins; David R. Foster; Nicholas Brokaw; Hugh W. Ducklow; Ted L. Gragson; Corinna Gries; Stephen K. Hamilton; A. David McGuire; John C. Moore; Emily H. Stanley; Robert B. Waide; Mark W. Williams

    2012-01-01

    The US Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network enters its fourth decade with a distinguished record of achievement in ecological science. The value of long-term observations and experiments has never been more important for testing ecological theory and for addressing today’s most difficult environmental challenges. The network’s potential for tackling emergent...

  17. Influence of bone marrow on osseointegration in long bones: an experimental study in sheep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morelli, Fabrizio; Lang, Niklaus P; Bengazi, Franco; Baffone, Davide; Vila Morales, C Dadonim; Botticelli, Daniele

    2015-03-01

    To evaluate the influence of yellow bone marrow on osseointegration of titanium oral implants using a long bone model. The two tibiae of eight sheep were used as experimental sites. Two osteotomies for implant installation were prepared in each tibia. At the control sites, no further treatments were performed while, at the test sites, bone marrow was removed from the osteotomy site with a curette to an extent that exceeded the implant dimensions. As a result, the apical portion of the implants at the control sites was in contact with bone marrow while, at the test sites, it was in contact with the blood clot. After 2 months, the same procedures were performed in the contralateral side. After another month, the animal was sacrificed. Ground sections were obtained for histological analysis. After 1 month of healing, no differences between test and control sites were found in the apical extension of osseointegration and the percentage of new bone-to-implant contact. However, after 3 months of healing, a higher percentage of new bone-to-implant contact was found at the test compared to the control sites in the marrow compartment. The apical extension of osseointegration, however, was similar to that found at the 1-month healing period both for test and control sites. Osseointegration appeared to be favored by the presence of a blood clot when compared to the presence of yellow fatty bone marrow. Moreover, the contact with cortical bone appeared to be a prerequisite for the osseointegration process in the long bone model. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Clonal chromosomal and genomic instability during human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells long-term culture.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria Nikitina

    Full Text Available Spontaneous mutagenesis often leads to appearance of genetic changes in cells. Although human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSC are considered as genetically stable, there is a risk of genomic and structural chromosome instability and, therefore, side effects of cell therapy associated with long-term effects. In this study, the karyotype, genetic variability and clone formation analyses have been carried out in the long-term culture MSC from human gingival mucosa.The immunophenotype of MSC has been examined using flow cytofluorometry and short tandem repeat (STR analysis has been carried out for authentication. The karyotype has been examined using GTG staining and mFISH, while the assessment of the aneuploidy 8 frequency has been performed using centromere specific chromosome FISH probes in interphase cells.The immunophenotype and STR loci combination did not change during the process of cultivation. From passage 23 the proliferative activity of cultured MSCs was significantly reduced. From passage 12 of cultivation, clones of cells with stable chromosome aberrations have been identified and the biggest of these (12% are tetrasomy of chromosome 8. The random genetic and structural chromosomal aberrations and the spontaneous level of chromosomal aberrations in the hMSC long-term cultures were also described.The spectrum of spontaneous chromosomal aberrations in MSC long-term cultivation has been described. Clonal chromosomal aberrations have been identified. A clone of cells with tetrasomy 8 has been detected in passage 12 and has reached the maximum size by passage 18 before and decreased along with the reduction of proliferative activity of cell line by passage 26. At later passages, the MSC line exhibited a set of cells with structural variants of the karyotype with a preponderance of normal diploid cells. The results of our study strongly suggest a need for rigorous genetic analyses of the clone formation in cultured MSCs before

  19. Long-term tolerability of inhaled human insulin (Exubera) in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barnett, A H; Lange, P; Dreyer, M

    2007-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Inhaled human insulin (Exubera; EXU) has shown encouraging tolerability in short-term trials. We evaluated the safety profile of EXU after long-term exposure. DESIGN: In two, open-label, 2-year studies patients poorly controlled on a sulphonylurea were randomised to adjunctive EXU...... or metformin (study 1) and patients poorly controlled on metformin were randomised to adjunctive EXU or the sulphonylurea, glibenclamide (study 2). PATIENTS: The studies included 446 (study 1) and 476 (study 2) patients with type 2 diabetes, no clinically significant respiratory disease and glycosylated....... There was no discernable effect of long-term EXU therapy on pulmonary gas exchange. Insulin antibody binding reached a plateau at 6 months and did not correlate with HbA(1c) or lung function changes. Glycaemic control was maintained over 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Exubera was well tolerated during long-term use. Pulmonary...

  20. Human sensory Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) predicts visual memory performance and is modulated by the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism

    OpenAIRE

    King, Rohan; Moreau, David; Russell, Bruce; Kirk, Ian; Wu, Carolyn; Antia, Ushtana; Lamb, Yvette; Spriggs, Meg; Thompson, Chris; Mckay, Nicole; Shelling, Andrew; Waldie, Karen; Teyler, Tim; Hamm, Jeff; Mcnair, Nicolas

    2018-01-01

    Background: Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) is recognised as a core neuronal process underlying long-term memory. However, a direct relationship between LTP and human memory performance is yet to be demonstrated. The first aim of the current study was thus to assess the relationship between LTP and human long-term memory performance. With this also comes an opportunity to explore factors thought to mediate the relationship between LTP and long-term memory, and to gain additional insight into var...

  1. Establishing quiescence in human bone marrow stem cells leads to enhanced osteoblast marker expression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harkness, Linda; Rumman, Mohammad; Kassem, Moustapha

    Human bone marrow stromal (skeletal) stem cells (hBMSC) are cells that retain a multi-lineage differentiation potential and are thus increasingly being investigated for use in clinical applications. In vivo BMSC, which comprise approximately 0.1% of the bone marrow compartment, are thought to mai...

  2. Long-term impacts of unconventional drilling operations on human and animal health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamberger, Michelle; Oswald, Robert E

    2015-01-01

    Public health concerns related to the expansion of unconventional oil and gas drilling have sparked intense debate. In 2012, we published case reports of animals and humans affected by nearby drilling operations. Because of the potential for long-term effects of even low doses of environmental toxicants and the cumulative impact of exposures of multiple chemicals by multiple routes of exposure, a longitudinal study of these cases is necessary. Twenty-one cases from five states were followed longitudinally; the follow-up period averaged 25 months. In addition to humans, cases involved food animals, companion animals and wildlife. More than half of all exposures were related to drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations; these decreased slightly over time. More than a third of all exposures were associated with wastewater, processing and production operations; these exposures increased slightly over time. Health impacts decreased for families and animals moving from intensively drilled areas or remaining in areas where drilling activity decreased. In cases of families remaining in the same area and for which drilling activity either remained the same or increased, no change in health impacts was observed. Over the course of the study, the distribution of symptoms was unchanged for humans and companion animals, but in food animals, reproductive problems decreased and both respiratory and growth problems increased. This longitudinal case study illustrates the importance of obtaining detailed epidemiological data on the long-term health effects of multiple chemical exposures and multiple routes of exposure that are characteristic of the environmental impacts of unconventional drilling operations.

  3. Effects Of Hypoxia in Long-Term In Vitro Expansion of Human Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pezzi, Annelise; Amorin, Bruna; Laureano, Álvaro; Valim, Vanessa; Dahmer, Alice; Zambonato, Bruna; Sehn, Filipe; Wilke, Ianaê; Bruschi, Lia; Silva, Maria Aparecida Lima da; Filippi-Chiela, Eduardo; Silla, Lucia

    2017-10-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are considered multipotent stromal, non-hematopoietic cells with properties of self-renovation and differentiation. Optimal conditions for culture of MSC have been under investigation. The oxygen tension used for cultivation has been studied and appears to play an important role in biological behavior of mesenchymal cells. The aim is characterize MSC in hypoxia and normoxia conditions comparing their morphological and functional characteristics. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells obtained from 15 healthy donors and cultured. MSC obtained from each donor were separated into two cultivation conditions normoxia (21% O 2 ) and hypoxia (three donors at 1%, three donors at 2%, five donors at 3%, and four donors at 4% O 2 ) up to second passage. MSC were evaluated for proliferation, differentiation, immunophenotyping, size and cell complexity, oxidative stress, mitochondrial activity, and autophagy. Culture conditions applied did not seem to affect immunophenotypic features and cellular plasticity. However, cells subjected to hypoxia showed smaller size and greater cellular complexity, besides lower proliferation (P cells cultured in low O 2 tension had lower mitochondrial activity (P Cell. Biochem. 118: 3072-3079, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Effects of Spaceflight on Cells of Bone Marrow Origin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Engin Özçivici

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Once only a subject for science fiction novels, plans for establishing habitation on space stations, the Moon, and distant planets now appear among the short-term goals of space agencies. This article reviews studies that present biomedical issues that appear to challenge humankind for long-term spaceflights. With particularly focus on cells of bone marrow origin, studies involving changes in bone, immune, and red blood cell populations and their functions due to extended weightlessness were reviewed. Furthermore, effects of mechanical disuse on primitive stem cells that reside in the bone marrow were also included in this review. Novel biomedical solutions using space biotechnology will be required in order to achieve the goal of space exploration without compromising the functions of bone marrow, as spaceflight appears to disrupt homeostasis for all given cell types.

  5. Systemic Virus Infections Differentially Modulate Cell Cycle State and Functionality of Long-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph Hirche

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Quiescent long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs are efficiently activated by type I interferon (IFN-I. However, this effect remains poorly investigated in the context of IFN-I-inducing virus infections. Here we report that both vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV and murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV infection induce LT-HSC activation that substantially differs from the effects triggered upon injection of synthetic IFN-I-inducing agents. In both infections, inflammatory responses had to exceed local thresholds within the bone marrow to confer LT-HSC cell cycle entry, and IFN-I receptor triggering was not critical for this activation. After resolution of acute MCMV infection, LT-HSCs returned to phenotypic quiescence. However, non-acute MCMV infection induced a sustained inflammatory milieu within the bone marrow that was associated with long-lasting impairment of LT-HSC function. In conclusion, our results show that systemic virus infections fundamentally affect LT-HSCs and that also non-acute inflammatory stimuli in bone marrow donors can affect the reconstitution potential of bone marrow transplants.

  6. Systemic Virus Infections Differentially Modulate Cell Cycle State and Functionality of Long-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells In Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirche, Christoph; Frenz, Theresa; Haas, Simon F; Döring, Marius; Borst, Katharina; Tegtmeyer, Pia-K; Brizic, Ilija; Jordan, Stefan; Keyser, Kirsten; Chhatbar, Chintan; Pronk, Eline; Lin, Shuiping; Messerle, Martin; Jonjic, Stipan; Falk, Christine S; Trumpp, Andreas; Essers, Marieke A G; Kalinke, Ulrich

    2017-06-13

    Quiescent long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) are efficiently activated by type I interferon (IFN-I). However, this effect remains poorly investigated in the context of IFN-I-inducing virus infections. Here we report that both vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection induce LT-HSC activation that substantially differs from the effects triggered upon injection of synthetic IFN-I-inducing agents. In both infections, inflammatory responses had to exceed local thresholds within the bone marrow to confer LT-HSC cell cycle entry, and IFN-I receptor triggering was not critical for this activation. After resolution of acute MCMV infection, LT-HSCs returned to phenotypic quiescence. However, non-acute MCMV infection induced a sustained inflammatory milieu within the bone marrow that was associated with long-lasting impairment of LT-HSC function. In conclusion, our results show that systemic virus infections fundamentally affect LT-HSCs and that also non-acute inflammatory stimuli in bone marrow donors can affect the reconstitution potential of bone marrow transplants. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Demonstrates Long-Term Effect of Bone Marrow Transplantation in α-Mannosidosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danielsen, Else R; Lund, Allan M; Thomsen, Carsten

    2013-01-01

    α-Mannosidosis, OMIM #248500, is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by acidic α-mannosidase deficiency. Treatment options include bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and, possibly in the future, enzyme replacement therapy. Brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) enables non...

  8. Specific allogeneic unresponsiveness in irradiated dogs reconstituted with autologous bone marrow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rapaport, F.T.; Bachvaroff, R.J.; Akiyama, N.; Sato, T.; Ferrebee, J.W.

    1980-01-01

    Hemopoietic reconstitution of supralethally irradiated adult dogs of the Cooperstown colony with their own stored bone marrow can produce long-term unresponsiveness to DLA-identical kidney allografts with no need for any additional immunosuppression. Eleven of 18 kidneys transplanted 12 h after replacement of autologous marrow into irradiated recipients currently survive with normal function for as long as 1417 d; 8 of 13 organs transplanted 28 h after marrow replacement, and 8 of 13 organs transplanted 36 h after marrow injection, currently survive up to 502 d, with no further treatment. Alterations in the timing and sequence of each procedure decrease the incidence of unresponsiveness. Survival and function of the kidney allografts were not affected by the rejection of successive skin grafts from the kidney donor. Skin grafts from other DLA-identical donors and DLA-incompatible skin grafts were rejected by the same recipients in uniform fashion

  9. Evidence for human fronto-central gamma activity during long-term memory encoding of word sequences.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meeuwissen, E.B.; Takashima, A.; Fernandez, G.S.E.; Jensen, O.

    2011-01-01

    Although human gamma activity (30-80 Hz) associated with visual processing is often reported, it is not clear to what extend gamma activity can be reliably detected non-invasively from frontal areas during complex cognitive tasks such as long term memory (LTM) formation. We conducted a memory

  10. Long-term hematopoietic stem cell damage after external irradiation with X rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grande, M.T.; Varas, F.; Bueren, J.A.

    1997-01-01

    We have investigated the functionality of the lympho-hematopoietic stem cells long-term (9 months) after the irradiation (X rays) of mice at different stages of development, by means of a competitive bone marrow repopulation assay. Our data revealed that a dose of 1 Gy was only capable of inducing significant long-term failures in the functionality of the primitive repopulating cells in mice irradiated at the young-adult stage (12 week-old), but not in mice irradiated at the late stages of foetus development (17 day-old fetuses) nor at the early development of the embryo (4 day-old embryos). The differential generation of long-term stem cell defects as a function of the age was confirmed in mice irradiated with 3 Gy. While no significant effects in the long-term repopulating cells were observed in 4 day-old embryos, significant repopulation deficiencies were observed in this population when mice were irradiated at the 17 day of foetus development, and more markedly at the adult stage of growth. These data offer new evidence about the influence of the developmental stage of the animal on the generation of residual hematopoietic dysfunctions by external irradiation, with particular relevance to the very primitive lympho-hematopoietic stem cells. (author)

  11. Cytogenetic adaptive response induced by pre-exposure in human lymphocytes and marrow cells of mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Lianzhen; Deng Zhicheng

    1993-01-01

    The cytogenetic adaptive response induced by pre-exposure in human lymphocytes and marrow cells of mice were studied. The results of this study showed that human lymphocytes in vitro and mouse marrow cells in vivo can become adapted to low-level irradiation from 3 H-TdR or exposure to a low dose of X-or γ-irradiation, so that they become less sensitive to the chromosomal damage effects of subsequent exposures. (4 tabs.)

  12. Role of whole bone marrow, whole bone marrow cultured cells, and mesenchymal stem cells in chronic wound healing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez-Menocal, Luis; Shareef, Shahjahan; Salgado, Marcela; Shabbir, Arsalan; Van Badiavas, Evangelos

    2015-03-13

    Recent evidence has shown that bone marrow cells play critical roles during the inflammatory, proliferative and remodeling phases of cutaneous wound healing. Among the bone marrow cells delivered to wounds are stem cells, which can differentiate into multiple tissue-forming cell lineages to effect, healing. Gaining insight into which lineages are most important in accelerating wound healing would be quite valuable in designing therapeutic approaches for difficult to heal wounds. In this report we compared the effect of different bone marrow preparations on established in vitro wound healing assays. The preparations examined were whole bone marrow (WBM), whole bone marrow (long term initiating/hematopoietic based) cultured cells (BMC), and bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC). We also applied these bone marrow preparations in two murine models of radiation induced delayed wound healing to determine which had a greater effect on healing. Angiogenesis assays demonstrated that tube formation was stimulated by both WBM and BMC, with WBM having the greatest effect. Scratch wound assays showed higher fibroblast migration at 24, 48, and 72 hours in presence of WBM as compared to BM-MSC. WBM also appeared to stimulate a greater healing response than BMC and BM-MSC in a radiation induced delayed wound healing animal model. These studies promise to help elucidate the role of stem cells during repair of chronic wounds and reveal which cells present in bone marrow might contribute most to the wound healing process.

  13. Specific depletion of mature T lymphocytes from human bone marrow

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Geisler, C; Møller, J; Plesner, T

    1989-01-01

    An effective method for specific depletion of mature T lymphocytes from human bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) with preservation of prethymic T cells and natural killer (NK) cells is presented. The BMMC were incubated with F101.01, a monoclonal antibody recognizing an epitope of the T...

  14. Evidence for Human Fronto-Central Gamma Activity during Long-Term Memory Encoding of Word Sequences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meeuwissen, E.B.; Takashima, A.; Fernandez, G.S.E.; Jensen, O.

    2011-01-01

    Although human gamma activity (30–80 Hz) associated with visual processing is often reported, it is not clear to what extend gamma activity can be reliably detected non-invasively from frontal areas during complex cognitive tasks such as long term memory (LTM) formation. We conducted a memory

  15. Minor Antigen Disparities Impede Induction of Long Lasting Chimerism and Tolerance through Bone Marrow Transplantation with Costimulation Blockade

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sinda Bigenzahn

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Mixed chimerism and tolerance can be successfully induced in rodents through allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT with costimulation blockade (CB, but varying success rates have been reported with distinct models and protocols. We therefore investigated the impact of minor antigen disparities on the induction of mixed chimerism and tolerance. C57BL/6 (H2b mice received nonmyeloablative total body irradiation (3 Gy, costimulation blockade (anti-CD40L mAb and CTLA4Ig, and 2×107 bone marrow cells (BMC from either of three donor strains: Balb/c (H2d (MHC plus multiple minor histocompatibility antigen (mHAg mismatched, B10.D2 (H2d or B10.A (H2a (both MHC mismatched, but mHAg matched. Macrochimerism was followed over time by flow cytometry and tolerance was tested by skin grafting. 20 of 21 recipients of B10.D2 BMC but only 13 of 18 of Balb/c BMC and 13 of 20 of B10.A BMC developed stable long-term multilineage chimerism (p<0.05 for each donor strain versus B10.D2. Significantly superior donor skin graft survival was observed in successfully established long-term chimeras after mHAg matched BMT compared to mHAg mismatched BMT (p<0.05. Both minor and major antigen disparities pose a substantial barrier for the induction of chimerism while the maintenance of tolerance after nonmyeloablative BMT and costimulation blockade is negatively influenced by minor antigen disparities.

  16. Androgen receptor expression in human ovarian and uterine tissue of long term androgen-treated transsexual women

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D. Chadha; T.D. Pache; F.J. Huikeshoven (Frans); A.O. Brinkmann (Albert); Th.H. van der Kwast (Theo)

    1994-01-01

    textabstractAndrogen receptor (AR) modulation in human uteri and ovaries of long term androgen-treated transsexual female patients was investigated. Androgen receptor expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in the ovaries of 11 and the endometria and myometria of six androgen-treated

  17. Outcome following late marrow relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chessells, J.; Leiper, A.; Rogers, D.

    1984-01-01

    Thirty-four children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, who developed bone marrow relapse after treatment was electively stopped, received reinduction, consolidation, continuing therapy, and intrathecal (IT) methotrexate (MTX). Sixteen children who relapsed within six months of stopping treatment had a median second-remission duration of 26 weeks; all next relapses occurred in the bone marrow. In 18 children who relapsed later, the median duration of second remission was in excess of two years, but after a minimum of four years follow-up, 16 patients have so far relapsed again (six in the CNS). CNS relapse occurred as a next event in four of 17 children who received five IT MTX injections only and in two of 14 children who received additional regular IT MTX. Although children with late marrow relapses may achieve long second remissions, their long-term out-look is poor, and regular IT MTX does not afford adequate CNS prophylaxis. It remains to be seen whether more intensive chemotherapy, including high-dose chemoradiotherapy and bone marrow transplantation, will improve the prognosis in this group of patients

  18. Distinct bone marrow blood vessels differentially regulate haematopoiesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itkin, Tomer; Gur-Cohen, Shiri; Spencer, Joel A; Schajnovitz, Amir; Ramasamy, Saravana K; Kusumbe, Anjali P; Ledergor, Guy; Jung, Yookyung; Milo, Idan; Poulos, Michael G; Kalinkovich, Alexander; Ludin, Aya; Kollet, Orit; Shakhar, Guy; Butler, Jason M; Rafii, Shahin; Adams, Ralf H; Scadden, David T; Lin, Charles P; Lapidot, Tsvee

    2016-04-21

    Bone marrow endothelial cells (BMECs) form a network of blood vessels that regulate both leukocyte trafficking and haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) maintenance. However, it is not clear how BMECs balance these dual roles, and whether these events occur at the same vascular site. We found that mammalian bone marrow stem cell maintenance and leukocyte trafficking are regulated by distinct blood vessel types with different permeability properties. Less permeable arterial blood vessels maintain haematopoietic stem cells in a low reactive oxygen species (ROS) state, whereas the more permeable sinusoids promote HSPC activation and are the exclusive site for immature and mature leukocyte trafficking to and from the bone marrow. A functional consequence of high permeability of blood vessels is that exposure to blood plasma increases bone marrow HSPC ROS levels, augmenting their migration and differentiation, while compromising their long-term repopulation and survival. These findings may have relevance for clinical haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and mobilization protocols.

  19. Cytoskeletal stability and metabolic alterations in primary human macrophages in long-term microgravity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svantje Tauber

    Full Text Available The immune system is one of the most affected systems of the human body during space flight. The cells of the immune system are exceptionally sensitive to microgravity. Thus, serious concerns arise, whether space flight associated weakening of the immune system ultimately precludes the expansion of human presence beyond the Earth's orbit. For human space flight, it is an urgent need to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which altered gravity influences and changes the functions of immune cells. The CELLBOX-PRIME (= CellBox-Primary Human Macrophages in Microgravity Environment experiment investigated for the first time microgravity-associated long-term alterations in primary human macrophages, one of the most important effector cells of the immune system. The experiment was conducted in the U.S. National Laboratory on board of the International Space Station ISS using the NanoRacks laboratory and Biorack type I standard CELLBOX EUE type IV containers. Upload and download were performed with the SpaceX CRS-3 and the Dragon spaceship on April 18th, 2014 / May 18th, 2014. Surprisingly, primary human macrophages exhibited neither quantitative nor structural changes of the actin and vimentin cytoskeleton after 11 days in microgravity when compared to 1g controls. Neither CD18 or CD14 surface expression were altered in microgravity, however ICAM-1 expression was reduced. The analysis of 74 metabolites in the cell culture supernatant by GC-TOF-MS, revealed eight metabolites with significantly different quantities when compared to 1g controls. In particular, the significant increase of free fucose in the cell culture supernatant was associated with a significant decrease of cell surface-bound fucose. The reduced ICAM-1 expression and the loss of cell surface-bound fucose may contribute to functional impairments, e.g. the activation of T cells, migration and activation of the innate immune response. We assume that the surprisingly small

  20. Long-term Study of a Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ferris, Daron; Samakoses, Rudiwilai; Block, Stan L

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: We present a long-term safety, immunogenicity, and effectiveness study of a quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) vaccine. METHODS: Sexually naive boys and girls aged 9 to 15 years (N = 1781) were assigned (2:1) to receive HPV4 vaccine or saline placebo at day 1 and months 2 and 6...... objective was to estimate vaccine effectiveness against HPV6/11/16/18-related persistent infection or disease. RESULTS: For each of the HPV4 vaccine types, vaccination-induced anti-HPV response persisted through month 96. Among 429 subjects who received HPV4 vaccine at a mean age of 12, none developed HPV6....../11/16/18-related disease or persistent infection of ≥12 months' duration. Acquisition of new sexual partners (among those ≥16 years) was ∼1 per year. Subjects receiving HPV4 vaccine at month 30 (mean age 15 years) had a similar baseline rate of seropositivity to ≥1 of the 4 HPV types to those vaccinated at day 1...

  1. A long term model of circulation. [human body

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, R. J.

    1974-01-01

    A quantitative approach to modeling human physiological function, with a view toward ultimate application to long duration space flight experiments, was undertaken. Data was obtained on the effect of weightlessness on certain aspects of human physiological function during 1-3 month periods. Modifications in the Guyton model are reviewed. Design considerations for bilateral interface models are discussed. Construction of a functioning whole body model was studied, as well as the testing of the model versus available data.

  2. Long-term survival outcomes in patients with surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer and defined human papilloma virus status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dale, O T; Sood, S; Shah, K A; Han, C; Rapozo, D; Mehanna, H; Winter, S C

    2016-11-01

    This study investigated long-term survival outcomes in surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer patients with known human papilloma virus status. A case note review was performed of all patients undergoing primary surgery for oropharyngeal cancer in a single centre over a 10-year period. Human papilloma virus status was determined via dual modality testing. Associations between clinicopathological variables and survival were identified using a log-rank test. Of the 107 cases in the study, 40 per cent (n = 41) were human papilloma virus positive. The positive and negative predictive values of p16 immunohistochemistry for human papilloma virus status were 57 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively. At a mean follow up of 59.5 months, 5-year overall and disease-specific survival estimates were 78 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively. Human papilloma virus status (p = 0.014), smoking status (p = 0.021) and tumour stage (p = 0.03) were significant prognostic indicators. The long-term survival rates in surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer patients were comparable to other studies. Variables including human papilloma virus status and tumour stage were associated with survival in patients treated with primary surgery; however, nodal stage and presence of extracapsular spread were non-prognostic.

  3. Visual working memory buffers information retrieved from visual long-term memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukuda, Keisuke; Woodman, Geoffrey F

    2017-05-16

    Human memory is thought to consist of long-term storage and short-term storage mechanisms, the latter known as working memory. Although it has long been assumed that information retrieved from long-term memory is represented in working memory, we lack neural evidence for this and need neural measures that allow us to watch this retrieval into working memory unfold with high temporal resolution. Here, we show that human electrophysiology can be used to track information as it is brought back into working memory during retrieval from long-term memory. Specifically, we found that the retrieval of information from long-term memory was limited to just a few simple objects' worth of information at once, and elicited a pattern of neurophysiological activity similar to that observed when people encode new information into working memory. Our findings suggest that working memory is where information is buffered when being retrieved from long-term memory and reconcile current theories of memory retrieval with classic notions about the memory mechanisms involved.

  4. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in adults after fractionated body irradiation and high dose cyclophosphamide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brinch, L.; Evensen, S.A.; Albrechtsen, D.; Egeland, T.; Solheim, B.G.; Rollag, H.; Naalsund, A.; Jacobsen, A.B.

    1991-01-01

    The authors present short and long-term results of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after hyper-fractionated total body irradiation and high dose cyclophosphamide in ten patients treated for leukaemia during th period 1985-89. Three patients died from complications connected to the transplantation, while seven are living free from leukaemia 18 to 59 months after transplantation. Two patients need treatment for chronic graft versus host disease. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is expensive and risky. Close cooperation between clinicians and laboratory specialists is essential. The treatment increases long term survival and probably cures certain patients with leukaemia. Some of the patients will need treatment for chronic graft versus host disease and other late sequelae. 19 refs., 2 tabs

  5. Identification and Characterization of Plasma Cells in Normal Human Bone Marrow by High-Resolution Flow Cytometry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Terstappen, Leonardus Wendelinus Mathias Marie; Johnsen, Steen; Segers-Nolten, Gezina M.J.; Loken, Michael R.

    1990-01-01

    The low frequency of plasma cells and the lack of specific cell surface markers has been a major obstacle for a detailed characterization of plasma cells in normal human bone marrow. Multiparameter flow cytometry enabled the identification of plasma cells in normal bone marrow aspirates. The plasma

  6. Magnetic resonance imaging of bone marrow changes in Gaucher disease during enzyme replacement therapy: first German long-term results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poll, L.W.; Koch, J.A.; Scherer, A.; Boerner, D.; Moedder, U.; Dahl, S. vom; Niederau, C.; Haeussinger, D.; Willers, R.

    2001-01-01

    Objective:. Since 1991, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been available for patients with Gaucher disease in Germany. The aim of this study was to analyse the MR pattern of bone marrow involvement and response to ERT in Gaucher disease type I. Patients and design:. Thirty patients with Gaucher disease type I had MRI examinations prior to initiation of ERT with alglucerase/imiglucerase and during follow-up. Median MR follow-up and duration of ERT were 36 months. Coronal T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo images of the lower extremities were obtained to evaluate changes in the appearance of yellow marrow. MR images were categorized as having either a homogeneous (type A) or non-homogeneous patchy (type B) appearance of bone involvement and response to ERT was assessed by two radiologists. Results:. Overall, 19 of 30 patients (63%) showed an increased signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images after 36 months of ERT, consistent with partial reconversion of fatty marrow during treatment. Focal bone lesions surrounded by a low signal intensity (SI) rim did not respond to ERT, suggesting bone infarcts. Of the 11 patients with bone infarcts (low SI rim lesion), 82% had the non-homogeneous type B pattern (P=0.0021). In 86% of patients with splenectomy, bone infarcts were seen (P<0.05). Conclusions:. MRI using T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences is a valuable, non-invasive method for monitoring bone marrow response in patients receiving ERT. A non- homogeneous patchy signal intensity of bone marrow involvement correlates with the presence of bone infarcts (P=0.0021). (orig.)

  7. Magnetic resonance imaging of bone marrow changes in Gaucher disease during enzyme replacement therapy: first German long-term results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poll, L.W.; Koch, J.A.; Scherer, A.; Boerner, D.; Moedder, U. [Duesseldorf Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Diagnostische Radiologie; Dahl, S. vom; Niederau, C.; Haeussinger, D. [Duesseldorf Univ. (Germany). Medizinische Fakultaet; Willers, R. [Duesseldorf Univ. (Germany). Rechenzentrum

    2001-09-01

    Objective:. Since 1991, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been available for patients with Gaucher disease in Germany. The aim of this study was to analyse the MR pattern of bone marrow involvement and response to ERT in Gaucher disease type I. Patients and design:. Thirty patients with Gaucher disease type I had MRI examinations prior to initiation of ERT with alglucerase/imiglucerase and during follow-up. Median MR follow-up and duration of ERT were 36 months. Coronal T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo images of the lower extremities were obtained to evaluate changes in the appearance of yellow marrow. MR images were categorized as having either a homogeneous (type A) or non-homogeneous patchy (type B) appearance of bone involvement and response to ERT was assessed by two radiologists. Results:. Overall, 19 of 30 patients (63%) showed an increased signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images after 36 months of ERT, consistent with partial reconversion of fatty marrow during treatment. Focal bone lesions surrounded by a low signal intensity (SI) rim did not respond to ERT, suggesting bone infarcts. Of the 11 patients with bone infarcts (low SI rim lesion), 82% had the non-homogeneous type B pattern (P=0.0021). In 86% of patients with splenectomy, bone infarcts were seen (P<0.05). Conclusions:. MRI using T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences is a valuable, non-invasive method for monitoring bone marrow response in patients receiving ERT. A non- homogeneous patchy signal intensity of bone marrow involvement correlates with the presence of bone infarcts (P=0.0021). (orig.)

  8. Long-term expression of human adenosine deaminase in mice transplanted with retrovirus-infected hematopoietic stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, B.; Apperley, J.F.; Orkin, S.H.; Williams, D.A.

    1989-01-01

    Long-term stable expression of foreign genetic sequences transferred into hematopoietic stem cells by using retroviral vectors constitutes a relevant model for somatic gene therapy. Such stability of expression may depend on vector design, including the presence or absence of specific sequences within the vector, in combination with the nature and efficiency of infection of the hematopoietic target cells. The authors have previously reported successful transfer of human DNA encoding adenosine deaminase (ADA) into CFU-S (colony-forming unit-spleen) stem cells using simplified recombinant retroviral vectors. Human ADA was expressed in CFU-S-derived spleen colonies at levels near to endogenous enzyme. However, because of the lack of an efficient dominant selectable marker and low recombinant viral titers, stability of long-term expression of human ADA was not examined. They report here the development of an efficient method of infection of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) without reliance on in vitro selection. Peripheral blood samples of 100% of mice transplanted with HSC infected by this protocol exhibit expression of human ADA 30 days after transplantation. Some mice (6 of 13) continue to express human ADA in all lineages after complete hematopoietic reconstitution (4 months). The use of recombinant retroviral vectors that efficiently transfer human ADA cDNA into HSC leading to stable expression of functional ADA in reconstituted mice, provides an experimental framework for future development of approaches to somatic gene therapy

  9. The Long-Term Effects of Youth Unemployment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mroz, Thomas A.; Savage, Timothy H.

    2006-01-01

    Using NLSY data, we examine the long-term effects of youth unemployment on later labor market outcomes. Involuntary unemployment may yield suboptimal investments in human capital in the short run. A theoretical model of dynamic human capital investment predicts a rational "catch-up" response. Using semiparametric techniques to control for the…

  10. Retrieval under stress decreases the long-term expression of a human declarative memory via reconsolidation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larrosa, Pablo Nicolás Fernández; Ojea, Alejandro; Ojea, Ignacio; Molina, Victor Alejandro; Zorrilla-Zubilete, María Aurelia; Delorenzi, Alejandro

    2017-07-01

    Acute stress impairs memory retrieval of several types of memories. An increase in glucocorticoids, several minutes after stressful events, is described as essential to the impairing retrieval-effects of stressors. Moreover, memory retrieval under stress can have long-term consequences. Through what process does the reactivated memory under stress, despite the disrupting retrieval effects, modify long-term memories? The reconsolidation hypothesis proposes that a previously consolidated memory reactivated by a reminder enters a vulnerability phase (labilization) during which it is transiently sensitive to modulation, followed by a re-stabilization phase. However, previous studies show that the expression of memories during reminder sessions is not a condition to trigger the reconsolidation process since unexpressed memories can be reactivated and labilized. Here we evaluate whether it is possible to reactivate-labilize a memory under the impairing-effects of a mild stressor. We used a paradigm of human declarative memory whose reminder structure allows us to differentiate between a reactivated-labile memory state and a reactivated but non-labile state. Subjects memorized a list of five cue-syllables associated with their respective response-syllables. Seventy-two hours later, results showed that the retrieval of the paired-associate memory was impaired when tested 20min after a mild stressor (cold pressor stress (CPS)) administration, coincident with cortisol levels increase. Then, we investigated the long-term effects of CPS administration prior to the reminder session. Under conditions where the reminder initiates the reconsolidation process, CPS impaired the long-term memory expression tested 24h later. In contrast, CPS did not show effects when administered before a reminder session that does not trigger reconsolidation. Results showed that memory reactivation-labilization occurs even when retrieval was impaired. Memory reactivation under stress could hinder

  11. Maintenance of differentiation potential of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells immortalized by human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene despite of extensive proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdallah, Basem M.; Haack-Sorensen, Mandana; Burns, Jorge S.; Elsnab, Birgitte; Jakob, Franz; Hokland, Peter; Kassem, Moustapha

    2005-01-01

    Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) represent a population of stem cells that are capable of differentiation into multiple lineages. However, these cells exhibit senescence-associated growth arrest and phenotypic changes during long-term in vitro culture. We have recently demonstrated that overexpression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in hMSC reconstitutes telomerase activity and extends life span of the cells [Nat. Biotechnol. 20 (2002) 592]. In the present study, we have performed extensive characterization of three independent cell lines derived from the parental hMSC-TERT cell line based on different plating densities during expansion in culture: 1:2 (hMSC-TERT2), 1:4 (hMSC-TERT4), and 1:20 (hMSC-TERT20). The 3 cell lines exhibited differences in morphology and growth rates but they all maintained the characteristics of self-renewing stem cells and the ability to differentiate into multiple mesoderm-type cell lineages: osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and endothelial-like cells over a 3-year period in culture. Also, surface marker studies using flow cytometry showed a pattern similar to that known from normal hMSC. Thus, telomerization of hMSC by hTERT overexpression maintains the stem cell phenotype of hMSC and it may be a useful tool for obtaining enough number of cells with a stable phenotype for mechanistic studies of cell differentiation and for tissue engineering protocols

  12. Hematopoietic regulatory factors produced in long-term murine bone marrow cultures and the effect of in vitro irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gualtieri, R.J.; Shadduck, R.K.; Baker, D.G.; Quesenberry, P.J.

    1984-01-01

    The nature of hematopoietic regulatory factors elaborated by the adherent (stromal) cells of long-term murine bone marrow cultures and the effect of in vitro stromal irradiation (XRT) on the production of these factors was investigated. Using an in situ stromal assay it was possible to demonstrate stromal elaboration of at least two colony-stimulating activities, ie, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating activity (G/M-CSA) and megakaryocyte colony-stimulating activity (Meg-CSA). Exposure of the stroma to XRT resulted in dose-dependent elevations of both activities that correlated inversely with total myeloid cell mass. Mixture experiments that combined control and irradiated stroma revealed that the hematopoietically active control stroma could block detection of XRT-related G/M-CSA elevations. Antiserum directed against purified L cell colony-stimulating factor (CSF) reduced granulocyte/macrophage colony formation in the target layer but did not effect the increased Meg-CSA. While a radioimmunoassay for L-cell type CSF was unable to detect significant differences in concentrated media from control and irradiated cultures, bioassays of these media revealed XRT-related G/M-CSA elevations. These results indicate that the G/M-CSA elaborated in these cultures is immunologically distinct from the Meg-CSA produced, and although distinct from L cell CSF, the G/M-CSA is crossreactive with the L cell CSF antiserum. Morphologic, histochemical, and factor VII antigen immunofluorescent studies were performed on the stromal cell population responsible for production of these stimulatory activities. In addition to ''fat'' cells, the stromal cells remaining after XRT were composed of two predominant cell populations. These included a major population of acid phosphatase and nonspecific esterase-positive macrophage-like cells and a minor population of factor VII antigen negative epithelioid cells

  13. Colonic complications following human bone marrow transplantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulino Martínez Hernández-Magro

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Human bone marrow transplantation (BMT becomes an accepted treatment of leukemia, aplastic anemia, immunodeficiency syndromes, and hematologic malignancies. Colorectal surgeons must know how to determine and manage the main colonic complications. Objective: To review the clinical features, clinical and pathological staging of graft vs host disease (GVHD, and treatment of patients suffering with colonic complications of human bone marrow transplantation. Patients and methods: We have reviewed the records of all patients that received an allogeneic bone marrow transplant and were evaluated at our Colon and Rectal Surgery department due to gastrointestinal symptoms, between January 2007 and January 2012. The study was carried out in patients who developed colonic complications, all of them with clinical, histopathological or laboratory diagnosis. Results: The study group was constituted by 77 patients, 43 male and 34 female patients. We identified colonic complications in 30 patients (38.9%; five patients developed intestinal toxicity due to pretransplant chemotherapy (6.4%; graft vs. host disease was present in 16 patients (20%; 13 patients (16.8% developed acute colonic GVHD, and 3 (3.8% chronic GVHD. Infection was identified in 9 patients (11.6%. Conclusions: The three principal colonic complications are the chemotherapy toxicity, GVHD, and superinfection; the onset of symptoms could help to suspect the type of complication (0–20 day chemotherapy toxicity, 20 and more GVHD, and infection could appear in any time of transplantation. Resumo: Experiência: O transplante de medula óssea humana (MOH passou a ser um tratamento adotado para leucemia, anemia aplástica, síndromes de imunodeficiência e neoplasias hematológicas. Cirurgiões colorretais devem saber como determinar e tratar as principais complicações do cólon. Objetivo: Revisar as características clínicas, estadiamentos clínico e patológico da doença do enxerto

  14. Gonadal shielding to irradiation is effective in protecting testicular growth and function in long-term survivors of bone marrow transplantation during childhood or adolescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishiguro, H; Yasuda, Y; Tomita, Y; Shinagawa, T; Shimizu, T; Morimoto, T; Hattori, K; Matsumoto, M; Inoue, H; Yabe, H; Yabe, M; Shinohara, O; Kato, S

    2007-04-01

    An increasing number of long-term surviving bone marrow transplantation (BMT) recipients have recovered from their primary disease but are at risk of developing failure of endocrine organs. We investigated 30 recipients who underwent allogeneic BMT during childhood or adolescence. Testicular growth and function were evaluated by serial measurement of testicular volume, basal luteinizing hormone (LH), basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone levels and by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) provocative test. Puberty started spontaneously in all patients. However, all except four patients had normal testosterone levels with elevated LH, indicating partial Leydig cell dysfunction. Standard deviation scores of testicular volume at last evaluation were statistically lower in those who had received irradiation without gonadal shield compared to those with (-2.04+/-0.45 vs -0.30+/-1.17, respectively, Pgonadal irradiation. Serial measurement of testicular volume showed a tendency of growth to stop at 10 ml in those without gonadal shield. Among the 30 patients, only one patient has fathered a child after reaching spontaneous puberty. These results suggest that gonadal shield is effective to protect testicular growth and function, although the attainment of fertility is difficult to achieve.

  15. Long Term Care Minimum Data Set (MDS)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Long-Term Care Minimum Data Set (MDS) is a standardized, primary screening and assessment tool of health status that forms the foundation of the comprehensive...

  16. Maintenance of osteoblastic and adipocytic differentiation potential with age and osteoporosis in human marrow stromal cell cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Justesen, J; Dokkedahl, Karin Stenderup; Eriksen, E F

    2002-01-01

    Osteoblasts and adipocytes share a common precursor cell in the bone marrow stroma, termed marrow stromal cell (MSC). As the volume of bone adipose tissue increases in vivo with age, we hypothesized that decreased bone formation observed during aging and in patients with osteoporosis (OP) is the ...

  17. Long-term calorie restriction, but not endurance exercise, lowers core body temperature in humans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soare, Andreea; Cangemi, Roberto; Omodei, Daniela; Holloszy, John O.; Fontana, Luigi

    2011-01-01

    Reduction of body temperature has been proposed to contribute to the increased lifespan in calorie restricted animals and mice overexpressing the uncoupling protein-2 in hypocretin neurons. However, nothing is known regarding the long-term effects of calorie restriction (CR) with adequate nutrition on body temperature in humans. In this study, 24-hour core body temperature was measured every minute by using ingested telemetric capsules in 24 men and women (mean age 53.7±9.4 yrs) consuming a CR diet for an average of 6 years, 24 age- and sex-matched sedentary (WD) and 24 body fat-matched exercise-trained (EX) volunteers, who were eating Western diets. The CR and EX groups were significantly leaner than the WD group. Energy intake was lower in the CR group (1769±348 kcal/d) than in the WD (2302±668 kcal/d) and EX (2798±760 kcal/d) groups (Ptemperatures were all significantly lower in the CR group than in the WD and EX groups (P≤0.01). Long-term CR with adequate nutrition in lean and weight-stable healthy humans is associated with a sustained reduction in core body temperature, similar to that found in CR rodents and monkeys. This adaptation is likely due to CR itself, rather than to leanness, and may be involved in slowing the rate of aging. PMID:21483032

  18. Succesful therapy of viral leukemia by transplantation of histocompatibly unmatched marrow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meredith, R.F.; OKunewick, J.P.; Kuhnert, P.M.; Brozovich, B.J.; Weaver, E.V.

    1978-01-01

    The therapeutic effectiveness on murine viral-leukemia of allogeneic or hybrid hematopoietic cells transplanted from leukemia-virus resistant donors was evaluated and compared with that of syngeneic cells. Transplantation of syngeneic cells gave no protection to the viral-leukemic mice. Transplantation of spleen cells from allogeneic donors resulted in early deaths of both leukemic and non-leukemic recipients. Transplantation of hybrid spleen cells resulted in no long-term survival of the leukemic mice. However, there were a number of long-term survivors among the leukemic recipients of allogeneic or hybrid marrow cells. Engraftment of allogeneic marrow resulted in a large number of survivors. Hybrid marrow recipients showed an even better survival, but some leukemia relapses. Tests of the longterm survivors revealed that even though they gave no evidence of leukemia they still harbored the active virus. This suggests that the mechanism of protection may be related to some inherent characteristic of the donor cells rendering them refractory to viral transformation. A difference in graft-versus-host (GvH) response between the leukemic and control mice was also found after transplantation of allogeneic cells. While all of the controls died of GvH reaction, none of the leukemic recipients showed severe GvH response, suggesting a possible effect of the leukemia on histocompatibility. No GvH reaction was found with hybrid marrow engraftment, although some of the leukemic recipients reconstituted with F 1 cells did die of leukemic relapse. (author)

  19. Relative biological effectiveness of tritiated water on human chromosomes of lymphocytes and bone marrow cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Kimio; Sawada, Shozo; Kamada, Nanao

    1992-01-01

    One of the major toxic effluent from nuclear power industries is tritiated water (HTO), which is released into the environment in large quantities. Low dose radiation effects and dose rate effects of HTO on human lymphocytes and bone marrow cells are not well studied. The present study was performed to investigate dose-response relationship for chromosome aberration frequencies in the human lymphocytes and bone marrow cells, by HTO in-vitro exposure at low dose ranges of 0.1 to 1 Gy. Go lymphocytes and bone marrow cells were incubated for 10 - 150 minutes with HTO at 2 cGy/min. Also 60 Co γ and 137 Cs γ rays were used as controls. Dicentric chromosomes were scored in 1,000 to 2,000 cells of each experimental series. The RBE values of HTO at low dose range for the induction of dicentric chromosomes and chromatid type aberrations were 2.7 in lymphocytes and approximately 3.8 in bone marrow cells with respect to 60 Co γ ray, respectively. Also lymphocytes were chronically exposed to HTO for 24 to 72 hrs at lower dose rates (0.2 and 0.05 cGy/min). The yields of dicentrics and rings decreased with the reduction in the dose rate of HTO, presenting a clear dose rate effects of HTO. These results provide an useful information for the assessment for health risk in humans exposed to low concentration level to HTO. (author)

  20. Long-Term Stewardship Baseline Report and Transition Guidance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kristofferson, Keith

    2001-11-01

    Long-term stewardship consists of those actions necessary to maintain and demonstrate continued protection of human health and the environment after facility cleanup is complete. As the Department of Energy’s (DOE) lead laboratory for environmental management programs, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) administers DOE’s long-term stewardship science and technology efforts. The INEEL provides DOE with technical, and scientific expertise needed to oversee its long-term environmental management obligations complexwide. Long-term stewardship is administered and overseen by the Environmental Management Office of Science and Technology. The INEEL Long-Term Stewardship Program is currently developing the management structures and plans to complete INEEL-specific, long-term stewardship obligations. This guidance document (1) assists in ensuring that the program leads transition planning for the INEEL with respect to facility and site areas and (2) describes the classes and types of criteria and data required to initiate transition for areas and sites where the facility mission has ended and cleanup is complete. Additionally, this document summarizes current information on INEEL facilities, structures, and release sites likely to enter long-term stewardship at the completion of DOE’s cleanup mission. This document is not intended to function as a discrete checklist or local procedure to determine readiness to transition. It is an overarching document meant as guidance in implementing specific transition procedures. Several documents formed the foundation upon which this guidance was developed. Principal among these documents was the Long-Term Stewardship Draft Technical Baseline; A Report to Congress on Long-Term Stewardship, Volumes I and II; Infrastructure Long-Range Plan; Comprehensive Facility Land Use Plan; INEEL End-State Plan; and INEEL Institutional Plan.

  1. Late recovery of damage in rat spinal cord and bone marrow observed in split dose irradiation with long time intervals for 300 kV X-rays and 15 MeV neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kogel, A.J. van der; Sissingh, H.A.

    The authors have performed an extended study on the capacity of the spinal cord for recovery of damage over long time intervals in split-dose experiments with 300 kV X-rays and 15 MeV neutrons, with time intervals of up to 30 weeks. The dose-response relationships for long term bone marrow depletion have been analysed and compared with those obtained for acute and late spinal cord damage. (Auth.)

  2. Complex sound processing during human REM sleep by recovering information from long-term memory as revealed by the mismatch negativity (MMN).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atienza, M; Cantero, J L

    2001-05-18

    Perceptual learning is thought to be the result of neural changes that take place over a period of several hours or days, allowing information to be transferred to long-term memory. Evidence suggests that contents of long-term memory may improve attentive and pre-attentive sensory processing. Therefore, it is plausible to hypothesize that learning-induced neural changes that develop during wakefulness could improve automatic information processing during human REM sleep. The MMN, an objective measure of the automatic change detection in auditory cortex, was used to evaluate long-term learning effects on pre-attentive processing during wakefulness and REM sleep. When subjects learned to discriminate two complex auditory patterns in wakefulness, an increase in the MMN was obtained in both wake and REM states. The automatic detection of the infrequent complex auditory pattern may therefore be improved in both brain states by reactivating information from long-term memory. These findings suggest that long-term learning-related neural changes are accessible during REM sleep as well.

  3. Stimulation of the proliferation of hemopoietic stem cells in irradiated bone marrow cell culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, K.J.; Izumi, H.; Seto, A.

    1981-01-01

    Long-term hemopoiesis was established in bone marrow cell culture in vitro. This culture was shown to support the recovery proliferation of hemopoietic stem cells completely in vitro after irradiation. Hemopoietic stem cells were stimulated into proliferation in culture when normal bone marrow cells were overlayed on top of the irradiated adherent cell colonies. These results indicate that proliferation and differentiation of hemopoietic stem cells in vitro are also supported by stromahemopoietic cell interactions

  4. Bone Marrow Gene Therapy for HIV/AIDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Herrera-Carrillo

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Bone marrow gene therapy remains an attractive option for treating chronic immunological diseases, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV. This technology combines the differentiation and expansion capacity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs with long-term expression of therapeutic transgenes using integrating vectors. In this review we summarize the potential of bone marrow gene therapy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. A broad range of antiviral strategies are discussed, with a particular focus on RNA-based therapies. The idea is to develop a durable gene therapy that lasts the life span of the infected individual, thus contrasting with daily drug regimens to suppress the virus. Different approaches have been proposed to target either the virus or cellular genes encoding co-factors that support virus replication. Some of these therapies have been tested in clinical trials, providing proof of principle that gene therapy is a safe option for treating HIV/AIDS. In this review several topics are discussed, ranging from the selection of the antiviral molecule and the viral target to the optimal vector system for gene delivery and the setup of appropriate preclinical test systems. The molecular mechanisms used to formulate a cure for HIV infection are described, including the latest antiviral strategies and their therapeutic applications. Finally, a potent combination of anti-HIV genes based on our own research program is described.

  5. Radiosensitivity of stromal cells responsible for in vitro maintenance of hemopoietic stem cells in continuous, long-term marrow culture. [/sup 137/Cs; Mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tavassoli, M

    1982-05-01

    Marrow stromal cells are generally thought to be radioresistant. However, when the marrow was irradiated in vivo or in vitro before its use for the continuous longterm marrow culture, doses of radiation as low as 500 rad interfered with the establishment of the adherent stromal layer. Moreover, when the stromal layer was permitted to establish, similar doses of radiation interfered with its potential to support the proliferation and maintenance of the hemopoietic stem cell. Thus, marrow stromal cells appear to be more radiosensitive than hitherto thought. The type of damage may vary, however, according to the dose of radiation. Small doses may interfere with such functions as adhesion or cell division while larger doses may completely destroy the cell.

  6. Memory Reactivation Enables Long-Term Prevention of Interference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herszage, Jasmine; Censor, Nitzan

    2017-05-22

    The ability of the human brain to successively learn or perform two competing tasks constitutes a major challenge in daily function. Indeed, exposing the brain to two different competing memories within a short temporal offset can induce interference, resulting in deteriorated performance in at least one of the learned memories [1-4]. Although previous studies have investigated online interference and its effects on performance [5-13], whether the human brain can enable long-term prevention of future interference is unknown. To address this question, we utilized the memory reactivation-reconsolidation framework [2, 12] stemming from studies at the synaptic level [14-17], according to which reactivation of a memory enables its update. In a set of experiments, using the motor sequence learning task [18] we report that a unique pairing of reactivating the original memory (right hand) in synchrony with novel memory trials (left hand) prevented future interference between the two memories. Strikingly, these effects were long-term and observed a month following reactivation. Further experiments showed that preventing future interference was not due to practice per se, but rather specifically depended on a limited time window induced by reactivation of the original memory. These results suggest a mechanism according to which memory reactivation enables long-term prevention of interference, possibly by creating an updated memory trace integrating original and novel memories during the reconsolidation time window. The opportunity to induce a long-term preventive effect on memories may enable the utilization of strategies optimizing normal human learning, as well as recovery following neurological insults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Expression of human PQBP-1 in Drosophila impairs long-term memory and induces abnormal courtship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimura, Natsue; Horiuchi, Daisuke; Shibata, Masao; Saitoe, Minoru; Qi, Mei-Ling; Okazawa, Hitoshi

    2006-04-17

    Frame shift mutations of the polyglutamine binding protein-1 (PQBP1) gene lead to total or partial truncation of the C-terminal domain (CTD) and cause mental retardation in human patients. Interestingly, normal Drosophila homologue of PQBP-1 lacks CTD. As a model to analyze the molecular network of PQBP-1 affecting intelligence, we generated transgenic flies expressing human PQBP-1 with CTD. Pavlovian olfactory conditioning revealed that the transgenic flies showed disturbance of long-term memory. In addition, they showed abnormal courtship that male flies follow male flies. Abnormal functions of PQBP-1 or its binding partner might be linked to these symptoms.

  8. Bone marrow ablation with Ho-166 pharmaceuticals as preparation for bone marrow transplants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parks, N.J.; Kawakami, T.; Avila, M.; White, R.; Cain, G.; Moore, P.F.

    1991-01-01

    Bone marrow ablation is required preparation for leukemia patients where bone marrow transplantation is to be the therapeutic modality. Presently, the total body irradiation that is used produces appreciable morbidity in terms of radiation sickness, but an evenly distributed dose to marrow. The authors have shown in Beagles that bone-seeking radiolanthanide (Ho-166, t 1/2 = 25 h, 1.8 MeB beta, carrier added) phosphonic acid chelates can be used to completely ablate bone marrow with little morbidity. The research plan, incorporating bone marrow ablation with bone-seeking radionuclides and in vitro purging of aspirated leukemic marrow for use in autologous marrow transplants, is presented. Phosphonic acid complexes of Sm-153 also localize in the skeleton and have found use in the palliation of bone pain. However, the dose distribution is uneven because these radiopharmaceuticals distribute according to available surface; 2-4 times the skeletal average in trabecular vs cortical bone. Thus, the marrow dose can vary. The authors' research group and the Radiation Interactions Division of NIST have announced the discovery that beta radiation-induced excited electrons are trapped in the hydroxyapatite mineral of bone and provide a potential direct dosimetric method for marrow dose when combined with routine bone marrow (and included bone) biopsies. The overall research plan sets the hypothesis that reduced morbidity marrow ablation can be successfully followed by bone marrow transplantation (BMT) with autologous marrow purged in vitro by antibody-targeted alpha emitters

  9. Breast Cancer Cell Colonization of the Human Bone Marrow Adipose Tissue Niche.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Templeton, Zach S; Lie, Wen-Rong; Wang, Weiqi; Rosenberg-Hasson, Yael; Alluri, Rajiv V; Tamaresis, John S; Bachmann, Michael H; Lee, Kitty; Maloney, William J; Contag, Christopher H; King, Bonnie L

    2015-12-01

    Bone is a preferred site of breast cancer metastasis, suggesting the presence of tissue-specific features that attract and promote the outgrowth of breast cancer cells. We sought to identify parameters of human bone tissue associated with breast cancer cell osteotropism and colonization in the metastatic niche. Migration and colonization patterns of MDA-MB-231-fLuc-EGFP (luciferase-enhanced green fluorescence protein) and MCF-7-fLuc-EGFP breast cancer cells were studied in co-culture with cancellous bone tissue fragments isolated from 14 hip arthroplasties. Breast cancer cell migration into tissues and toward tissue-conditioned medium was measured in Transwell migration chambers using bioluminescence imaging and analyzed as a function of secreted factors measured by multiplex immunoassay. Patterns of breast cancer cell colonization were evaluated with fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Enhanced MDA-MB-231-fLuc-EGFP breast cancer cell migration to bone-conditioned versus control medium was observed in 12/14 specimens (P = .0014) and correlated significantly with increasing levels of the adipokines/cytokines leptin (P = .006) and IL-1β (P = .001) in univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry of fragments underscored the extreme adiposity of adult human bone tissues and revealed extensive breast cancer cell colonization within the marrow adipose tissue compartment. Our results show that breast cancer cells migrate to human bone tissue-conditioned medium in association with increasing levels of leptin and IL-1β, and colonize the bone marrow adipose tissue compartment of cultured fragments. Bone marrow adipose tissue and its molecular signals may be important but understudied components of the breast cancer metastatic niche. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Audit of long-term and short-term liabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korinko M.D.

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The article determines the importance of long-term and short-term liabilities for the management of financial and material resources of an enterprise. It reviews the aim, objects and information generators for realization of audit of short-term and long-term obligations. The organizing and methodical providing of audit of long-term and short-term liabilities of an enterprise are generalized. The authors distinguish the stages of realization of audit of long-term and short-term liabilities, the aim of audit on each of the presented stages, and recommend methodical techniques. It is fixed that it is necessary to conduct the estimation of the systems of internal control and record-keeping of an enterprise by implementation of public accountant procedures for determination of volume and maintenance of selection realization. After estimating the indicated systems, a public accountant determines the methodology for realization of public accountant verification of long-term and short-term liabilities. The analytical procedures that public accountants are expedient to use for realization of audit of short-term and long-term obligations are determined. The authors suggest the classification of the educed defects on the results of the conducted public accountant verification of short-term and long-term obligations.

  11. Development of organoids from mouse and human endometrium showing endometrial epithelium physiology and long-term expandability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boretto, Matteo; Cox, Benoit; Noben, Manuel; Hendriks, Nikolai; Fassbender, Amelie; Roose, Heleen; Amant, Frédéric; Timmerman, Dirk; Tomassetti, Carla; Vanhie, Arne; Meuleman, Christel; Ferrante, Marc; Vankelecom, Hugo

    2017-05-15

    The endometrium, which is of crucial importance for reproduction, undergoes dynamic cyclic tissue remodeling. Knowledge of its molecular and cellular regulation is poor, primarily owing to a lack of study models. Here, we have established a novel and promising organoid model from both mouse and human endometrium. Dissociated endometrial tissue, embedded in Matrigel under WNT-activating conditions, swiftly formed organoid structures that showed long-term expansion capacity, and reproduced the molecular and histological phenotype of the tissue's epithelium. The supplemented WNT level determined the type of mouse endometrial organoids obtained: high WNT yielded cystic organoids displaying a more differentiated phenotype than the dense organoids obtained in low WNT. The organoids phenocopied physiological responses of endometrial epithelium to hormones, including increased cell proliferation under estrogen and maturation upon progesterone. Moreover, the human endometrial organoids replicated the menstrual cycle under hormonal treatment at both the morpho-histological and molecular levels. Together, we established an organoid culture system for endometrium, reproducing tissue epithelium physiology and allowing long-term expansion. This novel model provides a powerful tool for studying mechanisms underlying the biology as well as the pathology of this key reproductive organ. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  12. Transplanted human pancreatic islets after long-term insulin independence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muller, Y D; Gupta, Shashank; Morel, P

    2013-01-01

    Long-term insulin independence after islets of Langerhans transplantation is rarely achieved. The aims of this study were to identify the histological and immunological features of islets transplanted in a type 1 diabetic patient who died of a cerebral hemorrhage after >13 years insulin independe...

  13. Studies on the distribution of hematopoietic bone marrow by bone marrow scintigraphy, 2. The bone marrow distribution in leukemia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujimori, K [Kyoto Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine

    1976-04-01

    Distribution of the leukemic marrow was investigated in 42 cases by bone marrow scintigraphy using sup(99m)Tc sulfur colloid in association with clinical findings and ferrokinetics studies in order to clarify hematopoietic function in leukemia. 17 of chronic myelogenous leukemia, 3 of lymphatic leukemia, 2 of monocytic leukemia, 7 of atypical leukemia and one of erythroleukemia. 12 acute myelogenous leukemia were classified into 3 types A, B and C. Type A showed the distribution similar to those obtained with normal controls. Ferrokinetics studies, however, indicated complete absence of erythropoiesis. Type B showed complete lack of sup(99m)Tc activity in usual marrow sites, although ferrokinetics data showed normal erythropoeitic function. Type C showed abnormal concentration of sup(99m)Tc sulfur colloid in the tibiae. 17 chronic myelogenous leukemia showed reduced sup(99m)Tc activity in usual marrow sites and remarkable expanded marrow extending into distal femurs, proximal and distal tibiae and bones of feet. 2 acute lymphotic leukemia patients showed complete absence of sup(99m)Tc activity. The one chronic type showed almost normal distribution. Monocytic leukemia showed decreased marrow distribution in the sternum and vertebrae. Of 6 atypical leukemias one showed almost normal distribution. The others, including a case with hypoplastic luekemia, demonstrated marrow extension similar to that observed in chronic myelogenous leukemia or monocytic leukemia. Erythroleukemia showed increased concentrations of sup(99m)Tc activity in the usual marrow sites and marked marrow expansion throughout all long bones. These results suggest that there is a discrepancy between bone marrow distribution and hematopoietic function in the cases of acute myelogenous leukemia.

  14. Erythropoietin receptor in human skeletal muscle and the effects of acute and long-term injections with recombinant human erythropoietin on the skeletal muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundby, Carsten; Hellsten, Ylva; Jensen, Mie B. F.

    2008-01-01

    The presence and potential physiological role of the erythropoietin receptor (Epo-R) were examined in human skeletal muscle. In this study we demonstrate that Epo-R is present in the endothelium, smooth muscle cells, and in fractions of the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle fibers. To study...... the potential effects of Epo in human skeletal muscle, two separate studies were conducted: one to study the acute effects of a single Epo injection on skeletal muscle gene expression and plasma hormones and another to study the effects of long-term (14 wk) Epo treatment on skeletal muscle structure. Subjects...... was studied in subjects (n = 8) who received long-term Epo administration, and muscle biopsies were obtained before and after. Epo treatment did not alter mean fiber area (0.84 +/- 0.2 vs. 0.72 +/- 0.3 mm(2)), capillaries per fiber (4.3 +/- 0.5 vs. 4.4 +/- 1.3), or number of proliferating endothelial cells...

  15. Long-term effects of localized spinal radiation therapy on vertebral fractures and focal lesions appearance in patients with multiple myeloma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lecouvet, Frederic; Richard, Francoise; Berg, B. Vande; Malghem, Jacques; Maldague, Baudouin; Ferrant, Augustin; Michaux, J.-L.

    1997-01-01

    The occurrence of new vertebral fractures and focal marrow lesions was determined and compared in irradiated and nonirradiated vertebrae of 12 patients with multiple myeloma (MM), prospectively followed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoraco-lumbar spine after localized spinal radiation therapy. During follow-up (mean 35 months), fractures appeared in 5% of irradiated vertebrae and in 20% of nonirradiated vertebrae; new focal lesions appeared in 4% of irradiated vertebrae and in 27% of nonirradiated vertebrae. This study demonstrates a beneficial long-term effect of localized radiation therapy, consisting of a reduced incidence of vertebral fractures and focal marrow lesions in irradiated vertebrae. (author)

  16. Neural Crest Cells Isolated from the Bone Marrow of Transgenic Mice Express JCV T-Antigen.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer Gordon

    Full Text Available JC virus (JCV, a common human polyomavirus, is the etiological agent of the demyelinating disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML. In addition to its role in PML, studies have demonstrated the transforming ability of the JCV early protein, T-antigen, and its association with some human cancers. JCV infection occurs in childhood and latent virus is thought to be maintained within the bone marrow, which harbors cells of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic lineages. Here we show that non-hematopoietic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs isolated from the bone marrow of JCV T-antigen transgenic mice give rise to JCV T-antigen positive cells when cultured under neural conditions. JCV T-antigen positive cells exhibited neural crest characteristics and demonstrated p75, SOX-10 and nestin positivity. When cultured in conditions typical for mesenchymal cells, a population of T-antigen negative cells, which did not express neural crest markers arose from the MSCs. JCV T-antigen positive cells could be cultured long-term while maintaining their neural crest characteristics. When these cells were induced to differentiate into neural crest derivatives, JCV T-antigen was downregulated in cells differentiating into bone and maintained in glial cells expressing GFAP and S100. We conclude that JCV T-antigen can be stably expressed within a fraction of bone marrow cells differentiating along the neural crest/glial lineage when cultured in vitro. These findings identify a cell population within the bone marrow permissible for JCV early gene expression suggesting the possibility that these cells could support persistent viral infection and thus provide clues toward understanding the role of the bone marrow in JCV latency and reactivation. Further, our data provides an excellent experimental model system for studying the cell-type specificity of JCV T-antigen expression, the role of bone marrow-derived stem cells in the pathogenesis of JCV-related diseases

  17. The separation of a mixture of bone marrow stem cells from tumor cells: an essential step for autologous bone marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubin, P.; Wheeler, K.T.; Keng, P.C.; Gregory, P.K.; Croizat, H.

    1981-01-01

    KHT tumor cells were mixed with mouse bone marrow to simulate a sample of bone marrow containing metastatic tumor cells. This mixture was separated into a bone marrow fraction and a tumor cell fraction by centrifugal elutriation. Elutriation did not change the transplantability of the bone marrow stem cells as measured by a spleen colony assay and an in vitro erythroid burst forming unit assay. The tumorogenicity of the KHT cells was similarly unaffected by elutriation. The data showed that bone marrow cells could be purified to less than 1 tumor cell in more than 10 6 bone marrow cells. Therefore, purification of bone marrow removed prior to lethal radiation-drug combined therapy for subsequent autologous transplantation appears to be feasible using modifications of this method if similar physical differences between human metastatic tumor cells and human bone marrow cells exist. This possibility is presently being explored

  18. CD146/MCAM defines functionality of human bone marrow stromal stem cell populations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harkness, Linda; Zaher, Walid; Ditzel, Nicholas

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Identification of surface markers for prospective isolation of functionally homogenous populations of human skeletal (stromal, mesenchymal) stem cells (hMSCs) is highly relevant for cell therapy protocols. Thus, we examined the possible use of CD146 to subtype a heterogeneous hMSC...... population. METHODS: Using flow cytometry and cell sorting, we isolated two distinct hMSC-CD146(+) and hMSC-CD146(-) cell populations from the telomerized human bone marrow-derived stromal cell line (hMSC-TERT). Cells were examined for differences in their size, shape and texture by using high...... and adipocytes on the basis of gene expression and protein production of lineage-specific markers. In vivo, hMSC-CD146(+) and hMSC-CD146(-) cells formed bone and bone marrow organ when implanted subcutaneously in immune-deficient mice. Bone was enriched in hMSC-CD146(-) cells (12.6 % versus 8.1 %) and bone...

  19. Long-term follow-up study and long-term care of childhood cancer survivors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyeon Jin Park

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available The number of long-term survivors is increasing in the western countries due to remarkable improvements in the treatment of childhood cancer. The long-term complications of childhood cancer survivors in these countries were brought to light by the childhood cancer survivor studies. In Korea, the 5-year survival rate of childhood cancer patients is approaching 70%; therefore, it is extremely important to undertake similar long-term follow-up studies and comprehensive long-term care for our population. On the basis of the experiences of childhood cancer survivorship care of the western countries and the current Korean status of childhood cancer survivors, long-term follow-up study and long-term care systems need to be established in Korea in the near future. This system might contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of childhood cancer survivors through effective intervention strategies.

  20. Use of lymphokine-activated killer cells to prevent bone marrow graft rejection and lethal graft-vs-host disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azuma, E.; Yamamoto, H.; Kaplan, J.

    1989-01-01

    Prompted by our recent finding that lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells mediate both veto and natural suppression, we tested the ability of adoptively transferred LAK cells to block two in vivo alloreactions which complicate bone marrow transplantation: resistance to transplanted allogeneic bone marrow cells, and lethal graft-vs-host disease. Adoptive transfer of either donor type B6D2 or recipient-type B6 lymphokine-activated bone marrow cells, cells found to have strong LAK activity, abrogated or inhibited the resistance of irradiated B6 mice to both B6D2 marrow and third party-unrelated C3H marrow as measured by CFU in spleen on day 7. The ability of lymphokine-activated bone marrow cells to abrogate allogeneic resistance was eliminated by C lysis depletion of cells expressing asialo-GM1, NK1.1, and, to a variable degree, Thy-1, but not by depletion of cells expressing Lyt-2, indicating that the responsible cells had a LAK cell phenotype. Similar findings were obtained by using splenic LAK cells generated by 3 to 7 days of culture with rIL-2. Demonstration that allogeneic resistance could be blocked by a cloned LAK cell line provided direct evidence that LAK cells inhibit allogeneic resistance. In addition to inhibiting allogeneic resistance, adoptively transferred recipient-type LAK cells prevented lethal graft-vs-host disease, and permitted long term engraftment of allogeneic marrow. Irradiation prevented LAK cell inhibition of both allogeneic resistance and lethal graft-vs-host disease. These findings suggest that adoptive immunotherapy with LAK cells may prove useful in preventing graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease in human bone marrow transplant recipients

  1. Hemopoietic stem cell niches, recovery from radiation and bone marrow transfusions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cronkite, E.P.; Carsten, A.L.; Brecher, G.

    1979-01-01

    The long term hematologic effects of single whole body sublethal X-ray exposure, 525 rad, and the low level chronic exposure from 137 Cs gamma ray and ingested HTO were investigated in mice. The single X-ray exposure had early severe effect on bone marrows both in terms of total cellularity and the number of pluripotent stem cells. How do animals maintain normal cellularity in the absence of a normal number of the pluripotent stem cells[ The following 3 different mechanisms may be involved: additional division in the cytologically identifiable divisible pool of bone marrows; shortening of cycle time allowing more divisions in the same time with great amplification of a small number of colony-forming unit spleens; and the recruitment of G 0 stem cells into proliferation. The reduction in the number of bone marrow stem cells might be attributed to stromal injury in the marrows such that they cannot support as many stem cells as those before the radiation exposure. As an alternate to the ''niche'' hypothesis, the injury to the stem cell pool such that self-replication was not sufficient to restore normal cell concentration is a possibility. The time sequence of the transfusion of marrows may be important to the ultimate effect. Attempts to fill empty niches 10 and 12 weeks after a single and severe radiation injury may be impossible due to stromal changes which in effect have eliminated the niches. The bone marrows of animals rescued by the transfusion of 4 x 10 6 bone marrow cells will accept 0 to 25% of the second transfusion of 4 x 10 7 cells. (Yamashita, S.)

  2. Ecosystem processes and human influences regulate streamflow response to climate change at long-term ecological research sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Julia A. Jones; Irena F. Creed; Kendra L. Hatcher; Robert J. Warren; Mary Beth Adams; Melinda H. Benson; Emery Boose; Warren A. Brown; John L. Campbell; Alan Covich; David W. Clow; Clifford N. Dahm; Kelly Elder; Chelcy R. Ford; Nancy B. Grimm; Donald L Henshaw; Kelli L. Larson; Evan S. Miles; Kathleen M. Miles; Stephen D. Sebestyen; Adam T. Spargo; Asa B. Stone; James M. Vose; Mark W. Williams

    2012-01-01

    Analyses of long-term records at 35 headwater basins in the United States and Canada indicate that climate change effects on streamflow are not as clear as might be expected, perhaps because of ecosystem processes and human influences. Evapotranspiration was higher than was predicted by temperature in water-surplus ecosystems and lower than was predicted in water-...

  3. Long term consequences of early childhood malnutrition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kinsey, B.H.; Hoddinott, J; Alderman, H.

    2006-01-01

    This paper examines the impact of pre-school malnutrition on subsequent human capital formation in rural Zimbabwe using a maternal fixed effects - instrumental variables (MFE-IV) estimator with a long term panel data set. Representations of civil war and drought shocks are used to identify

  4. Tolerance to MHC class II disparate allografts through genetic modification of bone marrow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jindra, Peter T.; Tripathi, Sudipta; Tian, Chaorui; Iacomini, John; Bagley, Jessamyn

    2012-01-01

    Induction of molecular chimerism through genetic modification of bone marrow is a powerful tool for the induction of tolerance. Here we demonstrate for the first time that expression of an allogeneic MHC class II gene in autologous bone marrow cells, resulting in a state of molecular chimerism, induces tolerance to MHC class II mismatched skin grafts, a stringent test of transplant tolerance. Reconstitution of recipients with syngeneic bone marrow transduced with retrovirus encoding H-2I-Ab (I-Ab) resulted the long-term expression of the retroviral gene product on the surface of MHC class II-expressing bone marrow derived cell types. Mechanistically, tolerance was maintained by the presence of regulatory T cells, which prevented proliferation and cytokine production by alloreactive host T cells. Thus, the introduction of MHC class II genes into bone marrow derived cells through genetic engineering results in tolerance. These results have the potential to extend the clinical applicability of molecular chimerism for tolerance induction. PMID:22833118

  5. Contributions to the discussion on the determinants of long-term human capital development in today's developing regions

    OpenAIRE

    Prayon, Valeria

    2013-01-01

    This thesis makes use of the phenomenon of age-heaping as a proxy for basic numerical skills and assesses the long-term human capital development in today’s developing regions, mainly for the time period from 1880 to 1960. Although the age-heaping methodology is still quite new in the field of economic history capturing only a very basic aspect of human capital, many recent studies have demonstrated its usefulness as a proxy for basic numerical skills. This thesis contributes to this strand o...

  6. Short-term antibiotic treatment has differing long-term impacts on the human throat and gut microbiome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jakobsson, H.; Jernberg, C.; Andersson, A.F.; Sjolund-Karlsson, M.; Jansson, J.K.; Engstrand, L.

    2010-01-15

    Antibiotic administration is the standard treatment for the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the main causative agent of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. However, the long-term consequences of this treatment on the human indigenous microbiota are relatively unexplored. Here we studied short- and long-term effects of clarithromycin and metronidazole treatment, a commonly used therapy regimen against H. pylori, on the indigenous microbiota in the throat and in the lower intestine. The bacterial compositions in samples collected over a four year period were monitored by analyzing the 16S rRNA gene using 454-based pyrosequencing and terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). While the microbial communities of untreated control subjects were relatively stable over time, dramatic shifts were observed one week after antibiotic treatment with reduced bacterial diversity in all treated subjects in both locations. While the microbiota of the different subjects responded uniquely to the antibiotic treatment some general trends could be observed; such as a dramatic decline in Actinobacteria in both throat and feces immediately after treatment. Although the diversity of the microbiota subsequently recovered to resemble the pre treatment states, the microbiota remained perturbed in some cases for up to four years post treatment. In addition, four years after treatment high levels of the macrolide resistance gene erm(B) were found, indicating that antibiotic resistance, once selected for, can persist for longer periods of time than previously recognized. This highlights the importance of a restrictive antibiotic usage in order to prevent subsequent treatment failure and potential spread of antibiotic resistance.

  7. Incidence of human herpes virus-6 and human cytomegalovirus infections in donated bone marrow and umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Behzad-Behbahani A

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the incidence of human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6 and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV infections that are potentially transmitted to haematopoietic stem cells (HSC transplant recipients via bone marrow (BM or umbilical cord blood (UCB. Bone marrow progenitor cells were collected from 30 allogenic BM donors. UCB HSC were collected from 34 subjects. The extracted DNA was then processed using nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR technique. HCMV and HHV-6 serological status were determined by enzyme immunoassay (EIA. Nested PCR identified HCMV in 22 (73% of 30 samples of BM progenitor cells but in only eight (23.5% of 34 samples of UBC HSC ( P = 0.001. HHV-6 DNA was detected in 11 (36.6% of 30 BM progenitor cells and in only one (2.9% of 34 UBC cells ( P = 0.002. Both HHV-6 and HCMV infections were determined in nine (26.5% of 34 bone marrow samples. The results indicate that, the risk of HCMV and HHV-6 via BM progenitor cells is higher than transmission by UCB cells ( P= 0.04.

  8. Androgen receptor expression in human ovarian and uterine tissue of long term androgen-treated transsexual women

    OpenAIRE

    Chadha, D.; Pache, T.D.; Huikeshoven, Frans; Brinkmann, Albert; Kwast, Theo

    1994-01-01

    textabstractAndrogen receptor (AR) modulation in human uteri and ovaries of long term androgen-treated transsexual female patients was investigated. Androgen receptor expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in the ovaries of 11 and the endometria and myometria of six androgen-treated transsexual female patients. This was compared with AR expression in the ovaries and uteri of premenopausal and postmenopausal women not receiving treatment and in 10 ovaries of female patients with polycy...

  9. Long-Term Live Cell Imaging of Cell Migration: Effects of Pathogenic Fungi on Human Epithelial Cell Migration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wöllert, Torsten; Langford, George M

    2016-01-01

    Long-term live cell imaging was used in this study to determine the responses of human epithelial cells to pathogenic biofilms formed by Candida albicans. Epithelial cells of the skin represent the front line of defense against invasive pathogens such as C. albicans but under certain circumstances, especially when the host's immune system is compromised, the skin barrier is breached. The mechanisms by which the fungal pathogen penetrates the skin and invade the deeper layers are not fully understood. In this study we used keratinocytes grown in culture as an in vitro model system to determine changes in host cell migration and the actin cytoskeleton in response to virulence factors produced by biofilms of pathogenic C. albicans. It is clear that changes in epithelial cell migration are part of the response to virulence factors secreted by biofilms of C. albicans and the actin cytoskeleton is the downstream effector that mediates cell migration. Our goal is to understand the mechanism by which virulence factors hijack the signaling pathways of the actin cytoskeleton to alter cell migration and thereby invade host tissues. To understand the dynamic changes of the actin cytoskeleton during infection, we used long-term live cell imaging to obtain spatial and temporal information of actin filament dynamics and to identify signal transduction pathways that regulate the actin cytoskeleton and its associated proteins. Long-term live cell imaging was achieved using a high resolution, multi-mode epifluorescence microscope equipped with specialized light sources, high-speed cameras with high sensitivity detectors, and specific biocompatible fluorescent markers. In addition to the multi-mode epifluorescence microscope, a spinning disk confocal long-term live cell imaging system (Olympus CV1000) equipped with a stage incubator to create a stable in vitro environment for long-term real-time and time-lapse microscopy was used. Detailed descriptions of these two long-term live

  10. Active bone marrow distribution as a function of age in humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cristy, M.

    1981-01-01

    In response to the need for better quantitative estimates of the regional distribution of the active bone marrow organ in infants and children, a method using various anatomical data has been developed. The method, a refinement of that of Atkinson (1962), predicts that in the newborn 27.8% of the active marrow in the body resides in the skull and 20.7% resides in the lower limbs. Atkinson's method predicts 7.0% in the skull and 38.9% in the lower limbs. According to the experimental data of Hudson (1965) involving 16 late-term foetuses and newborns, there is 29.5% (+- 4.2%) in the skull and 23.7% (+-2.2%) in the lower limbs. The values from the new method are much closer to experimental values in both bone groups. The values for the newborn and age one year predicted by the new method were adjusted after comparison with the experimental data for the newborn. Newer information on marrow cellularity was also incorporated into the method presented here, so that the distribution calculated here for the adult differs somewhat from those calculated by others. Overall, this adult distribution agrees more closely with published distributions based on 59 Fe studies than do the earlier distributions. (author)

  11. Long-Term Stewardship Program Science and Technology Requirements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joan McDonald

    2002-09-01

    Many of the United States’ hazardous and radioactively contaminated waste sites will not be sufficiently remediated to allow unrestricted land use because funding and technology limitations preclude cleanup to pristine conditions. This means that after cleanup is completed, the Department of Energy will have long-term stewardship responsibilities to monitor and safeguard more than 100 sites that still contain residual contamination. Long-term stewardship encompasses all physical and institutional controls, institutions, information, and other mechanisms required to protect human health and the environment from the hazards remaining. The Department of Energy Long-Term Stewardship National Program is in the early stages of development, so considerable planning is still required to identify all the specific roles and responsibilities, policies, and activities needed over the next few years to support the program’s mission. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory was tasked with leading the development of Science and Technology within the Long-Term Stewardship National Program. As part of that role, a task was undertaken to identify the existing science and technology related requirements, identify gaps and conflicts that exist, and make recommendations to the Department of Energy for future requirements related to science and technology requirements for long-term stewardship. This work is summarized in this document.

  12. Effect of human disturbance on long-term habitat use and breeding success of the European Nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Lowe

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Land managers often respond to declining numbers of target species by creating additional areas of habitat. If these habitats are also subject to human disturbance, then their efforts may be wasted. The European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus is a ground-nesting bird that is listed as a species of European Conservation Concern. It appears to be susceptible to human disturbance during the breeding season. We examined habitat use and reproductive success over 10 years in a breeding population on 1335 ha of managed land in Nottinghamshire, England. The study site was divided into a heavily disturbed section and a less disturbed section of equal habitat availability, forming a natural long-term experiment. The site is open to the public, and visitor numbers approximately doubled during the study. We found that overall Nightjar density was significantly lower and there were significantly fewer breeding pairs in the heavily disturbed habitat compared with the less disturbed habitat. However, average breeding success per pair, in terms of eggs and fledglings produced, was not significantly different between the two sections across years. Our findings suggest that human recreational disturbance may drastically alter settlement patterns and nest site selection of arriving females in some migratory ground-nesting species and may reduce the utility of apparently suitable patches of remnant and created habitat. Land managers should bear this in mind when creating new areas of habitat that will also be accessible to the public. Our study also highlights the value of long-term population monitoring, which can detect trends that short-term studies may miss.

  13. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for improving hematopoietic function: an in vitro and in vivo model. Part 2: Effect on bone marrow microenvironment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soraya Carrancio

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to determine how mesenchymal stem cells (MSC could improve bone marrow (BM stroma function after damage, both in vitro and in vivo. Human MSC from 20 healthy donors were isolated and expanded. Mobilized selected CD34(+ progenitor cells were obtained from 20 HSCT donors. For in vitro study, long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC were performed using a etoposide damaged stromal model to test MSC effect in stromal confluence, capability of MSC to lodge in stromal layer as well as some molecules (SDF1, osteopontin, involved in hematopoietic niche maintenance were analyzed. For the in vivo model, 64 NOD/SCID recipients were transplanted with CD34+ cells administered either by intravenous (i.v. or intrabone (i.b. route, with or without BM derived MSC. MSC lodgement within the BM niche was assessed by FISH analysis and the expression of SDF1 and osteopontin by immunohistochemistry. In vivo study showed that when the stromal damage was severe, TP-MSC could lodge in the etoposide-treated BM stroma, as shown by FISH analysis. Osteopontin and SDF1 were differently expressed in damaged stroma and their expression restored after TP-MSC addition. Human in vivo MSC lodgement was observed within BM niche by FISH, but MSC only were detected and not in the contralateral femurs. Human MSC were located around blood vessels in the subendoestal region of femurs and expressed SDF1 and osteopontin. In summary, our data show that MSC can restore BM stromal function and also engraft when a higher stromal damage was done. Interestingly, MSC were detected locally where they were administered but not in the contralateral femur.

  14. Long-term Therapy With Tenofovir Is Effective for Patients Co-Infected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B Virus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries-Sluijs, Theodora E. M. S.; Reijnders, Jurriën G. P.; Hansen, Bettina E.; Zaaijer, Hans L.; Prins, Jan M.; Pas, Suzan D.; Schutten, Martin; Hoepelman, Andy I. M.; Richter, Clemens; Mulder, Jan W.; de Man, Rob A.; Janssen, Harry L. A.; van der Ende, Marchina E.

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND & AIMS: We investigated the long-term efficacy and renal safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), administered to patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus (HBV) as part of an antiretroviral therapy. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, prospective

  15. Long-Term Human Induced Impacts on Marajó Island Landscapes, Amazon Estuary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Schaan

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Archaeology is a discipline that can offer a long term perspective on the impacts human societies have had on the environment. Landscape studies are critical for understanding these impacts, because they embrace a dialectical view regarding the relationship between humans and their immediate surroundings. Such studies are well suited to the Amazon basin, a region that has driven much media attention due to astonishing rates of deforestation in certain areas, with likely consequences on the planet’s climate, posing challenges to the survival of the human species for the coming decades. In fact, although much has been said about the impacts of contemporary societies on tropical forest environments, ancient landscape management practices have not yet been considered part of the equation. Thus far, we know that Amerindian societies have been actively transforming their surroundings for millennia. On the eve of European contact, large, complex societies were bringing about long-lasting transformations of landscapes throughout the basin. Conquest and colonization resulted in epidemics, enslavement, and changes to the indigenous economies that managed to survive the genocide. Afterwards, as colonizers would exploit traditional resources leading, in many instances, to their exhaustion, a huge quantity of information on sustainable ways of dealing with certain environments became lost. Traditional knowledge, however, still survives among certain indigenous, peasant (caboclo, and African-Brazilian populations. Documentation of surviving management practices together with the study of the archaeological record could provide valuable information for policy makers. This article examines historical transformations that took place on Marajó Island during the last two millennia and advocates the importance of archaeological research for understanding the historical ecology of landscape change. It is argued that ancient economic strategies, some still being

  16. ECM microenvironment unlocks brown adipogenic potential of adult human bone marrow-derived MSCs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Michelle H; Goralczyk, Anna G; Kriszt, Rókus; Ang, Xiu Min; Badowski, Cedric; Li, Ying; Summers, Scott A; Toh, Sue-Anne; Yassin, M Shabeer; Shabbir, Asim; Sheppard, Allan; Raghunath, Michael

    2016-02-17

    Key to realizing the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of human brown/brite adipocytes is the identification of a renewable, easily accessible and safe tissue source of progenitor cells, and an efficacious in vitro differentiation protocol. We show that macromolecular crowding (MMC) facilitates brown adipocyte differentiation in adult human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs), as evidenced by substantially upregulating uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and uncoupled respiration. Moreover, MMC also induced 'browning' in bmMSC-derived white adipocytes. Mechanistically, MMC creates a 3D extracellular matrix architecture enshrouding maturing adipocytes in a collagen IV cocoon that is engaged by paxillin-positive focal adhesions also at the apical side of cells, without contact to the stiff support structure. This leads to an enhanced matrix-cell signaling, reflected by increased phosphorylation of ATF2, a key transcription factor in UCP1 regulation. Thus, tuning the dimensionality of the microenvironment in vitro can unlock a strong brown potential dormant in bone marrow.

  17. Effects of Long Term Supplementation of Anabolic Androgen Steroids on Human Skeletal Muscle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Ji-Guo; Bonnerud, Patrik; Eriksson, Anders; Stål, Per S.; Tegner, Yelverton; Malm, Christer

    2014-01-01

    The effects of long-term (over several years) anabolic androgen steroids (AAS) administration on human skeletal muscle are still unclear. In this study, seventeen strength training athletes were recruited and individually interviewed regarding self-administration of banned substances. Ten subjects admitted having taken AAS or AAS derivatives for the past 5 to 15 years (Doped) and the dosage and type of banned substances were recorded. The remaining seven subjects testified to having never used any banned substances (Clean). For all subjects, maximal muscle strength and body composition were tested, and biopsies from the vastus lateralis muscle were obtained. Using histochemistry and immunohistochemistry (IHC), muscle biopsies were evaluated for morphology including fiber type composition, fiber size, capillary variables and myonuclei. Compared with the Clean athletes, the Doped athletes had significantly higher lean leg mass, capillary per fibre and myonuclei per fiber. In contrast, the Doped athletes had significantly lower absolute value in maximal squat force and relative values in maximal squat force (relative to lean body mass, to lean leg mass and to muscle fiber area). Using multivariate statistics, an orthogonal projection of latent structure discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model was established, in which the maximal squat force relative to muscle mass and the maximal squat force relative to fiber area, together with capillary density and nuclei density were the most important variables for separating Doped from the Clean athletes (regression  =  0.93 and prediction  =  0.92, p<0.0001). In Doped athletes, AAS dose-dependent increases were observed in lean body mass, muscle fiber area, capillary density and myonuclei density. In conclusion, long term AAS supplementation led to increases in lean leg mass, muscle fiber size and a parallel improvement in muscle strength, and all were dose-dependent. Administration of AAS may induce sustained

  18. After repeated division, bone marrow stromal cells express inhibitory factors with osteogenic capabilities, and EphA5 is a primary candidate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Tsuyoshi; Yuasa, Masato; Masaoka, Tomokazu; Taniyama, Takashi; Maehara, Hidetsugu; Torigoe, Ichiro; Yoshii, Toshitaka; Shinomiya, Kenichi; Okawa, Atsushi; Sotome, Shinichi

    2013-12-01

    The differentiation capability of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) is thought to deteriorate over multiple doubling processes. To clarify the deterioration mechanisms, the multilineage differentiation capabilities of short- and long-term passaged BMSCs were compared. Predictably, long-term passaged BMSCs showed reduced differentiation capacities compared to short-term passaged cells. Furthermore, a non-human primate heterotopic bone formation model demonstrated that long-term passaged BMSCs have bone formation capabilities but also exert inhibitory effects on bone formation. This finding indicated that long-term passaged BMSCs express higher levels of inhibitory factors than short-term passaged BMSCs do. Co-culture assays of short- and long-term passaged BMSCs suggested that the inhibitory signals required cell-cell contact and would therefore be expressed on the cell membrane. A microarray analysis of BMSCs identified ephrin type-A receptor 5 (EphA5) as an inhibitory factor candidate. Quantitative PCR revealed that among all members of the ephrin and Eph receptor families, only the expression of EphA5 was increased by BMSC proliferation. A gene knockdown analysis using siRNAs demonstrated that knockdown of EphA5 gene expression in long-term passaged BMSCs led to an increase in ALP mRNA expression. These results indicate that EphA5 may be a negative regulator of bone formation. A better understanding of the roles of the ephrin and Eph receptor families in hBMSCs may lead to alternative approaches for manipulating hBMSC fate. In addition, this avenue of discovery may provide new therapeutic targets and quality-control markers of the osteogenic differentiation capabilities of hBMSCs. © 2013.

  19. A Conditioning Analysis of Infant Long-Term Memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Margaret W.; And Others

    1979-01-01

    Assesses the long-term retention of conditioned operant footkicks by three-month-old infants. Views a conditioning analysis as a logical means by which to bridge the gap between animal and adult human models of memory. (Author/RH)

  20. [{sup 89}Zr]Oxinate{sub 4} for long-term in vivo cell tracking by positron emission tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charoenphun, Putthiporn; Meszaros, Levente K.; Chuamsaamarkkee, Krisanat; Sharif-Paghaleh, Ehsan; Ballinger, James R.; Mullen, Gregory E.D. [St Thomas' Hospital, King' s College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Ferris, Trevor J.; Went, Michael J. [University of Kent, School of Physical Sciences, Canterbury (United Kingdom); Blower, Philip J. [St Thomas' Hospital, King' s College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); King' s College London, Division of Chemistry, London (United Kingdom)

    2014-10-31

    {sup 111}In (typically as [{sup 111}In]oxinate{sub 3}) is a gold standard radiolabel for cell tracking in humans by scintigraphy. A long half-life positron-emitting radiolabel to serve the same purpose using positron emission tomography (PET) has long been sought. We aimed to develop an {sup 89}Zr PET tracer for cell labelling and compare it with [{sup 111}In]oxinate{sub 3} single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). [{sup 89}Zr]Oxinate{sub 4} was synthesised and its uptake and efflux were measured in vitro in three cell lines and in human leukocytes. The in vivo biodistribution of eGFP-5T33 murine myeloma cells labelled using [{sup 89}Zr]oxinate{sub 4} or [{sup 111}In]oxinate{sub 3} was monitored for up to 14 days. {sup 89}Zr retention by living radiolabelled eGFP-positive cells in vivo was monitored by FACS sorting of liver, spleen and bone marrow cells followed by gamma counting. Zr labelling was effective in all cell types with yields comparable with {sup 111}In labelling. Retention of {sup 89}Zr in cells in vitro after 24 h was significantly better (range 71 to >90 %) than {sup 111}In (43-52 %). eGFP-5T33 cells in vivo showed the same early biodistribution whether labelled with {sup 111}In or {sup 89}Zr (initial pulmonary accumulation followed by migration to liver, spleen and bone marrow), but later translocation of radioactivity to kidneys was much greater for {sup 111}In. In liver, spleen and bone marrow at least 92 % of {sup 89}Zr remained associated with eGFP-positive cells after 7 days in vivo. [{sup 89}Zr]Oxinate{sub 4} offers a potential solution to the emerging need for a long half-life PET tracer for cell tracking in vivo and deserves further evaluation of its effects on survival and behaviour of different cell types. (orig.)

  1. Tritium contamination of hematopoietic stem cells alters long-term hematopoietic reconstitution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Giacomo, F.; Barroca, V.; Laurent, D.; Lewandowski, D.; Saintigny, Y.; Romeo, P.H.; Granotier, Ch.; Boussin, F.D.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: In vivo effects of tritium contamination are poorly documented. Here, we study the effects of tritiated Thymidine ([ 3 H] Thymidine) or tritiated water (HTO) contamination on the biological properties of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Materials and methods: Mouse HSC were contaminated with concentrations of [ 3 H] Thymidine ranging from 0.37-37.03 kBq/ml or of HTO ranging from 5-50 kBq/ml. The biological properties of contaminated HSC were studied in vitro after HTO contamination and in vitro and in vivo after [ 3 H] Thymidine contamination. Results: Proliferation, viability and double-strand breaks were dependent on [ 3 H] Thymidine or HTO concentrations used for contamination but in vitro myeloid differentiation of HSC was not affected by [ 3 H] Thymidine contamination. [ 3 H] Thymidine contaminated HSC showed a compromised long-term capacity of hematopoietic reconstitution and competition experiments showed an up to two-fold decreased capacity of contaminated HSC to reconstitute hematopoiesis. These defects were not due to impaired homing in bone marrow but to an initial decreased proliferation rate of HSC. Conclusion: These results indicate that contaminations of HSC with doses of tritium that do not result in cell death, induce short-term effects on proliferation and cell cycle and long-term effects on hematopoietic reconstitution capacity of contaminated HSC. (authors)

  2. [Long-term psychiatric hospitalizations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plancke, L; Amariei, A

    2017-02-01

    Long-term hospitalizations in psychiatry raise the question of desocialisation of the patients and the inherent costs. Individual indicators were extracted from a medical administrative database containing full-time psychiatric hospitalizations for the period 2011-2013 of people over 16 years old living in the French region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. We calculated the proportion of people who had experienced a hospitalization with a duration of 292 days or more during the study period. A bivariate analysis was conducted, then ecological data (level of health-care offer, the deprivation index and the size of the municipalities of residence) were included into a multilevel regression model in order to identify the factors significantly related to variability of long-term hospitalization rates. Among hospitalized individuals in psychiatry, 2.6% had had at least one hospitalization of 292 days or more during the observation period; the number of days in long-term hospitalization represented 22.5% of the total of days of full-time hospitalization in psychiatry. The bivariate analysis revealed that seniority in the psychiatric system was strongly correlated with long hospitalization rates. In the multivariate analysis, the individual indicators the most related to an increased risk of long-term hospitalization were: total lack of autonomy (OR=9.0; 95% CI: 6.7-12.2; P<001); diagnoses of psychological development disorders (OR=9.7; CI95%: 4.5-20.6; P<.001); mental retardation (OR=4.5; CI95%: 2.5-8.2; P<.001): schizophrenia (OR=3.0; CI95%: 1.7-5.2; P<.001); compulsory hospitalization (OR=1.7; CI95%: 1.4-2.1; P<.001); having experienced therapeutic isolation (OR=1.8; CI95%: 1.5-2.1; P<.001). Variations of long-term hospitalization rates depending on the type of establishment were very high, but the density of hospital beds or intensity of ambulatory activity services were not significantly linked to long-term hospitalization. The inhabitants of small urban units had

  3. Merging of long-term memories in an insect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Kathryn L; Chittka, Lars

    2015-03-16

    Research on comparative cognition has largely focused on successes and failures of animals to solve certain cognitive tasks, but in humans, memory errors can be more complex than simple failures to retrieve information [1, 2]. The existence of various types of "false memories," in which individuals remember events that they have never actually encountered, are now well established in humans [3, 4]. We hypothesize that such systematic memory errors may be widespread in animals whose natural lifestyle involves the processing and recollection of memories for multiple stimuli [5]. We predict that memory traces for various stimuli may "merge," such that features acquired in distinct bouts of training are combined in an animal's mind, so that stimuli that have never been viewed before, but are a combination of the features presented in training, may be chosen during recall. We tested this using bumblebees, Bombus terrestris. When individuals were first trained to a solid single-colored stimulus followed by a black and white (b/w)-patterned stimulus, a subsequent preference for the last entrained stimulus was found in both short-term- and long-term-memory tests. However, when bees were first trained to b/w-patterned stimuli followed by solid single-colored stimuli and were tested in long-term-memory tests 1 or 3 days later, they only initially preferred the most recently rewarded stimulus, and then switched their preference to stimuli that combined features from the previous color and pattern stimuli. The observed merging of long-term memories is thus similar to the memory conjunction error found in humans [6]. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. In utero transplantation of human bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stem cells in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Shiu-Huey; Kuo, Tom K; Liu, Ming; Lee, Oscar K

    2006-03-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that can be isolated from human bone marrow and possess the potential to differentiate into progenies of embryonic mesoderm. However, current evidence is based predominantly on in vitro experiments. We used a murine model of in utero transplantation (IUT) to study the engraftment capabilities of human MSCs. MSCs were obtained from bone marrow by negative immunoselection and limiting dilution, and were characterized by flow cytometry and by in vitro differentiation into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. MSCs were transplanted into fetal mice at a gestational age of 14 days. Engraftment of human MSCs was determined by flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). MSCs engrafted into tissues originating from all three germ layers and persisted for up to 4 months or more after delivery, as evidenced by the expression of the human-specific beta-2 microglobulin gene and by FISH for donor-derived cells. Donor-derived CD45+ cells were detectable in the peripheral blood of recipients, suggesting the participation of MSCs in hematopoiesis at the fetal stage. This model can further serve to evaluate possible applications of MSCs. Copyright 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society.

  5. Direct evaluation of radiation damage in human hematopoietic progenitor cells in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kyoizumi, Seishi; McCune, J.M.; Namikawa, Reiko

    1994-01-01

    We have developed techniques by which normal functional elements of human bone marrow can be implanted into immunodeficient C.B-17 scid/scid (SCID) mice. Afterward, long-term multilineage human hematopoiesis is sustained in vivo. We evaluated the effect of irradiation on the function of human bone marrow with this in vivo model. After whole-body X irradiation of the engrafted animals, it was determined that the D 0 value of human committed progenitor cells within the human marrow was 1.00 ± 0.09 (SEM) Gy for granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) and 0.74 ± 0.12 Gy for erythroidburst-forming units (BFU-E). The effects of irradiation on the hematopoietic elements were reduced when the radioprotective agent WR-2721 was administered prior to irradiation. After low-dose irradiation, recovery of human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). This small animal model may prove amenable for the analysis of the risk of the exposure of humans to irradiation as well as for the development of new modalities for the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced hematopoietic damage. 41 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

  6. A Long-Term Follow-Up Study of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell Transplantation in Patients with Drug-Resistant Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dandan Wang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Allogeneic mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs have been widely studied as an alternative cell source for regenerative medicine. Here, we report a long-term follow-up study of allogeneic bone marrow and/or umbilical cord MSC transplantation (MSCT in severe and drug-refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE patients. Eighty-one patients were enrolled, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 84% (68/81 after MSCT. At 5-year follow-up, 27% of patients (22/81 were in complete clinical remission and another 7% (6/81 were in partial clinical remission, with a 5-year disease remission rate of 34% (28/81. In total, 37 patients had achieved clinical remission and then 9 patients subsequently relapsed, with 5-year overall rate of relapse of 24% (9/37. SLE Disease Activity Index scores, serum albumin, complement C3, peripheral white blood cell, and platelet numbers, as well as proteinuria levels, continued to improve during the follow-up. Our results demonstrated that allogeneic MSCT is safe and resulted in long-term clinical remission in SLE patients. : In this article, Sun and colleagues show that allogeneic bone marrow and/or umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cell transplantation both result in good clinical safety and effect in treating drug-refractory systemic lupus erythematosus patients, by introducing a 5- to 8-year follow-up study for all the 81 enrolled patients. Keywords: bone marrow, mesenchymal stem cells, systemic lupus erythematosus, safety, umbilical cord

  7. Preclinical rodent toxicity studies for long term use of ceftriaxone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Ratti

    2015-01-01

    Ceftriaxone showed rapid absorption with half-life values ranging between 1 and 1.5 h. Additionally, there was no evidence of accumulation and a virtually complete elimination by 16 h after the last dose. Overall there were no toxicologically meaningful drug-related animal findings associated with the long-term administration (6 months of ceftriaxone. These results support safety of long-term use of ceftriaxone in human clinical trials.

  8. Studies on the distribution of hematopoietic bone marrow by bone marrow scintigraphy, 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujimori, Katsuhiko

    1976-01-01

    Distribution of the leukemic marrow was investigated in 42 cases by bone marrow scintigraphy using sup(99m)Tc sulfur colloid in association with clinical findings and ferrokinetics studies in order to clarify hematopoietic function in leukemia. 17 of chronic myelogenous leukemia, 3 of lymphatic leukemia, 2 of monocytic leukemia, 7 of atypical leukemia and one of erythroleukemia. 12 acute myelogenous leukemia were classified into 3 types A, B and C. Type A showed the distribution similar to those obtained with normal controls. Ferrokinetics studies, however, indicated complete absence of erythropoiesis. Type B showed complete lack of sup(99m)Tc activity in usual marrow sites, although ferrokinetics data showed normal erythropoeitic function. Type C showed abnormal concentration of sup(99m)Tc sulfur colloid in the tibiae. 17 chronic myelogenous leukemia showed reduced sup(99m)Tc activity in usual marrow sites and remarkable expanded marrow extending into distal femurs, proximal and distal tibiae and bones of feet. 2 acute lymphotic leukemia patients showed complete absence of sup(99m)Tc activity. The one chronic type showed almost normal distribution. Monocytic leukemia showed decreased marrow distribution in the sternum and vertebrae. Of 6 atypical leukemias one showed almost normal distribution. The others, including a case with hypoplastic luekemia, demonstrated marrow extension similar to that observed in chronic myelogenous leukemia or monocytic leukemia. Erythroleukemia showed increased concentrations of sup(99m)Tc activity in the usual marrow sites and marked marrow expansion throughout all long bones. These results suggest that there is a discrepancy between bone marrow distribution and hematopoietic function in the cases of acute myelogenous leukemia. (J.P.N.)

  9. Long-term stability of oxidative stress biomarkers in human serum.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansen, Eugène H J M; Beekhof, Piet K; Viezeliene, Dale; Muzakova, Vladimira; Skalicky, Jiri

    2017-01-01

    The storage time and storage temperature might affect stability of oxidative stress biomarkers, therefore, they have to be analyzed after long-term storage of serum samples. The stability of three biomarkers reflecting oxidative stress: reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) for hydroperoxides, total

  10. Human Albumin Improves Long-Term Behavioral Sequelae After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Through Neurovascular Remodeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Yi; Liu, Wenhua; Zhang, Xiaohao; Wang, Liumin; Xu, Lili; Xiong, Yunyun; Yang, Lian; Sang, Hongfei; Ye, Ruidong; Liu, Xinfeng

    2015-10-01

    Subarachnoid hemorrhage results in significant long-lasting neurologic sequelae. Here, we investigated whether human albumin improves long-term outcomes in experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage and whether neurovascular remodeling is involved in the protection of albumin. Laboratory investigation. Hospital research laboratory. Male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats underwent subarachnoid hemorrhage by endovascular perforation. Albumin of either 0.63 or 1.25 g/kg was injected IV immediately after the surgery. Modified Garcia test, beam-walking test, novel object recognition, and Morris water maze were employed to determine the behavioral deficits. The effects of albumin on early neurovascular dysfunction and chronic synaptic plasticity were also studied. Both doses of albumin significantly improved the sensorimotor scores (F = 31.277; p = 0.001) and cognitive performance (F = 7.982; p = 0.001 in novel object recognition test; and F = 3.431; p = 0.026 in the latency analysis of Morris water maze test) for at least 40 days after subarachnoid hemorrhage. There were remarkable microvasculature hypoperfusion, intracranial pressure rise, early vasoconstriction, neural apoptosis, and degeneration in subarachnoid hemorrhage rats, with albumin significantly attenuating such neurovascular dysfunction. Furthermore, albumin markedly prevented blood-brain barrier disruption, as indicated by less blood-brain barrier leakage, preserved blood-brain barrier-related proteins, and dampened gelatinase activities. The expressions of key synaptic elements were up-regulated with albumin supplementation in both acute and chronic phases. Accordingly, a higher dendritic spine density was observed in the prefrontal and hippocampal areas of albumin-treated subarachnoid hemorrhage animals. Albumin at low-to-moderate doses markedly improves long-term neurobehavioral sequelae after subarachnoid hemorrhage, which may involve an integrated process of neurovascular remodeling.

  11. Advancing nursing leadership in long-term care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Jennifer; Ringland, Margaret; Wilson, Susan

    2010-05-01

    Nurses working in the long-term care (LTC) sector face unique workplace stresses, demands and circumstances. Designing approaches to leadership training and other supportive human-resource strategies that reflect the demands of the LTC setting fosters a positive work life for nurses by providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead the care team and to address resident and family issues. Through the St. Joseph's Health Centre Guelph demonstration site project, funded by the Nursing Secretariat of Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Excelling as a Nurse Leader in Long Term Care training program and the Mentor Team program were developed to address these needs. Evaluation results show that not only have individual nurses benefitted from taking part in these programs, but also that the positive effects were felt in other parts of the LTC home (as reported by Directors of Care). By creating a generally healthier work environment, it is anticipated that these programs will also have a positive effect on recruitment and retention.

  12. Characterization of human erythroid burst-promoting activity derived from bone marrow conditioned media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, P.N.; Ogawa, M.

    1982-01-01

    Bone marrow conditioned media (BMCM) increases burst number and the incorporation of 59 Fe into heme by bursts when peripheral blood or bone marrow cells are cultured at limiting serum concentrations. Burst-promoting activity (BPA) has now been purified approximately 300-fold from this source by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and absorption chromatography on hydroxyapatite agarose gel. Marrow BPA increased burst number and hemoglobin (Hb) synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. A larger increase in Hb synthesis than in burst number was consistently observed, which was probably a consequence of the increase in the number of cells per burst that occurs in the presence of BPA. The role of BPA in culture could be distinguished from erythropoietin (Ep), since no bursts grew in the absence of Ep, whether or not BPA was present, and since it had no effect on the growth of erythroid colonies scored at day 5 of culture. Our purified fraction did not support the growth of CFU-C in culture. Activity was stable at temperatures of 70 degrees C or lower for 10 min; exposure to 80 degrees C resulted in approximately 50% loss of activity. BPA was completely inactivated by treatment at 100 degrees C for 10 min. Thus, human bone marrow cells produce a heat-sensitive factor that specifically promotes the growth of early erythroid progenitors in culture

  13. Bone marrow edema syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korompilias, Anastasios V.; Lykissas, Marios G.; Beris, Alexandros E.; Karantanas, Apostolos H.

    2009-01-01

    Bone marrow edema syndrome (BMES) refers to transient clinical conditions with unknown pathogenic mechanism, such as transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH), regional migratory osteoporosis (RMO), and reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). BMES is primarily characterized by bone marrow edema (BME) pattern. The disease mainly affects the hip, the knee, and the ankle of middle-aged males. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the pathogenesis of the disease. Unfortunately, the etiology of BMES remains obscure. The hallmark that separates BMES from other conditions presented with BME pattern is its self-limited nature. Laboratory tests usually do not contribute to the diagnosis. Histological examination of the lesion is unnecessary. Plain radiographs may reveal regional osseous demineralization. Magnetic resonance imaging is mainly used for the early diagnosis and monitoring the progression of the disease. Early differentiation from other aggressive conditions with long-term sequelae is essential in order to avoid unnecessary treatment. Clinical entities, such as TOH, RMO, and RSD are spontaneously resolving, and surgical treatment is not needed. On the other hand, early differential diagnosis and surgical treatment in case of osteonecrosis is of crucial importance. (orig.)

  14. Long-term monitoring of the human intestinal microbiota composition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rajilic-Stojanovic, M.; Heilig, G.H.J.; Tims, S.; Zoetendal, E.G.; Vos, de W.M.

    2013-01-01

    The microbiota that colonizes the human intestinal tract is complex and its structure is specific for each of us. In this study we expand the knowledge about the stability of the subject-specific microbiota and show that this ecosystem is stable in short-term intervals (¿10 years). The faecal

  15. Survival of Free and Encapsulated Human and Rat Islet Xenografts Transplanted into the Mouse Bone Marrow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meier, Raphael P. H.; Seebach, Jörg D.; Morel, Philippe; Mahou, Redouan; Borot, Sophie; Giovannoni, Laurianne; Parnaud, Geraldine; Montanari, Elisa; Bosco, Domenico; Wandrey, Christine; Berney, Thierry; Bühler, Leo H.; Muller, Yannick D.

    2014-01-01

    Bone marrow was recently proposed as an alternative and potentially immune-privileged site for pancreatic islet transplantation. The aim of the present study was to assess the survival and rejection mechanisms of free and encapsulated xenogeneic islets transplanted into the medullary cavity of the femur, or under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-induced diabetic C57BL/6 mice. The median survival of free rat islets transplanted into the bone marrow or under the kidney capsule was 9 and 14 days, respectively, whereas that of free human islets was shorter, 7 days (bone marrow) and 10 days (kidney capsule). Infiltrating CD8+ T cells and redistributed CD4+ T cells, and macrophages were detected around the transplanted islets in bone sections. Recipient mouse splenocytes proliferated in response to donor rat stimulator cells. One month after transplantation under both kidney capsule or into bone marrow, encapsulated rat islets had induced a similar degree of fibrotic reaction and still contained insulin positive cells. In conclusion, we successfully established a small animal model for xenogeneic islet transplantation into the bone marrow. The rejection of xenogeneic islets was associated with local and systemic T cell responses and macrophage recruitment. Although there was no evidence for immune-privilege, the bone marrow may represent a feasible site for encapsulated xenogeneic islet transplantation. PMID:24625569

  16. Survival of free and encapsulated human and rat islet xenografts transplanted into the mouse bone marrow.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raphael P H Meier

    Full Text Available Bone marrow was recently proposed as an alternative and potentially immune-privileged site for pancreatic islet transplantation. The aim of the present study was to assess the survival and rejection mechanisms of free and encapsulated xenogeneic islets transplanted into the medullary cavity of the femur, or under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-induced diabetic C57BL/6 mice. The median survival of free rat islets transplanted into the bone marrow or under the kidney capsule was 9 and 14 days, respectively, whereas that of free human islets was shorter, 7 days (bone marrow and 10 days (kidney capsule. Infiltrating CD8+ T cells and redistributed CD4+ T cells, and macrophages were detected around the transplanted islets in bone sections. Recipient mouse splenocytes proliferated in response to donor rat stimulator cells. One month after transplantation under both kidney capsule or into bone marrow, encapsulated rat islets had induced a similar degree of fibrotic reaction and still contained insulin positive cells. In conclusion, we successfully established a small animal model for xenogeneic islet transplantation into the bone marrow. The rejection of xenogeneic islets was associated with local and systemic T cell responses and macrophage recruitment. Although there was no evidence for immune-privilege, the bone marrow may represent a feasible site for encapsulated xenogeneic islet transplantation.

  17. Music Learning with Long Short Term Memory Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Colombo, Florian François

    2015-01-01

    Humans are able to learn and compose complex, yet beautiful, pieces of music as seen in e.g. the highly complicated works of J.S. Bach. However, how our brain is able to store and produce these very long temporal sequences is still an open question. Long short-term memory (LSTM) artificial neural networks have been shown to be efficient in sequence learning tasks thanks to their inherent ability to bridge long time lags between input events and their target signals. Here, I investigate the po...

  18. Relationship between short and long term radon measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, T.; Ramirez, D.; Navarrete, M.; Cabrera, L.; Ramirez, A.; Gonzalez, P.

    2000-01-01

    In this work the radon group of the Faculty of Chemistry at the National University of Mexico presents the results obtained in the establishment of a relation between the short and long term radon measures made with passive electret detectors E-PERM type LLT and HST. The measures were carried out inside single family dwellings (open house condition) located in the southeast of Mexico City (in Xochimilco) during the four seasons of the year 1997. A correlation was established between the short term measures (five days) and those of a long term for every season as well as an annual average, with an equation that relates them. The objective and advantage of this correlation are that with a short term measure it is possible to predict the annual mean radon concentration, that represents a saving of human and economic resources. (author)

  19. Long-Term Symbolic Learning

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kennedy, William G; Trafton, J. G

    2007-01-01

    What are the characteristics of long-term learning? We investigated the characteristics of long-term, symbolic learning using the Soar and ACT-R cognitive architectures running cognitive models of two simple tasks...

  20. Insulin signaling is acutely required for long-term memory in Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chambers, Daniel B; Androschuk, Alaura; Rosenfelt, Cory; Langer, Steven; Harding, Mark; Bolduc, Francois V

    2015-01-01

    Memory formation has been shown recently to be dependent on energy status in Drosophila. A well-established energy sensor is the insulin signaling (InS) pathway. Previous studies in various animal models including human have revealed the role of insulin levels in short-term memory but its role in long-term memory remains less clear. We therefore investigated genetically the spatial and temporal role of InS using the olfactory learning and long-term memory model in Drosophila. We found that InS is involved in both learning and memory. InS in the mushroom body is required for learning and long-term memory whereas long-term memory specifically is impaired after InS signaling disruption in the ellipsoid body, where it regulates the level of p70s6k, a downstream target of InS and a marker of protein synthesis. Finally, we show also that InS is acutely required for long-term memory formation in adult flies.

  1. MRI of bone marrow: opposed-phase gradient-echo sequences with long repetition time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seiderer, M.; Staebler, A.; Wagner, H.

    1999-01-01

    Signal intensity for opposed-phase gradient-echo (GE) sequences of tissues composed of fat- and water-equivalent cells such as red bone marrow is extremely sensitive to variation of the ratio of both cell populations (fat-to-water ratio Q F/W ). Because most bone marrow pathology results in variation of Q F/W , GE sequences are characterized by high-contrast imaging of pathology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of TR, TE, FA, Q F/W and histology on signal intensity. Signal intensity of opposed-phase GE sequences as a function of TR, TE, FA, and Q F/W was measured for a fat-water phantom and cadaver specimens of normal bone marrow (red and yellow) and pathological bone marrow (tumors). All specimens were correlated to histology. Opposed-phase GE imaging of red bone marrow pathology results in low-signal-intensity imaging of intact red bone marrow and high-signal-intensity positive contrast imaging of pathology associated with a change in Q F/W . In first-order approximation the signal intensity of pathology is linearly correlated to the change in Q F/W . Opposed-phase GE imaging is a sensitive imaging technique for red bone marrow pathology. Relative contrast of red bone marrow pathology is similar to fat-suppressed imaging techniques. Acquisition time is identical to T1-weighted SE sequences. (orig.)

  2. p38 MAPK Inhibitor Insufficiently Attenuates HSC Senescence Administered Long-Term after 6 Gy Total Body Irradiation in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Lu

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Senescent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs accumulate with age and exposure to stress, such as total-body irradiation (TBI, which may cause long-term myelosuppression in the clinic. However, the methods available for long-term myelosuppression remain limited. Previous studies have demonstrated that sustained p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK activation in HSCs following exposure to TBI in mice and the administration of its inhibitor twenty-four hours after TBI may partially prevent long-term myelosuppression. However, long-term myelosuppression is latent and identified long after the administration of radiation. In this study, we investigated the effects of SB203580 (a small molecule inhibitor of p38 MAPK on long-term myelosuppression induced by TBI. Mice with hematopoietic injury were injected intraperitoneally with SB203580 every other day five times beginning 70 days after 6 Gy of 137Cs γ ray TBI. Our results at 80 days demonstrated that SB203580 did not significantly improve the TBI-induced long-term reduction of peripheral blood cell and bone marrow nucleated cell (BMNC counts, or defects in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs and HSC clonogenic function. SB203580 reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS production and p-p38 expression; however, SB203580 had no effect on p16 expression in the HSCs of mice. In conclusion, these findings suggest that treatment with SB203580 70 days after TBI in mice inhibits the ROS-p38 oxidative stress pathway; however, it has no therapeutic effect on long-term myelosuppression induced by TBI.

  3. Pediatric polytrauma : Short-term and long-term outcomes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    vanderSluis, CK; Kingma, J; Eisma, WH; tenDuis, HJ

    Objective: To assess the short-term and long-term outcomes of pediatric polytrauma patients and to analyze the extent to which short-term outcomes can predict long-term outcomes. Materials and Methods: Ail pediatric polytrauma patients (Injury Severity Score of greater than or equal to 16, less than

  4. Effect of low oxygen tension on the biological characteristics of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dae Seong; Ko, Young Jong; Lee, Myoung Woo; Park, Hyun Jin; Park, Yoo Jin; Kim, Dong-Ik; Sung, Ki Woong; Koo, Hong Hoe; Yoo, Keon Hee

    2016-11-01

    Culture of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) under ambient conditions does not replicate the low oxygen environment of normal physiological or pathological states and can result in cellular impairment during culture. To overcome these limitations, we explored the effect of hypoxia (1 % O 2 ) on the biological characteristics of MSCs over the course of different culture periods. The following biological characteristics were examined in human bone marrow-derived MSCs cultured under hypoxia for 8 weeks: proliferation rate, morphology, cell size, senescence, immunophenotypic characteristics, and the expression levels of stemness-associated factors and cytokine and chemokine genes. MSCs cultured under hypoxia for approximately 2 weeks showed increased proliferation and viability. During long-term culture, hypoxia delayed phenotypic changes in MSCs, such as increased cell volume, altered morphology, and the expression of senescence-associated-β-gal, without altering their characteristic immunophenotypic characteristics. Furthermore, hypoxia increased the expression of stemness and chemokine-related genes, including OCT4 and CXCR7, and did not decrease the expression of KLF4, C-MYC, CCL2, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCR4 compared with levels in cells cultured under normoxia. In conclusion, low oxygen tension improved the biological characteristics of MSCs during ex vivo expansion. These data suggest that hypoxic culture could be a useful method for increasing the efficacy of MSC cell therapies.

  5. Mild erythrocytopenia is the most frequent long-term sequel after peptide receptor radionuclide Therapy: Results of long-term follow-up in more than 500 Patients from a single centre

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, J.; Kulkami, H.R.; Baum, R.P.; Menghui, Y.

    2015-01-01

    Full text of publication follows. Aim: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is highly effective in well differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) and lends a benefit in overall survival of several years. Renal toxicity is a well-known adverse effect of PRRNT. Hematological toxicity as possible long-term sequel has been hardly examined. Therefore we investigated the effect of PRRT on the hematological status (erythrocytes, leukocytes, thrombocytes) of patients who received individualized therapy at our centre. Materials and Methods: Out of over 500 patients, 59 chemotherapy naive patients with well-differentiated NENs who were treated with at least 3 cycles of PRRT with 177 Lu- and/or 90 Y- labeled DOTATATE/DOTATOC and long-term follow-up were selected for this analysis. Blood counts were documented before the first cycle and repeated at monthly intervals between further cycles and during re-staging examinations after PRRT for many years. Comparisons were done between the hematological status before the first cycle and the one 3 years after the last cycle of PRRT. Results: All 3 cell lines were significantly decreased 3 years after the last radionuclide therapy (erythrocytes, leukocytes: p=0,000; thrombocytes: p=0,002; confidence interval 95%). But only erythrocytes showed a significant decrement, i.e., below the reference level of our in-house laboratory (mean value ± standard deviation: (4.07 ± 0.69)/l; reference level: 4.1-5.4/l). Conclusions: Mild erythrocytopenia is the most frequent long-term sequel after PRRT. Although it has to be considered that repeated cycles probably cause impoverishment in bone marrow reserve (or red cell precursors), PRRT achieves both significant improvement in clinical symptoms and excellent palliation. Thus it remains a safe procedure if performed at specialized centres with interdisciplinary and long-term care. (authors)

  6. Development of the Fetal Bone Marrow Niche and Regulation of HSC Quiescence and Homing Ability by Emerging Osteolineage Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Süleyman Coşkun

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs reside within a specialized niche where interactions with vasculature, osteoblasts, and stromal components regulate their self-renewal and differentiation. Little is known about bone marrow niche formation or the role of its cellular components in HSC development; therefore, we established the timing of murine fetal long bone vascularization and ossification relative to the onset of HSC activity. Adult-repopulating HSCs emerged at embryonic day 16.5 (E16.5, coincident with marrow vascularization, and were contained within the c-Kit+Sca-1+Lin− (KSL population. We used Osterix-null (Osx−/− mice that form vascularized marrow but lack osteolineage cells to dissect the role(s of these cellular components in HSC development. Osx−/− fetal bone marrow cells formed multilineage colonies in vitro but were hyperproliferative and failed to home to and/or engraft transplant recipients. Thus, in developing bone marrow, the vasculature can sustain multilineage progenitors, but interactions with osteolineage cells are needed to regulate long-term HSC proliferation and potential.

  7. Development of the fetal bone marrow niche and regulation of HSC quiescence and homing ability by emerging osteolineage cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coşkun, Süleyman; Chao, Hsu; Vasavada, Hema; Heydari, Kartoosh; Gonzales, Naomi; Zhou, Xin; de Crombrugghe, Benoit; Hirschi, Karen K

    2014-10-23

    Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside within a specialized niche where interactions with vasculature, osteoblasts, and stromal components regulate their self-renewal and differentiation. Little is known about bone marrow niche formation or the role of its cellular components in HSC development; therefore, we established the timing of murine fetal long bone vascularization and ossification relative to the onset of HSC activity. Adult-repopulating HSCs emerged at embryonic day 16.5 (E16.5), coincident with marrow vascularization, and were contained within the c-Kit(+)Sca-1(+)Lin(-) (KSL) population. We used Osterix-null (Osx(-/-)) mice that form vascularized marrow but lack osteolineage cells to dissect the role(s) of these cellular components in HSC development. Osx(-/-) fetal bone marrow cells formed multilineage colonies in vitro but were hyperproliferative and failed to home to and/or engraft transplant recipients. Thus, in developing bone marrow, the vasculature can sustain multilineage progenitors, but interactions with osteolineage cells are needed to regulate long-term HSC proliferation and potential. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Short-term treatment with flumazenil restores long-term object memory in a mouse model of Down syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colas, Damien; Chuluun, Bayarsaikhan; Garner, Craig C; Heller, H Craig

    2017-04-01

    Down syndrome (DS) is a common genetic cause of intellectual disability yet no pro-cognitive drug therapies are approved for human use. Mechanistic studies in a mouse model of DS (Ts65Dn mice) demonstrate that impaired cognitive function is due to excessive neuronal inhibitory tone. These deficits are normalized by chronic, short-term low doses of GABA A receptor (GABA A R) antagonists in adult animals, but none of the compounds investigated are approved for human use. We explored the therapeutic potential of flumazenil (FLUM), a GABA A R antagonist working at the benzodiazepine binding site that has FDA approval. Long-term memory was assessed by the Novel Object Recognition (NOR) testing in Ts65Dn mice after acute or short-term chronic treatment with FLUM. Short-term, low, chronic dose regimens of FLUM elicit long-lasting (>1week) normalization of cognitive function in both young and aged mice. FLUM at low dosages produces long lasting cognitive improvements and has the potential of fulfilling an unmet therapeutic need in DS. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  9. Long-Term Culture of Self-renewing Pancreatic Progenitors Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamie Trott

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Pluripotent stem cells have been proposed as an unlimited source of pancreatic β cells for studying and treating diabetes. However, the long, multi-step differentiation protocols used to generate functional β cells inevitably exhibit considerable variability, particularly when applied to pluripotent cells from diverse genetic backgrounds. We have developed culture conditions that support long-term self-renewal of human multipotent pancreatic progenitors, which are developmentally more proximal to the specialized cells of the adult pancreas. These cultured pancreatic progenitor (cPP cells express key pancreatic transcription factors, including PDX1 and SOX9, and exhibit transcriptomes closely related to their in vivo counterparts. Upon exposure to differentiation cues, cPP cells give rise to pancreatic endocrine, acinar, and ductal lineages, indicating multilineage potency. Furthermore, cPP cells generate insulin+ β-like cells in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that they offer a convenient alternative to pluripotent cells as a source of adult cell types for modeling pancreatic development and diabetes.

  10. Rapid Osteogenic Enhancement of Stem Cells in Human Bone Marrow Using a Glycogen-Synthease-Kinase-3-Beta Inhibitor Improves Osteogenic Efficacy In Vitro and In Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clough, Bret H; Zeitouni, Suzanne; Krause, Ulf; Chaput, Christopher D; Cross, Lauren M; Gaharwar, Akhilesh K; Gregory, Carl A

    2018-04-01

    Non-union defects of bone are a major problem in orthopedics, especially for patients with a low healing capacity. Fixation devices and osteoconductive materials are used to provide a stable environment for osteogenesis and an osteogenic component such as autologous human bone marrow (hBM) is then used, but robust bone formation is contingent on the healing capacity of the patients. A safe and rapid procedure for improvement of the osteoanabolic properties of hBM is, therefore, sought after in the field of orthopedics, especially if it can be performed within the temporal limitations of the surgical procedure, with minimal manipulation, and at point-of-care. One way to achieve this goal is to stimulate canonical Wingless (cWnt) signaling in bone marrow-resident human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), the presumptive precursors of osteoblasts in bone marrow. Herein, we report that the effects of cWnt stimulation can be achieved by transient (1-2 hours) exposure of osteoprogenitors to the GSK3β-inhibitor (2'Z,3'E)-6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO) at a concentration of 800 nM. Very-rapid-exposure-to-BIO (VRE-BIO) on either hMSCs or whole hBM resulted in the long-term establishment of an osteogenic phenotype associated with accelerated alkaline phosphatase activity and enhanced transcription of the master regulator of osteogenesis, Runx2. When VRE-BIO treated hBM was tested in a rat spinal fusion model, VRE-BIO caused the formation of a denser, stiffer, fusion mass as compared with vehicle treated hBM. Collectively, these data indicate that the VRE-BIO procedure may represent a rapid, safe, and point-of-care strategy for the osteogenic enhancement of autologous hBM for use in clinical orthopedic procedures. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2018;7:342-353. © 2018 The Authors Stem Cells Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AlphaMed Press.

  11. Stability of Folate and Vitamin B 12 in Human Serum after Long-Term Storage: A Follow-Up after 13 Years

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansen, Eugène H. J. M.; Beekhof, Piet K.; Centre for Health Protection, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, Netherlands; Centre for Health Protection, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, Netherlands

    2018-01-01

    In epidemiological and nutrition research, it is very important to evaluate the stability of biomarkers as function of both storage time and temperature. In this study, the stability of folate and vitamin B 12 in human serum samples has been tested after long-term

  12. Nursing Assistants for Long-Term Care. Performance-Based Instructional Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Indiana Univ., Bloomington. Vocational Education Services.

    This guide is intended to assist students enrolled in programs to train nursing assistants for employment in an Indiana long-term health care facility. The first part discusses human development (growth, aging, and dying); communication with residents; sexuality; legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities of nursing assistants in long-term…

  13. Toxicological Effects of Caco-2 Cells Following Short-Term and Long-Term Exposure to Ag Nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni Chen

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Extensive utilization increases the exposure of humans to Ag nanoparticles (NPs via the oral pathway. To comprehensively address the action of Ag NPs to the gastrointestinal systems in real situations, i.e., the long-term low-dose exposure, we evaluated and compared the toxicity of three Ag NPs (20–30 nm with different surface coatings to the human intestine cell Caco-2 after 1-day and 21-day exposures, using various biological assays. In both the short- and long-term exposures, the variety of surface coating predominated the toxicity of Ag NPs in a descending order of citrate-coated Ag NP (Ag-CIT, bare Ag NP (Ag-B, and poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-coated Ag NP (Ag-PVP. The short-term exposure induced cell growth inhibition and death. The cell viability loss appeared after cells were exposed to 0.7 μg/mL Ag-CIT, 0.9 μg/mL Ag-B or >1.0 μg/mL Ag-PVP for 24 h. The short-term and higher-dose exposure also induced reactive oxygen species (ROS generation, mitochondrial damage, cell membrane leakage, apoptosis, and inflammation (IL-8 level. The long-term exposure only inhibited the cell proliferation. After 21-day exposure to 0.4 μg/mL Ag-CIT, the cell viability dropped to less than 50%, while cells exposed to 0.5 μg/mL Ag-PVP remained normal as the control. Generally, 0.3 μg/mL is the non-toxic dose for the long-term exposure of Caco-2 cells to Ag NPs in this study. However, cells presented inflammation after exposure to Ag NPs with the non-toxic dose in the long-term exposure.

  14. Conceptual Distinctiveness Supports Detailed Visual Long-Term Memory for Real-World Objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konkle, Talia; Brady, Timothy F.; Alvarez, George A.; Oliva, Aude

    2010-01-01

    Humans have a massive capacity to store detailed information in visual long-term memory. The present studies explored the fidelity of these visual long-term memory representations and examined how conceptual and perceptual features of object categories support this capacity. Observers viewed 2,800 object images with a different number of exemplars…

  15. Reconciling long-term cultural diversity and short-term collective social behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valori, Luca; Picciolo, Francesco; Allansdottir, Agnes; Garlaschelli, Diego

    2012-01-24

    An outstanding open problem is whether collective social phenomena occurring over short timescales can systematically reduce cultural heterogeneity in the long run, and whether offline and online human interactions contribute differently to the process. Theoretical models suggest that short-term collective behavior and long-term cultural diversity are mutually excluding, since they require very different levels of social influence. The latter jointly depends on two factors: the topology of the underlying social network and the overlap between individuals in multidimensional cultural space. However, while the empirical properties of social networks are intensively studied, little is known about the large-scale organization of real societies in cultural space, so that random input specifications are necessarily used in models. Here we use a large dataset to perform a high-dimensional analysis of the scientific beliefs of thousands of Europeans. We find that interopinion correlations determine a nontrivial ultrametric hierarchy of individuals in cultural space. When empirical data are used as inputs in models, ultrametricity has strong and counterintuitive effects. On short timescales, it facilitates a symmetry-breaking phase transition triggering coordinated social behavior. On long timescales, it suppresses cultural convergence by restricting it within disjoint groups. Moreover, ultrametricity implies that these results are surprisingly robust to modifications of the dynamical rules considered. Thus the empirical distribution of individuals in cultural space appears to systematically optimize the coexistence of short-term collective behavior and long-term cultural diversity, which can be realized simultaneously for the same moderate level of mutual influence in a diverse range of online and offline settings.

  16. Illicit stimulant use in humans is associated with a long-term increase in tremor.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanley C Flavel

    Full Text Available Use of illicit stimulants such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy is a significant health problem. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that 14-57 million people use stimulants each year. Chronic use of illicit stimulants can cause neurotoxicity in animals and humans but the long-term functional consequences are not well understood. Stimulant users self-report problems with tremor whilst abstinent. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the long-term effect of stimulant use on human tremor during rest and movement. We hypothesized that individuals with a history of stimulant use would exhibit abnormally large tremor during rest and movement. Tremor was assessed in abstinent ecstasy users (n = 9; 22 ± 3 yrs and abstinent users of amphetamine-like drugs (n = 7; 33 ± 9 yrs and in two control groups: non-drug users (n = 23; 27 ± 8 yrs and cannabis users (n = 12; 24 ± 7 yrs. Tremor was measured with an accelerometer attached to the index finger at rest (30 s and during flexion and extension of the index finger (30 s. Acceleration traces were analyzed with fast-Fourier transform. During movement, tremor amplitude was significantly greater in ecstasy users than in non-drug users (frequency range 3.9-13.3 Hz; P<0.05, but was unaffected in cannabis users or users of amphetamine-like drugs. The peak frequency of tremor did not significantly differ between groups nor did resting tremor. In conclusion, abstinent ecstasy users exhibit an abnormally large tremor during movement. Further work is required to determine if the abnormality translates to increased risk of movement disorders in this population.

  17. Local Government Implementation of Long-Term Stewardship at Two DOE Facilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John Pendergrass; Roman Czebiniak; Kelly Mott; Seth Kirshenberg; Audrey Eidelman; Zachary Lamb; Erica Pencak; Wendy Sandoz

    2003-08-13

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for cleaning up the radioactive and chemical contamination that resulted from the production of nuclear weapons. At more than one hundred sites throughout the country DOE will leave some contamination in place after the cleanup is complete. In order to protect human health and the environment from the remaining contamination DOE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state environmental regulatory agencies, local governments, citizens and other entities will need to undertake long-term stewardship of such sites. Long-term stewardship includes a wide range of actions needed to protect human health in the environment for as long as the risk from the contamination remains above acceptable levels, such as barriers, caps, and other engineering controls and land use controls, signs, notices, records, and other institutional controls. In this report the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) examine how local governments, state environmental agencies, and real property professionals implement long-term stewardship at two DOE facilities, Losa Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge Reservation.

  18. Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase II is a Ubiquitous Molecule in Human Long-term Memory Synaptic Plasticity: A Systematic Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ataei, Negar; Sabzghabaee, Ali Mohammad; Movahedian, Ahmad

    2015-01-01

    Background: Long-term memory is based on synaptic plasticity, a series of biochemical mechanisms include changes in structure and proteins of brain's neurons. In this article, we systematically reviewed the studies that indicate calcium/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) is a ubiquitous molecule among different enzymes involved in human long-term memory and the main downstream signaling pathway of long-term memory. Methods: All of the observational, case–control and review studies were considered and evaluated by the search engines PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ScienceDirect Scopus between 1990 and February 2015. We did not carry out meta-analysis. Results: At the first search, it was fined 1015 articles which included “synaptic plasticity” OR “neuronal plasticity” OR “synaptic density” AND memory AND “molecular mechanism” AND “calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II” OR CaMKII as the keywords. A total of 335 articles were duplicates in the databases and eliminated. A total of 680 title articles were evaluated. Finally, 40 articles were selected as reference. Conclusions: The studies have shown the most important intracellular signal of long-term memory is calcium-dependent signals. Calcium linked calmodulin can activate CaMKII. After receiving information for learning and memory, CaMKII is activated by Glutamate, the most important neurotransmitter for memory-related plasticity. Glutamate activates CaMKII and it plays some important roles in synaptic plasticity modification and long-term memory. PMID:26445635

  19. Walrus history around the North Water: Human-animal relations in a long-term perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotfredsen, Anne Birgitte; Appelt, Martin; Hastrup, Kirsten

    2018-04-01

    This article highlights the relationship between walruses and humans in and around the North Water polynya in a long-term perspective. The present study draws on a combination of biological, archaeological, archaeo-zoological, historical, and ethnographic sources covering the period from the 8th century AD to the late 20th century. The study demonstrates that the walrus was an important resource of meat, blubber, and other products throughout all the studied periods, if always supplemented by other kinds of game. It is suggested that walrus distribution and behaviour, as well as hunting strategies and technologies historically constituted a powerful component not only in forming human action and social life in the region but also in serving as an imaginative resource. It is further argued that the walrus and the walrus hunt still play a significant role in the present community living on the edge of the North Water, even if the hunt is increasingly circumscribed due to changing ice conditions.

  20. Human Stromal (Mesenchymal) Stem Cells from Bone Marrow, Adipose Tissue and Skin Exhibit Differences in Molecular Phenotype and Differentiation Potential

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Al-Nbaheen, May; Vishnubalaji, Radhakrishnan; Ali, Dalia

    2013-01-01

    Human stromal (mesenchymal) stem cells (hMSCs) are multipotent stem cells with ability to differentiate into mesoderm-type cells e.g. osteoblasts and adipocytes and thus they are being introduced into clinical trials for tissue regeneration. Traditionally, hMSCs have been isolated from bone marrow......, but the number of cells obtained is limited. Here, we compared the MSC-like cell populations, obtained from alternative sources for MSC: adipose tissue and skin, with the standard phenotype of human bone marrow MSC (BM-MSCs). MSC from human adipose tissue (human adipose stromal cells (hATSCs)) and human skin......, MSC populations obtained from different tissues exhibit significant differences in their proliferation, differentiation and molecular phenotype, which should be taken into consideration when planning their use in clinical protocols....

  1. Near-Term Actions to Address Long-Term Climate Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lempert, R. J.

    2014-12-01

    Addressing climate change requires effective long-term policy making, which occurs when reflecting on potential events decades or more in the future causes policy makers to choose near-term actions different than those they would otherwise pursue. Contrary to some expectations, policy makers do sometimes make such long-term decisions, but not as commonly and successfully as climate change may require. In recent years however, the new capabilities of analytic decision support tools, combined with improved understanding of cognitive and organizational behaviors, has significantly improved the methods available for organizations to manage longer-term climate risks. In particular, these tools allow decision makers to understand what near-term actions consistently contribute to achieving both short- and long-term societal goals, even in the face of deep uncertainty regarding the long-term future. This talk will describe applications of these approaches for infrastructure, water, and flood risk management planning, as well as studies of how near-term choices about policy architectures can affect long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction pathways.

  2. Migration of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells into human bone marrow stroma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makrynikola, V; Bianchi, A; Bradstock, K; Gottlieb, D; Hewson, J

    1994-10-01

    Most cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) arise from malignant transformation of B-cell precursors in the bone marrow. Recent studies have shown that normal and leukemic B-cell precursors bind to bone marrow stromal cells through the beta-1 integrins VLA-4 and VLA-5, thereby exposing early lymphoid cells to regulatory cytokines. It has been recently reported that the pre-B cell line NALM-6 is capable of migrating under layers of murine stromal cells in vitro (Miyake et al. J Cell Biol 1992;119:653-662). We have further analyzed leukemic cell motility using human bone marrow fibroblasts (BMF) as a stromal layer. The precursor-B ALL cell line NALM-6 rapidly adhered to BMF, and underwent migration or tunneling into BMF layers within 5 h, as demonstrated by light and electron microscopy, and confirmed by a chromium-labeling assay. Migration was also observed with the precursor-B ALL lines Reh and KM-3, with a T leukemia line RPMI-8402, the monocytic line U937, and the mature B line Daudi. In contrast, mature B (Raji), myeloid (K562, HL-60), and T lines (CCRF-CEM, MOLT-4) did not migrate. When cases of leukemia were analyzed, BMF migration was largely confined to precursor-B ALL, occurring in eight of 13 cases tested. Of other types of leukemia, migration was observed in one of four cases of T-ALL, but no evidence was seen in six acute myeloid leukemias and two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Only minimal migration into BMF was observed with purified sorted CD10+ CD19+ early B cells from normal adult marrow, while normal mature B lymphocytes from peripheral blood did not migrate. ALL migration was inhibited by monoclonal antibodies to the beta sub-unit of the VLA integrin family, and by a combination of antibodies to VLA-4 and VLA-5. Partial inhibition was also observed when leukemic cells were incubated with antibodies to VLA-4, VLA-5, or VLA-6 alone. In contrast, treatment of stromal cells with antibodies to vascular cell adhesion molecule or

  3. Resveratrol Based Oral Nutritional Supplement Produces Long-Term Beneficial Effects on Structure and Visual Function in Human Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stuart Richer

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Longevinex® (L/RV is a low dose hormetic over-the-counter (OTC oral resveratrol (RV based matrix of red wine solids, vitamin D3 and inositol hexaphosphate (IP6 with established bioavailability, safety, and short-term efficacy against the earliest signs of human atherosclerosis, murine cardiac reperfusion injury, clinical retinal neovascularization, and stem cell survival. We previously reported our short-term findings for dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD patients. Today we report long term (two to three year clinical efficacy. Methods: We treated three patients including a patient with an AMD treatment resistant variant (polypoidal retinal vasculature disease. We evaluated two clinical measures of ocular structure (fundus autofluorescent imaging and spectral domain optical coherence extended depth choroidal imaging and qualitatively appraised changes in macular pigment volume. We further evaluated three clinical measures of visual function (Snellen visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and glare recovery to a cone photo-stress stimulus. Results: We observed broad bilateral improvements in ocular structure and function over a long time period, opposite to what might be expected due to aging and the natural progression of the patient’s pathophysiology. No side effects were observed. Conclusions: These three cases demonstrate that application of epigenetics has long-term efficacy against AMD retinal disease, when the retinal specialist has exhausted other therapeutic modalities.

  4. Analysis of Long-Term Temperature Variations in the Human Body.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dakappa, Pradeepa Hoskeri; Mahabala, Chakrapani

    2015-01-01

    Body temperature is a continuous physiological variable. In normal healthy adults, oral temperature is estimated to vary between 36.1°C and 37.2°C. Fever is a complex host response to many external and internal agents and is a potential contributor to many clinical conditions. Despite being one of the foremost vital signs, temperature and its analysis and variations during many pathological conditions has yet to be examined in detail using mathematical techniques. Classical fever patterns based on recordings obtained every 8-12 h have been developed. However, such patterns do not provide meaningful information in diagnosing diseases. Because fever is a host response, it is likely that there could be a unique response to specific etiologies. Continuous long-term temperature monitoring and pattern analysis using specific analytical methods developed in engineering and physics could aid in revealing unique fever responses of hosts and in different clinical conditions. Furthermore, such analysis can potentially be used as a novel diagnostic tool and to study the effect of pharmaceutical agents and other therapeutic protocols. Thus, the goal of our article is to present a comprehensive review of the recent relevant literature and analyze the current state of research regarding temperature variations in the human body.

  5. Single dose total lymphoid irradiation combined with cyclophosphamide as immunosuppression for human marrow transplantation in aplastic anemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, T.H.; Kersey, J.H.; Khan, F.M.; Sewchand, W.; Ramsey, N.; Krivit, W.; Coccia, P.; Nesbit, M.E.; Levitt, S.H.

    1979-01-01

    Six patients with aplastic anemia underwent bone marrow transplantation following conditioning with high dose cyclophosphamide and single dose total lymphoid irradiation with 750 rad, 26 rad/min at the midplane of the patient. They all received bone marrow from human leukocyte antigens/mixed lymphocyte culture (HLA/MLC) matched siblings. Five of 6 patients were alive without complications at 12, 11, 7, 4 and 4 months respectively. The remaining patient died from sepis which he had prior to transplantation. There were no graft rejection, graft-vs-Host Disease (GVHD) or interstitial pneumonitis among these patients. The procedure was well tolerated with minimal side effects. The results will be compared with those of groups whose bone marrow was previously transplanted with different immunosuppressive methods

  6. Long Term Financing of Infrastructure

    OpenAIRE

    Sinha, Sidharth

    2014-01-01

    Infrastructure projects, given their long life, require long term financing. The main sources of long term financings are insurance and pension funds who seek long term investments with low credit risk. However, in India household financial savings are mainly invested in bank deposits. Insurance and pension funds account for only a small percentage of household financial savings. In addition most infrastructure projects do not qualify for investment by insurance and pension funds because of t...

  7. Increased incidence of murine graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation by previous infusion of syngeneic bone marrow cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waer, M.; Ang, K.K.; van der Schueren, E.; Vandeputte, M.

    1984-01-01

    Different groups of BALB/c mice received supralethal total-body irradiation (TBI; 8.5 Gy, day 0). When 30 x 10(6) allogeneic (C57B1) bone marrow (BM) cells were infused with or without 10 x 10(6) syngeneic (BALB/c) bM cells on day 1, many animals (60%) died from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Typing of peripheral blood leukocytes for donor antigens showed that, respectively, 22/22 and 17/21 of the mice in both groups became chimeric. When syngeneic bone marrow was given on day 1 and allogeneic bone marrow on day 2 after TBI, a similar number of animals (21/23) became chimeric, but GVHD occurred more frequently in this group (25/26 mice, P less than 0.01). When the syngeneic bone marrow cells were replaced by spleen cells, or when the transplantation of allogeneic bone marrow was delayed till days 3 or 6 after TBI, almost all mice rejected the allogeneic BM graft and became long-term survivors. BALB/c mice receiving 30 x 10(6) C57B1 BM cells after 17 daily fractions of 0.2 Gy of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI), showed a high incidence of chimerism (15/17) and in none of the latter animals was GVHD observed. Despite the high incidence of GVHD in the mice receiving allogeneic BM after TBI and syngeneic BM transplantation, as compared with mice prepared with TLI which do not develop GVHD, suppressor cells were as easily induced after TBI and syngeneic BM transplantation as after TLI

  8. MRI marrow observations in thalassemia: the effects of the primary disease, transfusional therapy, and chelation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levin, T.L.; Sheth, S.S.; Ruzal-Shapiro, C.; Abramson, S.; Piomelli, S.; Berdon, W.E.

    1995-01-01

    The magnetic resonance bone marrow patterns in thalassemia were evaluated to determine changes produced by transfusion and chelation therapy. Thirteen patients had T1- and T2-weighted images of the spine, pelvis and femurs. Three received no therapy (age range 2.5-3 years). Three were ''hypertransfused'' (transfused to maintain a hemoglobin greater than 10 g/dl) and not chelated because of age (age range 6 months-8 years). Seven were ''hypertransfused'' and chelated (age range 12-35 years). Signal characteristics of marrow were compared with those of surrounding muscle and fat. Fatty marrow (isointense with subcutaneous fat) was compared with red marrow (hypointense to fat and slightly hyperintense to muscle). Marrow hypointense to muscle was identified as iron deposition within red marrow. The untreated group demonstrated signal consistent with red marrow throughout the central and peripheral skeleton. Hypertransfused but not chelated patients demonstrated marked iron deposition in the central and peripheral skeleton. Hypertransfused and chelated patients demonstrated iron deposition in the central skeleton and a mixed appearance of marrow in the peripheral skeleton. The MR appearance of marrow in thalassemia is a reflection of the patient's transfusion and chelation therapy. Iron deposition occurs despite chelation therapy in sites of active red marrow. As red marrow retreats centrally with age, so does the pattern of iron deposition. The long-term biological effects of this iron deposition are unknown. (orig.). With 8 figs., 1 tab

  9. Long term socio-ecological research across temporal and spatial scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, S. J.; Haberl, H.

    2012-04-01

    Long term socio-ecological research across temporal and spatial scales Simron Jit Singh and Helmut Haberl Institute of Social Ecology, Vienna, Austria Understanding trajectories of change in coupled socio-ecological (or human-environment) systems requires monitoring and analysis at several spatial and temporal scales. Long-term ecosystem research (LTER) is a strand of research coupled with observation systems and infrastructures (LTER sites) aimed at understanding how global change affects ecosystems around the world. In recent years it has been increasingly recognized that sustainability concerns require extending this approach to long-term socio-ecological research, i.e. a more integrated perspective that focuses on interaction processes between society and ecosystems over longer time periods. Thus, Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research, abbreviated LTSER, aims at observing, analyzing, understanding and modelling of changes in coupled socio-ecological systems over long periods of time. Indeed, the magnitude of the problems we now face is an outcome of a much longer process, accelerated by industrialisation since the nineteenth century. The paper will provide an overview of a book (in press) on LTSER with particular emphasis on 'socio-ecological transitions' in terms of material, energy and land use dynamics across temporal and spatial scales.

  10. Human factors and nuclear space technology in long-term exploration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown-VanHoozer, S.A.; VanHoozer, W.R.

    2000-01-01

    Allocation of manual versus automated tasks for operation and maintenance of nuclear power systems in space will be crucial at the onset and at the return of a space flight. Such factors as space adaptation syndrome (SAS), a temporary space motion sickness that has affected 40 to 50% of crew members on past space flights, can result in lost effort ranging from a few hours to a full day. This could have a significant impact on manual performance where high levels of execution are likely to be required in the very early stages of the mission. Other considerations involving higher-level behavioral phenomena such as interpersonal and group processes, individual belief systems, social and motivational factors, and (subjective) cognitive function have received little attention; nevertheless these will be essential elements for success in long-term exploration. Understanding that long-term space flight missions may create groups that become unique societies distinct unto themselves will test current ethical, moral, and social belief systems, requiring one to examine the amalgamation as well as organizational structures for the safety and balance of the crew

  11. Long term stability of power systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kundur, P; Gao, B [Powertech Labs. Inc., Surrey, BC (Canada)

    1994-12-31

    Power system long term stability is still a developing subject. In this paper we provide our perspectives and experiences related to long term stability. The paper begins with the description of the nature of the long term stability problem, followed by the discussion of issues related to the modeling and solution techniques of tools for long term stability analysis. Cases studies are presented to illustrate the voltage stability aspect and plant dynamics aspect of long term stability. (author) 20 refs., 11 figs.

  12. Neuronal differentiation and long-term culture of the human neuroblastoma line SH-SY5Y.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Constantinescu, R; Constantinescu, A T; Reichmann, H; Janetzky, B

    2007-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in industrialized countries. Present cell culture models for PD rely on either primary cells or immortal cell lines, neither of which allow for long-term experiments on a constant population, a crucial requisite for a realistic model of slowly progressing neurodegenerative diseases. We differentiated SH-SY5Y human dopaminergic neuroblastoma cells to a neuronal-like state in a perfusion culture system using a combination of retinoic acid and mitotic inhibitors. The cells could be cultivated for two months without the need for passage. We show, by various means, that the differentiated cells exhibit, at the molecular level, many neuronal properties not characteristic to the starting line. This approach opens the possibility to develop chronic models, in which the effect of perturbations and putative counteracting strategies can be monitored over long periods of time in a quasi-stable cell population.

  13. Endothelial Cells Promote Expansion of Long‐Term Engrafting Marrow Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Primates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gori, Jennifer L.; Butler, Jason M.; Kunar, Balvir; Poulos, Michael G.; Ginsberg, Michael; Nolan, Daniel J.; Norgaard, Zachary K.; Adair, Jennifer E.; Rafii, Shahin

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Successful expansion of bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) would benefit many HSPC transplantation and gene therapy/editing applications. However, current expansion technologies have been limited by a loss of multipotency and self‐renewal properties ex vivo. We hypothesized that an ex vivo vascular niche would provide prohematopoietic signals to expand HSPCs while maintaining multipotency and self‐renewal. To test this hypothesis, BM autologous CD34+ cells were expanded in endothelial cell (EC) coculture and transplanted in nonhuman primates. CD34+C38− HSPCs cocultured with ECs expanded up to 17‐fold, with a significant increase in hematopoietic colony‐forming activity compared with cells cultured with cytokines alone (colony‐forming unit‐granulocyte‐erythroid‐macrophage‐monocyte; p < .005). BM CD34+ cells that were transduced with green fluorescent protein lentivirus vector and expanded on ECs engrafted long term with multilineage polyclonal reconstitution. Gene marking was observed in granulocytes, lymphocytes, platelets, and erythrocytes. Whole transcriptome analysis indicated that EC coculture altered the expression profile of 75 genes in the BM CD34+ cells without impeding the long‐term engraftment potential. These findings show that an ex vivo vascular niche is an effective platform for expansion of adult BM HSPCs. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:864–876 PMID:28297579

  14. Characterization of host lymphoid cells in antibody-facilitated bone marrow chimeras

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCarthy, S.A.; Griffith, I.J.; Gambel, P.; Francescutti, L.H.; Wegmann, T.G.

    1985-01-01

    The authors have produced stable murine antibody-facilitated (AF) chimeras by the simultaneous injection of P1 bone marrow cells and anti-P2 monoclonal antibody into normal (unirradiated) adult (P1 X P2)F1 recipients. These AF chimeras are healthy, long-lived, and exhibit no overt signs of graft-versus-host disease. They are immunocompetent and tolerant of host, P2-encoded alloantigens. Donor cell engraftment and takeover, monitored by glucosephosphate isomerase isozyme patterns, is usually complete (greater than 95%) in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and hemopoietic stem cell compartments of long-term (greater than 3 months posttransplantation) AF chimeras. The authors report here, however, that splenic, lymph node, and thymic leukocytes of AF chimeras represent donor/host chimeric populations. Spleen cell populations of AF chimeras exhibit substantial chimera-to-chimera variation in the preponderant residual host cell type(s) present. Interpretations of the implications of these findings are discussed

  15. The Electrification of Energy: Long-Term Trends and Opportunities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsao, Jeffrey Y. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Fouquet, Roger [London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom); Schubert, E. Fred [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)

    2017-11-01

    Here, we present and analyze three powerful long-term historical trends in energy, particularly electrical energy, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with these trends. The first trend is from a world containing a diversity of energy currencies to one whose predominant currency is electricity, driven by electricity’s transportability, exchangeability, and steadily decreasing cost. The second trend is from electricity generated from a diversity of sources to electricity generated predominantly by free-fuel sources, driven by their steadily decreasing cost and long-term abundance. These trends necessitate a just-emerging third trend: from a grid in which electricity is transported uni-directionally, traded at near-static prices, and consumed under direct human control; to a grid in which electricity is transported bi-directionally, traded at dynamic prices, and consumed under human-tailored agential control. Early acceptance and appreciation of these trends will accelerate their remaking of humanity’s energy landscape into one in which energy is much more affordable, abundant and efficiently deployed than it is today; with major economic, geo-political, and environmental benefits to human society.

  16. Multiple intracellular signaling pathways orchestrate adipocytic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal stem cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ayesh Hafez Ali, Dalia; Abuelreich, Sarah; Alkeraishan, Nora

    2018-01-01

    during adipocyte differentiation of human bone marrow stromal (mesenchymal) stem cells (hMSCs) and identified 2,589 up-regulated and 2,583 down-regulated mRNA transcripts. Pathway analysis on the up-regulated gene list untraveled enrichment in multiple signaling pathways including insulin receptor......Bone marrow adipocyte formation plays a role in bone homeostasis and whole body energy metabolism. However, the transcriptional landscape and signaling pathways associated with adipocyte lineage commitment and maturation are not fully delineated. Thus, we performed global gene expression profiling...... signaling, focal Adhesion, metapathway biotransformation, a number of metabolic pathways e.g. selenium metabolism, Benzo(a)pyrene metabolism, fatty acid, triacylglycerol, ketone body metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and catalytic cycle of mammalian flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMOs). On the other hand...

  17. Assessment of the long-term safety of repositories. Scientific basis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noseck, Ulrich; Becker, Dirk; Fahrenholz, Christine

    2008-12-01

    The project contributed to increase the scientific knowledge on the long-term safety assessment and the safety cases of a radioactive waste repository. International guidelines and more recent safety cases from other countries were evaluated. The feasibility study of the three safety indicators ''individual dose rate'', ''radiotoxicity concentration in the biosphere water'' and ''radiotoxicity flux from the geosphere'' showed that due to the independently derived corresponding reference values these indicators describe three different safety statements. The combination of the three values can give a stronger argument for the safety of the repository system. Another important methodological aspect of the safety cases is the definition and selection of scenarios, one of these the human intrusion scenario. Various human intrusion scenarios are considered in the different nations, which differ significantly with respect to type and time scale, the exposition type and exposition pathway. Further progress has been achieved in how to treat human intrusion scenarios in a German post-closure safety case. Another port of the project dealt with the impact of specific geochemical processes on the long-term safety of the repository. The impact of climate changes on the long-term safety of a radioactive waste repository in rock salt was investigated with respect to processes in the overburden and the biosphere where highest impact is expected. Sofa simplified models and only discrete climate estates have been considered

  18. Long-term experiments to better understand soil-human interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bormann, B. T.; Homann, P. S.

    2011-12-01

    Interactions between soils and people may be transforming global conditions, but the interactions are poorly understood. Changes in soils have proven difficult to quantify, especially in complex ecosystems manifesting large spatiotemporal variability. Long-term ecosystem experiments that evaluate soil change and demonstrate alternative choices are important to understanding changes, discovering new controls and drivers, and influencing decisions. Inspired by agriculture studies, like Rothamsted, the US Forest Service established in 1990 a network of operational-scale experiments across the Pacific Northwest to evaluate long-term effects of different forest management and disturbance regimes. With a strong experimental design, these experiments are now helping to better understand the long-term effects of managing tree harvesting (clearcutting and thinning), woody debris, and tree and understory species composition, and-serendipitously-the effects of fire. Initial results from the Southern Oregon experimental site indicate surprisingly rapid soil changes in some regimes but not others. We've also learned that rapid change presents challenges to repeat sampling. We present our sample-archive and comparable-layer approaches that seek to accommodate changes in surface elevation, aggregation and disaggregation, and mineral-soil exports. Thinning mature forest stands (80-100 yrs old) did not significantly change soil C in 11-yrs. A small upper-layer C increase was observed after thinning, but it was similar to the control. Significant increases in upper-layer soil N were observed with most treatments, but all increases were similar to the control. Leaving woody debris had little effect. The most remarkable change occurred when mature stands were clearcut and Douglas-firs were planted and tended. Associated with rapid growth of Douglas-fir, an average of 8 Mg C ha-1 was lost from weathered soil 4-18 cm deep. This contrasts with clearcuts where early-seral hardwoods and

  19. Factors Influencing the Decision-Making Process and Long-Term Interpersonal Outcomes for Parents Who Undergo Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis for Fanconi Anemia: a Qualitative Investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haude, K; McCarthy Veach, P; LeRoy, B; Zierhut, H

    2017-06-01

    Fanconi anemia (FA) is characterized by congenital malformations, progressive bone marrow failure, and predisposition to malignancy. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is used to treat FA, and best results are attained with sibling donors who are human leukocyte antigen (HLA) identical matches. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) offers parents of an affected child the opportunity to have an unaffected child who is an HLA match. While some research has investigated parents' experiences during the PGD process, no published studies specifically address factors influencing their decision-making process and long-term interpersonal outcomes. The aims of this study are to: (1) examine parents' expectations and the influence of media, bioethics, and religion on their decision to undergo PGD; (2) examine parents' social support and emotional experiences during their PGD process; and (3) characterize long-term effects of PGD on relationship dynamics (partner, family, friends), others' attitudes, and parental regret. Nine parents participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed their decision to use PGD was variously influenced by media, bioethics, and religion, in particular, affecting parents' initial confidence levels. Moreover, the PGD process was emotionally complex, with parents desiring varying amounts and types of support from different sources at different times. Parents reported others' attitudes towards them were similar or no different than before PGD. Parental regret regarding PGD was negligible. Results of this study will promote optimization of long-term care for FA families.

  20. Long-Term Forecasting the Development of Relations Between Local Human Civilizations: Conclusions and Proposals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexei I. Podberezkin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article is the form of scientific report on the results of three year long project on methodology of long term forecasting the development of the system of international relations. The methodology is based on the following assumptions: input information is accurate and complete; international relations constitute a system, scenarios for different levels of international relations development are hierarchically interdependent; the speed of development is different on various levels of international relations; various national capabilities affect the development; elites affect international relations; civil society affect international relations. Based on this assumption the author builds the most probable scenario of intercivilizational relations which is military coercive interaction. The role of soft power will increase its share in the toolkit of the confrontational politics. To win in this confrontation it is necessary to review the current practices of strategic forecasting and planning and to rebuild the entire military organization of the Russian army. The principal condition for the victory is development of national human capital, as well as the formation of the national ideology.

  1. Acute, subacute and long-term subjective effects of psilocybin in healthy humans: a pooled analysis of experimental studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Studerus, Erich; Kometer, Michael; Hasler, Felix; Vollenweider, Franz X

    2011-11-01

    Psilocybin and related hallucinogenic compounds are increasingly used in human research. However, due to limited information about potential subjective side effects, the controlled medical use of these compounds has remained controversial. We therefore analysed acute, short- and long-term subjective effects of psilocybin in healthy humans by pooling raw data from eight double-blind placebo-controlled experimental studies conducted between 1999 and 2008. The analysis included 110 healthy subjects who had received 1-4 oral doses of psilocybin (45-315 µg/kg body weight). Although psilocybin dose-dependently induced profound changes in mood, perception, thought and self-experience, most subjects described the experience as pleasurable, enriching and non-threatening. Acute adverse drug reactions, characterized by strong dysphoria and/or anxiety/panic, occurred only in the two highest dose conditions in a relatively small proportion of subjects. All acute adverse drug reactions were successfully managed by providing interpersonal support and did not need psychopharmacological intervention. Follow-up questionnaires indicated no subsequent drug abuse, persisting perception disorders, prolonged psychosis or other long-term impairment of functioning in any of our subjects. The results suggest that the administration of moderate doses of psilocybin to healthy, high-functioning and well-prepared subjects in the context of a carefully monitored research environment is associated with an acceptable level of risk.

  2. Numerical simulation of gender differences in a long-term microgravity exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez-Poch, Antoni

    The objective of this work is to analyse and simulate gender differences when individuals are exposed to long-term microgravity. Risk probability of a health impairment which may put in jeopardy a long-term mission is also evaluated. Computer simulations are becoming a promising research line of work, as physiological models become more and more sophisticated and reliable. Technological advances in state-of-the-art hardware technology and software allow nowadays for better and more accurate simulations of complex phenomena, such as the response of the human cardiovascular system to long-term exposure to microgravity. Experimental data for long-term missions are difficult to achieve and reproduce, therefore the predictions of computer simulations are of a major importance in this field. Our approach is based on a previous model developed and implemented in our laboratory (NELME: Numerical Evaluation of Long-term Microgravity Effects). The software simulates the behaviour of the cardiovascular system and different human organs, has a modular architecture, and allows to introduce perturbations such as physical exercise or countermeasures. The implementation is based on a complex electricallike model of this control system, using inexpensive software development frameworks, and has been tested and validated with the available experimental data. Gender differences have been implemented for this specific work, as an adjustment of a number of parameters that are included in the model. Women versus men physiological differences have been therefore taken into account, based upon estimations from the physiology bibliography. A number of simulations have been carried out for long-term exposure to microgravity. Gravity varying from Earth-based to zero, and time exposure are the two main variables involved in the construction of results, including responses to patterns of physical aerobical exercise, and also thermal stress simulating an extra-vehicular activity. Results show

  3. Strategic Planning and the Long-term R&D Plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cooley, J.

    2015-01-01

    The Department of Safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency implements a structured strategic planning process to ensure that safeguards will continue to be both effective and efficient in the future. This process provides the Department with a comprehensive and coherent planning framework for the short (2 years), medium (6 years) and long (12 years) term. The Department's suite of planning documents includes a long-term strategic plan and an associated long-term research and development plan as well as a biennial development and implementation support programme. The Department's Long-Term Strategic Plan 2012-2023 addresses the conceptual framework for safeguards implementation, legal authority, technical capabilities (expertise, equipment and infrastructure) and the human and financial resources necessary for Agency verification activities. As research and development (R&D) are essential to meet the safeguards needs of the future, the Department-s Long-Term R&D Plan 2012-2023 is designed to support the Long-Term Strategic Plan 2012-2023 by setting out the capabilities that the Department needs to achieve its strategic objectives, and key milestones towards achieving those capabilities for which Member State R&D support is needed. The Long-Term R&D Plan 2012-2023 addresses the Department's R&D requirements in areas such as safeguards concepts and approaches; detection of undeclared nuclear material and activities; safeguards equipment and communication; information technology, collection, analysis and security; analytical services; new mandates; and training. Long-term capabilities discussed in the presentation include deployed systems (e.g., equipment at facilities); analytical (e.g., sample analysis), operational (e.g., staff expertise and skills) and readiness (e.g., safeguarding new types of facilities) capabilities. To address near-term development objectives and support the implementation of its verification activities as well as to

  4. Emergence of Long-Term Memory in Popularity

    OpenAIRE

    Soh, Hyungjoon; Hong, Joo Hyung; Jeong, Jaeseung; Jeong, Hawoong

    2017-01-01

    Popularity describes the dynamics of mass attention, and is a part of a broader class of population dynamics in ecology and social science literature. Studying accurate model of popularity is important for quantifying spreading of novelty, memes, and influences in human society. Although logistic equation and similar class of nonlinear differential equation formulates traditional population dynamics well, part of the deviation in long-term prediction is stated, yet fully understood. Recently,...

  5. Long-term urethral catheterisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Bruce; Dickens, Nicola

    This article discusses long-term urethral catheterisation, focusing on the relevant anatomy and physiology, indications for the procedure, catheter selection and catheter care. It is important that nurses have a good working knowledge of long-term catheterisation as the need for this intervention will increase with the rise in chronic health conditions and the ageing population.

  6. Long-Term Bone Marrow Suppression During Postoperative Chemotherapy in Rectal Cancer Patients After Preoperative Chemoradiation Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, Neil B; Sidhu, Manpreet K; Baby, Rekha; Moss, Rebecca A; Nissenblatt, Michael J; Chen, Ting; Lu, Shou-En; Jabbour, Salma K

    2016-04-01

    To quantify ensuing bone marrow (BM) suppression during postoperative chemotherapy resulting from preoperative chemoradiation (CRT) therapy for rectal cancer. We retrospectively evaluated 35 patients treated with preoperative CRT followed by postoperative 5-Fluorouracil and oxaliplatin (OxF) chemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer. The pelvic bone marrow (PBM) was divided into ilium (IBM), lower pelvis (LPBM), and lumbosacrum (LSBM). Dose volume histograms (DVH) measured the mean doses and percentage of BM volume receiving between 5-40 Gy (i.e.: PBM-V5, LPBM-V5). The Wilcoxon signed rank tests evaluated the differences in absolute hematologic nadirs during neoadjuvant vs. adjuvant treatment. Logistic regressions evaluated the association between dosimetric parameters and ≥ grade 3 hematologic toxicity (HT3) and hematologic event (HE) defined as ≥ grade 2 HT and a dose reduction in OxF. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine optimal threshold values leading to HT3. During OxF chemotherapy, 40.0% (n=14) and 48% (n=17) of rectal cancer patients experienced HT3 and HE, respectively. On multivariable logistic regression, increasing pelvic mean dose (PMD) and lower pelvis mean dose (LPMD) along with increasing PBM-V (25-40), LPBM-V25, and LPBM-V40 were significantly associated with HT3 and/or HE during postoperative chemotherapy. Exceeding ≥36.6 Gy to the PMD and ≥32.6 Gy to the LPMD strongly correlated with causing HT3 during postoperative chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant RT for rectal cancer has lasting effects on the pelvic BM, which are demonstrable during adjuvant OxF. Sparing of the BM during preoperative CRT can aid in reducing significant hematologic adverse events and aid in tolerance of postoperative chemotherapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Long-Term Bone Marrow Suppression During Postoperative Chemotherapy in Rectal Cancer Patients After Preoperative Chemoradiation Therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Newman, Neil B.; Sidhu, Manpreet K.; Baby, Rekha [Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (United States); Moss, Rebecca A.; Nissenblatt, Michael J. [Division of Medical Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (United States); Chen, Ting [Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (United States); Lu, Shou-En [Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey (United States); Jabbour, Salma K., E-mail: jabbousk@cinj.rutgers.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (United States)

    2016-04-01

    Purpose/Objective(s): To quantify ensuing bone marrow (BM) suppression during postoperative chemotherapy resulting from preoperative chemoradiation (CRT) therapy for rectal cancer. Methods and Materials: We retrospectively evaluated 35 patients treated with preoperative CRT followed by postoperative 5-Fluorouracil and oxaliplatin (OxF) chemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer. The pelvic bone marrow (PBM) was divided into ilium (IBM), lower pelvis (LPBM), and lumbosacrum (LSBM). Dose volume histograms (DVH) measured the mean doses and percentage of BM volume receiving between 5-40 Gy (i.e.: PBM-V5, LPBM-V5). The Wilcoxon signed rank tests evaluated the differences in absolute hematologic nadirs during neoadjuvant vs. adjuvant treatment. Logistic regressions evaluated the association between dosimetric parameters and ≥ grade 3 hematologic toxicity (HT3) and hematologic event (HE) defined as ≥ grade 2 HT and a dose reduction in OxF. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine optimal threshold values leading to HT3. Results: During OxF chemotherapy, 40.0% (n=14) and 48% (n=17) of rectal cancer patients experienced HT3 and HE, respectively. On multivariable logistic regression, increasing pelvic mean dose (PMD) and lower pelvis mean dose (LPMD) along with increasing PBM-V (25-40), LPBM-V25, and LPBM-V40 were significantly associated with HT3 and/or HE during postoperative chemotherapy. Exceeding ≥36.6 Gy to the PMD and ≥32.6 Gy to the LPMD strongly correlated with causing HT3 during postoperative chemotherapy. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant RT for rectal cancer has lasting effects on the pelvic BM, which are demonstrable during adjuvant OxF. Sparing of the BM during preoperative CRT can aid in reducing significant hematologic adverse events and aid in tolerance of postoperative chemotherapy.

  8. Radiotoxicity of systemically administered 211At-labeled human/mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody: a long-term survival study with histologic analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McLendon, Roger E.; Archer, Gary E.; Larsen, Roy H.; Akabani, Gamal; Bigner, Darell D.; Zalutsky, Michael R.

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: The antitenascin human/mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody labeled with the α-particle-emitting radionuclide 211 At is of interest as an endo radiotherapeutic agent for the treatment of brain tumors. To facilitate the investigation of 211 At-labeled chimeric 81C6 in patients, the long-term radiotoxicity of this radiopharmaceutical has been evaluated. Methods and Materials: Antibody labeling was performed using N-succinimidyl 3-[ 211 At]astato-benzoate. After an initial dose-finding experiment, a second toxicity study was carried out at 4 dose levels in groups of 30 non thyroid blocked B6C3F 1 mice per group (15 males, 15 females). Male mice received either saline or 15-81 kBq/g and females received either saline or 16-83 kBq/g of 211 At-labeled antibody. Ten animals (5 males, 5 females) were followed for 6 months and the remainder for 1 year. Results: The lethal dose in 10% of animals (LD 10 ) for 211 At-labeled chimeric 81C6 was 46 kBq/g in females and 102 kBq/g in males. Toxic effects--perivascular fibrosis of the intraventricular septum of the heart, bone marrow suppression, splenic white pulp atrophy, and spermatic maturational delay--generally were confined to a few animals receiving the highest doses of labeled antibody. Conclusions: The LD 10 of 211 At-labeled chimeric 81C6 in this mouse strain was about half that of [ 211 At]astatide. These results establish the preclinical maximum tolerated dose of 211 At-labeled chimeric 81C6 and define in the mouse the target organs for toxicity. These studies will be useful for determining starting doses for clinical studies with 211 At-labeled chimeric 81C6

  9. Hematologic long-term modifications after radio-iodine therapy in carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Pt. 2. Modifications of the bone marrow including leukemia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guenter, H H; Schober, O; Schwarzrock, R; Hundeshagen, H

    1987-07-01

    59 posttherapeutic examinations of the bone marrow have been performed in 35 patients out of a group of 296 patients treated from 1969 through 1976 by postoperative iodine-131 irradiations for carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Seven patients had normal findings, twelve patients showed panmyelopathy as principal finding, and fourteen patients presented modifications of the three marrow systems in differents degrees and combinations. Acute myeloid leukemia was demonstrated in two patients by examination of the bone marrow, in another case the same disease was diagnosed by an analysis of the peripheral blood count. Taking into account the dosimetric considerations of the authors and the three cases of leukemia observed within the total group of patients, a risk factor for leukemia of 7.0x10/sup -5/xrd/sup -1/ is calculated which is slightly higher than he leukemia induction rate communicated in literature (22/2646 patients; 1-2/100 000/rd/year).

  10. Long-term environmental behaviour of radionuclides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brechignac, F.; Moberg, L.; Suomela, M

    2000-04-01

    The radioactive pollution of the environment results from the atmospheric nuclear weapons testing (during the mid-years of twentieth century), from the development of the civilian nuclear industry and from accidents such as Chernobyl. Assessing the resulting radiation that humans might receive requires a good understanding of the long-term behaviour of radionuclides in the environment. This document reports on a joint European effort to advance this understanding, 3 multinational projects have been coordinated: PEACE, EPORA and LANDSCAPE. This report proposes an overview of the results obtained and they are presented in 6 different themes: (i) redistribution in the soil-plant system, (ii) modelling, (iii) countermeasures, (iv) runoff (v) spatial variations, and (vi) dose assessment. The long term behaviour of the radionuclides {sup 137}Cs, {sup 90}Sr and {sup 239-240}Pu is studied through various approaches, these approaches range from in-situ experiments designed to exploit past contamination events to laboratory simulations. A broad scope of different ecosystems ranging from arctic and boreal regions down to mediterranean ones has been considered. (A.C.)

  11. Long-term environmental behaviour of radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brechignac, F.; Moberg, L.; Suomela, M.

    2000-04-01

    The radioactive pollution of the environment results from the atmospheric nuclear weapons testing (during the mid-years of twentieth century), from the development of the civilian nuclear industry and from accidents such as Chernobyl. Assessing the resulting radiation that humans might receive requires a good understanding of the long-term behaviour of radionuclides in the environment. This document reports on a joint European effort to advance this understanding, 3 multinational projects have been coordinated: PEACE, EPORA and LANDSCAPE. This report proposes an overview of the results obtained and they are presented in 6 different themes: i) redistribution in the soil-plant system, ii) modelling, iii) countermeasures, iv) runoff v) spatial variations, and vi) dose assessment. The long term behaviour of the radionuclides 137 Cs, 90 Sr and 239-240 Pu is studied through various approaches, these approaches range from in-situ experiments designed to exploit past contamination events to laboratory simulations. A broad scope of different ecosystems ranging from arctic and boreal regions down to mediterranean ones has been considered. (A.C.)

  12. Neurobehavioral toxicity of total body irradiation: a follow-up in long-term survivors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peper, Martin; Steinvorth, Sarah; Schraube, Peter; Fruehauf, Stefan; Haas, Rainer; Kimmig, Bernhard N.; Lohr, Frank; Wenz, Frederik; Wannenmacher, Michael

    2000-01-01

    Purpose: Total body irradiation (TBI) in preparation for bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is a routine treatment of hematological malignancy. A retrospective and a prospective group study of long-term cerebral side effects was performed, with a special emphasis on neurobehavioral toxicity effects. Methods and Materials: Twenty disease-free patients treated with hyperfractionated TBI (14.4 Gy, 12 x 1.2 Gy, 4 days), 50 mg/kg cyclophosphamide, and autologous BMT (mean age 38 years, range 17-52 years; age at TBI 35 years, 16-50 years; follow-up time 32 months, 9-65 months) participated in a neuropsychological, neuroradiological, and neurological examination. Data were compared to 14 patients who were investigated prior to TBI. Eleven patients with renal insufficiencies matched for sex and age (38 years, 20-52 years) served as controls. In a longitudinal approach, neuropsychological follow-up data were assessed in 12 long-term survivors (45 years, 23-59 years; follow-up time 8.8 years, 7-10.8 years; time since diagnosis 10.1 years, 7.5-14.2 years). Results: No evidence of neurological deficits was found in post-TBI patients except one case of peripheral movement disorder of unknown origin. Some patients showed moderate brain atrophy. Neuropsychological assessment showed a subtle reduction of memory performance of about one standard deviation. Cognitive decline in individual patients appeared to be associated with pretreatment (brain irradiation, intrathecal methotrexate). Ten-years post disease onset, survivors without pretreatment showed behavioral improvement up to the premorbid level. Conclusion: The incidence of long-term neurobehavioral toxicity was very low for the present TBI/BMT regimen

  13. In vitro radiation studies on Ewing's sarcoma cell lines and human bone marrow: application to the clinical use of total body irradiation (TBI)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kinsella, T.J.; Mitchell, J.B.; McPherson, S.; Miser, J.; Triche, T.; Glatstein, E.

    1984-01-01

    Patients with Ewing's sarcoma who present with a central axis or proximal extremity primary and/or with metastatic disease have a poor prognosis despite aggressive combination chemotherapy and local irradiation. In this high risk group of patients, total body irradiation (TBI) has been proposed as a systemic adjuvant. To aid in the design of a clinical TBI protocol, the authors have studied in the in vitro radiation response of two established cell lines of Ewing's sarcoma and human bone marrow CFUc. The Ewing's lines showed a larger D 0 and anti-n compared to the bone marrow CFU. No repair of potentially lethal radiation damage (PLDR) was found after 4.5 Gy in plateau phase Ewing's sarcoma cells. A theoretical split dose survival curve for both the Ewing's sarcoma lines and human bone marrow CFUc using this TBI schedule shows a significantly lower surviving fraction (10 -4 -10 -5 ) for the bone marrow CFUc. Based on these in vitro results, two 4.0 Gy fractions separated by 24 hours is proposed as the TBI regimen. Because of the potentially irreversible damage to bone marrow, autologous bone marrow transplantation following the TBI is felt to be necessary. The details of this clinical protocol in high risk Ewing's sarcoma patients are outlined

  14. The globoseries glycosphingolipid SSEA-4 is a marker of bone marrow-derived clonal multipotent stromal cells in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosu-Myles, Michael; McCully, Jennifer; Fair, Joel; Mehic, Jelica; Menendez, Pablo; Rodriguez, Rene; Westwood, Carole

    2013-05-01

    The therapeutic potential of multipotent stromal cells (MSC) may be enhanced by the identification of markers that allow their discrimination and enumeration both in vivo and in vitro. Here, we investigated the ability of embryonic stem cell-associated glycosphingolipids to isolate human MSC from both whole-bone-marrow (BM) and stromal cell cultures. Only SSEA-4 was consistently expressed on cells within the CD45loCD105hi marrow fraction and could be used to isolate cells with the capacity to give rise to stromal cultures containing MSC. Human stromal cultures, generated in either the presence or absence of serum, contained heterogeneous cell populations discriminated by the quantity of SSEA-4 epitopes detected on their surface. A low level of surface SSEA-4 (SSEA-4lo) correlated with undetectable levels of the α2,3-sialyltransferase-II enzyme required to synthesize SSEA-4; a reduced proliferative potential; and the loss of fat-, bone-, and cartilage-forming cells during long-term culture. In vitro, single cells with the capacity to generate multipotent stromal cultures were detected exclusively in the SSEA-4hi fraction. Our data demonstrate that a high level of surface epitopes for SSEA-4 provides a definitive marker of MSC from human BM.

  15. The Human Figure Drawing with Donor and Nondonor Siblings of Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Packman, Wendy L.; Beck, Vanessa L.; VanZutphen, Kelly H.; Long, Janet K.; Spengler, Gisele

    2003-01-01

    There is little research on the psychological impact of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on family members. This study uses the Human Figure Drawing (HFD) to measure siblings' emotional distress toward BMT. Among the siblings, feelings of isolation, anger, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem emerged as major themes. Findings indicate the…

  16. Sandwich radioimmunolabeling for the study of surface properties of bone marrow lymphocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Y.; Uchino, H.; Kuribayashi, K.; Shimizu, S.; Konda, S.

    1980-01-01

    A modification of sandwich radioautographic method was applied to the study of surface immunoglobulin and/or specific antigens on small lymphocytes in mouse and human bone marrow. After incubation of marrow cell suspensions at 37 0 C, cells were reacted at 0 0 C for 30 min with graded dilutions of rabbit anti-mouse or anti-human immunoglobulin followed by further reaction with a sheep anti-rabbit immunoglobulin labeled with 125 I. Detectable surface immunoglobulin was demonstrated in approximately one-third of mouse marrow lymphocytes and 20-25% of human marrow lymphocytes. The densities of surface immunoglobulin as assessed by grain counts on individual labeled lymphocytes tended to be lower in the marrow than in spleen or peripheral blood. When the same rabbit antiserum was used to compare the sensitivity of the sandwich method with that of the direct radioautography, the former was found sufficiently sensitive to give a plateau level of labeling without seriously increasing background grains. The advantages of the method are discussed with reference to studies on T and B cell specific antigens on human bone marrow lymphocytes. (Auth.)

  17. Long-Term Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for the Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kreie, Ken [USDOE Office of Legacy Management, Grand Junction, CO (United States); Findlay, Rick [Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc., Grand Junction, CO (United States)

    2016-06-08

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) prepared this Long-Term Surveillance and Maintenance Plan (LTSMP) for the Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site (the Gnome site). The Gnome site is approximately 25 miles east of Carlsbad in Eddy County, New Mexico (Figure 1). The site was the location of a 3-kiloton-yield underground nuclear test and radioisotope groundwater tracer test. The tests resulted in residual contamination and post-detonation features that require long-term oversight. Long-term responsibility for the site was transferred from the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office to LM on October 1, 2006. Responsibilities include surveillance, monitoring, and maintenance of institutional controls (ICs) as part of the long-term stewardship of the site. Long-term stewardship is designed to ensure protection of human health and the environment.

  18. Long-term visuo-gustatory appetitive and aversive conditioning potentiate human visual evoked potentials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Gert R.J.; Laugesen, Jakob L.; Møller, Per

    2017-01-01

    Human recognition of foods and beverages are often based on visual cues associated with flavors. The dynamics of neurophysiological plasticity related to acquisition of such long-term associations has only recently become the target of investigation. In the present work, the effects of appetitive...... and aversive visuo-gustatory conditioning were studied with high density EEG-recordings focusing on late components in the visual evoked potentials (VEPs), specifically the N2-P3 waves. Unfamiliar images were paired with either a pleasant or an unpleasant juice and VEPs evoked by the images were compared...... before and 1 day after the pairings. In electrodes located over posterior visual cortex areas, the following changes were observed after conditioning: the amplitude from the N2-peak to the P3-peak increased and the N2 peak delay was reduced. The percentage increase of N2-to-P3 amplitudes...

  19. Meeting report of the 2016 bone marrow adiposity meeting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Eerden, Bram; van Wijnen, André

    2017-10-02

    There is considerable interest in the physiology and pathology, as well as the cellular and molecular biology, of bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT). Because bone marrow adiposity is linked not only to systemic energy metabolism, but also to both bone marrow and musculoskeletal disorders, this biologic compartment has become of major interest to investigators from diverse disciplines. Bone marrow adiposity represents a virtual multi-tissue endocrine organ, which encompasses cells from multiple developmental lineages (e.g., mesenchymal, myeloid, lymphoid) and occupies all the non-osseous and non-cartilaginous space within long bones. A number of research groups are now focusing on bone marrow adiposity to understand a range of clinical afflictions associated with bone marrow disorders and to consider mechanisms-based strategies for future therapies.

  20. Long-term induced agricultural intensification in China

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Teng, Shuqing; Svenning, Jens-Christian

    2016-01-01

    Understanding the dynamics of agricultural intensification has great implications for biodiversity conservation faced with increasing human population and food demand. How agricultural intensification evolves with human population growth is differently described by three theories, namely......, the Boserupian, Malthusian and induced intensification theories. The Malthusian theory suggests quick adoption of available techniques that increase human population, while the other two share one viewpoint that increased intensive level of agriculture is passively induced by population growth. Which theory has...... a prediction that matches long-term dynamics of agricultural intensification in history? Using historical land-use data spanning two thousand years, this study estimated the dynamic trajectories of four cultivation practices with different intensive levels in a part of China and assessed the three theories...

  1. Long-term associative learning predicts verbal short-term memory performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Gary; Macken, Bill

    2018-02-01

    Studies using tests such as digit span and nonword repetition have implicated short-term memory across a range of developmental domains. Such tests ostensibly assess specialized processes for the short-term manipulation and maintenance of information that are often argued to enable long-term learning. However, there is considerable evidence for an influence of long-term linguistic learning on performance in short-term memory tasks that brings into question the role of a specialized short-term memory system separate from long-term knowledge. Using natural language corpora, we show experimentally and computationally that performance on three widely used measures of short-term memory (digit span, nonword repetition, and sentence recall) can be predicted from simple associative learning operating on the linguistic environment to which a typical child may have been exposed. The findings support the broad view that short-term verbal memory performance reflects the application of long-term language knowledge to the experimental setting.

  2. Mathematical models of human paralyzed muscle after long-term training

    OpenAIRE

    Frey Law, L.A.; Shields, R.K.

    2007-01-01

    Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in major musculoskeletal adaptations, including muscle atrophy, faster contractile properties, increased fatigability, and bone loss. The use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) provides a method to prevent paralyzed muscle adaptations in order to sustain force-generating capacity. Mathematical muscle models may be able to predict optimal activation strategies during FES, however muscle properties further adapt with long-term training. The purpose of th...

  3. Long-term consequences of early childhood malnutrition

    OpenAIRE

    Alderman,Harold; Hoddinott, John; Kinsey, Bill

    2003-01-01

    "This paper examines the impact of preschool malnutrition on subsequent human capital formation in rural Zimbabwe using a maternal fixed effects-instrumental variables (MFE-IV) estimator with a long-term panel data set. Representations of civil war and drought 'shocks' are used to identify differences in preschool nutritional status across siblings. Improvements in height-for-age in preschoolers are associated with increased height as a young adult and number of grades of schooling completed....

  4. Mesenchymal stem cells from the Wharton's jelly of umbilical cord segments provide stromal support for the maintenance of cord blood hematopoietic stem cells during long-term ex vivo culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakhshi, Tiki; Zabriskie, Ryan C; Bodie, Shamanique; Kidd, Shannon; Ramin, Susan; Paganessi, Laura A; Gregory, Stephanie A; Fung, Henry C; Christopherson, Kent W

    2008-12-01

    Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are routinely obtained from marrow, mobilized peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are traditionally isolated from marrow. Bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) have previously demonstrated their ability to act as a feeder layer in support of ex vivo cord blood expansion. However, the use of BM-MSCs to support the growth, differentiation, and engraftment of cord blood may not be ideal for transplant purposes. Therefore, the potential of MSCs from a novel source, the Wharton's jelly of umbilical cords, to act as stromal support for the long-term culture of cord blood HSC was evaluated. Umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) were cultured from the Wharton's jelly of umbilical cord segments. The UC-MSCs were then profiled for expression of 12 cell surface receptors and tested for their ability to support cord blood HSCs in a long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) assay. Upon culture, UC-MSCs express a defined set of cell surface markers (CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, CD166, and HLA-A) and lack other markers (CD45, CD34, CD38, CD117, and HLA-DR) similar to BM-MSCs. Like BM-MSCs, UC-MSCs effectively support the growth of CD34+ cord blood cells in LTC-IC assays. These data suggest the potential therapeutic application of Wharton's jelly-derived UC-MSCs to provide stromal support structure for the long-term culture of cord blood HSCs as well as the possibility of cotransplantation of genetically identical, HLA-matched, or unmatched cord blood HSCs and UC-MSCs in the setting of HSC transplantation.

  5. Long-Term Expandable SOX9+ Chondrogenic Ectomesenchymal Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katsutsugu Umeda

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Here we report the successful generation and long-term expansion of SOX9-expressing CD271+PDGFRα+CD73+ chondrogenic ectomesenchymal cells from the PAX3/SOX10/FOXD3-expressing MIXL1−CD271hiPDGFRαloCD73− neural crest-like progeny of human pluripotent stem cells in a chemically defined medium supplemented with Nodal/Activin/transforming growth factorβ (TGFβ inhibitor and fibroblast growth factor (FGF. When “primed” with TGFβ, such cells efficiently formed translucent cartilage particles, which were completely mineralized in 12 weeks in immunocompromized mice. The ectomesenchymal cells were expandable without loss of chondrogenic potential for at least 16 passages. They maintained normal karyotype for at least 10 passages and expressed genes representing embryonic progenitors (SOX4/12, LIN28A/B, cranial mesenchyme (ALX1/3/4, and chondroprogenitors (SOX9, COL2A1 of neural crest origin (SOX8/9, NGFR, NES. Ectomesenchyme is a source of many craniofacial bone and cartilage structures. The method we describe for obtaining a large quantity of human ectomesenchymal cells will help to model craniofacial disorders in vitro and potentially provide cells for the repair of craniofacial damage.

  6. Behavioral Specifications of Reward-Associated Long-Term Memory Enhancement in Humans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wittmann, Bianca C.; Dolan, Raymond J.; Duzel, Emrah

    2011-01-01

    Recent functional imaging studies link reward-related activation of the midbrain substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), the site of origin of ascending dopaminergic projections, with improved long-term episodic memory. Here, we investigated in two behavioral experiments how (1) the contingency between item properties and reward, (2) the…

  7. Long term presence of a single predominant tyrosinase-specific T-cell clone associated with disease control in a patient with metastatic melanoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochsenreither, Sebastian; Fusi, Alberto; Busse, Antonia; Letsch, Anne; Haase, Doreen; Thiel, Eckhard; Scheibenbogen, Carmen; Keilholz, Ulrich

    2010-05-15

    In an earlier study, we described a patient who developed an anti-tyrosinase T-cell response leading to long-term tumor control. Here we analyzed this response with regard to T-cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta family usage and clonality in order to further elucidate the nature of the T cell response in this patient. For identification of expanded specific cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) clones, tetramer enrichment of tyrosinase reactive T-cells was followed by comparative quantitative reverse transcribed PCR (qRT PCR) quantification of all TCR Vbeta-families and sequencing of family Vbeta4 elevated in the enriched fraction. The predominant specific clone was quantified by clonotypic qRT PCR in multiple samples from blood, bone marrow, and tumor tissue. FACS analyses with staining of TYR.A2 and TCR Vbeta4 were performed. Epitope specific enrichment revealed an isolated increase of Vbeta-family 4. FACS analysis showed a shift of specific CTLs to Vbeta-family 4 during tumor regression with a maximum of 80% of all TYR.A2 specific cells belonging to this family. Sequencing revealed a single predominant clone against polyclonal background coding for identical CDR3 loops. The predominant clone was highly expressed in bone marrow and tumor tissue, and was detectable in blood over a period of ten years. Considering the results of previous studies showing a specific effector phenotype in blood and a specific memory compartment in bone marrow of this patient, this data implicate the predominant clone featured all attributes of a sufficient CTL response including homing capacity and memory formation resulting in long term clonal persistence and tumor control.

  8. Route of delivery influences biodistribution of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells following experimental bone marrow transplantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang FJ

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs have shown promise as treatment for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (alloBMT. Mechanisms mediating in vivo effects of MSCs remain largely unknown, including their biodistribution following infusion. To this end, human bone-marrow derived MSCs (hMSCs were injected via carotid artery (IA or tail vein (TV into allogeneic and syngeneic BMT recipient mice. Following xenogeneic transplantation, MSC biodistribution was measured by bioluminescence imaging (BLI using hMSCs transduced with a reporter gene system containing luciferase and by scintigraphic imaging using hMSCs labeled with [99mTc]-HMPAO. Although hMSCs initially accumulated in the lungs in both transplant groups, more cells migrated to organs in alloBMT recipient as measured by in vivo BLI and scintigraphy and confirmed by ex vivo BLI imaging, immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR. IA injection resulted in persistent whole–body hMSC distribution in alloBMT recipients, while hMSCs were rapidly cleared in the syngeneic animals within one week. In contrast, TV-injected hMSCs were mainly seen in the lungs with fewer cells traveling to other organs. Summarily, these results demonstrate the potential use of IA injection to alter hMSC biodistribution in order to more effectively deliver hMSCs to targeted tissues and microenvironments.

  9. SERPINB2 is a novel TGFβ-responsive lineage fate determinant of human bone marrow stromal cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elsafadi, Mona; Manikandan, Muthurangan; Atteya, Muhammad

    2017-01-01

    TGF-β1, a multifunctional regulator of cell growth and differentiation, is the most abundant bone matrix growth factor. During differentiation of human bone stromal cells (hBMSCs), which constitute bone marrow osteoblast (OS) and adipocyte (AD) progenitor cells, continuous TGF-β1 (10 ng/ml) treat...

  10. HLA in bone marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuji, Kimiyoshi

    1989-01-01

    It has been well understood that human major histocompatibility antigen system, HLA is the most important role in the allo transplantation. Therefore, the structure of HLA genes was presented by the recent information (1987). Moreover, their functions in vitro and in vivo also were described. Finally, bone marrow transplantation and HLA network system in Japan against HLA mismatched case was proposed. It is eagerly expected that functional and clinical bone marrow transplantation in Japan could be succeeded. (author)

  11. HSP10 selective preference for myeloid and megakaryocytic precursors in normal human bone marrow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Cappello

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Heat shock proteins (HSPs constitute a heterogeneous family of proteins involved in cell homeostasis. During cell life they are involved in harmful insults, as well as in immune and inflammatory reactions. It is known that they regulate gene expression, and cell proliferation, differentiation and death. HSP60 is a mitochondrial chaperonin, highly preserved during evolution, responsible of protein folding. Its function is strictly dependent on HSP10 in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic elements. We investigated the presence and the expression of HSP60 and HSP10 in a series of 20 normal human bone marrow specimens (NHBM by the means of immunohistochemistry. NHBM showed no expression of HSP60, probably due to its being below the detectable threshold, as already demonstrated in other normal human tissues. By contrast, HSP10 showed a selective positivity for myeloid and megakaryocytic lineages. The positivity was restricted to precursor cells, while mature elements were constantly negative.We postulate that HSP10 plays a role in bone marrow cell differentiation other than being a mitochondrial co-chaperonin. The present data emphasize the role of HSP10 during cellular homeostasis and encourage further investigations in this field.

  12. Impact of burnout and psychosocial work characteristics on future long-term sickness absence. Prospective results of the Danish PUMA-study among human service workers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borritz, Marianne; Christensen, KB; Bültmann, Ute

    2010-01-01

    and Job satisfaction) followed up during the proceeding 18 months regarding onset of long-term sickness absence. Questionnaire data regarding burnout and psychosocial factors were aggregated at work unit level. We used Poisson regression models with psychosocial factors and burnout as predictors of long...... work environment, and equally important, the organizations should be attentive to employees with symptoms of burnout......Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine if burnout and psychosocial factors predicted long-term sickness absence (>2 weeks) at work unit level. Methods: Data were collected prospectively at 82-work units in human services (PUMA cohort, PUMA: Danish acronym for Burnout, Motivation...

  13. A universal long-term flu vaccine may not prevent severe epidemics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blower Sally

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recently, the promise of a new universal long-term flu vaccine has become more tangible than ever before. Such a vaccine would protect against very many seasonal and pandemic flu strains for many years, making annual vaccination unnecessary. However, due to complacency behavior, it remains unclear whether the introduction of such vaccines would maintain high and stable levels of vaccination coverage year after year. Findings To predict the impact of universal long-term flu vaccines on influenza epidemics we developed a mathematical model that linked human cognition and memory with the transmission dynamics of influenza. Our modeling shows that universal vaccines that provide short-term protection are likely to result in small frequent epidemics, whereas universal vaccines that provide long-term protection are likely to result in severe infrequent epidemics. Conclusions Influenza vaccines that provide short-term protection maintain risk awareness regarding influenza in the population and result in stable vaccination coverage. Vaccines that provide long-term protection could lead to substantial drops in vaccination coverage and should therefore include an annual epidemic risk awareness programs in order to minimize the risk of severe epidemics.

  14. Functional bone marrow scintigraphy in psoriatics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munz, D.; Altmeyer, P.; Chilf, G.; Schlesinger, G.; Holzmann, H.; Hoer, G.

    1982-01-01

    24 psoriatics as well as 24 normal healthy adults were studied by functional bone marrow scintigraphy using Tc-99m-labeled human serum albumin millimicrospheres (Tc-99m-HSA-MM). Functional bone marrow scintigraphy is an in vivo test system for the assessment of various functional properties of fixed macrophages. 58% of psoriatics who had no systemic drug treatment demonstrated peripheral extension of the bone marrow space indicating hyperplasia of bone marrow macrophages. This phenomenon could be observed only in one normal subject who was a high-performance sportsman. 83% (n=6) of psoriatics with cirrhosis of liver demonstrated bone marrow extension. The 'capacity' of bone marrow macrophages to engulf Tc-99m-HSA-MM ('uptake ratio') was diminished in 42% of non-treated as well as 66% of psoriatics treated with aromatic retinoid. The phagocytic and proteolytic turnover of Tc-99m-HSA-MM in bone marrow, spleen, and liver was found to be accelerated in 66% of non-treated psoriatics, normal, accelerated or delayed in psoriatics treated with aromatic retinoid as well as considerably delayed in all of the psoriatics with cirrhosis of liver. Functional bone marrow scintigraphy proved to be an appropriate in vivo test system to reveal abnormalities of fixed macrophages in psoriatics. Furthermore, theratpeutic effects as well as influences of pre-existing disorders on different macrophage populations can be assessed. (Author)

  15. Organotypic culture of human bone marrow adipose tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uchihashi, Kazuyoshi; Aoki, Shigehisa; Shigematsu, Masamori; Kamochi, Noriyuki; Sonoda, Emiko; Soejima, Hidenobu; Fukudome, Kenji; Sugihara, Hajime; Hotokebuchi, Takao; Toda, Shuji

    2010-04-01

    The precise role of bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) in the marrow remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was therefore to describe a novel method for studying BMAT using 3-D collagen gel culture of BMAT fragments, immunohistochemistry, ELISA and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Mature adipocytes and CD45+ leukocytes were retained for >3 weeks. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) including a small number of lipid-laden preadipocytes and CD44+/CD105+ mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like cells, developed from BMAT. Dexamethasone (10 micromol/L), but not insulin (20 mU/mL), significantly increased the number of preadipocytes. Dexamethasone and insulin also promoted leptin production and gene expression in BMAT. Adiponectin production by BMAT was BMAT, in which adiponectin protein secretion is normally very low, and that BMAT may exhibit a different phenotype from that of the visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues. BMAT-osteoblast interactions were also examined, and it was found that osteoblasts inhibited the development of BMSC and reduced leptin production, while BMAT inhibited the growth and differentiation of osteoblasts. The present novel method proved to be useful for the study of BMAT biology.

  16. Bone marrow morphology and disease progression in congenital thrombocytopenia: a detailed clinicopathologic and genetic study of eight cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsang, Hamilton C; Bussel, James B; Mathew, Susan; Liu, Yen-Chun; Imahiyerobo, Allison A; Orazi, Attilio; Geyer, Julia T

    2017-04-01

    Patients with congenital thrombocytopenia have an increased risk of developing myeloid neoplasms. In these cases, the morphologic distinction between disease at baseline and at progression is challenging. This report analyzes clinicopathologic features of congenital thrombocytopenia with long-term follow-up at one referral center. Records from the last 20 years were searched for cases of congenital thrombocytopenia with bone marrow biopsies and peripheral blood smears. The clinical, morphologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular features were analyzed. Six adult and two pediatric patients were identified (six male, two female). Age range at first biopsy was 1-47 (median, 31) years. Underlying diseases included thrombocytopenia-absent radius syndrome, congenital thrombocytopenia with radial-ulnar synostosis, MYH9-related disorder, shortened telomere syndrome, congenital thrombocytopenia with ANKRD26 mutation, and familial platelet disorder with predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia. Four patients had myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm-like marrow changes such as hypercellularity, increased myeloid to erythroid ratio, numerous micromegakaryocytes (highlighted by CD42b), and marrow fibrosis. Two patients had marrow hypoplasia and two had unremarkable marrow morphology. Three patients-all in the myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm-like group-developed disease progression characterized by erythroid and myeloid dysplasia, elevated bone marrow blasts, and new cytogenetic abnormalities. Unlike non-familial myeloid neoplasms, congenital thrombocytopenia patients in the myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm-like group had a long and indolent clinical course (average age at disease progression, 47 years). In summary, three distinct morphologic types of congenital thrombocytopenia were identified: a hyperplastic myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm-like group, a hypoplastic bone marrow failure-like group, and a group with relatively normal marrow

  17. Long-Term Memory Search across the Visual Brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milan Fedurco

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Signal transmission from the human retina to visual cortex and connectivity of visual brain areas are relatively well understood. How specific visual perceptions transform into corresponding long-term memories remains unknown. Here, I will review recent Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (BOLD fMRI in humans together with molecular biology studies (animal models aiming to understand how the retinal image gets transformed into so-called visual (retinotropic maps. The broken object paradigm has been chosen in order to illustrate the complexity of multisensory perception of simple objects subject to visual —rather than semantic— type of memory encoding. The author explores how amygdala projections to the visual cortex affect the memory formation and proposes the choice of experimental techniques needed to explain our massive visual memory capacity. Maintenance of the visual long-term memories is suggested to require recycling of GluR2-containing α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPAR and β2-adrenoreceptors at the postsynaptic membrane, which critically depends on the catalytic activity of the N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF and protein kinase PKMζ.

  18. Short-term and long-term memory in early temporal lobe dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hershey, T; Craft, S; Glauser, T A; Hale, S

    1998-01-01

    Following medial temporal damage, mature humans are impaired in retaining new information over long delays but not short delays. The question of whether a similar dissociation occurs in children was addressed by testing children (ages 7-16) with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and controls on short- and long-term memory tasks, including a spatial delayed response task (SDR). Early-onset TLE did not affect performance on short delays on SDR, but it did impair performance at the longest delay (60 s), similar to adults with unilateral medial temporal damage. In addition, early-onset TLE affected performance on pattern recall, spatial span, and verbal span with rehearsal interference. No differences were found on story recall or on a response inhibition task.

  19. Long-term personality data collection in support of spaceflight and analogue research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Musson, David M; Helmreich, Robert L

    2005-06-01

    This is a review of past and present research into personality and performance at the University of Texas (UT) Human Factors Research Project. Specifically, personality trait data collected from astronauts, pilots, Antarctic personnel, and other groups over a 15-yr period is discussed with particular emphasis on research in space and space analogue environments. The UT Human Factors Research Project conducts studies in personality and group dynamics in aviation, space, and medicine. Current studies include personality determinants of professional cultures, team effectiveness in both medicine and aviation, and personality predictors of long-term astronaut performance. The Project also studies the design and effectiveness of behavioral strategies used to minimize error and maximize team performance in safety-critical work settings. A multi-year personality and performance dataset presents many opportunities for research, including long-term and follow-up studies of human performance, analyses of trends in recruiting and attrition, and the ability to adapt research design to operational changes and methodological advances. Special problems posed by such long-duration projects include issues of confidentiality and security, as well as practical limitations imposed by current peer-review and short-term funding practices. Practical considerations for ongoing dataset management include consistency of assessment instruments over time, variations in data acquisition from one year to the next, and dealing with changes in theory and practice that occur over the life of the project. A fundamental change in how research into human performance is funded would be required to ensure the ongoing development of such long-duration research databases.

  20. Long-Term Visuo-Gustatory Appetitive and Aversive Conditioning Potentiate Human Visual Evoked Potentials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gert R. J. Christoffersen

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Human recognition of foods and beverages are often based on visual cues associated with flavors. The dynamics of neurophysiological plasticity related to acquisition of such long-term associations has only recently become the target of investigation. In the present work, the effects of appetitive and aversive visuo-gustatory conditioning were studied with high density EEG-recordings focusing on late components in the visual evoked potentials (VEPs, specifically the N2-P3 waves. Unfamiliar images were paired with either a pleasant or an unpleasant juice and VEPs evoked by the images were compared before and 1 day after the pairings. In electrodes located over posterior visual cortex areas, the following changes were observed after conditioning: the amplitude from the N2-peak to the P3-peak increased and the N2 peak delay was reduced. The percentage increase of N2-to-P3 amplitudes was asymmetrically distributed over the posterior hemispheres despite the fact that the images were bilaterally symmetrical across the two visual hemifields. The percentage increases of N2-to-P3 amplitudes in each experimental subject correlated with the subject’s evaluation of positive or negative hedonic valences of the two juices. The results from 118 scalp electrodes gave surface maps of theta power distributions showing increased power over posterior visual areas after the pairings. Source current distributions calculated from swLORETA revealed that visual evoked currents rose as a result of conditioning in five cortical regions—from primary visual areas and into the inferior temporal gyrus (ITG. These learning-induced changes were seen after both appetitive and aversive training while a sham trained control group showed no changes. It is concluded that long-term visuo-gustatory conditioning potentiated the N2-P3 complex, and it is suggested that the changes are regulated by the perceived hedonic valence of the US.

  1. Dealing with labor shortages in long-term care: a marketing problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, S T

    1990-01-01

    A recent analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor statistics raise serious implications for the long-term care industry. The human resource problems faced by managers in long-term care will escalate into a fullblown crisis by the end of this century. This will result from a decrease in the number of young workers available to work in unskilled and semiskilled occupations. The effect of this shortage will be exaggerated by an expansion of other sectors of the service industry. Long-term care facilities will be forced to compete with the fast food and retail industry as well as other sectors of the health industry for scarce workers. This article briefly examines the causes, consequences of this problem and suggests several strategies to mitigate the effect of the coming labor shortage.

  2. Short- and Long-Term Effects of Adolescent Alcohol Access: Evidence from Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gupta, Nabanita Datta; Nilsson, Anton

    We exploit changes in minimum legal alcohol purchasing ages in Denmark in order to estimate effects on short- and long-term health outcomes, as well as on human capital formation. Employing a difference-in-differences approach for immediate outcomes and a “regression kink design” for long......-term outcomes, we bring comprehensive evidence on the health and education effects of three reforms, which affected alcohol availability along different dimensions and margins – 1) establishing an off-premise alcohol purchase age of 15 (1998), 2) raising the off-premise alcohol purchase age to 16 (2004), and 3......) increasing the purchase age of beverages exceeding 16.5% in alcohol content from 16 to 18 (2011). Our findings show significant short-term effects of the first and third reforms in terms of reducing injuries and alcohol-related conditions, and some long-term effects of the first reform in terms of reducing...

  3. A new era in palaeomicrobiology: prospects for ancient dental calculus as a long-term record of the human oral microbiome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warinner, Christina; Speller, Camilla; Collins, Matthew J

    2015-01-19

    The field of palaeomicrobiology is dramatically expanding thanks to recent advances in high-throughput biomolecular sequencing, which allows unprecedented access to the evolutionary history and ecology of human-associated and environmental microbes. Recently, human dental calculus has been shown to be an abundant, nearly ubiquitous, and long-term reservoir of the ancient oral microbiome, preserving not only microbial and host biomolecules but also dietary and environmental debris. Modern investigations of native human microbiota have demonstrated that the human microbiome plays a central role in health and chronic disease, raising questions about changes in microbial ecology, diversity and function through time. This paper explores the current state of ancient oral microbiome research and discusses successful applications, methodological challenges and future possibilities in elucidating the intimate evolutionary relationship between humans and their microbes.

  4. A new era in palaeomicrobiology: prospects for ancient dental calculus as a long-term record of the human oral microbiome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warinner, Christina; Speller, Camilla; Collins, Matthew J.

    2015-01-01

    The field of palaeomicrobiology is dramatically expanding thanks to recent advances in high-throughput biomolecular sequencing, which allows unprecedented access to the evolutionary history and ecology of human-associated and environmental microbes. Recently, human dental calculus has been shown to be an abundant, nearly ubiquitous, and long-term reservoir of the ancient oral microbiome, preserving not only microbial and host biomolecules but also dietary and environmental debris. Modern investigations of native human microbiota have demonstrated that the human microbiome plays a central role in health and chronic disease, raising questions about changes in microbial ecology, diversity and function through time. This paper explores the current state of ancient oral microbiome research and discusses successful applications, methodological challenges and future possibilities in elucidating the intimate evolutionary relationship between humans and their microbes. PMID:25487328

  5. Gametocytes of the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum Interact With and Stimulate Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Cells to Secrete Angiogenetic Factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeria Messina

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum, responsible for the transmission of this malaria parasite from humans to mosquitoes, accumulate and mature preferentially in the human bone marrow. In the 10 day long sexual development of P. falciparum, the immature gametocytes reach and localize in the extravascular compartment of this organ, in contact with several bone marrow stroma cell types, prior to traversing the endothelial lining and re-entering in circulation at maturity. To investigate the host parasite interplay underlying this still obscure process, we developed an in vitro tridimensional co-culture system in a Matrigel scaffold with P. falciparum gametocytes and self-assembling spheroids of human bone marrow mesenchymal cells (hBM-MSCs. Here we show that this co-culture system sustains the full maturation of the gametocytes and that the immature, but not the mature, gametocytes adhere to hBM-MSCs via trypsin-sensitive parasite ligands exposed on the erythrocyte surface. Analysis of a time course of gametocytogenesis in the co-culture system revealed that gametocyte maturation is accompanied by the parasite induced stimulation of hBM-MSCs to secrete a panel of 14 cytokines and growth factors, 13 of which have been described to play a role in angiogenesis. Functional in vitro assays on human bone marrow endothelial cells showed that supernatants from the gametocyte mesenchymal cell co-culture system enhance ability of endothelial cells to form vascular tubes. These results altogether suggest that the interplay between immature gametocytes and hBM-MSCs may induce functional and structural alterations in the endothelial lining of the human bone marrow hosting the P. falciparum transmission stages.

  6. Autologous Pancreatic Islet Transplantation in Human Bone Marrow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maffi, Paola; Balzano, Gianpaolo; Ponzoni, Maurilio; Nano, Rita; Sordi, Valeria; Melzi, Raffaella; Mercalli, Alessia; Scavini, Marina; Esposito, Antonio; Peccatori, Jacopo; Cantarelli, Elisa; Messina, Carlo; Bernardi, Massimo; Del Maschio, Alessandro; Staudacher, Carlo; Doglioni, Claudio; Ciceri, Fabio; Secchi, Antonio; Piemonti, Lorenzo

    2013-01-01

    The liver is the current site of choice for pancreatic islet transplantation, even though it is far from being ideal. We recently have shown in mice that the bone marrow (BM) may be a valid alternative to the liver, and here we report a pilot study to test feasibility and safety of BM as a site for islet transplantation in humans. Four patients who developed diabetes after total pancreatectomy were candidates for the autologous transplantation of pancreatic islet. Because the patients had contraindications for intraportal infusion, islets were infused in the BM. In all recipients, islets engrafted successfully as shown by measurable posttransplantation C-peptide levels and histopathological evidence of insulin-producing cells or molecular markers of endocrine tissue in BM biopsy samples analyzed during follow-up. Thus far, we have recorded no adverse events related to the infusion procedure or the presence of islets in the BM. Islet function was sustained for the maximum follow-up of 944 days. The encouraging results of this pilot study provide new perspectives in identifying alternative sites for islet infusion in patients with type 1 diabetes. Moreover, this is the first unequivocal example of successful engraftment of endocrine tissue in the BM in humans. PMID:23733196

  7. Translating long-term potentiation from animals to humans: a novel method for noninvasive assessment of cortical plasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clapp, Wesley C; Hamm, Jeff P; Kirk, Ian J; Teyler, Timothy J

    2012-03-15

    Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a synaptic mechanism underlying learning and memory that has been studied extensively in laboratory animals. The study of LTP recently has been extended into humans with repetitive sensory stimulation to induce cortical LTP. In this review article, we will discuss past results from our group demonstrating that repetitive sensory stimulation (visual or auditory) induces LTP within the sensory cortex (visual/auditory, respectively) and can be measured noninvasively with electroencephalography or functional magnetic resonance imaging. We will discuss a number of studies that indicate that this form of LTP shares several characteristics with the synaptic LTP described in animals: it is frequency dependent, long-lasting (> 1 hour), input-specific, depotentiates with low-frequency stimulation, and is blocked by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockers in rats. In this review, we also present new data with regard to the behavioral significance of human sensory LTP. These advances will permit enquiry into the functional significance of LTP that has been hindered by the absence of a human model. The ability to elicit LTP with a natural sensory stimulus noninvasively will provide a model system allowing the detailed examination of synaptic plasticity in normal subjects and might have future clinical applications in the diagnosis and assessment of neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive disorders. Copyright © 2012 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. The developmental environment, epigenetic biomarkers and long-term health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godfrey, K M; Costello, P M; Lillycrop, K A

    2015-10-01

    Evidence from both human and animal studies has shown that the prenatal and early postnatal environments influence susceptibility to chronic disease in later life and suggests that epigenetic processes are an important mechanism by which the environment alters long-term disease risk. Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNAs, play a central role in regulating gene expression. The epigenome is highly sensitive to environmental factors in early life, such as nutrition, stress, endocrine disruption and pollution, and changes in the epigenome can induce long-term changes in gene expression and phenotype. In this review we focus on how the early life nutritional environment can alter the epigenome leading to an altered susceptibility to disease in later life.

  9. DNA double-strand breaks in human induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming and long-term in vitro culturing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simara, Pavel; Tesarova, Lenka; Rehakova, Daniela; Matula, Pavel; Stejskal, Stanislav; Hampl, Ales; Koutna, Irena

    2017-03-21

    Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) play roles in both disease modelling and regenerative medicine. It is critical that the genomic integrity of the cells remains intact and that the DNA repair systems are fully functional. In this article, we focused on the detection of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by phosphorylated histone H2AX (known as γH2AX) and p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) in three distinct lines of hiPSCs, their source cells, and one line of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). We measured spontaneously occurring DSBs throughout the process of fibroblast reprogramming and during long-term in vitro culturing. To assess the variations in the functionality of the DNA repair system among the samples, the number of DSBs induced by γ-irradiation and the decrease over time was analysed. The foci number was detected by fluorescence microscopy separately for the G1 and S/G2 cell cycle phases. We demonstrated that fibroblasts contained a low number of non-replication-related DSBs, while this number increased after reprogramming into hiPSCs and then decreased again after long-term in vitro passaging. The artificial induction of DSBs revealed that the repair mechanisms function well in the source cells and hiPSCs at low passages, but fail to recognize a substantial proportion of DSBs at high passages. Our observations suggest that cellular reprogramming increases the DSB number but that the repair mechanism functions well. However, after prolonged in vitro culturing of hiPSCs, the repair capacity decreases.

  10. Reforming Long-Term Care Funding in Alberta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crump, R Trafford; Repin, Nadya; Sutherland, Jason M

    2015-01-01

    Like many provinces across Canada, Alberta is facing growing demand for long-term care. Issues with the mixed funding model used to pay long-term care providers had Alberta Health Services concerned that it was not efficiently meeting the demand for long-term care. Consequently, in 2010, Alberta Health Services introduced the patient/care-based funding (PCBF) model. PCBF is similar to activity-based funding in that it directly ties the complexity and care needs of long-term care residents to the payment received by long-term care providers. This review describes PCBF and discusses some of its strengths and weaknesses. In doing so, this review is intended to inform other provinces faced with similar long-term care challenges and contemplating their own funding reforms.

  11. PINK1 is necessary for long term survival and mitochondrial function in human dopaminergic neurons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alison Wood-Kaczmar

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Parkinson's disease (PD is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease and it is critical to develop models which recapitulate the pathogenic process including the effect of the ageing process. Although the pathogenesis of sporadic PD is unknown, the identification of the mendelian genetic factor PINK1 has provided new mechanistic insights. In order to investigate the role of PINK1 in Parkinson's disease, we studied PINK1 loss of function in human and primary mouse neurons. Using RNAi, we created stable PINK1 knockdown in human dopaminergic neurons differentiated from foetal ventral mesencephalon stem cells, as well as in an immortalised human neuroblastoma cell line. We sought to validate our findings in primary neurons derived from a transgenic PINK1 knockout mouse. For the first time we demonstrate an age dependent neurodegenerative phenotype in human and mouse neurons. PINK1 deficiency leads to reduced long-term viability in human neurons, which die via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Human neurons lacking PINK1 demonstrate features of marked oxidative stress with widespread mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal mitochondrial morphology. We report that PINK1 plays a neuroprotective role in the mitochondria of mammalian neurons, especially against stress such as staurosporine. In addition we provide evidence that cellular compensatory mechanisms such as mitochondrial biogenesis and upregulation of lysosomal degradation pathways occur in PINK1 deficiency. The phenotypic effects of PINK1 loss-of-function described here in mammalian neurons provides mechanistic insight into the age-related degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons seen in PD.

  12. Analysis of glycoprotein E-selectin ligANDs on human and mouse marrow cells enriched for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells

    KAUST Repository

    Merzaban, Jasmeen S.

    2011-06-09

    Although well recognized that expression of E-selectin on marrow microvessels mediates osteotropism of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), our knowledge regarding the cognate E-selectin ligand(s) on HSPCs is incomplete. Flow cytometry using E-selectin-Ig chimera (E-Ig) shows that human marrow cells enriched for HSPCs (CD34+ cells) display greater E-selectin binding than those obtained from mouse (lin-/Sca-1+/c-kit+ [LSK] cells). To define the relevant glycoprotein E-selectin ligands, lysates from human CD34+ and KG1a cells and from mouse LSK cells were immunoprecipitated using E-Ig and resolved byWestern blot using E-Ig. In both human and mouse cells, E-selectin ligand reactivity was observed at ∼ 120- to 130-kDa region, which contained two E-selectin ligands, the P-selectin glycoprotein ligand- 1 glycoform "CLA," and CD43. Human, but not mouse, cells displayed a prominent ∼ 100-kDa band, exclusively comprising the CD44 glycoform "HCELL."E-Ig reactivity was most prominent on CLA in mouse cells and on HCELL in human cells. To further assess HCELL\\'s contribution to E-selectin adherence, complementary studies were performed to silence (via CD44 siRNA) or enforce its expression (via exoglycosylation). Under physiologic shear conditions, CD44/HCELL-silenced human cells showed striking decreases (> 50%) in E-selectin binding. Conversely, enforced HCELL expression of LSK cells profoundly increased E-selectin adherence, yielding > 3-fold more marrow homing in vivo. These data define the key glycoprotein E-selectin ligands of human and mouse HSPCs, unveiling critical species-intrinsic differences in both the identity and activity of these structures. © 2011 by The American Society of Hematology.

  13. Operant conditioning of the soleus H-reflex does not induce long-term changes in the gastrocnemius H-reflexes and does not disturb normal locomotion in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makihara, Yukiko; Segal, Richard L; Wolpaw, Jonathan R; Thompson, Aiko K

    2014-09-15

    In normal animals, operant conditioning of the spinal stretch reflex or the H-reflex has lesser effects on synergist muscle reflexes. In rats and people with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), soleus H-reflex operant conditioning can improve locomotion. We studied in normal humans the impact of soleus H-reflex down-conditioning on medial (MG) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) H-reflexes and on locomotion. Subjects completed 6 baseline and 30 conditioning sessions. During conditioning trials, the subject was encouraged to decrease soleus H-reflex size with the aid of visual feedback. Every sixth session, MG and LG H-reflexes were measured. Locomotion was assessed before and after conditioning. In successfully conditioned subjects, the soleus H-reflex decreased 27.2%. This was the sum of within-session (task dependent) adaptation (13.2%) and across-session (long term) change (14%). The MG H-reflex decreased 14.5%, due mainly to task-dependent adaptation (13.4%). The LG H-reflex showed no task-dependent adaptation or long-term change. No consistent changes were detected across subjects in locomotor H-reflexes, EMG activity, joint angles, or step symmetry. Thus, in normal humans, soleus H-reflex down-conditioning does not induce long-term changes in MG/LG H-reflexes and does not change locomotion. In these subjects, task-dependent adaptation of the soleus H-reflex is greater than it is in people with SCI, whereas long-term change is less. This difference from results in people with SCI is consistent with the fact that long-term change is beneficial in people with SCI, since it improves locomotion. In contrast, in normal subjects, long-term change is not beneficial and may necessitate compensatory plasticity to preserve satisfactory locomotion. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

  14. Precursors (pre-CFCmulti) of multilineage hemopoietic colony-forming cells quantitated in vitro. Uniqueness of IL-1 requirement, partial separation from pluripotential colony-forming cells, and correlation with long term reconstituting cells in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iscove, N.N.; Yan, X.Q.

    1990-01-01

    Pluripotential colony-forming cells (CFCmulti) from mouse marrow can expand significantly in number during 4 days of suspension culture with IL-1 and IL-3. In this study, the cells (pre-CFCmulti) which originate this response are characterized in terms of their frequency, progeny number, factor requirements, buoyant density, and extent of restoration following marrow transplantation. Parallel measurements of both CFCmulti and cells providing long term marrow reconstitution in vivo allowed direct comparisons to be made with pre-CFCmulti. The proliferative response of pre-CFCmulti was found to depend uniquely on the combination of IL-1 and IL-3, and neither of these regulators was replaceable by any of IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, GM-CSF, G-CSF, M-CSF or LIF. After separation on density gradients, pre-CFCmulti were recovered in fractions of lower density than most of the CFCmulti, but in the same fractions that contained most of the in vivo reconstituting cells. After irradiation and marrow transplantation, marrow CFCmulti were restored to near normal levels, while both pre-CFCmulti as well as reconstituting stem cells remained profoundly depressed. These results show pre-CFCmulti to be distinct from most CFCmulti and to represent the closest approach to quantitative detection of reconstituting stem cells so far achieved in vitro

  15. Long-term outcome of 25 children and adolescents with severe aplastic anemia treated with antithymocyte globulin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    de-Medeiros C.R.

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available Severe aplastic anemia (SAA is probably an immune-mediated disorder, and immunosuppressive therapy is recommended for patients with no available donor for bone marrow transplant. Between October 1984 and November 1987, 25 consecutive children and adolescents with SAA with no HLA-compatible marrow donor received equine antithymocyte globulin (ATG (15 mg kg-1 day-1 for 10 days. The patients were evaluated 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after starting ATG treatment. Thereafter, patients were evaluated yearly until July 1998. Median age was 10 years (range, 1.5-20 years, granulocyte counts on referral ranged from 0.032 to 1.4 x 10(9/l (median 0.256 x 10(9/l, and 12 patients had granulocyte counts <0.2 x 10(9/l. At a median follow-up of 9.6 years (range, 8.6-11.8 years, 10 patients (40% remained alive with good marrow function. No morphologic evidence of hematological clonal disorders has been observed, although two patients probably have acquired clonal chromosomal abnormalities (trisomy 8 and del(6q21, respectively. Responses to ATG were observed between 6 weeks and 6 months from the start of treatment in 60% of evaluable patients. The response rate was not different in patients whose granulocyte count at diagnosis was <0.2 x 10(9/l, or in those who were <10 years of age. This study supports the view that, when compared with supportive measures, ATG is an effective treatment for children or adolescents with SAA. Although these results are inferior to those reported for marrow transplantation or more intensive immunosuppressive regimens, these patients who responded to ATG are long-term survivors with stable peripheral blood counts and a low rate of relapse.

  16. Human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kassem, Moustapha; Abdallah, Basem M

    2008-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a group of cells present in bone-marrow stroma and the stroma of various organs with the capacity for mesoderm-like cell differentiation into, for example, osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. MSC are being introduced in the clinic for the treatment...

  17. Long-term expansion of epithelial organoids from human colon, adenoma, adenocarcinoma, and Barrett's epithelium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sato, T.; Stange, D.E.; Ferrante, M.; Vries, R.G.J.; van Es, J.H.; van den Brink, S.; Houdt, W.J.; Pronk, A.; van Gorp, J.; Siersema, P.D.; Clevers, H.

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND & AIMS: We previously established long-term culture conditions under which single crypts or stem cells derived from mouse small intestine expand over long periods. The expanding crypts undergo multiple crypt fission events, simultaneously generating villus-like epithelial domains that

  18. Effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharide and X-irradiation on the production of colony-stimulating factor and the maintenance of granulopoiesis in bone marrow culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Izumi, H.; Miyanomae, T.; Tsurusawa, M.; Fujita, J.; Mori, K.

    1984-01-01

    Effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and X-irradiation on CSF production and granulopoiesis in long-term bone marrow cultures were studied. Levels of colony-stimulating factor (CSF) increased soon after the refeeding of the culture, but the activity was undetectable at day 7. Addition of LPS induced a significant increase in CSF levels in the culture, followed by an elevated granulopoiesis. The increase in CSF levels was suppressed when culture medium that had been harvested at refeeding on day 7 was added. Although irradiation did not increase CSF production, granulopoiesis was markedly stimulated shortly after irradiation. Thus granulopoiesis in long-term bone marrow culture may also be regulated by humoral factors such as CSF, and the culture system may represent the in vivo response to haemopoietic stimuli. (author)

  19. Wildfire Mitigation and Private Lands: Managing Long-Term Vulnerabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brian Muller; Stacey Schulte

    2006-01-01

    Long-term management of wildfire vulnerability requires strategies that address complex interactions between fire ecology and human settlement. In this paper, we examine the integration of wildfire mitigation and land use planning in county governments in the western U.S. This research relies on data from two sources. First, we conducted a survey of land use...

  20. Industrial Foundations as Long-Term Owners

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Steen; Poulsen, Thomas; Børsting, Christa Winther

    Short-termism has become a serious concern for corporate governance, and this has inspired a search for institutional arrangements to promote long-term decision-making. In this paper, we call attention to long-term ownership by industrial foundations, which is common in Northern Europe but little...... known in the rest of the world. We use a unique Danish data set to document that industrial foundations are long-term owners that practice long-term governance. We show that foundation ownership is highly stable compared to other ownership structures. Foundation-owned companies replace managers less...... frequently. They have conservative capital structures with low financial leverage. They score higher on an index of long-termism in finance, investment, and employment. They survive longer. Overall, our paper supports the hypothesis that corporate time horizons are influenced by ownership structures...

  1. The role of total body irradiation in preparation for bone marrow transplantation in acute leukaemia. A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zwaan, F.E.

    1979-01-01

    From extrapolation obtained from animal studies and radiation accidents, it is assumed that for man the LD 50 (30) will be between 300-500 rads total body irradiation (TBI) and the LD 100 at least 600 rads TBI. A dose of 1000 rads TBI is generally used in man for conditioning for bone marrow transplantation. In acute leukemia, total body irradiation is usually associated with cytoreductive chemotherapy. In Seattle 110 patients underwent bone marrow transplantation for acute leukemia in relapse. 15 patients became long term survivors. The main cause of failure were GVH, interstitial pneumonitis and leukemic relapse. New attempts are being made to improve the results: (1) better cytoreductive therapy preceding transplantation, (2) bone marrow transplantation during remission of the disease, (3) prevention of interstitial pneumonitis by modifications of the TBI technique

  2. Long-term associative learning predicts verbal short-term memory performance

    OpenAIRE

    Jones, Gary; Macken, Bill

    2017-01-01

    Studies using tests such as digit span and nonword repetition have implicated short-term memory across a range of developmental domains. Such tests ostensibly assess specialized processes for the short-term manipulation and maintenance of information that are often argued to enable long-term learning. However, there is considerable evidence for an influence of long-term linguistic learning on performance in short-term memory tasks that brings into question the role of a specialized short-term...

  3. Time-Dependent Toxic and Genotoxic Effects of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles after Long-Term and Repetitive Exposure to Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pascal Ickrath

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP are widely spread in consumer products. Data about the toxicological characteristics of ZnO-NP is still under controversial discussion. The human skin is the most important organ concerning ZnO-NP exposure. Intact skin was demonstrated to be a sufficient barrier against NPs; however, defect skin may allow NP contact to proliferating cells. Within these cells, stem cells are the most important toxicological target for NPs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of ZnO-NP at low-dose concentrations after long-term and repetitive exposure to human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC. Cytotoxic effects of ZnO-NP were measured by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT assay. Furthermore, genotoxicity was evaluated by the comet assay. For long-term observation over 6 weeks, transmission electron microscopy (TEM was applied. The results of the study indicated cytotoxic effects of ZnO-NP beginning at high concentrations of 50 μg/mL and genotoxic effects in hMSC exposed to 1 and 10 μg/mL ZnO-NP. Repetitive exposure enhanced cyto- but not genotoxicity. Intracellular NP accumulation was observed up to 6 weeks. The results suggest cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of ZnO-NP. Even low doses of ZnO-NP may induce toxic effects as a result of repetitive exposure and long-term cellular accumulation. This data should be considered before using ZnO-NP on damaged skin.

  4. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins-2, -3 and -4 in human bone marrow stromal cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kveiborg, Marie; Flyvbjerg, Allan; Eriksen, E F

    2001-01-01

    1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol) inhibits proliferation and stimulates differentiation of multiple cell types, including osteoblasts. Human (h) bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) are a homogenous non-hematopoietic population of cells present in the bone marrow and exhibit a less differentiated...

  5. Effect of the long-term regular intake of virgin olive oil on the phenolic metabolites in human fasting plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valls, Rosa-Maria; Soler, Aranzazu; Girona, Josefa; Heras, Mercedes; Romero, Maria-Paz; Covas, Maria-Isabel; Solà, Rosa; Masana, Lluis; Motilva, Maria-Jose

    2010-09-21

    The effect of repeated consumption of virgin olive oil on endogenous phenolic metabolites of fasting plasma is unknown. For this reason, we hypothesized that regular long-term virgin olive oil intake could have an indirect protection effect on the endogenous phenols. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine the phenolic profile of human plasma in a fasting state of long-term regular virgin olive oil consumers, using the fasting plasma of non-consumers as a natural control. Forty participants living in the area of Reus (Catalonia, Spain) were selected, 20 life-long regular consumers of virgin olive oil and a natural control of 20 non-consumers, the latter being Rumanians who dislike the taste of olive oil. The diet was obtained from 3-day food records. The results showed similar phenolic composition of fasting plasmas of the two volunteer groups. Of special interest is that more of the compounds quantified showed higher concentration in fasting plasma from habitual virgin olive oil consumers. The compounds were semi-quantified using caffeic acid as the calibration standard. The quantification of fasting consumer's plasma showed higher concentration of a hydroxyflavanone type compound (2.90+/-0.04 microM vs 1.5+/-0.04 microM) and a catecholamine derivative (0.70+/-0.03 microM vs 0.56+/-0.03 microM) than the plasma of non-consumers (P<0.05). The results suggest an indirect protective mechanism of long-term regular virgin olive oil consumption related to the protection of the endogenous antioxidant system. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Long-term exposure to noise impairs cortical sound processing and attention control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kujala, Teija; Shtyrov, Yury; Winkler, Istvan; Saher, Marieke; Tervaniemi, Mari; Sallinen, Mikael; Teder-Sälejärvi, Wolfgang; Alho, Kimmo; Reinikainen, Kalevi; Näätänen, Risto

    2004-11-01

    Long-term exposure to noise impairs human health, causing pathological changes in the inner ear as well as other anatomical and physiological deficits. Numerous individuals are daily exposed to excessive noise. However, there is a lack of systematic research on the effects of noise on cortical function. Here we report data showing that long-term exposure to noise has a persistent effect on central auditory processing and leads to concurrent behavioral deficits. We found that speech-sound discrimination was impaired in noise-exposed individuals, as indicated by behavioral responses and the mismatch negativity brain response. Furthermore, irrelevant sounds increased the distractibility of the noise-exposed subjects, which was shown by increased interference in task performance and aberrant brain responses. These results demonstrate that long-term exposure to noise has long-lasting detrimental effects on central auditory processing and attention control.

  7. Visual working memory is more tolerant than visual long-term memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schurgin, Mark W; Flombaum, Jonathan I

    2018-05-07

    Human visual memory is tolerant, meaning that it supports object recognition despite variability across encounters at the image level. Tolerant object recognition remains one capacity in which artificial intelligence trails humans. Typically, tolerance is described as a property of human visual long-term memory (VLTM). In contrast, visual working memory (VWM) is not usually ascribed a role in tolerant recognition, with tests of that system usually demanding discriminatory power-identifying changes, not sameness. There are good reasons to expect that VLTM is more tolerant; functionally, recognition over the long-term must accommodate the fact that objects will not be viewed under identical conditions; and practically, the passive and massive nature of VLTM may impose relatively permissive criteria for thinking that two inputs are the same. But empirically, tolerance has never been compared across working and long-term visual memory. We therefore developed a novel paradigm for equating encoding and test across different memory types. In each experiment trial, participants saw two objects, memory for one tested immediately (VWM) and later for the other (VLTM). VWM performance was better than VLTM and remained robust despite the introduction of image and object variability. In contrast, VLTM performance suffered linearly as more variability was introduced into test stimuli. Additional experiments excluded interference effects as causes for the observed differences. These results suggest the possibility of a previously unidentified role for VWM in the acquisition of tolerant representations for object recognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  8. Training echo state networks for rotation-invariant bone marrow cell classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kainz, Philipp; Burgsteiner, Harald; Asslaber, Martin; Ahammer, Helmut

    2017-01-01

    The main principle of diagnostic pathology is the reliable interpretation of individual cells in context of the tissue architecture. Especially a confident examination of bone marrow specimen is dependent on a valid classification of myeloid cells. In this work, we propose a novel rotation-invariant learning scheme for multi-class echo state networks (ESNs), which achieves very high performance in automated bone marrow cell classification. Based on representing static images as temporal sequence of rotations, we show how ESNs robustly recognize cells of arbitrary rotations by taking advantage of their short-term memory capacity. The performance of our approach is compared to a classification random forest that learns rotation-invariance in a conventional way by exhaustively training on multiple rotations of individual samples. The methods were evaluated on a human bone marrow image database consisting of granulopoietic and erythropoietic cells in different maturation stages. Our ESN approach to cell classification does not rely on segmentation of cells or manual feature extraction and can therefore directly be applied to image data.

  9. The Long-Term Impact of Educational and Health Spending on Unemployment Rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZAFER PIRIM

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This study used panel data regression analysis to evaluate the long-term effects of several measures of U.S. education expenditure on unemployment rates in 50 states and Washington D.C. over 25 years. The data included state-level statistics for fiscal effort, graduation rates, education spending per pupil, gross state product per capita, welfare spending, health spending, political party affiliation, union versus nonunion states, and unemployment rates. Results find that the best way to effectively reduce unemployment is investment in improving the quality of human capital through funding education. Findings specifically conclude that over the long term, investment in human capital through education as defined by per-pupil spending and health services could play a significant role in reducing unemployment rates.

  10. Long-Term Environmental Research Programs - Evolving Capacity for Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, F. J.

    2008-12-01

    Long-term forestry, watershed, and ecological research sites have become critical, productive nodes for environmental science research and in some cases for work in the social sciences and humanities. The Forest Service's century-old Experimental Forests and Ranges and the National Science Foundation's 28- year-old Long-Term Ecological Research program have been remarkably productive in both basic and applied sciences, including characterization of acid rain and old-growth ecosystems and development of forest, watershed, and range management systems for commercial and other land use objectives. A review of recent developments suggests steps to enhance the function of collections of long-term research sites as interactive science networks. The programs at these sites have evolved greatly, especially over the past few decades, as the questions addressed, disciplines engaged, and degree of science integration have grown. This is well displayed by small, experimental watershed studies, which first were used for applied hydrology studies then more fundamental biogeochemical studies and now examination of complex ecosystem processes; all capitalizing on the legacy of intensive studies and environmental monitoring spanning decades. In very modest ways these collections of initially independent sites have functioned increasingly as integrated research networks addressing inter-site questions by using common experimental designs, being part of a single experiment, and examining long-term data in a common analytical framework. The network aspects include data sharing via publicly-accessible data-harvester systems for climate and streamflow data. The layering of one research or environmental monitoring network upon another facilitates synergies. Changing climate and atmospheric chemistry highlight a need to use these networks as continental-scale observatory systems for assessing the impacts of environmental change on ecological services. To better capitalize on long-term

  11. Long-term culture of human liver tissue with advanced hepatic functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Soon Seng; Xiong, Anming; Nguyen, Khanh; Masek, Marilyn; No, Da Yoon; Elazar, Menashe; Shteyer, Eyal; Winters, Mark A; Voedisch, Amy; Shaw, Kate; Rashid, Sheikh Tamir; Frank, Curtis W; Cho, Nam Joon; Glenn, Jeffrey S

    2017-06-02

    A major challenge for studying authentic liver cell function and cell replacement therapies is that primary human hepatocytes rapidly lose their advanced function in conventional, 2-dimensional culture platforms. Here, we describe the fabrication of 3-dimensional hexagonally arrayed lobular human liver tissues inspired by the liver's natural architecture. The engineered liver tissues exhibit key features of advanced differentiation, such as human-specific cytochrome P450-mediated drug metabolism and the ability to support efficient infection with patient-derived inoculums of hepatitis C virus. The tissues permit the assessment of antiviral agents and maintain their advanced functions for over 5 months in culture. This extended functionality enabled the prediction of a fatal human-specific hepatotoxicity caused by fialuridine (FIAU), which had escaped detection by preclinical models and short-term clinical studies. The results obtained with the engineered human liver tissue in this study provide proof-of-concept determination of human-specific drug metabolism, demonstrate the ability to support infection with human hepatitis virus derived from an infected patient and subsequent antiviral drug testing against said infection, and facilitate detection of human-specific drug hepatotoxicity associated with late-onset liver failure. Looking forward, the scalability and biocompatibility of the scaffold are also ideal for future cell replacement therapeutic strategies.

  12. Human cardiomyocyte progenitor cell transplantation preserves long-term function of the infarcted mouse myocardium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smits, Anke M.; van Laake, Linda W.; den Ouden, Krista; Schreurs, Chantal; Szuhai, Karoly; van Echteld, Cees J.; Mummery, Christine L.; Doevendans, Pieter A.; Goumans, Marie-Jose

    2009-01-01

    Recent clinical studies revealed that positive results of cell transplantation on cardiac function are limited to the short- and mid-term restoration phase following myocardial infarction (MI), emphasizing the need for long-term follow-up. These transient effects may depend on the transplanted

  13. Long-term collections

    CERN Multimedia

    Collectes à long terme

    2007-01-01

    The Committee of the Long Term Collections (CLT) asks for your attention for the following message from a young Peruvian scientist, following the earthquake which devastated part of her country a month ago.

  14. Long-term changes in river system hydrology in Texas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Zhang

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Climate change and human actives are recognized as a topical issue that change long-term water budget, flow-frequency, and storage-frequency characteristics of different river systems. Texas is characterized by extreme hydrologic variability both spatially and temporally. Meanwhile, population and economic growth and accompanying water resources development projects have greatly impacted river flows throughout Texas. The relative effects of climate change, water resources development, water use, and other factors on long-term changes in river flow, reservoir storage, evaporation, water use, and other components of the water budgets of different river basins of Texas have been simulated in this research using the monthly version of the Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP modelling system with input databases sets from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ and Texas Water Development Board (TWDB. The results show that long-term changes are minimal from analysis monthly precipitation depths. Evaporation rates vary greatly seasonally and for much of the state appear to have a gradually upward trend. River/reservoir system water budgets and river flow characteristics have changed significantly during the past 75 years in response to water resources development and use.

  15. Bone marrow aspiration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iliac crest tap; Sternal tap; Leukemia - bone marrow aspiration; Aplastic anemia - bone marrow aspiration; Myelodysplastic syndrome - bone marrow aspiration; Thrombocytopenia - bone marrow aspiration; Myelofibrosis - bone marrow aspiration

  16. Early Posttransplant Tryptophan Metabolism Predicts Long-term Outcome of Human Kidney Transplantation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vavrincova-Yaghi, Diana; Seelen, Marc A.; Kema, Ido P.; Deelman, Leo E.; Heuvel, van den Marius; Breukelman, Henk; Van den Eynde, Benoit J.; Henning, Rob H.; van Goor, Harry; Sandovici, Maria

    Background. Chronic transplant dysfunction (CTD) is the leading cause of long-term loss of the renal allograft. So far, no single test is available to reliably predict the risk for CTD. Monitoring of tryptophan (trp) metabolism through indoleamine 2.3-dioxygenase (IDO) has been previously proposed

  17. Compensation for PKMζ in long-term potentiation and spatial long-term memory in mutant mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsokas, Panayiotis; Hsieh, Changchi; Yao, Yudong; Lesburguères, Edith; Wallace, Emma Jane Claire; Tcherepanov, Andrew; Jothianandan, Desingarao; Hartley, Benjamin Rush; Pan, Ling; Rivard, Bruno; Farese, Robert V; Sajan, Mini P; Bergold, Peter John; Hernández, Alejandro Iván; Cottrell, James E; Shouval, Harel Z; Fenton, André Antonio; Sacktor, Todd Charlton

    2016-05-17

    PKMζ is a persistently active PKC isoform proposed to maintain late-LTP and long-term memory. But late-LTP and memory are maintained without PKMζ in PKMζ-null mice. Two hypotheses can account for these findings. First, PKMζ is unimportant for LTP or memory. Second, PKMζ is essential for late-LTP and long-term memory in wild-type mice, and PKMζ-null mice recruit compensatory mechanisms. We find that whereas PKMζ persistently increases in LTP maintenance in wild-type mice, PKCι/λ, a gene-product closely related to PKMζ, persistently increases in LTP maintenance in PKMζ-null mice. Using a pharmacogenetic approach, we find PKMζ-antisense in hippocampus blocks late-LTP and spatial long-term memory in wild-type mice, but not in PKMζ-null mice without the target mRNA. Conversely, a PKCι/λ-antagonist disrupts late-LTP and spatial memory in PKMζ-null mice but not in wild-type mice. Thus, whereas PKMζ is essential for wild-type LTP and long-term memory, persistent PKCι/λ activation compensates for PKMζ loss in PKMζ-null mice.

  18. Early passage bone marrow stromal cells express genes involved in nervous system development supporting their relevance for neural repair

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nandoe Tewarie, R.D.S.; Bossers, K.; Ritfeld, G.J.; Blits, B.; Grotenhuis, J.A.; Verhaagen, J.; Oudega, M.

    2011-01-01

    PURPOSE: The assessment of the capacity of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) to repair the nervous system using gene expression profiling. The evaluation of effects of long-term culturing on the gene expression profile of BMSC. METHODS: Fourty four k whole genome rat microarrays were used to study

  19. The long-term use of soap does not affect the pH-maintenance mechanism of human skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takagi, Y; Kaneda, K; Miyaki, M; Matsuo, K; Kawada, H; Hosokawa, H

    2015-05-01

    The pH at the surface of healthy human skin is around 5. Cleansing the skin with soap increases the pH of the skin, which then returns to a more acidic pH within a few hours. However, the effects of skin cleansing with soap over a long time on the pH regulatory system is still unclear. We compared the pH of the skin between users of a soap-based cleanser and of a mild-acidic cleanser prior to and following the cleansing. This study had two groups of subjects, one group who had used a soap-based cleanser for more than 5 years and the other group who had used a mild-acidic cleanser for more than 5 years. The pH on the inner forearm of each subject was measured prior to and for 6 h after cleansing with a soap bar. There were no differences between the pH of the skin these two groups prior to cleansing, immediately after cleansing or in the pH recovery rate for 6 h. These results suggest that long-term continuous use of a soap-based cleanser does not affect the pH-maintaining mechanism of human skin. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Evaluation of X-Inactivation Status and Cytogenetic Stability of Human Dermal Fibroblasts after Long-Term Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhi-Gang Xue

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Human primary fibroblasts are a popular type of somatic cells for the production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells. Here we characterized biological properties of primary fibroblasts in terms of cell-growth rate, cytogenetic stability, and the number of inactive X chromosomes during long-term passaging. We produced eight lines of female human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs and found normal karyotype and expected pattern of X chromosome inactivation (XCI at low passages (Passage P1-5. However, four out of the eight HDF lines at high passage numbers (≥P10 exhibited duplicated hallmarks of inactive X chromosome including two punctuate signals of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3 and X inactive-specific transcript (XIST RNA signals in approximately 8.5–18.5% of the cells. Our data suggest that the copy number of inactive X chromosomes in a subset of female HDF is increased by a two-fold. Consistently, DNA fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH identified 3-4 copies of X chromosomes in one nucleus in this subset of cells with two inactive Xs. We conclude that female HDF cultures exhibit a higher risk of genetic anomalies such as carrying an increased number of X chromosomes including both active and inactive X chromosomes at a high passage (≥P10.

  1. Defining a communication system for the long term

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitropoulou, Eleni

    2015-01-01

    Prof. Eleni Mitropoulou presented an ongoing study, undertaken on behalf of Andra, on long-term communication. The speaker highlighted that it is not so much the marking that needs to be sustainable, but above all what the marking communicates. She highlighted the importance of sustainable human action to produce memory and, thus, the need to reconcile the passive character of geological disposal and the active character of memory keeping. Focusing on semiotics, the interaction between the short, medium and long term was pointed out, highlighting the need to create a relay system. A multidimensional message was proposed, for the purposes of information ('storage site here'), interpellation (to warn, prevent or alert) and integration (with regard to the surrounding environment). This corresponds to the systemic approach of the RK and M initiative, which is based on a variety of RK and M transmission mechanisms that are integrated with and/or complement one another

  2. Sexuality and Physical Intimacy in Long Term Care: Sexuality, long term care, capacity assessment

    OpenAIRE

    Lichtenberg, Peter A.

    2014-01-01

    Sexuality and sexual needs in older adults remains a neglected area of clinical intervention, particularly so in long term care settings. Because older adults in medical rehabilitation and long term care beds present with significant frailties, and often significant neurocognitive disorders it makes it difficult for occupational therapists and other staff to evaluate the capacity of an older adult resident to participate in sexual relationships. The current paper reviews the current literatur...

  3. Deferasirox: appraisal of safety and efficacy in long-term therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chaudhary P

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Preeti Chaudhary, Vinod PullarkatJane Ann Nohl Division of Hematology, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract: Deferasirox is a once-daily, oral iron chelator that is widely used in the management of patients with transfusional hemosiderosis. Several Phase II trials along with their respective extension studies as well as a Phase III trial have established the efficacy and safety of this novel agent in transfusion-dependent patients with β-thalassemia, sickle-cell disease and bone marrow-failure syndromes, including myelodysplastic syndrome and aplastic anemia. Data from various clinical trials show that a deferasirox dose of 20 mg/kg/day stabilizes serum ferritin levels and liver iron concentration, while a dose of 30–40 mg/kg/day reduces these parameters and achieves negative iron balance in red cell transfusion-dependent patients with iron overload. Across various pivotal clinical trials, deferasirox was well tolerated, with the most common adverse events being gastrointestinal disturbances, skin rash, nonprogressive increases in serum creatinine, and elevations in liver enzyme levels. Longer-term extension studies have also confirmed the efficacy and safety of deferasirox. However, it is essential that patients on deferasirox therapy are monitored regularly to ensure timely management for any adverse events that may occur with long-term therapy.Keywords: deferasirox, iron overload, thalassemia, sickle-cell disease, myelodysplastic syndrome

  4. Differences in health status between long-term and short-term benzodiazepine users.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zandstra, S.M.; Furer, J.W.; Lisdonk, E.H. van de; Bor, J.H.J.; Zitman, F.G.; Weel, C. van

    2002-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Despite generally accepted advice to keep treatment short, benzodiazepines are often prescibed for more than six months. Prevention of long-term benzodiazepine use could be facilitated by the utilisation of risk indicators for long-term use. However, the characteristics of long-term

  5. Long-Term Quality of Life After Swallowing and Salivary-Sparing Chemo–Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in Survivors of Human Papillomavirus–Related Oropharyngeal Cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vainshtein, Jeffrey M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Moon, Dominic H. [University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Feng, Felix Y. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Chepeha, Douglas B. [Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Eisbruch, Avraham, E-mail: eisbruch@umich.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States); Stenmark, Matthew H. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States)

    2015-04-01

    Purpose: To evaluate long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in 2 prospective studies of chemo–intensity modulated radiation therapy (chemo-IMRT) for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). Methods and Materials: Of 93 patients with stage III/IV OPC treated on prospective studies of swallowing and salivary organ-sparing chemo-IMRT, 69 were eligible for long-term HRQOL assessment. Three validated patient-reported instruments, the Head and Neck QOL (HNQOL) questionnaire, the University of Washington quality of life (UWQOL) questionnaire, and the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ), previously administered from baseline through 2 years in the parent studies, were readministered at long-term follow-up, along with the Short-Form 36. Long-term changes in HRQOL from before treatment and 2 years were evaluated. Results: Forty patients (58%) with a median follow-up of 6.5 years participated, 39 of whom (97.5%) had confirmed human papillomavirus–positive OPC. Long term, no clinically significant worsening was detected in mean HRQOL scores compared with 2 years, with stable or improved HRQOL from before treatment in nearly all domains. “Moderate” or greater severity problems were uncommon, reported by 5% of patients for eating, 5% for swallowing, and 2.5% and 5% by HNQOL and UWQOL summary scores, respectively. Freedom from percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube dependence and stricture dilation beyond 2 years was 97.5% and 95%, respectively. Eleven percent and 14% of patients reported “moderate” or “severe” long-term worsening in HNQOL Pain and Overall Bother domains, respectively, which were associated with mean dose to the cervical esophagus, larynx, and pharyngeal constrictors. Conclusions: At more than 6 years' median follow-up, OPC patients treated with swallowing and salivary organ-sparing chemo-IMRT reported stable or improved HRQOL in nearly all domains compared with both before treatment and 2-year follow-up. New late toxicity after 2 years was

  6. Scientific Understanding from Long Term Observations: Insights from the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gosz, J.

    2001-12-01

    The network dedicated to Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) in the United States has grown to 24 sites since it was formed in 1980. Long-term research and monitoring are performed on parameters thatare basic to all ecosystems and are required to understand patterns, processes, and relationship to change. Collectively, the sites in the LTER Network provide opportunities to contrast marine, coastal, and continental regions, the full range of climatic gradients existing in North America, and aquatic and terrestrial habitats in a range of ecosystem types. The combination of common core areas and long-term research and monitoring in many habitats have allowed unprecedented abilities to understand and compare complex temporal and spatial dynamics associated with issues like climate change, effects of pollution, biodiversity and landuse. For example, McMurdo Dry Valley in the Antarctic has demonstrated an increase in glacier mass since 1993 which coincides with a period of cooler than normal summers and more than average snowfall. In contrast, the Bonanza Creek and Toolik Lake sites in Alaska have recorded a warming period unprecedented in the past 200 years. Nitrogen deposition effects have been identified through long-term watershed studies on biogeochemical cycles, especially at Coweeta Hydrological Lab, Harvard Forest, and the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. In aquatic systems, such as the Northern Temperate Lakes site, long-term data revealed time lags in effects of invaders and disturbance on lake communities. Biological recovery from an effect such as lake acidification was shown to lag behind chemical recovery. The long-term changes documented over 2 decades have been instrumental in influencing management practices in many of the LTER areas. In Puerto Rico, the Luquillo LTER demonstrated that dams obstruct migrations of fish and freshwater shrimp and water abstraction at low flows can completely obliterate downstream migration of juveniles and damage

  7. MR marrow signs of iron overload in transfusion-dependent patients with sickle cell disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levin, T.L.; Sheth, S.S.; Hurlet, A.; Comerci, S.C.; Ruzal-Shapiro, C.; Piomelli, S.; Berdon, W.E.

    1995-01-01

    Magnetic resonance (MR) marrow signal in the axial and appendicular skeleton of 13 transfusion-dependent and chelated pediatric patients with sickle cell anemia (SSD) was compared with marrow signal in six non-transfusion-dependent patients with SSD. Hepatic, pancreatic, and renal MR signal were also evaluated. Indication for hypertransfusion therapy was primarily prior history of stroke. Transfusion-dependent patients had evidence of iron deposition throughout the imaged marrow and the liver, despite deferoxamine chelation therapy. Non-transfusion-dependent patients did not demonstrate grossly apparent signs of iron overload. Red marrow restoration was present in the spine, pelvis, and long bones and, in some patients, within the epiphyses. Marrow edema secondary to vaso-occlusive crises was evident in the metaphyses and diaphyses of long bones in areas of both red and fatty marrow and was best seen using fat-saturated T2-weighted imaging techniques. (orig.). With 4 figs., 2 tabs

  8. Mathematical models of human paralyzed muscle after long-term training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Law, L A Frey; Shields, R K

    2007-01-01

    Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in major musculoskeletal adaptations, including muscle atrophy, faster contractile properties, increased fatigability, and bone loss. The use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) provides a method to prevent paralyzed muscle adaptations in order to sustain force-generating capacity. Mathematical muscle models may be able to predict optimal activation strategies during FES, however muscle properties further adapt with long-term training. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of three muscle models, one linear and two nonlinear, for predicting paralyzed soleus muscle force after exposure to long-term FES training. Further, we contrasted the findings between the trained and untrained limbs. The three models' parameters were best fit to a single force train in the trained soleus muscle (N=4). Nine additional force trains (test trains) were predicted for each subject using the developed models. Model errors between predicted and experimental force trains were determined, including specific muscle force properties. The mean overall error was greatest for the linear model (15.8%) and least for the nonlinear Hill Huxley type model (7.8%). No significant error differences were observed between the trained versus untrained limbs, although model parameter values were significantly altered with training. This study confirmed that nonlinear models most accurately predict both trained and untrained paralyzed muscle force properties. Moreover, the optimized model parameter values were responsive to the relative physiological state of the paralyzed muscle (trained versus untrained). These findings are relevant for the design and control of neuro-prosthetic devices for those with SCI.

  9. CHORD simulation for insult assessment to the red bone marrow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, T.D.

    1976-09-01

    Critical Human Organ Radiation Dosimetry (CHORD) probability density functions for A-P, P-A, bilateral, rotational, and isotropic incidence, plus simple depth-dose data, permit the rapid estimation of the radiation insult to the active red bone marrow system of the ICRP Reference Man. The CHORD concept follows the variations in the microscopic processes of absorption, attenuation, and scattering on a macroscopic level so that it is not necessary to attempt detailed calculations for each and every case of interest. Similar techniques have been applied to reactor criticality calculations and the general logic of the CHORD process can be applied to any cause-response type situation which can be described in terms of variation with distance in the medium of interest. Doses to active bone marrow from exposures to photons and neutrons are presented and excellent agreement is shown with the few available experimental results

  10. Interleukin-1β modulates endochondral ossification by human adult bone marrow stromal cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Mumme

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Inflammatory cytokines present in the milieu of the fracture site are important modulators of bone healing. Here we investigated the effects of interleukin-1β (IL-1β on the main events of endochondral bone formation by human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC, namely cell proliferation, differentiation and maturation/remodelling of the resulting hypertrophic cartilage. Low doses of IL-1β (50 pg/mL enhanced colony-forming units-fibroblastic (CFU-f and -osteoblastic (CFU-o number (up to 1.5-fold and size (1.2-fold in the absence of further supplements and glycosaminoglycan accumulation (1.4-fold upon BM-MSC chondrogenic induction. In osteogenically cultured BM-MSC, IL-1β enhanced calcium deposition (62.2-fold and BMP-2 mRNA expression by differential activation of NF-κB and ERK signalling. IL-1β-treatment of BM-MSC generated cartilage resulted in higher production of MMP-13 (14.0-fold in vitro, mirrored by an increased accumulation of the cryptic cleaved fragment of aggrecan, and more efficient cartilage remodelling/resorption after 5 weeks in vivo (i.e., more TRAP positive cells and bone marrow, less cartilaginous areas, resulting in the formation of mature bone and bone marrow after 12 weeks. In conclusion, IL-1β finely modulates early and late events of the endochondral bone formation by BM-MSC. Controlling the inflammatory environment could enhance the success of therapeutic approaches for the treatment of fractures by resident MSC and as well as improve the engineering of implantable tissues.

  11. Long-term care: the family, post-modernity, and conflicting moral life-worlds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelhardt, H Tristram

    2007-01-01

    Long-term care is controversial because it involves foundational disputes. Some are moral-economic, bearing on whether the individual, the family, or the state is primarily responsible for long-term care, as well as on how one can establish a morally and financially sustainable long-term-care policy, given the moral hazard of people over-using entitlements once established, the political hazard of media democracies promising unfundable entitlements, the demographic hazard of relatively fewer workers to support those in need of long-term care, the moral hazard to responsibility of shifting accountability to third parties, and the bureaucratic hazard of moving from individual and family choice to bureaucratic oversight. These disputes are compounded by controversies regarding the nature of the family (Is it to be regarded primarily as a socio-biological category, a fundamental ontological category of social reality, or a construct resulting from the consent of the participants?), as well as its legal and moral autonomy and authority over its members. As the disputes show, there is no common understanding of respect and human dignity that will easily lead out of these disputes. The reflections on long-term care in this issue underscore the plurality of moralities defining bioethics.

  12. Persistence of X-ray-induced chromosomal rearrangements in long-term cultures of human diploid fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kano, Y.; Little, J.B.

    1984-01-01

    As part of a long-term study of mechanisms of human cell neoplastic transformation, the authors have examined the change in the frequencies of X-ray-induced chromosome rearrangements in density-inhibited human foreskin fibroblasts as a function of subculture time. In nonproliferating cells, the frequency of chromosomal aberrations declined within 24 to 48 hr but still remained at a relatively high level up to 43 days after irradiation. Aberrations disappeared rapidly, however, when the cells were allowed to proliferate, indicating that these lesions are lethal to dividing cells. The frequency of induced translocations, as determined by analysis of G-banded karyotypes, was dose dependent and remained stable up to 20 mean population doublings after irradiation. When subculture of density-inhibited cultures was delayed for 4 hr after irradiation (confluent holding), the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the first mitosis declined, whereas the translocation frequencies at later passage were elevated as compared with cells subcultured immediately. This correlates with the reported increase in the frequency of transformation under similar conditions. These findings support the hypothesis that chromosomal rearrangements induced by DNA damage may be involved in the initiation of cancer

  13. Very long-term sequelae of craniopharyngioma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wijnen, Mark; van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M; Janssen, Joseph A M J L; Catsman-Berrevoets, Coriene E; Michiels, Erna M C; van Veelen-Vincent, Marie-Lise C; Dallenga, Alof H G; van den Berge, J Herbert; van Rij, Carolien M; van der Lely, Aart-Jan; Neggers, Sebastian J C M M

    2017-06-01

    Studies investigating long-term health conditions in patients with craniopharyngioma are limited by short follow-up durations and generally do not compare long-term health effects according to initial craniopharyngioma treatment approach. In addition, studies comparing long-term health conditions between patients with childhood- and adult-onset craniopharyngioma report conflicting results. The objective of this study was to analyse a full spectrum of long-term health effects in patients with craniopharyngioma according to initial treatment approach and age group at craniopharyngioma presentation. Cross-sectional study based on retrospective data. We studied a single-centre cohort of 128 patients with craniopharyngioma treated from 1980 onwards (63 patients with childhood-onset disease). Median follow-up since craniopharyngioma presentation was 13 years (interquartile range: 5-23 years). Initial craniopharyngioma treatment approaches included gross total resection ( n  = 25), subtotal resection without radiotherapy ( n  = 44), subtotal resection with radiotherapy ( n  = 25), cyst aspiration without radiotherapy ( n  = 8), and 90 Yttrium brachytherapy ( n  = 21). Pituitary hormone deficiencies (98%), visual disturbances (75%) and obesity (56%) were the most common long-term health conditions observed. Different initial craniopharyngioma treatment approaches resulted in similar long-term health effects. Patients with childhood-onset craniopharyngioma experienced significantly more growth hormone deficiency, diabetes insipidus, panhypopituitarism, morbid obesity, epilepsy and psychiatric conditions compared with patients with adult-onset disease. Recurrence-/progression-free survival was significantly lower after initial craniopharyngioma treatment with cyst aspiration compared with other therapeutic approaches. Survival was similar between patients with childhood- and adult-onset craniopharyngioma. Long-term health conditions were comparable after

  14. Views from Within a Narrative: Evaluating Long-Term Human-Robot Interaction in a Naturalistic Environment Using Open-Ended Scenarios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syrdal, Dag Sverre; Dautenhahn, Kerstin; Koay, Kheng Lee; Ho, Wan Ching

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the prototyping of human-robot interactions in the University of Hertfordshire (UH) Robot House. Twelve participants took part in a long-term study in which they interacted with robots in the UH Robot House once a week for a period of 10 weeks. A prototyping method using the narrative framing technique allowed participants to engage with the robots in episodic interactions that were framed using narrative to convey the impression of a continuous long-term interaction. The goal was to examine how participants responded to the scenarios and the robots as well as specific robot behaviours, such as agent migration and expressive behaviours. Evaluation of the robots and the scenarios were elicited using several measures, including the standardised System Usability Scale, an ad hoc Scenario Acceptance Scale, as well as single-item Likert scales, open-ended questionnaire items and a debriefing interview. Results suggest that participants felt that the use of this prototyping technique allowed them insight into the use of the robot, and that they accepted the use of the robot within the scenario.

  15. Long-term prisoner in prison isolation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karolina Grudzińska

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Long-term prisoner belongs to a particular category of people who are imprisoned in prisons. On the one hand in this group are often heavily demoralized people who committed the most serious crimes, on the other hand it is a group of prisoners, who should be well thought out and programmed the impact of rehabilitation. The situation of man trapped for years poses in a complicated situation not only the prisoners, but also the entire prison staff. They have to take care of the fact that the prison isolation did not cause the state in which convicts form itself in learned helplessness and lack of skills for self-planning and decision-making. In addition, planning the rehabilitation impact of long-term prisoners should not be forgotten that these prisoners in the short or the long term will return to the libertarian environment therefore, should prevent any negative effects of long-term imprisonment. This article presents the main issues related to the execution of imprisonment against long-term prisoners. It is an attempt to systematize the knowledge of this category of people living in prison isolation.

  16. Real-Time Tracking of BODIPY-C12 Long-Chain Fatty Acid in Human Term Placenta Reveals Unique Lipid Dynamics in Cytotrophoblast Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin Kolahi

    Full Text Available While the human placenta must provide selected long-chain fatty acids to support the developing fetal brain, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the transport process. We tracked the movement of the fluorescently labeled long-chain fatty acid analogue, BODIPY-C12, across the cell layers of living explants of human term placenta. Although all layers took up the fatty acid, rapid esterification of long-chain fatty acids and incorporation into lipid droplets was exclusive to the inner layer cytotrophoblast cells rather than the expected outer syncytiotrophoblast layer. Cytotrophoblast is a progenitor cell layer previously relegated to a repair role. As isolated cytotrophoblasts differentiated into syncytialized cells in culture, they weakened their lipid processing capacity. Syncytializing cells suppress previously active genes that regulate fatty-acid uptake (SLC27A2/FATP2, FABP4, ACSL5 and lipid metabolism (GPAT3, LPCAT3. We speculate that cytotrophoblast performs a previously unrecognized role in regulating placental fatty acid uptake and metabolism.

  17. Mood disorders and serotonin transporter density in ecstasy users - the influence of long-term abstention, dose, and gender

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Win, Maartje M. L.; Reneman, Liesbeth; Reitsma, Johannes B.; den Heeten, Gerard J.; Booij, Jan; van den Brink, Wim

    2004-01-01

    Rationale. Neurotoxic effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") on the serotonin (5-HT) system have been described in animals and humans, but little is known about long-term effects of ecstasy use on mood. Objectives. To investigate short-term and long-term effects of ecstasy

  18. Competitive short-term and long-term memory processes in spatial habituation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanderson, David J; Bannerman, David M

    2011-04-01

    Exposure to a spatial location leads to habituation of exploration such that, in a novelty preference test, rodents subsequently prefer exploring a novel location to the familiar location. According to Wagner's (1981) theory of memory, short-term and long-term habituation are caused by separate and sometimes opponent processes. In the present study, this dual-process account of memory was tested. Mice received a series of exposure training trials to a location before receiving a novelty preference test. The novelty preference was greater when tested after a short, rather than a long, interval. In contrast, the novelty preference was weaker when exposure training trials were separated by a short, rather than a long interval. Furthermore, it was found that long-term habituation was determined by the independent effects of the amount of exposure training and the number of exposure training trials when factors such as the intertrial interval and the cumulative intertrial interval were controlled. A final experiment demonstrated that a long-term reduction of exploration could be caused by a negative priming effect due to associations formed during exploration. These results provide evidence against a single-process account of habituation and suggest that spatial habituation is determined by both short-term, recency-based memory and long-term, incrementally strengthened memory.

  19. 2003 Long-Term Surveillance and Maintenance Program Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    Radioactive waste was created by the Federal Government and private industry at locations around the country in support of national defense, research, and civilian power-generation programs. If not controlled, much of this legacy waste would remain hazardous to human health and the environment indefinitely. Current technology does not allow us to render this waste harmless, so the available methods to control risk rely on consolidation, isolation, and long-term management of the waste. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has an obligation to safely control the radioactive waste and to inform and train future generations to maintain and, perhaps, improve established protections. DOE is custodian for much of the radioactive and other hazardous waste under control of the Federal Government. DOE established the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) in 1974 and the Defense Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) Program and the Surplus Facilities Management Program in the 1980s. Congress passed the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) in 1978. These federal programs and legislation were established to identify, remediate, and manage legacy waste. Remedial action is considered complete at a radioactive waste site when the identified hazardous material is isolated and the selected remedial action remedy is in place and functioning. Radioactive or other hazardous materials remain in place as part of the remedy at many DOE sites. Long-term management of radioactive waste sites incorporates a set of actions necessary to maintain protection of human health and the environment. These actions include maintaining physical impoundment structures in good repair to ensure that they perform as designed, preventing exposure to the wastes by maintaining access restrictions and warnings, and recording site conditions and activities for future custodians. Any actions, therefore, that will prevent exposure to the radioactive waste now or in the future

  20. 2003 Long-Term Surveillance and Maintenance Program Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2004-07-01

    Radioactive waste was created by the Federal Government and private industry at locations around the country in support of national defense, research, and civilian power-generation programs. If not controlled, much of this legacy waste would remain hazardous to human health and the environment indefinitely. Current technology does not allow us to render this waste harmless, so the available methods to control risk rely on consolidation, isolation, and long-term management of the waste. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has an obligation to safely control the radioactive waste and to inform and train future generations to maintain and, perhaps, improve established protections. DOE is custodian for much of the radioactive and other hazardous waste under control of the Federal Government. DOE established the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) in 1974 and the Defense Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) Program and the Surplus Facilities Management Program in the 1980s. Congress passed the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) in 1978. These federal programs and legislation were established to identify, remediate, and manage legacy waste. Remedial action is considered complete at a radioactive waste site when the identified hazardous material is isolated and the selected remedial action remedy is in place and functioning. Radioactive or other hazardous materials remain in place as part of the remedy at many DOE sites. Long-term management of radioactive waste sites incorporates a set of actions necessary to maintain protection of human health and the environment. These actions include maintaining physical impoundment structures in good repair to ensure that they perform as designed, preventing exposure to the wastes by maintaining access restrictions and warnings, and recording site conditions and activities for future custodians. Any actions, therefore, that will prevent exposure to the radioactive waste now or in the future

  1. Micro/Nano Structural Tantalum Coating for Enhanced Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow Stem Cells

    OpenAIRE

    Ding Ding; Youtao Xie; Kai Li; Liping Huang; Xuebin Zheng

    2018-01-01

    Recently, tantalum has been attracting much attention for its anticorrosion resistance and biocompatibility, and it has been widely used in surface modification for implant applications. To improve its osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs), a micro/nano structure has been fabricated on the tantalum coating surface through the combination of anodic oxidation and plasma spraying method. The morphology, composition, and microstructure of the modified coating were co...

  2. The long-term consequences of previous hyperthyroidism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjelm Brandt Kristensen, Frans

    2015-01-01

    Thyroid hormones affect every cell in the human body, and the cardiovascular changes associated with increased levels of thyroid hormones are especially well described. As an example, short-term hyperthyroidism has positive chronotropic and inotropic effects on the heart, leading to a hyperdynamic...... with CVD, LD and DM both before and after the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. Although the design used does not allow a stringent distinction between cause and effect, the findings indicate a possible direct association between hyperthyroidism and these morbidities, or vice versa....... vascular state. While it is biologically plausible that these changes may induce long-term consequences, the insight into morbidity as well as mortality in patients with previous hyperthyroidism is limited. The reasons for this are a combination of inadequately powered studies, varying definitions...

  3. Long term liquidity analysis of the firm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaroslav Gonos

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Liquidity control is a very difficult and important function. If the business is not liquid in the long term, it is under threatof bankruptcy, and on the other hand surplus of the cash in hand threaten its future efficiency, because the cash in hand is a sourceof only limited profitability. Long term liquidity is related to the ability of the short term and long term liabilities payment. Articleis trying to point out to the monitoring and analyzing of the long term liquidity in the concrete business, in this case the printing industrycompany. Hereby at the end of the article mentioned monitored and analyzed liquidity is evaluated in the five years time period.

  4. Interleukin-3 Does Not Affect the Differentiation of Mast Cells Derived from Human Bone Marrow Progenitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Yuji; Matsumoto, Kenji; Okayama, Yoshimichi; Kentaro, Sakai; Maeno, Toshitaka; Suga, Tatsuo; Miura, Toru; Takai, Shinji; Kurabayashi, Masahiko; Saito, Hirohisa

    2008-01-01

    Although IL-3 is commonly used for culture of human progenitor-derived mast cells together with Stem cell factor (SCF) and IL-6, the effect of IL-3 on human mast cell differentiation has not been well elucidated. Human bone marrow CD34+ progenitors were cultured for up to 12 weeks in the presence of rhSCF and rhIL-6 either with rhIL-3 (IL-3 (+)) or without rhIL-3 (IL-3 (−)) for the initial 1-week of culture. Total cell number increased at 2 weeks in IL-3 (+), as compared to IL-3 (−), but changes in the appearance of mast cells were delayed. When IL-3 was present for the initial 1-week culture, granules looked more mature with IL-3 than without IL-3. However, tryptase and chymase contents, and surface antigen expression (CD18, CD51, CD54, and CD117) were not altered by IL-3. Surface expression and mRNA level of FcεRIα and histamine release by crosslinking of FcεRIα did not differ from one preparation to the next. GeneChip analysis revealed that no significant differences were observed between IL-3 (+) and IL-3 (−) cells either when inactivated or activated by aggregation of FcεRIα. These findings indicate that initial incubation of human bone marrow CD34+ progenitors with IL-3 does not affect the differentiation of mast cells. PMID:18214796

  5. Impact of Burnout and Psychosocial Work Characteristics on Future Long-Term Sickness Absence. Prospective Results of the Danish PUMA Study Among Human Service Workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Borritz, Marianne; Christensen, Karl Bang; Bultmann, Ute; Rugulies, Reiner; Lund, Thomas; Andersen, Ingelise; Villadsen, Ebbe; Diderichsen, Finn; Kristensen, Tage S.

    2010-01-01

    Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine if burnout and psychosocial factors predicted long-term sickness absence (>2 weeks) at work unit level. Methods: Data were collected prospectively at 82-work units in human services (PUMA cohort, PUMA: Danish acronym for Burnout, Motivation and

  6. Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste: A Long-Term Socio-Technical Experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schröder, Jantine

    2016-06-01

    In this article we investigate whether long-term radioactive waste management by means of geological disposal can be understood as a social experiment. Geological disposal is a rather particular technology in the way it deals with the analytical and ethical complexities implied by the idea of technological innovation as social experimentation, because it is presented as a technology that ultimately functions without human involvement. We argue that, even when the long term function of the 'social' is foreseen to be restricted to safeguarding the functioning of the 'technical', geological disposal is still a social experiment. In order to better understand this argument and explore how it could be addressed, we elaborate the idea of social experimentation with the notion of co-production and the analytical tools of delegation, prescription and network as developed by actor-network theory. In doing so we emphasize that geological disposal inherently involves relations between surface and subsurface, between humans and nonhumans, between the social, material and natural realm, and that these relations require recognition and further elaboration. In other words, we argue that geological disposal concurrently is a social and a technical experiment, or better, a long-term socio-technical experiment. We end with proposing the idea of 'actor-networking' as a sensitizing concept for future research into what geological disposal as a socio-technical experiment could look like.

  7. Human Primary Epithelial Cells Acquire an Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition Phenotype during Long-Term Infection by the Oral Opportunistic Pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jungnam Lee

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Porphyromonas gingivalis is a host-adapted oral pathogen associated with chronic periodontitis that successfully survives and persists in the oral epithelium. Recent studies have positively correlated periodontitis with increased risk and severity of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC. Intriguingly, the presence of P. gingivalis enhances tumorigenic properties independently of periodontitis and has therefore been proposed as a potential etiological agent for OSCC. However, the initial host molecular changes induced by P. gingivalis infection which promote predisposition to cancerous transformation through EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal-transition, has never been studied in human primary cells which more closely mimic the physiological state of cells in vivo. In this study, we examine for the first time in primary oral epithelial cells (OECs the expression and activation of key EMT mediators during long-term P. gingivalis infection in vitro. We examined the inactive phosphorylated state of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (p-GSK3β over 120 h P. gingivalis infection and found p-GSK3β, an important EMT regulator, significantly increases over the course of infection (p < 0.01. Furthermore, we examined the expression of EMT-associated transcription factors, Slug, Snail, and Zeb1 and found significant increases (p < 0.01 over long-term P. gingivalis infection in protein and mRNA expression. Additionally, the protein expression of mesenchymal intermediate filament, Vimentin, was substantially increased over 120 h of P. gingivalis infection. Analysis of adhesion molecule E-cadherin showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05 in expression and a loss of membrane localization along with β-catenin in OECs. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs 2, 7, and 9 are all markedly increased with long-term P. gingivalis infection. Finally, migration of P. gingivalis infected cells was evaluated using scratch assay in which primary OEC monolayers were wounded and treated with

  8. Long-term archives reveal shifting extinction selectivity in China's postglacial mammal fauna

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crees, Jennifer J.; Li, Zhipeng; Bielby, Jon; Yuan, Jing

    2017-01-01

    Ecosystems have been modified by human activities for millennia, and insights about ecology and extinction risk based only on recent data are likely to be both incomplete and biased. We synthesize multiple long-term archives (over 250 archaeological and palaeontological sites dating from the early Holocene to the Ming Dynasty and over 4400 historical records) to reconstruct the spatio-temporal dynamics of Holocene–modern range change across China, a megadiverse country experiencing extensive current-day biodiversity loss, for 34 mammal species over three successive postglacial time intervals. Our combined zooarchaeological, palaeontological, historical and current-day datasets reveal that both phylogenetic and spatial patterns of extinction selectivity have varied through time in China, probably in response both to cumulative anthropogenic impacts (an ‘extinction filter’ associated with vulnerable species and accessible landscapes being affected earlier by human activities) and also to quantitative and qualitative changes in regional pressures. China has experienced few postglacial global species-level mammal extinctions, and most species retain over 50% of their maximum estimated Holocene range despite millennia of increasing regional human pressures, suggesting that the potential still exists for successful species conservation and ecosystem restoration. Data from long-term archives also demonstrate that herbivores have experienced more historical extinctions in China, and carnivores have until recently displayed greater resilience. Accurate assessment of patterns of biodiversity loss and the likely predictive power of current-day correlates of faunal vulnerability and resilience is dependent upon novel perspectives provided by long-term archives. PMID:29167363

  9. Long-term Clinical Results after Iloprost Treatment for Bone Marrow Edema and Avascular Necrosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claßen, Tim; Becker, Antonia; Landgraeber, Stefan; Haversath, Marcel; Li, Xinning; Zilkens, Christoph; Krauspe, Rüdiger; Jäger, Marcus

    2016-01-01

    The treatments of avascular osteonecrosis (AVN) include both conservative and surgical methods which are dependent on the stage and progression of the disease. The vasoactive-prostaglandin-analogue iloprost (PGI2) has been utilized in several areas of medicine and recently has been used for the treatment of AVN. A total of 108 patients with 136 osteonecrosis of different joints, etiology and severity were treated with iloprost. The mean follow-up was 49.71 months: range 15-96 months, and outcome measurements recorded regarding subjective complaints, visual analog scale (pain), function and survival. The outcome scores used include the Harris Hip Score, Knee Society score, Foot and Ankle Survey, visual analogue scale (VAS) and a separate questionnaire. The location and etiology of AVN in our study demonstrated the typical pattern. All of the observed side effects of the therapy were minor and completely reversible. Most of patients (74.8%) showed a significant improvement of subjective complaints and decrease in VAS pain scores after the treatment with iloprost. However, 20% of the treated joints with the stadium Association for Research on Osseous Circulation (ARCO) grade 2, 71% with ARCO 3 and 100% with ARCO 4 underwent subsequent total joint replacement. The medical treatment of bone marrow edema or avascular osteonecrosis by Iloprost provides an safe and effective alternative strategy in the management of AVN presenting in the early stages (ARCO 1 or 2). For more advanced stages (ARCO 3 or 4), surgical intervention should be prioritized. PMID:27114807

  10. Long-term clinical results after iloprost treatment for bone marrow edema and avascular necrosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim Claßen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The treatments of avascular osteonecrosis (AVN include both conservative and surgical methods which are dependent on the stage and progression of the disease. The vasoactive- prostaglandin-analogue iloprost (PGI2 has been utilized in several areas of medicine and recently has been used for the treatment of AVN. A total of 108 patients with 136 osteonecrosis of different joints, etiology and severity were treated with iloprost. The mean follow-up was 49.71 months: range 15-96 months, and outcome measurements recorded regarding subjective complaints, visual analog scale (pain, function and survival. The outcome scores used include the Harris Hip Score, Knee Society score, Foot and Ankle Survey, visual analogue scale (VAS and a separate questionnaire. The location and etiology of AVN in our study demonstrated the typical pattern. All of the observed side effects of the therapy were minor and completely reversible. Most of patients (74.8% showed a significant improvement of subjective complaints and decrease in VAS pain scores after the treatment with iloprost. However, 20% of the treated joints with the stadium Association for Research on Osseous Circulation (ARCO grade 2, 71% with ARCO 3 and 100% with ARCO 4 underwent subsequent total joint replacement. The medical treatment of bone marrow edema or avascular osteonecrosis by Iloprost provides an safe and effective alternative strategy in the management of AVN presenting in the early stages (ARCO 1 or 2. For more advanced stages (ARCO 3 or 4, surgical intervention should be prioritized.

  11. Effects of T cell depletion in radiation bone marrow chimeras. II. Requirement for allogeneic T cells in the reconstituting bone marrow inoculum for subsequent resistance to breaking of tolerance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sykes, M.; Sheard, M.A.; Sachs, D.H.

    1988-01-01

    The ability of normal recipient-type lymphocytes to break tolerance in long-term allogenic radiation chimeras has been investigated. Reconstitution of lethally irradiated mice with a mixture of syngeneic and allogeneic T cell-depleted (TCD) bone marrow (BM) has previously been shown to lead to mixed chimerism and permanent, specific tolerance to donor and host alloantigen (3-5). If allogeneic T cells are not depleted from the reconstituting inoculum, complete allogeneic chimerism results; however, no clinical evidence for GVHD is observed, presumably due to the protective effect provided by syngeneic TCD BM. This model has now been used to study the effects of allogenic T cells administered in reconstituting BM inocula on stability of long-term tolerance. We have attempted to break tolerance in long-term chimeras originally reconstituted with TCD or non-TCD BM by challenging them with inocula containing normal, nontolerant recipient strain lymphocytes. tolerance was broken with remarkable ease in recipients of mixed marrow inocula in which both original BM components were TCD. In contrast, tolerance in chimeras originally reconstituted with non-TCD allogeneic BM was not affected by such inocula. Susceptibility to loss of chimerism and tolerance was not related to initial levels of chimerism per se, but rather to T cell depletion of allogeneic BM, since chimeras reconstituted with TCD allogeneic BM alone (mean level of allogeneic chimerism 98%) were as susceptible as mixed chimeras to the tolerance-breaking effects of such inocula. The possible contribution of GVH reactivity to this resistance was investigated using an F1 into parent strain combination. In these animals, the use of non-TCD F1 BM inocula for reconstitution did not lead to resistance to the tolerance-breaking effects of recipient strain splenocytes

  12. Micro/Nano Structural Tantalum Coating for Enhanced Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow Stem Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Ding; Xie, Youtao; Li, Kai; Huang, Liping; Zheng, Xuebin

    2018-04-03

    Recently, tantalum has been attracting much attention for its anticorrosion resistance and biocompatibility, and it has been widely used in surface modification for implant applications. To improve its osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs), a micro/nano structure has been fabricated on the tantalum coating surface through the combination of anodic oxidation and plasma spraying method. The morphology, composition, and microstructure of the modified coating were comprehensively studied by employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of hierarchical structures as well as micro-porous structure of tantalum coating on the behavior for human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) were evaluated and compared at both cellular and molecular levels in vitro. The experimental results show that a hierarchical micro/nano structure with Ta₂O₅ nanotubes spread onto a micro-scale tantalum coating has been fabricated successfully, which is confirmed to promote cell adhesion and spreading. Besides, the hierarchical micro/nano tantalum coating can provide 1.5~2.1 times improvement in gene expression, compared with the micro-porous tantalum coating. It demonstrates that it can effectively enhance the proliferation and differentiation of hBMSCs in vitro.

  13. Micro/Nano Structural Tantalum Coating for Enhanced Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ding Ding

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Recently, tantalum has been attracting much attention for its anticorrosion resistance and biocompatibility, and it has been widely used in surface modification for implant applications. To improve its osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs, a micro/nano structure has been fabricated on the tantalum coating surface through the combination of anodic oxidation and plasma spraying method. The morphology, composition, and microstructure of the modified coating were comprehensively studied by employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM. The effects of hierarchical structures as well as micro-porous structure of tantalum coating on the behavior for human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs were evaluated and compared at both cellular and molecular levels in vitro. The experimental results show that a hierarchical micro/nano structure with Ta2O5 nanotubes spread onto a micro-scale tantalum coating has been fabricated successfully, which is confirmed to promote cell adhesion and spreading. Besides, the hierarchical micro/nano tantalum coating can provide 1.5~2.1 times improvement in gene expression, compared with the micro-porous tantalum coating. It demonstrates that it can effectively enhance the proliferation and differentiation of hBMSCs in vitro.

  14. Long-term contracts vs. short-term trade of natural gas - a European perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuhoff, Karsten; Hirschhausen, Christian von

    2005-01-01

    This paper analyses the economics of long-term gas contracts under changing institutional conditions, mainly gas sector liberalisation. The paper is motivated by the increasingly tense debate in continental Europe, UK and the US on the security of long-term gas supply. We discuss the main issues regarding long-term contracts, i.e. the changing role of the flexibility clause, the effect of abandoning the destination clause, and the strategic behaviour of producers between long-term sales and spot-sales. The literature suggests consumers and producers benefit from risk hedging through long-term contracts. Furthermore long-term contracts may reduce exercise of market power. Our analysis adds an additional benefit if the long-run demand elasticity is significantly lower than the short-run elasticity, both strategic producers and consumers benefit from lower prices and larger market volume. Some policy implications of the findings are also discussed. (Author)

  15. The uranium industry: long-term planning for short-term competition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vottero, X.; Georges Capus, G.

    2001-01-01

    Long term planning for short term competition Today, uranium producers face new challenges in terms of both production (new regulatory, environmental and social constraints) and market conditions (new sources of uranium supply, very low prices and tough competition). In such a context, long-term planning is not just a prerequisite to survive in the nuclear fuel cycle industry. In fact, it also contributes to sustaining nuclear electricity generation facing fierce competition from other energy sources in increasingly deregulated markets. Firstly, the risk of investing in new mining projects in western countries is growing because, on the one hand, of very erratic market conditions and, on the other hand, of increasingly lengthy, complex and unpredictable regulatory conditions. Secondly, the supply of other sources of uranium (uranium derived from nuclear weapons, uranium produced in CIS countries, ...) involve other risks, mainly related to politics and commercial restrictions. Consequently, competitive uranium supply requires not only technical competence but also financial strength and good marketing capabilities in order to anticipate long-term market trends, in terms of both demand and supply. It also requires taking into account new parameters such as politics, environment, regulations, etc. Today, a supplier dedicated to the sustainable production of nuclear electricity must manage a broad range of long-term risks inherent to the procurement of uranium. Taking into account all these parameters in a context of short-term, fast-changing market is a great challenge for the future generation. World Uranium Civilian Supply and Demand. (authors)

  16. 42 CFR 412.505 - Conditions for payment under the prospective payment system for long-term care hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... payment system for long-term care hospitals. 412.505 Section 412.505 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEMS FOR INPATIENT HOSPITAL SERVICES Prospective Payment System for Long-Term Care Hospitals § 412.505 Conditions for...

  17. Long-term biodosimetry Redux

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simon, Steven L.; Bouville, Andre

    2016-01-01

    This paper revisits and reiterates the needs, purposes and requirements of bio-dosimetric assays for long-term dose and health risk assessments. While the most crucial need for bio-dosimetric assays is to guide medical response for radiation accidents, the value of such techniques for improving our understanding of radiation health risk by supporting epidemiological (long-term health risk) studies is significant. As new cohorts of exposed persons are identified and new health risk studies are undertaken with the hopes that studying the exposed will result in a deeper understanding of radiation risk, the value of reliable dose reconstruction is underscored. The ultimate application of biodosimetry in long-term health risk studies would be to completely replace model-based dose reconstruction-a complex suite of methods for retrospectively estimating dose that is commonly fraught with large uncertainties due to the absence of important exposure-related information, as well as imperfect models. While biodosimetry could potentially supplant model-based doses, there are numerous limitations of presently available techniques that constrain their widespread application in health risk research, including limited ability to assess doses received far in the past, high cost, great inter-individual variability, invasiveness, higher than preferred detection limits and the inability to assess internal dose (for the most part). These limitations prevent the extensive application of biodosimetry to large cohorts and should be considered a challenge to researchers to develop new and more flexible techniques that meet the demands of long-term health risk research. Events in recent years, e.g. the Fukushima reactor accident and the increased threat of nuclear terrorism, underscore that any event that results in significant radiation exposures of a group of people will also produce a much larger population, exposed at lower levels, but that likewise needs (or demands) an exposure

  18. Human papillomavirus-associated subsequent malignancies among long-term survivors of pediatric and young adult cancers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rohit P Ojha

    Full Text Available Long-term survivors of pediatric and young adult (PAYA cancers have a high incidence of subsequent neoplasms, but few risk factors other than cancer treatment have been identified. We aimed to describe the burden of human papillomavirus (HPV-associated malignancies among survivors of PAYA cancers to assess whether HPV infections might be a reasonable area of future etiologic research on subsequent malignancies in this population. We used longitudinal data from 9 population-based registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program collected between 1973 and 2010 to assemble a cohort of individuals who were diagnosed with any cancer between the ages of 0 and 29 years and survived at least 5 years post-diagnosis. We estimated sex-specific standardized incidence ratios (SIRs with corresponding 95% confidence limits (CL of HPV-associated subsequent malignancies (cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, tongue, tonsillar, and oropharyngeal. Our study population comprised 64,547 long-term survivors of PAYA cancers diagnosed between 1973 and 2010. Compared with females in the general US population, female PAYA cancer survivors had a 40% relative excess of HPV-associated malignancies overall (SIR = 1.4, 95% CL: 1.2, 1.8. Compared with males in the general US population, male PAYA cancer survivors had a 150% relative excess of HPV-associated malignancies overall (SIR = 2.5, 95% CL: 1.9, 3.4. Our findings suggest an excess of HPV-associated malignancies among PAYA cancer survivors compared with the general US population. We hypothesize that a portion of subsequent malignancies among PAYA cancer survivors may be directly attributable to HPV infection. This hypothesis warrants exploration in future studies.

  19. Long term radioactive waste management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lavie, J.M.

    1984-01-01

    In France, waste management, a sensitive issue in term of public opinion, is developing quickly, and due to twenty years of experience, is now reaching maturity. With the launching of the French nuclear programme, the use of radioactive sources in radiotherapy and industry, waste management has become an industrial activity. Waste management is an integrated system dealing with the wastes from their production to the long term disposal, including their identification, sortage, treatment, packaging, collection and transport. This system aims at guaranteing the protection of present and future populations with an available technology. In regard to their long term management, and the design of disposals, radioactive wastes are divided in three categories. This classification takes into account the different radioisotopes contained, their half life and their total activity. Presently short-lived wastes are stored in the shallowland disposal of the ''Centre de la Manche''. Set up within the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), the National Agency for waste management (ANDRA) is responsible within the framework of legislative and regulatory provisions for long term waste management in France [fr

  20. Enhanced Reconstitution of Human Erythropoiesis and Thrombopoiesis in an Immunodeficient Mouse Model with KitWv Mutations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayano Yurino

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In human-to-mouse xenograft models, reconstitution of human hematopoiesis is usually B-lymphoid dominant. Here we show that the introduction of homozygous KitWv mutations into C57BL/6.Rag2nullIl2rgnull mice with NOD-Sirpa (BRGS strongly promoted human multi-lineage reconstitution. After xenotransplantation of human CD34+CD38− cord blood cells, these newly generated C57BL/6.Rag2nullIl2rgnullNOD-Sirpa KitWv/Wv (BRGSKWv/Wv mice showed significantly higher levels of human cell chimerism and long-term multi-lineage reconstitution compared with BRGS mice. Strikingly, this mouse displayed a robust reconstitution of human erythropoiesis and thrombopoiesis with terminal maturation in the bone marrow. Furthermore, depletion of host macrophages by clodronate administration resulted in the presence of human erythrocytes and platelets in the circulation. Thus, attenuation of mouse KIT signaling greatly enhances the multi-lineage differentiation of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs in mouse bone marrow, presumably by outcompeting mouse HSPCs to occupy suitable microenvironments. The BRGSKWv/Wv mouse model is a useful tool to study human multi-lineage hematopoiesis.

  1. Human dendritic cells sequentially matured with CD4(+) T cells as a secondary signal favor CTL and long-term T memory cell responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Thomas; Tanguy-Royer, Séverine; Royer, Pierre-Joseph; Boisgerault, Nicolas; Frikeche, Jihane; Fonteneau, Jean-François; Grégoire, Marc

    2012-01-01

    Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells involved in the control and initiation of immune responses. In vivo, DCs exposed at the periphery to maturation stimuli migrate to lymph nodes, where they receive secondary signals from CD4+ T helper cells. These DCs become able to initiate CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. However, in vitro investigations concerning human monocyte-derived DCs have never focused on their functional properties after such sequential maturation. Here, we studied human DC phenotypes and functions according to this sequential exposure to maturation stimuli. As first signals, we used TNF-α/polyI:C mimicking inflammatory and pathogen stimuli and, as second signals, we compared activated CD4+ T helper cells to a combination of CD40-L/ IFN-γ. Our results show that a sequential activation with activated CD4+ T cells dramatically increased the maturation of DCs in terms of their phenotype and cytokine secretion compared to DCs activated with maturation stimuli delivered simultaneously. Furthermore, this sequential maturation led to the induction of CTL with a long-term effector and central memory phenotypes. Thus, sequential delivery of maturation stimuli, which includes CD4+ T cells, should be considered in the future to improve the induction of long-term CTL memory in DC-based immunotherapy.

  2. Modeling long-term dynamics of electricity markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olsina, Fernando; Garces, Francisco; Haubrich, H.-J.

    2006-01-01

    In the last decade, many countries have restructured their electricity industries by introducing competition in their power generation sectors. Although some restructuring has been regarded as successful, the short experience accumulated with liberalized power markets does not allow making any founded assertion about their long-term behavior. Long-term prices and long-term supply reliability are now center of interest. This concerns firms considering investments in generation capacity and regulatory authorities interested in assuring the long-term supply adequacy and the stability of power markets. In order to gain significant insight into the long-term behavior of liberalized power markets, in this paper, a simulation model based on system dynamics is proposed and the underlying mathematical formulations extensively discussed. Unlike classical market models based on the assumption that market outcomes replicate the results of a centrally made optimization, the approach presented here focuses on replicating the system structure of power markets and the logic of relationships among system components in order to derive its dynamical response. The simulations suggest that there might be serious problems to adjust early enough the generation capacity necessary to maintain stable reserve margins, and consequently, stable long-term price levels. Because of feedback loops embedded in the structure of power markets and the existence of some time lags, the long-term market development might exhibit a quite volatile behavior. By varying some exogenous inputs, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to assess the influence of these factors on the long-run market dynamics

  3. Short-term memory and long-term memory are still different.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norris, Dennis

    2017-09-01

    A commonly expressed view is that short-term memory (STM) is nothing more than activated long-term memory. If true, this would overturn a central tenet of cognitive psychology-the idea that there are functionally and neurobiologically distinct short- and long-term stores. Here I present an updated case for a separation between short- and long-term stores, focusing on the computational demands placed on any STM system. STM must support memory for previously unencountered information, the storage of multiple tokens of the same type, and variable binding. None of these can be achieved simply by activating long-term memory. For example, even a simple sequence of digits such as "1, 3, 1" where there are 2 tokens of the digit "1" cannot be stored in the correct order simply by activating the representations of the digits "1" and "3" in LTM. I also review recent neuroimaging data that has been presented as evidence that STM is activated LTM and show that these data are exactly what one would expect to see based on a conventional 2-store view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  4. Magnetic resonance imaging in diffuse malignant bone marrow diseases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nyman, R.; Rehn, S.; Glimelius, B.; Hagberg, H.; Hemmingsson, A.; Jung, B.; Simonsson, B.; Sundstroem, C.

    Twenty-four patients with malignant bone marrow involvement or polycythemia vera, 8 patients with reactive bone marrow and 7 healthy individuals were examined with spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging at 0.35 T and 0.5 T. Signs of an increased longitudinal relaxation time, T1, were found when normal bone marrow was replaced by malignant cells, polycythemia vera or reactive marrow. A shortened T1 was indicated in 4 patients in bone marrow regions treated by radiation therapy; the marrow was most likely hypocellular in these cases. The estimated T1 relaxation times were highly correlated to the cellularity of the bone marrow as assessed by histology. Among patients with close to 100% cellularity neither T1 nor T2 discriminated between the various malignancies or between malignant and reactive, non-malignant bone marrow. Characterization of tissues in terms of normalized image intensities was also attempted, the motive being to avoid approximations and uncertainties in the assessment of T1 and T2. The normalization was carried out with respect to the image of highest intensity, i.e. the proton density weighted image. The results were in agreement with those for T1 and T2. It was concluded that MRI is valuable for assessing bone marrow cellularity, but not for differentiating between various bone marrow disorders having a similar degree of cellularity.

  5. Long-term functional impairment of hemopoietic progenitor cells engineered to express the S1 catalytic subunit of pertussis toxin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonig, Halvard; Rohmer, Laurence; Papayannopoulou, Thalia

    2005-06-01

    A large body of data suggests that pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive G protein signals in mature and immature hemopoietic cells control their migration patterns in vitro and in vivo. These effects were derived after treatment of cells or animals with PTX. To circumvent several inherent problems of PTX holotoxin treatment, we expressed the S1 catalytic activity of PTX, thus blocking Gi protein signaling, in 32D murine myeloid progenitor cells and in primary human CD34+ cells, and studied its functional consequences. S1 was expressed using viral vectors. Effects of Gi protein blockade on proliferation, migration, adhesion, and gene expression were tested in vitro. S1 expression was nontoxic for the cells; expression and function were stable long-term and not overridden by compensatory mechanisms. S1-transduced 32D cells and primary CD34+ cells migrated poorly and did not contract their cytoskeleton upon treatment with the chemoattractant stromal cell-derived factor -1 (SDF-1), similar to the phenotype induced by PTX treatment. Gene expression studies comparing S1-transduced and control 32D cells uncovered four genes, expression of which was regulated by Gi protein blockade. Of interest, although SDF-1 signaling was inhibited, comparison between SDF-1-treated and untreated cells suggests that SDF-1 stimulation does not depend on de novo gene expression in these cells. Furthermore, when injected into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice, seeding of S1-expressing 32D cells to bone marrow was largely blocked. Expression of S1 is an effective approach for studying long-term functional consequences of Gi protein blockade in hemopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo.

  6. Late renal dysfunction in adult survivors of bone marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lawton, C.A.; Cohen, E.P.; Barber-Derus, S.W.; Murray, K.J.; Ash, R.C.; Casper, J.T.; Moulder, J.E.

    1991-01-01

    Until recently long-term renal toxicity has not been considered a major late complication of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Late renal dysfunction has been described in a pediatric population status post-BMT which was attributable to the radiation in the preparatory regimen. A thorough review of adults with this type of late renal dysfunction has not previously been described. Fourteen of 103 evaluable adult patients undergoing allogeneic (96) or autologous (7) bone marrow transplantation, predominantly for leukemia and lymphomas, at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI) have had a syndrome of renal insufficiency characterized by increased serum creatinine, decreased glomerular filtration rate, anemia, and hypertension. This syndrome developed at a median of 9 months (range, 4.5 to 26 months) posttransplantation in the absence of specific identifiable causes. The cumulative probability of having this renal dysfunction is 20% at 1 year. Renal biopsies performed on seven of these cases showed the endothelium widely separated from the basement membrane, extreme thickening of the glomerular basement membrane, and microthrombi. Previous chemotherapy, antibiotics, and antifungals as well as cyclosporin may add to and possibly potentiate a primary chemoradiation marrow transplant renal injury, but this clinical syndrome is most analogous to clinical and experimental models of radiation nephritis. This late marrow transplant-associated nephritis should be recognized as a potentially limiting factor in the use of some intensive chemoradiation conditioning regimens used for BMT. Some selective attenuation of the radiation to the kidneys may decrease the incidence of this renal dysfunction

  7. Overview of marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, E.D.

    1985-01-01

    Bone marrow transplantation is now an accepted form of therapy for many hematologic disorders including aplastic anemia, genetically determined diseases and malignant diseases, particularly leukemia, and for rescue of patients given intensive chemoradiotherapy for malignant disease. The donor may be a healthy identical twin, a family member or even an unrelated person. Selection is made on the basis of human leukocyte antigen tissue typing. Intensive chemoradiotherapy is used to suppress patients' immune systems to facilitate engraftment and destroy diseased marrow. Transfusion of platelets, erythrocytes and granulocytes (or all of these), antibiotic coverage and protection from infection are necessary during the pancytopenic period. Survival rates vary considerably depending on a patient's disease, clinical state and age. Patients with aplastic anemia transplanted early in the course of their disease have a survival rate of approximately 80%. Patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are usually transplanted in a second or subsequent remission and have a survival rate of 25% to 40%. Patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia in remission have survivals ranging from 45% to 70%. More than 200 patients in the chronic phase of chronic granulocytic leukemia have been transplanted with survival ranging from 50% to 70%. Complications of marrow transplantation include marrow graft rejection, graft-versus-host disease, immunologic insufficiency and the possibility of recurrence of the leukemia. 14 references

  8. Long-term effects of prenatal x-ray of human females: mortality and morbidity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, M.B.; Tonascia, J.

    1981-01-01

    Experimental studies and long-term studies of humans exposed to ionizing radiation in utero and after birth show that these exposures increase the risk of cancer in childhood and in later life. A possible life-shortening effect has also been reported. This study followed to their mid-twenties 1458 women exposed in utero to diagnostic x-rays and 1458 matched, unexposed controls in Baltimore, Maryland, and obtained responses from over 100 women in each group. Information about general health and specific diseases was obtained from questionnaires. Deaths were ascertained through family members and death certificates. Mortality rates were slightly higher among exposure. Exposed women reported poor general health significantly more often than controls. Specific diseases occurred similarly in the two groups, although exposed women reported more epilepsy or fits, more ovarian tumors, and more high blood pressure. These strong correlation between weight and high blood pressure and the heavier weights of exposed women seemed to account for this difference. In summary, these matched exposed and control women, followed to their mid-twenties, experienced similar rates of morbidity and mortality. Radiation-induced cancers and life-shortening effects, if any, might not become evident until older ages

  9. Long-Term Collections

    CERN Multimedia

    Comité des collectes à long terme

    2011-01-01

    It is the time of the year when our fireman colleagues go around the laboratory for their traditional calendars sale. A part of the money of the sales will be donated in favour of the long-term collections. We hope that you will welcome them warmly.

  10. Do as I … Did! Long-term memory of imitative actions in dogs (Canis familiaris).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fugazza, Claudia; Pogány, Ákos; Miklósi, Ádám

    2016-03-01

    This study demonstrates long-term declarative memory of imitative actions in a non-human animal species. We tested 12 pet dogs for their ability to imitate human actions after retention intervals ranging from 1 to 24 h. For comparison, another 12 dogs were tested for the same actions without delay between demonstration and recall. Our test consisted of a modified version of the Do as I Do paradigm, combined with the two-action procedure to control for non-imitative processes. Imitative performance of dogs remained consistently high independent of increasing retention intervals, supporting the idea that dogs are able to retain mental representations of human actions for an extended period of time. The ability to imitate after such delays supports the use of long-term declarative memory.

  11. Phylodynamics of Merkel-cell polyomavirus and human polyomavirus 6: A long-term history with humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Carolina; Barrios, Melina Elizabeth; Cammarata, Robertina Viviana; Victoria, Matías; Fernandez-Cassi, Xavier; Bofill-Mas, Silvia; Colina, Rodney; Blanco Fernández, María Dolores; Mbayed, Viviana Andrea

    2018-04-20

    New human polyomaviruses have been described in the last years, including the Merkel-cell polyomavirus (MCPyV; Human polyomavirus 5) and the Human polyomavirus 6 (HPyV6). Although their infection is usually asymptomatic, in immunocompromised host can cause life-threatening pathologies, such as the Merkel cell carcinoma, an aggressive skin neoplasia associated to the MCPyV. Despite being prevalent viruses in population, epidemiological data from South America are scarce, as well as the characterization of the viral types circulating and their origin. The aims of this work were to describe MCPyV and HPyV6 from environmental samples with different geographical origin and to analyze their phylogenetic and evolutionary histories, particularly for MCPyV. Partial and complete genome sequences were obtained from sewage samples from Argentina, Uruguay and Spain. A total number of 87 sequences were obtained for MCPyV and 33 for HPyV6. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MCPyV sequences distributed according to their geographic origin in Europe/North America, Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania groups, suggesting that viral diversification might have followed human migrations across the globe. In particular, viruses from Argentina associated with Europe/North America and South America genotypes, whereas those from Uruguay and Spain also grouped with Africa genotype, reflecting the origin of the current population in each country, which could arrive not only during ancient human migration but also during recent migratory events. In addition, the South American group presented a high level of clusterization, showing internal clusters that could be related to specific locations, such as French Guiana and Brazil or the Southern region into South America, such as Argentina and Uruguay, suggesting a long term evolutionary process in the region. Additionally, in this work, we carried out the first analysis about the evolutionary history of MCPyV trough the integration of

  12. Long-Term Memory Performance in Adult ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skodzik, Timo; Holling, Heinz; Pedersen, Anya

    2017-02-01

    Memory problems are a frequently reported symptom in adult ADHD, and it is well-documented that adults with ADHD perform poorly on long-term memory tests. However, the cause of this effect is still controversial. The present meta-analysis examined underlying mechanisms that may lead to long-term memory impairments in adult ADHD. We performed separate meta-analyses of measures of memory acquisition and long-term memory using both verbal and visual memory tests. In addition, the influence of potential moderator variables was examined. Adults with ADHD performed significantly worse than controls on verbal but not on visual long-term memory and memory acquisition subtests. The long-term memory deficit was strongly statistically related to the memory acquisition deficit. In contrast, no retrieval problems were observable. Our results suggest that memory deficits in adult ADHD reflect a learning deficit induced at the stage of encoding. Implications for clinical and research settings are presented.

  13. Recognition-induced forgetting of faces in visual long-term memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rugo, Kelsi F; Tamler, Kendall N; Woodman, Geoffrey F; Maxcey, Ashleigh M

    2017-10-01

    Despite more than a century of evidence that long-term memory for pictures and words are different, much of what we know about memory comes from studies using words. Recent research examining visual long-term memory has demonstrated that recognizing an object induces the forgetting of objects from the same category. This recognition-induced forgetting has been shown with a variety of everyday objects. However, unlike everyday objects, faces are objects of expertise. As a result, faces may be immune to recognition-induced forgetting. However, despite excellent memory for such stimuli, we found that faces were susceptible to recognition-induced forgetting. Our findings have implications for how models of human memory account for recognition-induced forgetting as well as represent objects of expertise and consequences for eyewitness testimony and the justice system.

  14. Design and validation of a clinical-scale bioreactor for long-term isolated lung culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charest, Jonathan M; Okamoto, Tatsuya; Kitano, Kentaro; Yasuda, Atsushi; Gilpin, Sarah E; Mathisen, Douglas J; Ott, Harald C

    2015-06-01

    The primary treatment for end-stage lung disease is lung transplantation. However, donor organ shortage remains a major barrier for many patients. In recent years, techniques for maintaining lungs ex vivo for evaluation and short-term (advance to more complex interventions for lung repair and regeneration, the need for a long-term organ culture system becomes apparent. Herein we describe a novel clinical scale bioreactor capable of maintaining functional porcine and human lungs for at least 72 h in isolated lung culture (ILC). The fully automated, computer controlled, sterile, closed circuit system enables physiologic pulsatile perfusion and negative pressure ventilation, while gas exchange function, and metabolism can be evaluated. Creation of this stable, biomimetic long-term culture environment will enable advanced interventions in both donor lungs and engineered grafts of human scale. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A Long-term Plan for Kalk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2017-01-01

    In this case, the author demonstrates together with the owner-manager of KALK A/S, Mr Rasmus Jorgensen, how to use the Family Business Map to frame a constructive discussion about long-term planning. The Family Business Map is a tool for long-term planning in family firms developed by Professor...

  16. Virtual Models of Long-Term Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phenice, Lillian A.; Griffore, Robert J.

    2012-01-01

    Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home-care organizations, use web sites to describe their services to potential consumers. This virtual ethnographic study developed models representing how potential consumers may understand this information using data from web sites of 69 long-term-care providers. The content of long-term-care web…

  17. Sleep facilitates long-term face adaptation

    OpenAIRE

    Ditye, Thomas; Javadi, Amir Homayoun; Carbon, Claus-Christian; Walsh, Vincent

    2013-01-01

    Adaptation is an automatic neural mechanism supporting the optimization of visual processing on the basis of previous experiences. While the short-term effects of adaptation on behaviour and physiology have been studied extensively, perceptual long-term changes associated with adaptation are still poorly understood. Here, we show that the integration of adaptation-dependent long-term shifts in neural function is facilitated by sleep. Perceptual shifts induced by adaptation to a distorted imag...

  18. A patient with familial bone marrow failure and an inversion of chromosome 8.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchbinder, David Kyle; Zadeh, Touran; Nugent, Diane

    2011-12-01

    Familial bone marrow failure has been associated with a variety of chromosomal aberrations. Chromosome 8 abnormalities have been described in association with neoplastic and hematologic disorders; however, to our knowledge, inversion of the long arm of chromosome 8 has not been described in the context of familial bone marrow failure. We describe a 9-year-old female with familial bone marrow failure and an inversion of chromosome 8 [inv (8) (q22, q24.3)]. Given the importance of considering the genetic determinants of familial bone marrow failure, the potential role of chromosome 8 abnormalities in the development of marrow failure is discussed.

  19. Prevalence of Long-Term Opioid Use in Long-Stay Nursing Home Residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunnicutt, Jacob N; Chrysanthopoulou, Stavroula A; Ulbricht, Christine M; Hume, Anne L; Tjia, Jennifer; Lapane, Kate L

    2018-01-01

    Overall and long-term opioid use among older adults have increased since 1999. Less is known about opioid use in older adults in nursing homes (NHs). Cross-sectional. U.S. NHs (N = 13,522). Long-stay NH resident Medicare beneficiaries with a Minimum Data Set 3.0 (MDS) assessment between April 1, 2012, and June 30, 2012, and 120 days of follow-up (N = 315,949). We used Medicare Part D claims to measure length of opioid use in the 120 days from the index assessment (short-term: ≤30 days, medium-term: >30-89 days, long-term: ≥90 days), adjuvants (e.g., anticonvulsants), and other pain medications (e.g., corticosteroids). MDS assessments in the follow-up period were used to measure nonpharmacological pain management use. Modified Poisson models were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for age, gender, race and ethnicity, cognitive and physical impairment, and long-term opioid use. Of all long-stay residents, 32.4% were prescribed any opioid, and 15.5% were prescribed opioids long-term. Opioid users (versus nonusers) were more commonly prescribed pain adjuvants (32.9% vs 14.9%), other pain medications (25.5% vs 11.0%), and nonpharmacological pain management (24.5% vs 9.3%). Long-term opioid use was higher in women (aPR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.18-1.23) and lower in racial and ethnic minorities (non-Hispanic blacks vs whites: APR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.90-0.94) and those with severe cognitive impairment (vs no or mild impairment, aPR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.79-0.83). One in seven NH residents was prescribed opioids long-term. Recent guidelines on opioid prescribing for pain recommend reducing long-term opioid use, but this is challenging in NHs because residents may not benefit from nonpharmacological and nonopioid interventions. Studies to address concerns about opioid safety and effectiveness (e.g., on pain and functional status) in NHs are needed. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics

  20. Improvement of Depression and Anxiety After Discontinuation of Long- Term Efavirenz Treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mothapo, K.M.; Schellekens, A.F.A.; Crevel, R. van; Keuter, M.; Grintjes-Huisman, K.; Koopmans, P.; Ven, A. van der

    2015-01-01

    Neuropsychiatric symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients may be a late complication of efavirenz treatment. This study: 1) assessed the level of neuropsychiatric symptoms in HIV-infected patients on long-term efavirenz therapy; 2) explored the effect of a switch to

  1. [Effects of recombinant human alpha-2b and gamma interferons on bone marrow megakaryocyte progenitors (CFU-Meg) from patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanabe, Y; Dan, K; Kuriya, S; Nomura, T

    1989-10-01

    The effects of recombinant human interferon (IFN) alpha-2b and gamma on the bone marrow megakaryocyte progenitors (CFU-Meg) were compared between eight patients in the chronic phase of Ph1-positive chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) and five hematologically normal patients. CFU-Meg was assayed in plasma clot culture added with phytohemagglutinin-stimulated leukocyte-conditioned medium as a source of colony stimulating activity. The average count of CFU-Meg colonies formed from the bone marrow of CML patients was 5.5 times that of normal controls. Spontaneous CFU-Meg colonies were grown in seven of eight CML patients, but in none of five controls. Colony formation by CFU-Meg in CML as well as normal bone marrow was suppressed by the two preparations of IFN in a dose dependent fashion. Their suppressive influence on colonies from CFU-Meg was comparable between CML and normal bone marrow at lower concentrations, but was less marked for CML than normal bone marrow at higher concentrations. The formation of CFU-Meg colonies from CML bone marrow was more severely suppressed by IFN-gamma than IFN-alpha-2b. Depletion of either T lymphocytes or adherent cells from the CML bone marrow cells diminished the suppressive effects of IFN-gamma, but had no influence on the effects of IFN-alpha-2b.

  2. Effect of human milk on blood and bone marrow cells in a malnourished mice model; comparative study with cow milk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García, Isabel; Salva, Susana; Zelaya, Hortensia; Villena, Julio; Agüero, Graciela

    2013-11-01

    It has been demonstrated that the alterations caused by nutrient deficiency can be reverted by adequate nutritional repletion. To perform comparative studies between human and cow milks in order to evaluate the impact of both milks on the recovery of blood and bone marrow cells affected in malnourished mice. Weaned mice were malnourished after consuming a protein free diet for 21 days. Malnourished mice received cow or human milk (CM or HM) for 7 or 14 consecutive days. During the period of administration of milk, the mice consumed the protein free diet ad libitum. The malnourished control (MNC) group received only protein free diet whereas the wellnourished control (WNC) mice consumed the balanced conventional diet. Both milks normalized serum albumin levels and improved thymus weight. Human milk was less effective than cow milk to increase body weight and serum transferrin levels. In contrast, human milk was more effective than cow milk to increase the number of leukocytes (WNC: 6.90 ± 1.60a; MNC: 2.80 ± 0.90b; CM 7d: 3.74 ± 1.10b; HM 7d: 7.16 ± 1.90a; CM 14d: 4.35 ± 1.20b; HM 14d: 6.75 ± 1.20a (109/L); p milks induced an increment in mitotic pool cells in bone marrow and α-naphthyl butyrate esterase positive cells in peripheral blood. They also normalized phagocytic function in blood neutrophils and oxidative burst in peritoneal cells. Both milks were equally effective to exert favorable effects on the number of the bone marrow cells and the functions of the blood and peritoneal cells involved in immune response. However, only human milk normalized the number of leukocytes and increased the number of neutrophils in peripheral blood. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2013. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  3. Increased bone marrow blood flow in sickle cell anemia demonstrated by thallium-201 and Tc-99m human albumin microspheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thrall, J.H.; Rucknagel, D.L.

    1978-01-01

    Lower extremity vascularity in nine patients with sickle cell anemia was studied by intra-arterial /sup 99m/Tc human albumin microspheres or intravenous thallium-201. In eight patients, the normal pattern of greater muscle than bone activity was reversed with marked tracer localization in skeletal parts usually not visualized. In four cases, there were distinct focal abnormalities in the femurs and tibias which correlated with defects on /sup 99m/Tc sulfur colloid marrow scans. TC-99m pyrophosphate bone scans demonstrated normal uptake in the same areas. The scintigraphic findings indicate a markedly increased relative bone marrow blood flow

  4. Evaluation of outdoor human thermal sensation of local climate zones based on long-term database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unger, János; Skarbit, Nóra; Gál, Tamás

    2018-02-01

    This study gives a comprehensive picture on the diurnal and seasonal general outdoor human thermal sensation levels in different urban quarters based on long-term (almost 3 years) data series from urban and rural areas of Szeged, Hungary. It is supplemented with a case study dealing with an extreme heat wave period which is more and more frequent in the last decades in the study area. The intra-urban comparison is based on a thermal aspect classification of the surface, namely, the local climate zone (LCZ) system, on an urban meteorological station network and on the utilization of the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) comfort index with categories calibrated to the local population. The selected stations represent sunlit areas well inside the LCZ areas. The results show that the seasonal and annual average magnitudes of the thermal load exerted by LCZs in the afternoon and evening follow their LCZ numbers. It is perfectly in line with the LCZ concept originally concentrating only on air temperature ( T air) differences between the zones. Our results justified the subdivision of urban areas into LCZs and give significant support to the application possibilities of the LCZ concept as a broader term covering different thermal phenomena.

  5. Starvation marrow – gelatinous transformation of bone marrow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric Osgood

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Gelatinous bone marrow transformation (GMT, also known as starvation marrow, represents a rare pathological entity of unclear etiology, in which bone marrow histopathology demonstrates hypoplasia, fat atrophy, and gelatinous infiltration. The finding of gelatinous marrow transformation lacks disease specificity; rather, it is an indicator of severe illness and a marker of poor nutritional status, found in patients with eating disorders, acute febrile illnesses, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, alcoholism, malignancies, and congestive heart failure. We present a middle-aged woman with a history of alcoholism, depression, and anorexia nervosa who presented with failure to thrive and macrocytic anemia, with bone marrow examination demonstrative of gelatinous transformation, all of which resolved with appropriate treatment. To our knowledge, there are very few cases of GMT which have been successfully treated; thus, our case highlights the importance of proper supportive management.

  6. Short-term plasticity and long-term potentiation mimicked in single inorganic synapses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohno, Takeo; Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi; Tsuruoka, Tohru; Terabe, Kazuya; Gimzewski, James K.; Aono, Masakazu

    2011-08-01

    Memory is believed to occur in the human brain as a result of two types of synaptic plasticity: short-term plasticity (STP) and long-term potentiation (LTP; refs , , , ). In neuromorphic engineering, emulation of known neural behaviour has proven to be difficult to implement in software because of the highly complex interconnected nature of thought processes. Here we report the discovery of a Ag2S inorganic synapse, which emulates the synaptic functions of both STP and LTP characteristics through the use of input pulse repetition time. The structure known as an atomic switch, operating at critical voltages, stores information as STP with a spontaneous decay of conductance level in response to intermittent input stimuli, whereas frequent stimulation results in a transition to LTP. The Ag2S inorganic synapse has interesting characteristics with analogies to an individual biological synapse, and achieves dynamic memorization in a single device without the need of external preprogramming. A psychological model related to the process of memorizing and forgetting is also demonstrated using the inorganic synapses. Our Ag2S element indicates a breakthrough in mimicking synaptic behaviour essential for the further creation of artificial neural systems that emulate characteristics of human memory.

  7. Long-term storage and safe retrieval of human papillomavirus DNA using FTA elute cards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barth, Heidi; Morel, Adrien; Mougin, Christiane; Averous, Gerlinde; Legrain, Michèle; Fender, Muriel; Risch, Simone; Fafi-Kremer, Samira; Velten, Michel; Oudet, Pierre; Baldauf, Jean-Jacques; Stoll-Keller, Françoise

    2016-03-01

    Biobanking or collection and storage of specimens for future research purposes have become an essential tool in many fields of biomedical research and aims to provide a better understanding of disease mechanisms as well as the identification of disease-specific biomarkers that can navigate in complex diseases. In this study, we assessed the use of Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards as a long-term storage device for cervical specimens with suspected human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. HPV detection and genotyping results in liquid-based transport media were compared to HPV results from FTA cards. The overall agreement for the presence of any HPV infection between liquid-based medium and FTA cards stored for 1 year at ambient temperature was 100%. Reproducibility analysis of HPV detection and genotyping from FTA cards demonstrated that FTA cards are a reliable medium to store and preserve viral nucleic acids. Biobanking of cervical cells on FTA cards may provide a key resource for epidemiological and retrospective HPV studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Long-term engraftment, graft-vs.-host disease, and immunologic reconstitution after experimental transplantation of allogeneic peripheral blood cells from G-CSF-treated donors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, L; Bressler, S; Cooke, K R; Krenger, W; Karandikar, M; Ferrara, J L

    1996-10-01

    Peripheral blood cells (PBPC) are an alternative source of bone marrow for allogeneic transplantation. Reports from recent clinical trials granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized PBPC for allogeneic transplantation show incidence and severity of graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) similar to those observed in conventional bone marrow transplantation (BMT), despite the presence of 10- to 20-fold more T cell in the PBPC inoculum. In the present study, we examined the effects of pretreatment of donors with G-CSF on GVHD, long-term engraftment, and lymphocyte reconstitution in a murine parent-->F1 model (B6.Ly-5a-->B6d2F1) using splenocytes as a source of peripheral progenitor cells. Recipients of splenocytes from G-CSF-treated donors experienced less mortality from acute GVHD and showed sustained weight gain by day 100 after transplantation. At that time, there was no histological evidence od GVHD in either liver or gut. Recipients of splenocytes from G-CSF-treated donors showed complete donor engraftment within 1 month, which was sustained until the end of the observation period. In contrast, recipients of T cell-depleted splenocytes showed slower donor engraftment and persistent donor/host chimerism. In addition, lymphocyte phenotype and function in mice receiving splenocytes from G-CSF-treated donors was significantly restored by day 100 after transplantation. Thus, the use of G-CSF-mobilized PBPC may provide significant advantages to conventional BMT by reducing GVHD without impairing long-term engraftment and immunologic reconstruction.

  9. Effects of Long-Term Representations on Free Recall of Unrelated Words

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katkov, Mikhail; Romani, Sandro; Tsodyks, Misha

    2015-01-01

    Human memory stores vast amounts of information. Yet recalling this information is often challenging when specific cues are lacking. Here we consider an associative model of retrieval where each recalled item triggers the recall of the next item based on the similarity between their long-term neuronal representations. The model predicts that…

  10. The effect of long-term use of tooth bleaching products on the human enamel surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polydorou, Olga; Scheitza, Sophia; Spraul, Mathias; Vach, Kirstin; Hellwig, Elmar

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the long-term effect of bleaching on human enamel. Four groups of enamel specimens were prepared (n = 20): group 1: bleaching with Opalescence Boost [40% hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), 3 × 20 min/week]; group 2: control group (the specimens were stored in human saliva); group 3: beaching with Vivastyle Paint on Plus (6% H 2 O 2 , 2 × 10 min/day), and group 4: bleaching with Opalescence PF 16% [16% carbamide peroxide (CP), 6 h/day]. After each bleaching session the specimens were stored in human saliva. Knoop microhardness and surface roughness were measured: before bleaching, after 2-week and after 8-week bleaching. After 2-week treatment, surface roughness was significantly increased in all experimental groups (p  0.05). The roughness changes exerted after 8-week bleaching were not significantly higher than the ones after 2 weeks (p > 0.05). After 8-week treatment, the increase in roughness caused by 16% CP was significantly higher (p bleaching on enamel was not shown to be dependent on the method or the H 2 O 2 concentration. Bleaching with CP 16% resulted in higher roughness than bleaching with H 2 O 2 , while 40% H 2 O 2 caused the higher microhardness increase. The present study showed that in-office bleaching with 40% H 2 O 2 seems to be at least as safe as home bleaching as far as their effects on human enamel are concerned.

  11. Ministers of Health: short-term tenure for long-term goals?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferraz, Marcos Bosi; Azevedo, Rafael Teixeira

    2011-03-01

    Healthcare investments should consider short and long-term demands. The objectives here were to compare the average tenures of ministers of health in Brazil and in another 22 countries and to evaluate the relationship between ministers' tenures and a number of indicators. Descriptive study conducted at Centro Paulista de Economia da Saúde (CPES). Twenty-two countries with the highest Human Development Indices (HDIs) and Brazil were included. The number of ministers over the past 20 years was investigated through each country's Ministry of Health website. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to compare the number of ministers in each country with that country's indicators. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare ministers' tenures in Brazil and other countries. The mean tenure (standard deviation, SD) of Brazilian ministers of health was 15 (12) months, a period that is statistically significantly shorter than the mean tenure of 33 (18) months in the other 22 countries (P < 0.05). There was a moderate and statistically significant positive correlation between the number of ministers and mortality rates for several conditions. The number of ministers also presented moderate and statistically significant negative correlations with per capita total healthcare expenditure (r = -0.567) and with per capita government healthcare expenditure (r = -0.530). On average, ministers of health have extremely short tenures. There is an urgent need to think and plan healthcare systems from a long-term perspective.

  12. GVHD suppression by incubation of bone marrow grafts with anti-t-cell globulin: effect in the canine model and application to clinical bone marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodt, H.; Kolb, H.J.; Netzel, B.; Rieder, I.; Janka, G.; Belohradsky, B.; Haas, R.J.; Thierfelder, S.

    1979-01-01

    The present studies were performed in order to establish the anti-GVHD effect of an incubation treatment in the dog, which is regarded as a model of particular relevance for clinical bone marrow transplantation. Application of this principle to a case of human marrow transplantation will be reported

  13. Long-Term Prognosis of Plantar Fasciitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Liselotte; Krogh, Thøger Persson; Ellingsen, Torkell

    2018-01-01

    , exercise-induced symptoms, bilateral heel pain, fascia thickness, and presence of a heel spur) could predict long-term outcomes, (3) to assess the long-term ultrasound (US) development in the fascia, and (4) to assess whether US-guided corticosteroid injections induce atrophy of the heel fat pad. Study....... The risk was significantly greater for women (P heel...... regardless of symptoms and had no impact on prognosis, and neither did the presence of a heel spur. Only 24% of asymptomatic patients had a normal fascia on US at long-term follow-up. A US-guided corticosteroid injection did not cause atrophy of the heel fat pad. Our observational study did not allow us...

  14. Long-term dependence in exchange rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Karytinos

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available The extent to which exchange rates of four major currencies against the Greek Drachma exhibit long-term dependence is investigated using a R/S analysis testing framework. We show that both classic R/S analysis and the modified R/S statistic if enhanced by bootstrapping techniques can be proven very reliable tools to this end. Our findings support persistence and long-term dependence with non-periodic cycles for the Deutsche Mark and the French Franc series. In addition a noisy chaos explanation is favored over fractional Brownian motion. On the contrary, the US Dollar and British Pound were found to exhibit a much more random behavior and lack of any long-term structure.

  15. The comparison of knee osteoarthritis treatment with single-dose bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells vs. hyaluronic acid injections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valdis Goncars

    2017-01-01

    Conclusions: The intra-articular injection of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells is a safe manipulation with no side effects during the 12-month period. This treatment provides statistically significant clinical improvement between the starting point and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after. When compared to hyaluronic acid treatment, better pain relief in the long-term period of mononuclear cell group was observed.

  16. Short-term versus long-term contracting for uranium enrichment services

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rudy, G.P.

    1990-01-01

    The US Department of Energy (US DOE) is the world's largest and most experienced supplier of uranium enrichment services. Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, emerging market forces transformed what was once a monopoly into a highly competitive industry. In the early 1980's the DOE lost market share. But as we enter the 1990s, new market forces have emerged. The US DOE believes a responsible balance between long-term and short-term contracting will be the key to success and the key to assuring the long-term health and reliability of the nuclear fuel industry. The US DOE intends to be in this nuclear business for a long time and will continue to offer reliable and responsive services second to none

  17. No upregulation of digitalis glycoside receptor (Na,K-ATPase) concentration in human heart left ventricle samples obtained at necropsy after long term digitalisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, T A; Holm-Nielsen, P; Kjeldsen, K

    1991-08-01

    The aim was to evaluate the hypothesis that digitalis glycosides increase the concentration of their specific receptor (Na,K-ATPase) in human myocardial tissue, thereby possibly reducing the inotropic effect of long term digitalis treatment. Intact samples of left ventricle were obtained at necropsy from patients who had been on long term treatment with digoxin and from patients not previously given digoxin. Digitalis glycoside receptors were quantified using vanadate facilitated 3H-ouabain binding before and after washing samples in buffer containing excess digoxin antibody fragments for 16 h at 30 degrees C. This washing procedure has previously been shown to reduce prior specific digoxin binding in human left ventricle by 95% and to allow subsequent vanadate facilitated complete quantification of 3H-ouabain binding sites. In this context it was performed to reduce occupancy of digitalis glycoside receptors by digoxin, caused by digitalisation before 3H-ouabain binding. 11 patients who had been on long term treatment with digoxin and eight who had not previously been given digoxin were studied. Left ventricle samples were obtained at necropsy at around 15 h after death. Standard 3H-ouabain binding was 39% less in samples from digitalised than from undigitalised subjects (p less than 0.001). Washing samples in buffer containing excess digoxin antibody fragments induced an increase in 3H-ouabain binding from 174(SEM 10) to 265(20) pmol.g-1 wet weight (n = 11, p less than 0.001) in samples from digitalised patients. After washing, the digitalis glycoside receptor concentration in left ventricle samples showed a tendency to a lower value (14%, p greater than 0.10) in patients exposed to digoxin compared to left ventricle samples from individuals unexposed to digitalis glycoside treatment. Calculating 3H-ouabain binding relative to dry ventricular muscle weight confirmed the results obtained using wet weight as reference. The results suggest that digoxin treatment in

  18. Survival and growth of isolated pre-antral follicles from human ovarian medulla tissue during long-term 3D culture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yin, H L; Kristensen, S G; Jiang, H

    2016-01-01

    during long-term culture has received only little attention. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Two to ten human pre-antral follicles were encapsulated together within an alginate bead and cultured with or without ovarian interstitial tissue for either 7 days or >30 days. Follicles were cultured in either 20...... interregional project ReproHigh are thanked for having funded this study; and the Key Program of Medical Science and Technology Innovation of Nanjing Military Area Command in China (14ZX06; 11Z010). They had no role in the study design, collection and analysis of data, data interpretation or in writing...

  19. Effects of Long-Term Dust Exposure on Human Respiratory System Health in Minqin County, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jinyu; Li, Sheng; Wang, Shigong; Shang, Kezheng

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the effects of long-term sand dust exposure on human respiratory health. Dust events break out frequently in Minqin County, northwest China, whereas Pingliang City, northwest China, is rarely influenced by dust events. Therefore, Minqin and Pingliang were selected as sand dust exposure region and control area, respectively. The incidence of respiratory system diseases and symptoms was determined through a structured respiratory health questionnaire (ATS-DLD-78-A) and personal interviews. The subjects comprised 728 farmers (Minqin, 424; Pingliang, 304) aged 40 years or older, who had nondocumented occupational history to industrial dust exposure. Prevalences (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI]) of chronic rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, and chronic cough increased 9.6% (3.141, 1.776-5.555), 7.5% (2.468, 1.421-4.286), and 10.2% (1.787, 1.246-2.563) in Minqin comparison with Pingliang, respectively, and the differences were significant (p <.01).

  20. Robotics for Long-Term Monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shahin, Sarkis; Duran, Celso

    2002-01-01

    While long-term monitoring and stewardship means many things to many people, DOE has defined it as The physical controls, institutions, information, and other mechanisms needed to ensure protection of people and the environment at sites where DOE has completed or plans to complete cleanup (e.g., landfill closures, remedial actions, and facility stabilization). Across the United States, there are thousands of contaminated sites with multiple contaminants released from multiple sources where contaminants have transported and commingled. The U.S. government and U.S. industry are responsible for most of the contamination and are landowners of many of these contaminated properties. These sites must be surveyed periodically for various criteria including structural deterioration, water intrusion, integrity of storage containers, atmospheric conditions, and hazardous substance release. The surveys, however, are intrusive, time-consuming, and expensive and expose survey personnel to radioactive contamination. In long-term monitoring, there's a need for an automated system that will gather and report data from sensors without costly human labor. In most cases, a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) unit is used to collect and report data from a remote location. A SCADA unit consists of an embedded computer with data acquisition capabilities. The unit can be configured with various sensors placed in different areas of the site to be monitored. A system of this type is static, i.e., the sensors, once placed, cannot be moved to other locations within the site. For those applications where the number of sampling locations would require too many sensors, or where exact location of future problems is unknown, a mobile sensing platform is an ideal solution. In many facilities that undergo regular inspections, the number of video cameras and air monitors required to eliminate the need for human inspections is very large and far too costly. HCET's remote harsh

  1. Long-Term Dynamics of Autonomous Fractional Differential Equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Tao; Xu, Wei; Xu, Yong; Han, Qun

    This paper aims to investigate long-term dynamic behaviors of autonomous fractional differential equations with effective numerical method. The long-term dynamic behaviors predict where systems are heading after long-term evolution. We make some modification and transplant cell mapping methods to autonomous fractional differential equations. The mapping time duration of cell mapping is enlarged to deal with the long memory effect. Three illustrative examples, i.e. fractional Lotka-Volterra equation, fractional van der Pol oscillator and fractional Duffing equation, are studied with our revised generalized cell mapping method. We obtain long-term dynamics, such as attractors, basins of attraction, and saddles. Compared with some existing stability and numerical results, the validity of our method is verified. Furthermore, we find that the fractional order has its effect on the long-term dynamics of autonomous fractional differential equations.

  2. Curved Microneedle Array-Based sEMG Electrode for Robust Long-Term Measurements and High Selectivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minjae Kim

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Surface electromyography is widely used in many fields to infer human intention. However, conventional electrodes are not appropriate for long-term measurements and are easily influenced by the environment, so the range of applications of sEMG is limited. In this paper, we propose a flexible band-integrated, curved microneedle array electrode for robust long-term measurements, high selectivity, and easy applicability. Signal quality, in terms of long-term usability and sensitivity to perspiration, was investigated. Its motion-discriminating performance was also evaluated. The results show that the proposed electrode is robust to perspiration and can maintain a high-quality measuring ability for over 8 h. The proposed electrode also has high selectivity for motion compared with a commercial wet electrode and dry electrode.

  3. Long-term lunar stations: Some ecological considerations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maguire, Bassett, Jr.; Scott, Kelly W.

    1992-01-01

    A major factor for long-term success of a lunar station is the ability to keep an agroecosystem functioning at a desirable, stable steady-state with ecological stability and reliability. Design for a long-lived extraterrestrial manned station must take into account interactions among its subsystems to insure that overall functionality is enhanced (or at least not compromised). Physical isolation of feed production, human living areas, recycling, and other systems may be straightforward, however, microbiological isolation will be very difficult. While it is possible to eliminate plant-associated microbiological communities by growing the plants asepticallly, it is not practical to keep plants germ-free on a large scale if humans are working with them. Ecological theory strongly suggests that some kinds of communities or organisms effectively increase the stability of ecosystems and will protect the plants from potential pathogens. A carefully designed and maintained (lunar-derived) soil can provide a variety of habitats for effective microbial buffers while adding structure to the agroecosystem. A soil can also increase ecosystem reliability through buffering otherwise large element and compound fluctuations (of nutrients, wastes, etc.) as well as buffering temperature level and atmosphere composition. We are doing experiments in ecological dynamics and attempting to extend the relevant theories.

  4. The Womanly World of Long Term Care: The Plight of the Long Term Care Worker. Gray Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Older Women's League, Washington, DC.

    Long-term care workers (those who are paid to provide custodial care for long-term patients in nursing homes or at home) must care for a growing number of increasingly disabled or dependent persons. They are working for agencies and institutions under growing pressure to increase productivity. They face new training and competency requirements,…

  5. Circulating sclerostin is elevated in short-term and reduced in long-term SCI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battaglino, Ricardo A; Sudhakar, Supreetha; Lazzari, Antonio A; Garshick, Eric; Zafonte, Ross; Morse, Leslie R

    2012-09-01

    Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes profound bone loss due to muscle paralysis resulting in the inability to walk. Sclerostin, a Wnt signaling pathway antagonist produced by osteocytes, is a potent inhibitor of bone formation. Short-term studies in rodent models have demonstrated increased sclerostin in response to mechanical unloading that is reversed with reloading. Although sclerostin inhibition has been proposed as a potential therapy for bone loss, it is not known if sclerostin levels vary with duration of SCI in humans. We analyzed circulating sclerostin in 155 men with varying degrees of SCI who were 1 year or more post-injury. We report that sclerostin levels are greatest in subjects with short-term SCI (≤5 years post-injury) and decrease significantly over the first 5 years post-injury. There was no association between sclerostin and injury duration in subjects with long-term SCI (>5 years post-injury). In subjects with long-term SCI, sclerostin levels were positively associated with lower extremity bone density and bone mineral content. These data suggest that sclerostin levels are initially increased after SCI in response to mechanical unloading. This response is time-limited and as bone loss progresses, circulating sclerostin is lowest in subjects with severe osteoporosis. These findings support a dual role for sclerostin after SCI: a therapeutic target in acute SCI, and a biomarker of osteoporosis severity in chronic SCI. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. A Demography and Taxonomy of Long-term Immigration Detention in Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Bull

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The practice of long-term immigration detention is a relatively recent aspect of Australian Government policy. There has been much debate about the wisdom of such policy, raising concerns regarding the health of detainees, the dereliction of human rights, and the legal robustness of such practice. Despite considerable interest, little detail is available describing who is being held and the reasons for their long-term detention. This paper addresses this noticeable gap through a systematic analysis of the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Immigration Reports over the period 2005 through 2009. From such reporting it has been possible to produce a demographic profile of people held in Australian detention and to develop a taxonomy of the reasons contributing to the ongoing containment.

  7. Long term wet spent nuclear fuel storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-04-01

    The meeting showed that there is continuing confidence in the use of wet storage for spent nuclear fuel and that long-term wet storage of fuel clad in zirconium alloys can be readily achieved. The importance of maintaining good water chemistry has been identified. The long-term wet storage behaviour of sensitized stainless steel clad fuel involves, as yet, some uncertainties. However, great reliance will be placed on long-term wet storage of spent fuel into the future. The following topics were treated to some extent: Oxidation of the external surface of fuel clad, rod consolidation, radiation protection, optimum methods of treating spent fuel storage water, physical radiation effects, and the behaviour of spent fuel assemblies of long-term wet storage conditions. A number of papers on national experience are included

  8. Long-Term Collections

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2016-01-01

    45 years helping in developing countries! CERN personnel have been helping the least fortunate people on the planet since 1971. How? With the Long-Term Collections! Dear Colleagues, The Staff Association’s Long-Term Collections (LTC) Committee is delighted to share this important milestone in the life of our Laboratory with you. Indeed, whilst the name of CERN is known worldwide for scientific discoveries, it also shines in the many humanitarian projects which have been supported by the LTC since 1971. Several schools and clinics, far and wide, carry its logo... Over the past 45 years, 74 projects have been supported (9 of which are still ongoing). This all came from a group of colleagues who wanted to share a little of what life offered them here at CERN, in this haven of mutual understanding, peace and security, with those who were less fortunate elsewhere. Thus, the LTC were born... Since then, we have worked as a team to maintain the dream of these visionaries, with the help of regular donat...

  9. Long-Term Collection

    CERN Multimedia

    Staff Association

    2016-01-01

    Dear Colleagues, As previously announced in Echo (No. 254), your delegates took action to draw attention to the projects of the Long-Term Collections (LTC), the humanitarian body of the CERN Staff Association. On Tuesday, 11 October, at noon, small Z-Cards were widely distributed at the entrances of CERN restaurants and we thank you all for your interest. We hope to have achieved an important part of our goal, which was to inform you, convince you and find new supporters among you. We will find out in the next few days! An exhibition of the LTC was also set up in the Main Building for the entire week. The Staff Association wants to celebrate the occasion of the Long-Term Collection’s 45th anniversary at CERN because, ever since 1971, CERN personnel have showed great support in helping the least fortunate people on the planet in a variety of ways according to their needs. On a regular basis, joint fundraising appeals are made with the Directorate to help the victims of natural disasters around th...

  10. Human dendritic cells sequentially matured with CD4+ T cells as a secondary signal favor CTL and long-term T memory cell responses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Simon

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Dendritic cells (DCs are professional antigen-presenting cells involved in the control and initiation of immune responses. In vivo, DCs exposed at the periphery to maturation stimuli migrate to lymph nodes, where they receive secondary signals from CD4+ T helper cells. These DCs become able to initiate CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL responses. However, in vitro investigations concerning human monocyte-derived DCs have never focused on their functional properties after such sequential maturation. Here, we studied human DC phenotypes and functions according to this sequential exposure to maturation stimuli. As first signals, we used TNF-α/polyI:C mimicking inflammatory and pathogen stimuli and, as second signals, we compared activated CD4+ T helper cells to a combination of CD40-L/ IFN-γ. Our results show that a sequential activation with activated CD4+ T cells dramatically increased the maturation of DCs in terms of their phenotype and cytokine secretion compared to DCs activated with maturation stimuli delivered simultaneously. Furthermore, this sequential maturation led to the induction of CTL with a long-term effector and central memory phenotypes. Thus, sequential delivery of maturation stimuli, which includes CD4+ T cells, should be considered in the future to improve the induction of long-term CTL memory in DC-based immunotherapy.

  11. CD133-targeted Gene Transfer Into Long-term Repopulating Hematopoietic Stem Cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brendel, Christian; Goebel, Benjamin; Daniela, Abriss; Brugman, Martijn; Kneissl, Sabrina; Schwaeble, Joachim; Kaufmann, Kerstin B.; Mueller-Kuller, Uta; Kunkel, Hana; Chen-Wichmann, Linping; Abel, Tobias; Serve, Hubert; Bystrykh, Leonid; Buchholz, Christian J.; Grez, Manuel

    Gene therapy for hematological disorders relies on the genetic modification of CD34(+) cells, a heterogeneous cell population containing about 0.01% long-term repopulating cells. Here, we show that the lentiviral vector CD133-LV, which uses a surface marker on human primitive hematopoietic stem

  12. Innovative Strategy For Long Term Monitoring Of Metal And Radionuclide Plumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eddy-Dilek, Carol; Millings, Margaret R.; Looney, Brian B.; Denham, Miles E.

    2014-01-01

    Many government and private industry sites that were once contaminated with radioactive and chemical wastes cannot be cleaned up enough to permit unrestricted human access. The sites will require long term management, in some cases indefinitely, leaving site owners with the challenge of protecting human health and environmental quality at these 'legacy' sites. Long-term monitoring of groundwater contamination is one of the largest projected costs in the life cycle of environmental management at the Savannah River Site, the larger DOE complex, and many large federal and private sites. There is a need to optimize the performance and manage the cost of long term surveillance and monitoring at their sites. Currently, SRNL is initiating a pilot field test using alternative protocols for long term monitoring of metals and radionuclides. A key component of the approach is that monitoring efforts are focused on measurement of low cost metrics related to hydrologic and chemical conditions that control contaminant migration. The strategy combines careful monitoring of hydrologic boundary conditions with measurement of master variables such as chemical surrogates along with a smaller number of standard well analyses. In plumes contaminated with metals, master variables control the chemistry of the groundwater system, and include redox variables (ORP, DO, chemicals), pH, specific conductivity, biological community (breakdown/decay products), and temperature. Significant changes in these variables will result in conditions whereby the plume may not be stable and therefore can be used to predict possible plume migration. Conversely, concentration measurements for all types of contaminants in groundwater are a lagging indicator plume movement - major changes contaminant concentrations indicate that contamination has migrated. An approach based on measurement of master variables and explicit monitoring of hydrologic boundary conditions combined with traditional metrics should lead

  13. Innovative Strategy For Long Term Monitoring Of Metal And Radionuclide Plumes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eddy-Dilek, Carol; Millings, Margaret R.; Looney, Brian B.; Denham, Miles E.

    2014-01-08

    Many government and private industry sites that were once contaminated with radioactive and chemical wastes cannot be cleaned up enough to permit unrestricted human access. The sites will require long term management, in some cases indefinitely, leaving site owners with the challenge of protecting human health and environmental quality at these "legacy" sites. Long-term monitoring of groundwater contamination is one of the largest projected costs in the life cycle of environmental management at the Savannah River Site, the larger DOE complex, and many large federal and private sites. There is a need to optimize the performance and manage the cost of long term surveillance and monitoring at their sites. Currently, SRNL is initiating a pilot field test using alternative protocols for long term monitoring of metals and radionuclides. A key component of the approach is that monitoring efforts are focused on measurement of low cost metrics related to hydrologic and chemical conditions that control contaminant migration. The strategy combines careful monitoring of hydrologic boundary conditions with measurement of master variables such as chemical surrogates along with a smaller number of standard well analyses. In plumes contaminated with metals, master variables control the chemistry of the groundwater system, and include redox variables (ORP, DO, chemicals), pH, specific conductivity, biological community (breakdown/decay products), and temperature. Significant changes in these variables will result in conditions whereby the plume may not be stable and therefore can be used to predict possible plume migration. Conversely, concentration measurements for all types of contaminants in groundwater are a lagging indicator plume movement - major changes contaminant concentrations indicate that contamination has migrated. An approach based on measurement of master variables and explicit monitoring of hydrologic boundary conditions combined with traditional metrics should lead

  14. Study on behaviour in long term of vitrified materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vernaz, E.

    1993-01-01

    In collaboration with EDF (Electricite de France), after testing fusion of Refiom (Residus d'Epuration des Fumees d'Incineration d'Ordures Menageres), residues from purification of incineration smokes of household rubbish, realised at Porcheville and at the Laboratory of Renardieres with experimental processing of vitrification by plasma, CEA (Centre d'Etudes Atomiques), atomic center of research, began study on resistance in long term of vitrified products. From about thirty five years, CEA carries out research to confine radioactive waste of high activity in stable materials. Glass was the first best one which allowed to incorporate about thirty different chemical elements found in fission products solutions into a stable die with a good chemical durability; three vitrification shops raised, one at Marcoule ('AVM', 1978) in the south of France, the two other ones at La Hague ('R7', 1989 and 'T7', 1992) in Normandy. To determine a possible impact of a deep radioactive waste disposal on human and environment, several studies began. In particular, studies on aqueous corrosion of glasses to determine behaviour in long term of glass package (first barrier of confinement) and to estimate kinetics of releasing confined toxical elements on periods of several thousands years. Principal results are exposed in this conference. Experience shows that safety analysis cannot be based on long term extrapolation of a simple lixiviation result. This analysis must include: a sufficient knowledge in basic mechanisms of alteration to predict the kinetic evolution in a long term. To take in account environment conditions with a normal or accidental scheme (acidity, clay, organic compounds,...). This knowledge broadly developed by CEA for nuclear glasses seems to be easily transposable to different wastes (industrial ones or from hospitals) and takes place in a contract of research CEA/EDF to valorize vitrified products. 9 figs. 4 refs

  15. A 12-Year Follow-up on the Long-Term Effectiveness of the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine in 4 Nordic Countries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjaer, Susanne K; Nygård, Mari; Dillner, Joakim

    2018-01-01

    Background: The long-term effectiveness of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine was assessed by monitoring the combined incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2, CIN3), adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), and cervical cancer related to HPV16 or HPV18. Methods: Women from...... Nordic countries of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden who received a 3-dose regimen of the qHPV vaccine in the beginning of FUTURE II (Females United to Unilaterally Reduce Endo/Ectocervical Disease; V501-015, base study NCT00092534) are followed through different national registries. Effectiveness...

  16. Long-term protective immunity from an influenza virus-like particle vaccine administered with a microneedle patch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quan, Fu-Shi; Kim, Yeu-Chun; Song, Jae-Min; Hwang, Hye Suk; Compans, Richard W; Prausnitz, Mark R; Kang, Sang-Moo

    2013-09-01

    Skin vaccination with influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) using microneedles has been shown to induce protection similar to or better than that induced by intramuscular immunization. In this study, we examined the long-term protective efficacy of influenza (H1N1 A/PR/8/34) VLPs after skin vaccination using microneedle patches coated with the vaccine. Microneedle vaccination of mice in the skin induced 100% protection against lethal challenge infection with influenza A/PR/8/34 virus 14 months after a single vaccine dose. Influenza virus-specific total IgG response and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers were maintained at high levels for over 1 year after microneedle vaccination. Microneedle vaccination also induced substantial levels of lung IgG and IgA antibody responses, and antibody-secreting plasma cells from spleen and bone marrow, as well as conferring effective control of lung viral loads, resulting in complete protection 14 months after vaccination. These strong and long-lasting immune responses were enabled in part by stabilization of the vaccine by formulation with trehalose during microneedle patch fabrication. Administration of the stabilized vaccine using microneedles was especially effective at enabling strong recall responses measured 4 days after lethal virus challenge, including increased HAI and antibody-secreting cells in the spleen and reduced viral titer and inflammatory response in the lung. The results in this study indicate that skin vaccination with VLP vaccine using a microneedle patch provides long-term protection against influenza in mice.

  17. Changing incentives for long-term gas contracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bohi, D.R.

    1992-01-01

    There is much concern about the absence of long-term gas contracts with fixed price and quantity conditions, which until recent years was the standard way of doing business in the gas industry. These types of contracts performed a valuable service in the development of the gas industry, and there comparative absence today is sometimes thought to be one reason for the current malaise in the industry. One hears the argument that there must be some kind of 'market failure' that prevents buyers and sellers from entering into these long term arrangements, and recent changes in state and federal regulations are often cited as the cause of the problem. The purpose of the author's remarks is to argue that what is taken as a breakdown in the market may be simply a reaction to a decline in economic incentives to enter into long-term contracts with rigid price and quantity terms. This is, in other words, simply one more aspect of change in the gas business that Frank Heintz referred to in his opening remarks this morning. The author starts by giving a brief description of the motives for engaging in long-term contracts, and then describes how incentives to use long-term contracts have declined for both gas buyers and gas sellers. He concludes that the decline in the use of long-term contracts is not cause for regulatory concern, but a result of the continuing transformation of the gas business to one that more closely resembles other commodity markets

  18. Distinctiveness enhances long-term event memory in non-human primates, irrespective of reinforcement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Amy; Call, Josep; Berntsen, Dorthe

    2017-08-01

    Non-human primates are capable of recalling events that occurred as long as 3 years ago, and are able to distinguish between similar events; akin to human memory. In humans, distinctiveness enhances memory for events, however, it is unknown whether the same occurs in non-human primates. As such, we tested three great ape species on their ability to remember an event that varied in distinctiveness. Across three experiments, apes witnessed a baiting event in which one of three identical containers was baited with food. After a delay of 2 weeks, we tested their memory for the location of the baited container. Apes failed to recall the baited container when the event was undistinctive (Experiment 1), but were successful when it was distinctive (Experiment 2), although performance was equally good in a less-distinctive condition. A third experiment (Experiment 3) confirmed that distinctiveness, independent of reinforcement, was a consistent predictor of performance. These findings suggest that distinctiveness may enhance memory for events in non-human primates in the same way as in humans, and provides further evidence of basic similarities between the ways apes and humans remember past events. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Energy in 2010 - 2020. Long term challenges; Energie 2010-2020. Les defis du long terme

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dessus, Benjamin [ed.] [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 75 - Paris (France)

    2000-02-02

    This report presents the results of a workshop intending to anticipate the long term challenges, to guide better the short term power options, to understand the available political, economical and technical assumptions for the prospective world situation, to give some strategic hints on the necessary transition. Indeed, the difficult issue which the workshop tried to tackle was how should we prepare to reveal the energetic challenge of the development of the eight to ten billion inhabitants of our Planet in the next century without jeopardizing its existence. The energetic problems, a hardcore of the international preoccupation of both growth and environment, as it was recently evidenced by the climatic conference in Kyoto, have ever been the object of a particular attention on the part of General Commissariat of Plan. Thus, the commission 'Energy in 2010 - 2020' has been instituted in April 1996 in order to update the works done in 1990 - 1991 by the commission 'Energy 2010'. Soon it occurred to this new commission the task of illuminating its works by a long term (2050 - 2100) world prospective analysis of the challenges and problems linked to energy, growth and environment. In conclusion, this document tried to find answers to questions like: - which are the risks the energy consumption augmentation entail? - can we control them by appropriate urbanism and transport policies or technological innovation?. Four options for immediate action are suggested: - the energy efficiency should become a priority objective of policies; -coping with the long term challenges requires acting at present; - building the transition between governmental leadership and market; - taking profit of all the possible synergies between short and long term planning.

  20. Retrieval of long and short lists from long term memory: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study with human subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zysset, S; Müller, K; Lehmann, C; Thöne-Otto, A I; von Cramon, D Y

    2001-11-13

    Previous studies have shown that reaction time in an item-recognition task with both short and long lists is a quadratic function of list length. This suggests that either different memory retrieval processes are implied for short and long lists or an adaptive process is involved. An event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study with nine subjects and list lengths varying between 3 and 18 words was conducted to identify the underlying neuronal structures of retrieval from long and short lists. For the retrieval and processing of word-lists a single fronto-parietal network, including premotor, left prefrontal, left precuneal and left parietal regions, was activated. With increasing list length, no additional regions became involved in retrieving information from long-term memory, suggesting that not necessarily different, but highly adaptive retrieval processes are involved.

  1. Opening remarks for a panel discussion on short-term vs long-term procurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Courtenay, R.H.

    1990-01-01

    Long-term contracting in the late 1970's and early 1980's is blamed for some of the inequities that plague the uranium industry today. Utilities are obliged to pay prices far above prevailing levels and relatively low cost producers are forced to shut down while watching less efficient suppliers stay in business thanks to their long term supply agreements. Furthermore, it is argued that long-term contracts have contributed to supply instability by forcing the buildup of surplus inventories and by supporting excess incremental production by suppliers who have a baseload of long-term contracts. The depressed prices resulting from this oversupply are in turn jeopardizing future resource development and damaging supply reliability. In summary, the author's argument is that supply reliability will be greatly enhanced by the assurance of adequate primary supply from traditional sources such as Canada. This will not happen without long-term contracts. This conclusion may not be expected coming from a representative of Canada's largest uranium producer. But the final comment is less self serving. Many of the critics of long term contracts apparently expect a continuing and plentiful supply of East Bloc uranium to the spot market. A further question is to what extent East Bloc suppliers will eventually require long-term contracts in order to maintain production facilitates in economies that are no longer centrally planned, and where there is open competition for capital. Ultimately, reliability of supply from the non-traditional suppliers may also depend on long-term contracts

  2. Cutaneous mast cell maturation does not depend on an intact bone marrow microenvironment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charley, M.R.; Mikhael, A.; Sontheimer, R.D.; Gilliam, J.N.; Bennett, M.

    1984-01-01

    A study was made to determine whether the maturation of murine cutaneous mast cells from stem cells depends on an intact bone marrow microenvironment. Normal bone marrow cells (+/+) were infused into 2 groups of mast cell-deficient mice: WBB6F1-W/Wv mice and 89 Sr-pretreated W/Wv mice. 89 Sr is a long-lived bone-seeking radioisotope which provides continuous irradiation of the marrow and thereby ablates the marrow microenvironment. Skin biopsies revealed that the 89 Sr-pretreated mice and the controls had repopulated their skin with mast cells equally well. Natural killer cell function was significantly depressed in the 89 Sr-treated mice, confirming that the marrow microenvironment had been functionally altered. It appears that, although the precursors for cutaneous mast cells are marrow derived, they do not need an intact marrow microenvironment for maturation

  3. Elongator complex is required for long-term olfactory memory formation in Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Dinghui; Tan, Ying; Chakraborty, Molee; Tomchik, Seth; Davis, Ronald L

    2018-04-01

    The evolutionarily conserved Elongator Complex associates with RNA polymerase II for transcriptional elongation. Elp3 is the catalytic subunit, contains histone acetyltransferase activity, and is associated with neurodegeneration in humans. Elp1 is a scaffolding subunit and when mutated causes familial dysautonomia. Here, we show that elp3 and elp1 are required for aversive long-term olfactory memory in Drosophila RNAi knockdown of elp3 in adult mushroom bodies impairs long-term memory (LTM) without affecting earlier forms of memory. RNAi knockdown with coexpression of elp3 cDNA reverses the impairment. Similarly, RNAi knockdown of elp1 impairs LTM and coexpression of elp1 cDNA reverses this phenotype. The LTM deficit in elp3 and elp1 knockdown flies is accompanied by the abolishment of a LTM trace, which is registered as increased calcium influx in response to the CS+ odor in the α-branch of mushroom body neurons. Coexpression of elp1 or elp3 cDNA rescues the memory trace in parallel with LTM. These data show that the Elongator complex is required in adult mushroom body neurons for long-term behavioral memory and the associated long-term memory trace. © 2018 Yu et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

  4. Tumor vaccine composed of C-class CpG oligodeoxynucleotides and irradiated tumor cells induces long-term antitumor immunity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cerkovnik Petra

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An ideal tumor vaccine should activate both effector and memory immune response against tumor-specific antigens. Beside the CD8+ T cells that play a central role in the generation of a protective immune response and of long-term memory, dendritic cells (DCs are important for the induction, coordination and regulation of the adaptive immune response. The DCs can conduct all of the elements of the immune orchestra and are therefore a fundamental target and tool for vaccination. The present study was aimed at assessing the ability of tumor vaccine composed of C-class CpG ODNs and irradiated melanoma tumor cells B16F1 followed by two additional injections of CpG ODNs to induce the generation of a functional long-term memory response in experimental tumor model in mice (i.p. B16F1. Results It has been shown that the functional memory response in vaccinated mice persists for at least 60 days after the last vaccination. Repeated vaccination also improves the survival of experimental animals compared to single vaccination, whereas the proportion of animals totally protected from the development of aggressive i.p. B16F1 tumors after vaccination repeated three times varies between 88.9%-100.0%. Additionally, the long-term immune memory and tumor protection is maintained over a prolonged period of time of at least 8 months. Finally, it has been demonstrated that following the vaccination the tumor-specific memory cells predominantly reside in bone marrow and peritoneal tissue and are in a more active state than their splenic counterparts. Conclusions In this study we demonstrated that tumor vaccine composed of C-class CpG ODNs and irradiated tumor cells followed by two additional injections of CpG ODNs induces a long-term immunity against aggressive B16F1 tumors.

  5. Long-term risks of kidney living donation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maggiore, Umberto; Budde, Klemens; Heemann, Uwe

    2017-01-01

    Two recent matched cohort studies from the USA and Norway published in 2014 have raised some concerns related to the long-term safety of kidney living donation. Further studies on the long-term risks of living donation have since been published. In this position paper, Developing Education Science...... and Care for Renal Transplantation in European States (DESCARTES) board members critically review the literature in an effort to summarize the current knowledge concerning long-term risks of kidney living donation to help physicians for decision-making purposes and for providing information...... to the prospective live donors. Long-term risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) can be partially foreseen by trying to identify donors at risk of developing ‘de novo’ kidney diseases during life post-donation and by predicting lifetime ESRD risk. However, lifetime risk may be difficult to assess in young donors...

  6. From LTER to LTSER: Conceptualizing the Socioeconomic Dimension of Long-term Socioecological Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helmut Haberl

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Concerns about global environmental change challenge long term ecological research (LTER to go beyond traditional disciplinary scientific research to produce knowledge that can guide society toward more sustainable development. Reporting the outcomes of a 2 d interdisciplinary workshop, this article proposes novel concepts to substantially expand LTER by including the human dimension. We feel that such an integration warrants the insertion of a new letter in the acronym, changing it from LTER to LTSER, "Long-Term Socioecological Research," with a focus on coupled socioecological systems. We discuss scientific challenges such as the necessity to link biophysical processes to governance and communication, the need to consider patterns and processes across several spatial and temporal scales, and the difficulties of combining data from in-situ measurements with statistical data, cadastral surveys, and soft knowledge from the humanities. We stress the importance of including prefossil fuel system baseline data as well as maintaining the often delicate balance between monitoring and predictive or explanatory modeling. Moreover, it is challenging to organize a continuous process of cross-fertilization between rich descriptive and causal-analytic local case studies and theory/modeling-oriented generalizations. Conceptual insights are used to derive conclusions for the design of infrastructures needed for long-term socioecological research.

  7. Long-term effects of radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, J.; Smith, T.

    1981-01-01

    It is pointed out that sources of long-term damage from radiation are two-fold. People who have been exposed to doses of radiation from initial early fallout but have recovered from the acute effects may still suffer long-term damage from their exposure. Those who have not been exposed to early fallout may be exposed to delayed fallout, the hazards from which are almost exclusively from ingesting strontium, caesium and carbon isotopes present in food; the damage caused is relatively unimportant compared with that caused by the brief doses from initial radiation and early fallout. A brief discussion is presented of the distribution of delayed long-lived isotope fallout, and an outline is sketched of late biological effects, such as malignant disease, cataracts, retarded development, infertility and genetic effects. (U.K.)

  8. Late Mortality and Causes of Death among Long-Term Survivors after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atsuta, Yoshiko; Hirakawa, Akihiro; Nakasone, Hideki; Kurosawa, Saiko; Oshima, Kumi; Sakai, Rika; Ohashi, Kazuteru; Takahashi, Satoshi; Mori, Takehiko; Ozawa, Yukiyasu; Fukuda, Takahiro; Kanamori, Heiwa; Morishima, Yasuo; Kato, Koji; Yabe, Hiromasa; Sakamaki, Hisashi; Taniguchi, Shuichi; Yamashita, Takuya

    2016-09-01

    We sought to assess the late mortality risks and causes of death among long-term survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). The cases of 11,047 relapse-free survivors of a first HCT at least 2 years after HCT were analyzed. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated and specific causes of death were compared with those of the Japanese population. Among relapse-free survivors at 2 years, overall survival percentages at 10 and 15 years were 87% and 83%, respectively. The overall risk of mortality was significantly higher compared with that of the general population. The risk of mortality was significantly higher from infection (SMR = 57.0), new hematologic malignancies (SMR = 2.2), other new malignancies (SMR = 3.0), respiratory causes (SMR = 109.3), gastrointestinal causes (SMR = 3.8), liver dysfunction (SMR = 6.1), genitourinary dysfunction (SMR = 17.6), and external or accidental causes (SMR = 2.3). The overall annual mortality rate showed a steep decrease from 2 to 5 years after HCT; however, the decrease rate slowed after 10 years but was still higher than that of the general population at 20 years after HCT. SMRs in the earlier period of 2 to 4 years after HCT and 5 years or longer after HCT were 16.1 and 7.4, respectively. Long-term survivors after allogeneic HCT are at higher risk of mortality from various causes other than the underlying disease that led to HCT. Screening and preventive measures should be given a central role in reducing the morbidity and mortality of HCT recipients on long-term follow-up. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. T-cell acute leukaemia exhibits dynamic interactions with bone marrow microenvironments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Edwin D; Duarte, Delfim; Akinduro, Olufolake; Khorshed, Reema A; Passaro, Diana; Nowicka, Malgorzata; Straszkowski, Lenny; Scott, Mark K; Rothery, Steve; Ruivo, Nicola; Foster, Katie; Waibel, Michaela; Johnstone, Ricky W; Harrison, Simon J; Westerman, David A; Quach, Hang; Gribben, John; Robinson, Mark D; Purton, Louise E; Bonnet, Dominique; Lo Celso, Cristina

    2016-10-27

    It is widely accepted that complex interactions between cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment contribute to disease development, chemo-resistance and disease relapse. In light of this observed interdependency, novel therapeutic interventions that target specific cancer stroma cell lineages and their interactions are being sought. Here we studied a mouse model of human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) and used intravital microscopy to monitor the progression of disease within the bone marrow at both the tissue-wide and single-cell level over time, from bone marrow seeding to development/selection of chemo-resistance. We observed highly dynamic cellular interactions and promiscuous distribution of leukaemia cells that migrated across the bone marrow, without showing any preferential association with bone marrow sub-compartments. Unexpectedly, this behaviour was maintained throughout disease development, from the earliest bone marrow seeding to response and resistance to chemotherapy. Our results reveal that T-ALL cells do not depend on specific bone marrow microenvironments for propagation of disease, nor for the selection of chemo-resistant clones, suggesting that a stochastic mechanism underlies these processes. Yet, although T-ALL infiltration and progression are independent of the stroma, accumulated disease burden leads to rapid, selective remodelling of the endosteal space, resulting in a complete loss of mature osteoblastic cells while perivascular cells are maintained. This outcome leads to a shift in the balance of endogenous bone marrow stroma, towards a composition associated with less efficient haematopoietic stem cell function. This novel, dynamic analysis of T-ALL interactions with the bone marrow microenvironment in vivo, supported by evidence from human T-ALL samples, highlights that future therapeutic interventions should target the migration and promiscuous interactions of cancer cells with the surrounding microenvironment

  10. Long-term low-dose α-particle enhanced the potential of malignant transformation in human bronchial epithelial cells through MAPK/Akt pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Weili; Xiao, Linlin; Dong, Chen; He, Mingyuan; Pan, Yan; Xie, Yuexia; Tu, Wenzhi; Fu, Jiamei; Shao, Chunlin, E-mail: clshao@shmu.edu.cn

    2014-05-09

    Highlights: • Multi-exposures of 25 mGy α-ray enhanced cell proliferation, adhesion, and invasion. • MAPK/Akt but not JNK/P66 was positively correlated with cell invasive phenotypes. • LDR of α-irradiation triggers cell malignant transformation through MAPK/Akt. - Abstract: Since the wide usage of ionizing radiation, the cancer risk of low dose radiation (LDR) (<0.1 Gy) has become attractive for a long time. However, most results are derived from epidemiologic studies on atomic-bomb survivors and nuclear accidents surrounding population, and the molecular mechanism of this risk is elusive. To explore the potential of a long-term LDR-induced malignant transformation, human bronchial epithelial cells Beas-2B were fractionally irradiated with 0.025 Gy α-particles for 8 times in total and then further cultured for 1–2 months. It was found that the cell proliferation, the abilities of adhesion and invasion, and the protein expressions of p-ERK, p-Akt, especially p-P38 were not only increased in the multiply-irradiated cells but also in their offspring 1–2 months after the final exposure, indicating high potentiality of cell malignant transformation. On opposite, the expressions of p-JNK and p-P66 were diminished in the subcultures of irradiated cells and thus may play a role of negative regulation in canceration. When the cells were transferred with p38 siRNA, the LDR-induced enhancements of cell adhesion and invasion were significantly reduced. These findings suggest that long-term LDR of α-particles could enhance the potential of malignant transformation incidence in human bronchial epithelial cells through MAPK/Akt pathway.

  11. Long-term low-dose α-particle enhanced the potential of malignant transformation in human bronchial epithelial cells through MAPK/Akt pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Weili; Xiao, Linlin; Dong, Chen; He, Mingyuan; Pan, Yan; Xie, Yuexia; Tu, Wenzhi; Fu, Jiamei; Shao, Chunlin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Multi-exposures of 25 mGy α-ray enhanced cell proliferation, adhesion, and invasion. • MAPK/Akt but not JNK/P66 was positively correlated with cell invasive phenotypes. • LDR of α-irradiation triggers cell malignant transformation through MAPK/Akt. - Abstract: Since the wide usage of ionizing radiation, the cancer risk of low dose radiation (LDR) (<0.1 Gy) has become attractive for a long time. However, most results are derived from epidemiologic studies on atomic-bomb survivors and nuclear accidents surrounding population, and the molecular mechanism of this risk is elusive. To explore the potential of a long-term LDR-induced malignant transformation, human bronchial epithelial cells Beas-2B were fractionally irradiated with 0.025 Gy α-particles for 8 times in total and then further cultured for 1–2 months. It was found that the cell proliferation, the abilities of adhesion and invasion, and the protein expressions of p-ERK, p-Akt, especially p-P38 were not only increased in the multiply-irradiated cells but also in their offspring 1–2 months after the final exposure, indicating high potentiality of cell malignant transformation. On opposite, the expressions of p-JNK and p-P66 were diminished in the subcultures of irradiated cells and thus may play a role of negative regulation in canceration. When the cells were transferred with p38 siRNA, the LDR-induced enhancements of cell adhesion and invasion were significantly reduced. These findings suggest that long-term LDR of α-particles could enhance the potential of malignant transformation incidence in human bronchial epithelial cells through MAPK/Akt pathway

  12. Direct Reprogramming of Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells into Functional Renal Cells Using Cell-free Extracts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evangelia Papadimou

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The application of cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine is gaining recognition. Here, we show that human bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs, also known as bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal cells, can be reprogrammed into renal proximal tubular-like epithelial cells using cell-free extracts. Streptolysin-O-permeabilized BMSCs exposed to HK2-cell extracts underwent morphological changes—formation of “domes” and tubule-like structures—and acquired epithelial functional properties such as transepithelial-resistance, albumin-binding, and uptake and specific markers E-cadherin and aquaporin-1. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of brush border microvilli and tight intercellular contacts. RNA sequencing showed tubular epithelial transcript abundance and revealed the upregulation of components of the EGFR pathway. Reprogrammed BMSCs integrated into self-forming kidney tissue and formed tubular structures. Reprogrammed BMSCs infused in immunodeficient mice with cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury engrafted into proximal tubuli, reduced renal injury and improved function. Thus, reprogrammed BMSCs are a promising cell resource for future cell therapy.

  13. Legumain Regulates Differentiation Fate of Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells and Is Altered in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abbas Jafari

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Secreted factors are a key component of stem cell niche and their dysregulation compromises stem cell function. Legumain is a secreted cysteine protease involved in diverse biological processes. Here, we demonstrate that legumain regulates lineage commitment of human bone marrow stromal cells and that its expression level and cellular localization are altered in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients. As shown by genetic and pharmacological manipulation, legumain inhibited osteoblast (OB differentiation and in vivo bone formation through degradation of the bone matrix protein fibronectin. In addition, genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of legumain activity led to precocious OB differentiation and increased vertebral mineralization in zebrafish. Finally, we show that localized increased expression of legumain in bone marrow adipocytes was inversely correlated with adjacent trabecular bone mass in a cohort of patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Our data suggest that altered proteolytic activity of legumain in the bone microenvironment contributes to decreased bone mass in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

  14. BDNF Variants May Modulate Long-Term Visual Memory Performance in a Healthy Cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avgan, Nesli; Sutherland, Heidi G; Spriggens, Lauren K; Yu, Chieh; Ibrahim, Omar; Bellis, Claire; Haupt, Larisa M; Shum, David H K; Griffiths, Lyn R

    2017-03-17

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in numerous cognitive functions including learning and memory. BDNF plays an important role in synaptic plasticity in humans and rats with BDNF shown to be essential for the formation of long-term memories. We previously identified a significant association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) and long-term visual memory ( p -value = 0.003) in a small cohort ( n = 181) comprised of healthy individuals who had been phenotyped for various aspects of memory function. In this study, we have extended the cohort to 597 individuals and examined multiple genetic variants across both the BDNF and BDNF-AS genes for association with visual memory performance as assessed by the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition subtests Visual Reproduction I and II (VR I and II). VR I assesses immediate visual memory, whereas VR II assesses long-term visual memory. Genetic association analyses were performed for 34 single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped on Illumina OmniExpress BeadChip arrays with the immediate and long-term visual memory phenotypes. While none of the BDNF and BDNF-AS variants were shown to be significant for immediate visual memory, we found 10 variants (including the Val66Met polymorphism ( p -value = 0.006)) that were nominally associated, and three variants (two variants in BDNF and one variant in the BDNF-AS locus) that were significantly associated with long-term visual memory. Our data therefore suggests a potential role for BDNF , and its anti-sense transcript BDNF-AS , in long-term visual memory performance.

  15. BDNF Variants May Modulate Long-Term Visual Memory Performance in a Healthy Cohort

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nesli Avgan

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF is involved in numerous cognitive functions including learning and memory. BDNF plays an important role in synaptic plasticity in humans and rats with BDNF shown to be essential for the formation of long-term memories. We previously identified a significant association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265 and long-term visual memory (p-value = 0.003 in a small cohort (n = 181 comprised of healthy individuals who had been phenotyped for various aspects of memory function. In this study, we have extended the cohort to 597 individuals and examined multiple genetic variants across both the BDNF and BDNF-AS genes for association with visual memory performance as assessed by the Wechsler Memory Scale—Fourth Edition subtests Visual Reproduction I and II (VR I and II. VR I assesses immediate visual memory, whereas VR II assesses long-term visual memory. Genetic association analyses were performed for 34 single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped on Illumina OmniExpress BeadChip arrays with the immediate and long-term visual memory phenotypes. While none of the BDNF and BDNF-AS variants were shown to be significant for immediate visual memory, we found 10 variants (including the Val66Met polymorphism (p-value = 0.006 that were nominally associated, and three variants (two variants in BDNF and one variant in the BDNF-AS locus that were significantly associated with long-term visual memory. Our data therefore suggests a potential role for BDNF, and its anti-sense transcript BDNF-AS, in long-term visual memory performance.

  16. An antigen shared by human granulocytes, monocytes, marrow granulocyte precursors and leukemic blasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shumak, K H; Rachkewich, R A

    1983-01-01

    An antibody to human granulocytes was raised in rabbits by immunization with granulocytes pretreated with rabbit antibody to contaminating antigens. The antibody reacted not only with granulocytes but also with monocytes and bone marrow granulocyte precursors including colony-forming units in culture (CFU-C). In tests with leukemic cells, the antibody reacted with blasts from most (8 of 9) patients with acute myelomonoblastic leukemia and from some patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia, morphologically undifferentiated acute leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis. The antibody did not react with blasts from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia nor with leukemic cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

  17. a Method for the Extraction of Long-Term Deformation Characteristics of Long-Span High-Speed Railway Bridges Using High-Resolution SAR Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, H. G.; Liu, L. Y.

    2016-06-01

    Natural causes and high-speed train load will result in the structural deformation of long-span bridges, which greatly influence the safety operation of high-speed railway. Hence it is necessary to conduct the deformation monitoring and regular status assessment for long-span bridges. However for some traditional surveying technique, e.g. control-point-based surveying techniques, a lot of human and material resources are needed to perform the long-term monitoring for the whole bridge. In this study we detected the long-term bridge deformation time-series by persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR) technique using the high-resolution SAR images and external digital elevation model. A test area in Nanjing city in China is chosen and TerraSAR-X images and Tandem-X for this area have been used. There is the Dashengguan bridge in high speed railway in this area as study object to evaluate this method. Experiment results indicate that the proposed method can effectively extract the long-term deformation of long-span high-speed railway bridge with higher accuracy.

  18. A METHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION OF LONG-TERM DEFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS OF LONG-SPAN HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY BRIDGES USING HIGH-RESOLUTION SAR IMAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. G. Jia

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Natural causes and high-speed train load will result in the structural deformation of long-span bridges, which greatly influence the safety operation of high-speed railway. Hence it is necessary to conduct the deformation monitoring and regular status assessment for long-span bridges. However for some traditional surveying technique, e.g. control-point-based surveying techniques, a lot of human and material resources are needed to perform the long-term monitoring for the whole bridge. In this study we detected the long-term bridge deformation time-series by persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PSInSAR technique using the high-resolution SAR images and external digital elevation model. A test area in Nanjing city in China is chosen and TerraSAR-X images and Tandem-X for this area have been used. There is the Dashengguan bridge in high speed railway in this area as study object to evaluate this method. Experiment results indicate that the proposed method can effectively extract the long-term deformation of long-span high-speed railway bridge with higher accuracy.

  19. Long-term home care scheduling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gamst, Mette; Jensen, Thomas Sejr

    In several countries, home care is provided for certain citizens living at home. The long-term home care scheduling problem is to generate work plans spanning several days such that a high quality of service is maintained and the overall cost is kept as low as possible. A solution to the problem...... provides detailed information on visits and visit times for each employee on each of the covered days. We propose a branch-and-price algorithm for the long-term home care scheduling problem. The pricing problem generates one-day plans for an employee, and the master problem merges the plans with respect...

  20. Analysing long term discursive processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Horsbøl, Anders

    which extend beyond the single interaction, for instance negotiations or planning processes, seems to have played a less important role, with studies such as Iedema 2001 and Wodak 2000 as exceptions. These long term processes, however, are central to the constitution and workings of organizations......What do timescales - the notion that processes take place or can be viewed within a shorter or longer temporal range (Lemke 2005) - mean for the analysis of discourse? What are the methodological consequences of analyzing discourse at different timescales? It may be argued that discourse analysis...... in general has favored either the analysis of short term processes such as interviews, discussions, and lessons, or the analysis of non-processual entities such as (multimodal) texts, arguments, discursive repertoires, and discourses (in a Foucaultian sense). In contrast, analysis of long term processes...

  1. Nuclear Energy, Long Term Requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knapp, V.

    2006-01-01

    There are serious warnings about depletion of oil and gas and even more serious warnings about dangers of climate change caused by emission of carbon dioxide. Should developed countries be called to replace CO2 emitting energy sources as soon as possible, and the time available may not be longer then few decades, can nuclear energy answer the call and what are the requirements? Assuming optimistic contribution of renewable energy sources, can nuclear energy expand to several times present level in order to replace large part of fossil fuels use? Paper considers intermediate and long-term requirements. Future of nuclear power depends on satisfactory answers on several questions. First group of questions are those important for near and intermediate future. They deal with economics and safety of nuclear power stations in the first place. On the same time scale a generally accepted concept for radioactive waste disposal is also required. All these issues are in the focus of present research and development. Safer and more economical reactors are targets of international efforts in Generation IV and INPRO projects, but aiming further ahead these innovative projects are also addressing issues such as waste reduction and proliferation resistance. However, even assuming successful technical development of these projects, and there is no reason to doubt it, long term and large-scale nuclear power use is thereby not yet secured. If nuclear power is to play an essential role in the long-term future energy production and in reduction of CO2 emission, than several additional questions must be replied. These questions will deal with long-term nuclear fuel sufficiency, with necessary contribution of nuclear power in sectors of transport and industrial processes and with nuclear proliferation safety. This last issue is more political then technical, thus sometimes neglected by nuclear engineers, yet it will have essential role for the long-term prospects of nuclear power. The

  2. Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhance the Differentiation of Human Switched Memory B Lymphocytes into Plasma Cells in Serum-Free Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guillaume Bonnaure

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The differentiation of human B lymphocytes into plasma cells is one of the most stirring questions with regard to adaptive immunity. However, the terminal differentiation and survival of plasma cells are still topics with much to be discovered, especially when targeting switched memory B lymphocytes. Plasma cells can migrate to the bone marrow in response to a CXCL12 gradient and survive for several years while secreting antibodies. In this study, we aimed to get closer to niches favoring plasma cell survival. We tested low oxygen concentrations and coculture with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC from human bone marrow. Besides, all cultures were performed using an animal protein-free medium. Overall, our model enables the generation of high proportions of CD38+CD138+CD31+ plasma cells (≥50% when CD40-activated switched memory B lymphocytes were cultured in direct contact with mesenchymal stem cells. In these cultures, the secretion of CXCL12 and TGF-β, usually found in the bone marrow, was linked to the presence of MSC. The level of oxygen appeared less impactful than the contact with MSC. This study shows for the first time that expanded switched memory B lymphocytes can be differentiated into plasma cells using exclusively a serum-free medium.

  3. What are the differences between long-term, short-term, and working memory?

    OpenAIRE

    Cowan, Nelson

    2008-01-01

    In the recent literature there has been considerable confusion about the three types of memory: long-term, short-term, and working memory. This chapter strives to reduce that confusion and makes up-to-date assessments of these types of memory. Long- and short-term memory could differ in two fundamental ways, with only short-term memory demonstrating (1) temporal decay and (2) chunk capacity limits. Both properties of short-term memory are still controversial but the current literature is rath...

  4. Long-term hearing preservation in vestibular schwannoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stangerup, Sven-Eric; Thomsen, Jens; Tos, Mirko

    2010-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term hearing during "wait and scan" management of vestibular schwannomas.......The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term hearing during "wait and scan" management of vestibular schwannomas....

  5. Long-term efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone therapy in short-statured patients with Noonan syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Insook Jeong

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available PurposeNoonan syndrome (NS is characterized by short stature, heart anomalies, developmental delays, dysmorphic features, cryptorchidism, and coagulation defects. Several studies reported the short-term effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH treatment on the improvement of height. This study was performed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of rhGH in children with NS in Korea.MethodsThis study included 15 prepubertal NS children who received rhGH subcutaneously at a dose of 50–75 µg/kg/day for 6 days a week for at least >3 years. Preand posttreatment data, such as height, weight, bone age, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1, and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3 levels, were collected every 6 months.ResultsChronologic age and bone age at the start of treatment were 7.97±1.81 and 5.09±2.12 years, respectively. Height standard deviation score (SDS was increased from –2.64±0.64 to –1.54±1.24 years after 3 years (P<0.001. Serum IGF-1 SDS levels were elevated from –1.28±1.03 to –0.10±0.94 (P<0.001. Height SDS was more increased in subjects without PTPN11 mutations compared to those with mutations after 3 years (P=0.012. However, the other parameters, including bone age, IGF-1 SDS, and IGFBP-3 SDS, were not significantly different between patients with and without PTPN11 mutations.ConclusionAlthough this study included a relatively small number of patients, long-term rhGH therapy in NS patients was safe and effective at improving height, growth velocity, and serum IGF-1 levels, in accordance with previous studies. However, the meticulous monitoring of potential adverse events is still needed because of high dose of rhGH and preexisting hyperactivity of RAS-MAPK pathway. Patients with PTPN11 mutations demonstrated a decreased response to rhGH therapy compared to those without mutations.

  6. Assessment of long-term cultivated human precision-cut lung slices as an ex vivo system for evaluation of chronic cytotoxicity and functionality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuhaus, Vanessa; Schaudien, Dirk; Golovina, Tatiana; Temann, Ulla-Angela; Thompson, Carolann; Lippmann, Torsten; Bersch, Claus; Pfennig, Olaf; Jonigk, Danny; Braubach, Peter; Fieguth, Hans-Gerd; Warnecke, Gregor; Yusibov, Vidadi; Sewald, Katherina; Braun, Armin

    2017-01-01

    Investigation of basic chronic inflammatory mechanisms and development of new therapeutics targeting the respiratory tract requires appropriate testing systems, including those to monitor long- persistence. Human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) have been demonstrated to mimic the human respiratory tract and have potential of an alternative, ex-vivo system to replace or augment in-vitro testing and animal models. So far, most research on PCLS has been conducted for short cultivation periods (≤72 h), while analyses of slowly metabolized therapeutics require long-term survival of PCLS in culture. In the present study, we evaluated viability, physiology and structural integrity of PCLS cultured for up to 15 days. PCLS were cultured for 15 days and various parameters were assessed at different time points. Structural integrity and viability of cultured PCLS remained constant for 15 days. Moreover, bronchoconstriction was inducible over the whole period of cultivation, though with decreased sensitivity (EC 50 1d = 4 × 10 -8  M vs. EC 50 15d = 4 × 10 -6  M) and reduced maximum of initial airway area (1d = 0.5% vs. 15d = 18.7%). In contrast, even though still clearly inducible compared to medium control, LPS-induced TNF-α secretion decreased significantly from day 1 to day 15 of culture. Overall, though long-term cultivation of PCLS need further investigation for cytokine secretion, possibly on a cellular level, PCLS are feasible for bronchoconstriction studies and toxicity assays.

  7. Long-Term Patency of Lymphovenous Anastomoses: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tourani, Saam S; Taylor, G Ian; Ashton, Mark W

    2016-08-01

    With advancements in technology and microsurgical techniques, lymphovenous anastomosis has become a popular reconstructive procedure in the treatment of chronic lymphedema. However, the long-term patency of these anastomoses is not clear in the literature. A systematic review of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was performed to assess the reported long-term patency of lymphovenous anastomoses. A total of eight studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Pooled data from four similar experiments in normal dogs showed an average long-term (≥5 months) patency of 52 percent. The only experiment in dogs with chronic lymphedema failed to show any long-term patency. The creation of peripheral lymphovenous anastomoses with a moderate long-term patency rate has become technically possible. However, the long-term results in chronic lymphedema are limited.

  8. Long-Term Orientation in Trade

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hofstede, G.J.; Jonker, C.M.; Verwaart, D.

    2008-01-01

    Trust does not work in the same way across cultures. This paper presents an agent model of behavior in trade across Hofstedes cultural dimension of long-term vs. short-term orientation. The situation is based on a gaming simulation, the Trust and Tracing game. The paper investigates the

  9. Sickle Cell Disease with Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease: Long-Term Outcomes in 5 Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iannucci, Glen J; Adisa, Olufolake A; Oster, Matthew E; McConnell, Michael; Mahle, William T

    2016-12-01

    Sickle cell disease is a risk factor for cerebrovascular accidents in the pediatric population. This risk is compounded by hypoxemia. Cyanotic congenital heart disease can expose patients to prolonged hypoxemia. To our knowledge, the long-term outcome of patients who have combined sickle cell and cyanotic congenital heart disease has not been reported. We retrospectively reviewed patient records at our institution and identified 5 patients (3 girls and 2 boys) who had both conditions. Their outcomes were uniformly poor: 4 died (age range, 12 mo-17 yr); 3 had documented cerebrovascular accidents; and 3 developed ventricular dysfunction. The surviving patient had developmental delays. On the basis of this series, we suggest mitigating hypoxemia, and thus the risk of stroke, in patients who have sickle cell disease and cyanotic congenital heart disease. Potential therapies include chronic blood transfusions, hydroxyurea, earlier surgical correction to reduce the duration of hypoxemia, and heart or bone marrow transplantation.

  10. Magnetic resonance imaging of the bone marrow following treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin in patients with end-stage renal disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, K E; Stenver, D; Jensen, M

    1990-01-01

    We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study vertebral bone marrow in hemodialysis patients during treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). We found changes in T1 relaxation times and image contrast within 14 days after starting treatment, before any response was seen in the...

  11. Early-life adversity-induced long-term epigenetic programming associated with early onset of chronic physical aggression: Studies in humans and animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chistiakov, Dimitry A; Chekhonin, Vladimir P

    2017-06-05

    To examine whether chronic physical aggression (CPA) in adulthood can be epigenetically programmed early in life due to exposure to early-life adversity. Literature search of public databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. Children/adolescents susceptible for CPA and exposed to early-life abuse fail to efficiently cope with stress that in turn results in the development of CPA later in life. This phenomenon was observed in humans and animal models of aggression. The susceptibility to aggression is a complex trait that is regulated by the interaction between environmental and genetic factors. Epigenetic mechanisms mediate this interaction. Subjects exposed to stress early in life exhibited long-term epigenetic programming that can influence their behaviour in adulthood. This programming affects expression of many genes not only in the brain but also in other systems such as neuroendocrine and immune. The propensity to adult CPA behaviour in subjects experienced to early-life adversity is mediated by epigenetic programming that involves long-term systemic epigenetic alterations in a whole genome.

  12. Long-term effects of childbirth in MS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D'hooghe, M.B.; Nagels, G.; Uitdehaag, B.M.J.

    2010-01-01

    Background: The uncertainty about long-term effects of childbirth presents MS patients with dilemmas. Methods: Based on clinical data of 330 female MS patients, the long-term effects of childbirth were analysed, using a cross-sectional study design. Four groups of patients were distinguished: (1)

  13. Bone marrow adipocytes as negative regulators of the hematopoietic microenvironment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naveiras, Olaia; Nardi, Valentina; Wenzel, Pamela L.; Fahey, Frederic; Daley, George Q.

    2009-01-01

    Osteoblasts and endothelium constitute functional niches that support hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in mammalian bone marrow (BM) 1,2,3 . Adult BM also contains adipocytes, whose numbers correlate inversely with the hematopoietic activity of the marrow. Fatty infiltration of hematopoietic red marrow follows irradiation or chemotherapy and is a diagnostic feature in biopsies from patients with marrow aplasia 4. To explore whether adipocytes influence hematopoiesis or simply fill marrow space, we compared the hematopoietic activity of distinct regions of the mouse skeleton that differ in adiposity. By flow cytometry, colony forming activity, and competitive repopulation assay, HSCs and short-term progenitors are reduced in frequency in the adipocyte-rich vertebrae of the mouse tail relative to the adipocyte-free vertebrae of the thorax. In lipoatrophic A-ZIP/F1 “fatless” mice, which are genetically incapable of forming adipocytes8, and in mice treated with the PPARγ inhibitor Bisphenol-A-DiGlycidyl-Ether (BADGE), which inhibits adipogenesis9, post-irradiation marrow engraftment is accelerated relative to wild type or untreated mice. These data implicate adipocytes as predominantly negative regulators of the bone marrow microenvironment, and suggest that antagonizingmarrow adipogenesis may enhance hematopoietic recovery in clinical bone marrow transplantation. PMID:19516257

  14. Intramacrophage survival of uropathogenic Escherichia coli: Differences between diverse clinical isolates and between mouse and human macrophages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bokil, Nilesh J.; Totsika, Makrina; Carey, Alison J.

    2011-01-01

    assays, CFT073 was able to survive within primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) up to 24h post-infection. Three additional well-characterized clinical UPEC isolates associated with distinct UTI symptomatologies displayed variable long-term survival within BMM. UPEC strains UTI89 and VR50...... or initial uptake of bacteria. E. coli UTI89 localized to a Lamp1+ vesicular compartment within BMM. In contrast to survival within mouse BMM, intracellular bacterial loads of VR50 were low in both human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDM) and in human T24 bladder epithelial cells. Collectively, these data...

  15. Biological conduits combining bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and extracellular matrix to treat long-segment sciatic nerve defects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The transplantation of polylactic glycolic acid conduits combining bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and extracellular matrix gel for the repair of sciatic nerve injury is effective in some respects, but few data comparing the biomechanical factors related to the sciatic nerve are available. In the present study, rabbit models of 10-mm sciatic nerve defects were prepared. The rabbit models were repaired with autologous nerve, a polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, or a polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel. After 24 weeks, mechanical testing was performed to determine the stress relaxation and creep parameters. Following sciatic nerve injury, the magnitudes of the stress decrease and strain increase at 7,200 seconds were largest in the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel group, followed by the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells group, and then the autologous nerve group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining demonstrated that compared with the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells group and the autologous nerve group, a more complete sciatic nerve regeneration was found, including good myelination, regularly arranged nerve fibers, and a completely degraded and resorbed conduit, in the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel group. These results indicate that bridging 10-mm sciatic nerve defects with a polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel construct increases the stress relaxation under a constant strain, reducing anastomotic tension. Large elongations under a constant physiological load can limit the anastomotic opening and shift, which is beneficial for the regeneration and functional reconstruction of sciatic nerve. Better

  16. Hippocampal Focal Knockout of CBP Affects Specific Histone Modifications, Long-Term Potentiation, and Long-Term Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrett, Ruth M; Malvaez, Melissa; Kramar, Eniko; Matheos, Dina P; Arrizon, Abraham; Cabrera, Sara M; Lynch, Gary; Greene, Robert W; Wood, Marcelo A

    2011-01-01

    To identify the role of the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) CREB-binding protein (CBP) in neurons of the CA1 region of the hippocampus during memory formation, we examine the effects of a focal homozygous knockout of CBP on histone modifications, gene expression, synaptic plasticity, and long-term memory. We show that CBP is critical for the in vivo acetylation of lysines on histones H2B, H3, and H4. CBP's homolog p300 was unable to compensate for the loss of CBP. Neurons lacking CBP maintained phosphorylation of the transcription factor CREB, yet failed to activate CREB:CBP-mediated gene expression. Loss of CBP in dorsal CA1 of the hippocampus resulted in selective impairments to long-term potentiation and long-term memory for contextual fear and object recognition. Together, these results suggest a necessary role for specific chromatin modifications, selectively mediated by CBP in the consolidation of memories. PMID:21508930

  17. Effect of low oxygen tension on the biological characteristics of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Dae Seong; Ko, Young Jong; Lee, Myoung Woo; Park, Hyun Jin; Park, Yoo Jin; Kim, Dong-Ik; Sung, Ki Woong; Koo, Hong Hoe; Yoo, Keon Hee

    2016-01-01

    Culture of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) under ambient conditions does not replicate the low oxygen environment of normal physiological or pathological states and can result in cellular impairment during culture. To overcome these limitations, we explored the effect of hypoxia (1 % O2) on the biological characteristics of MSCs over the course of different culture periods. The following biological characteristics were examined in human bone marrow-derived MSCs cultured under hypoxia for 8 week...

  18. A Cell Culture Platform to Maintain Long-term Phenotype of Primary Human Hepatocytes and Endothelial Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ware, Brenton R; Durham, Mitchell J; Monckton, Chase P; Khetani, Salman R

    2018-03-01

    Modeling interactions between primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) and primary human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) in vitro can help elucidate human-specific mechanisms underlying liver physiology/disease and drug responses; however, existing hepatocyte/endothelial coculture models are suboptimal because of their use of rodent cells, cancerous cell lines, and/or nonliver endothelial cells. Hence, we sought to develop a platform that could maintain the long-term phenotype of PHHs and primary human LSECs. Primary human LSECs or human umbilical vein endothelial cells as the nonliver control were cocultivated with micropatterned PHH colonies (to control homotypic interactions) followed by an assessment of PHH morphology and functions (albumin and urea secretion, and cytochrome P-450 2A6 and 3A4 enzyme activities) over 3 weeks. Endothelial phenotype was assessed via gene expression patterns and scanning electron microscopy to visualize fenestrations. Hepatic responses in PHH/endothelial cocultures were benchmarked against responses in previously developed PHH/3T3-J2 fibroblast cocultures. Finally, PHH/fibroblast/endothelial cell tricultures were created and characterized as described previously. LSECs, but not human umbilical vein endothelial cells, induced PHH albumin secretion for ∼11 days; however, neither endothelial cell type could maintain PHH morphology and functions to the same magnitude/longevity as the fibroblasts. In contrast, both PHHs and endothelial cells displayed stable phenotype for 3 weeks in PHH/fibroblast/endothelial cell tricultures; furthermore, layered tricultures in which PHHs and endothelial cells were separated by a protein gel to mimic the space of Disse displayed similar functional levels as the coplanar tricultures. PHH/fibroblast/endothelial tricultures constitute a robust platform to elucidate reciprocal interactions between PHHs and endothelial cells in physiology, disease, and after drug exposure.

  19. [Psychosocial issues of long-term cancer survivors].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weis, J; Faller, H

    2012-04-01

    Although cancer incidence rates are increasing, recent statistical studies suggest that cancer patients are showing higher cure rates as well as improved overall survival rates for most cancer locations. These advances are explained by improved strategies in early diagnoses as well as improved cancer therapies. Therefore, the number of long-term cancer survivors has also increased, but only few studies, especially within the last years, have focused on psychosocial issues of this subgroup. Some studies show that overall quality of life of long-term cancer survivors is quite high and comparable to that of the normal population. Nevertheless, a substantial percentage of former patients shows reduced quality of life and suffers from various sequelae of cancer and its treatment. This review focuses on the most common psychosocial issue of long-term survivors such as reduced psychological wellbeing, neuropsychological deficits and cancer-related fatigue syndrome. Finally, recommendations for problem-oriented interventions as well as improvement of psychosocial care of long-term survivors are given.

  20. Are long-term bisphosphonate users a reality?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abrahamsen, B

    2012-01-01

    The prevalence of long-term bisphosphonate use may be low due to low refill compliance and gaps in treatment. An analysis of the prescription history of 58,674 bisphosphonate users in Denmark found that only 2.8 % had received ten dose years of treatment or above. INTRODUCTION: This study aims...... to describe the demographics of present bisphosphonate (BP) users, to determine the prevalence of long-term BP use, and to establish if long-term use (a 10-year history of osteoporosis treatment) translated to ten dose years of bisphosphonate prescriptions filled, given the propensity for treatment gaps...... more than ten dose years of a BP. For any osteoporosis drug, 3.0 % had received ten dose years or more, while 23.2 % had received between 5 and 10 years of treatment. CONCLUSION: Long-term users with ten dose years or more of a BP are rare due to periods of low compliance and gaps, with a discrepancy...

  1. A security/safety survey of long term care facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acorn, Jonathan R

    2010-01-01

    What are the major security/safety problems of long term care facilities? What steps are being taken by some facilities to mitigate such problems? Answers to these questions can be found in a survey of IAHSS members involved in long term care security conducted for the IAHSS Long Term Care Security Task Force. The survey, the author points out, focuses primarily on long term care facilities operated by hospitals and health systems. However, he believes, it does accurately reflect the security problems most long term facilities face, and presents valuable information on security systems and practices which should be also considered by independent and chain operated facilities.

  2. Bone marrow contribution to eosinophilic inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denburg Judah A

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available Allergen-induced bone marrow responses are observable in human allergic asthmatics, involving specific increases in eosinophil-basophil progenitors (Eo/B-CFU, measured either by hemopoietic assays or by flow cytometric analyses of CD34-positive, IL-3Ralpha-positive, and/or IL-5-responsive cell populations. The results are consistent with the upregulation of an IL-5-sensitive population of progenitors in allergen-induced late phase asthmatic responses. Studies in vitro on the phenotype of developing eosinophils and basophils suggest that the early acquisition of IL-5Ralpha, as well as the capacity to produce cytokines such as GM-CSF and IL-5, are features of the differentiation process. These observations are consistent with findings in animal models, indicating that allergen-induced increases in bone marrow progenitor formation depend on hemopoietic factor(s released post-allergen. The possibility that there is constitutive marrow upregulation of eosinophilopoiesis in allergic airways disease is also an area for future investigation.

  3. Bone marrow scintigraphy vs bone scintigraphy and radiography in multiple myeloma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feggi, M.; Prandini, N.; Orzincolo, C.; Bagni, B.; Scutellari, P.N.; Spanedda, R.; Gennari, M.; Scapoli, C.L.

    1988-01-01

    The radiography patterns of the skeleton of 73 patients affected by multiple myeloma (MM) were compared to the correspondent scintigraphic findings. Whole body scans were performed using Tc-diphosphonates 99m (bone scintigraphy). And Tc-microcolloides 99m (bone marrow scintigraphy). The results indicate that: a) radiography is more sensitive and accurate than scintigraphy in detecting typical myeloma-related bone lesions; b) bone scintigraphy is useful in detecting alterations in particular locations-i.e. sternum, ribs, scapulae, etc.-which are difficult to demonstrate by plain X-rays; moreover, the recovery of the fractures can be visualized; c) bone marrow scintigraphy is employed to demonstrate the presence of marrow expasion, of cold/hot spots, and relative marrow uptake, related to phagocytic activity. Since in adult men red marrow is confined to the epiphysis of long bones and to the spine, all the diseases affecting bone marrow cause medullary expansion/reduction, which are both easily detected by specific radiopharmaceuticals. The peripheral expasions is clearly documented especially in distal humeri and femora since marrow uptake is included, in healthy adults, in the axial and proximal appendicular skeleton. In spite of its yielding unique informetion, bone marrow scintigraphy remains an additional technique of bone scan, because of its low diagnoditc accuracy

  4. Adapting Advances in Remediation Science to Long-Term Surveillance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, D.M.

    2006-01-01

    Several facets of groundwater remediation stand to gain from the advances made during recent years in disciplines that contribute to remediation science. Engineered remedies designed to aggressively remove subsurface contamination should benefit from this progress, and more passive cleanup methods and the long-term monitoring of such passive approaches may benefit equally well if not more. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management (LM) has adopted a strategic plan that is designed to take advantage of technological improvements in the monitoring and assessment of both active and passive groundwater remedies. Flexible adaptation of new technologies, as they become available, to long-term surveillance at LM sites is expected to reduce site stewardship costs while ensuring the future protection of human health and the environment. Some of the technologies are expected to come from government initiatives that focus on the needs of subsurface monitoring. Additional progress in monitoring science will likely result from continual improvements in our understanding of contaminant fate-and-transport processes in groundwater and the vadose zone. (authors)

  5. Adapting Advances in Remediation Science to Long-Term Surveillance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peterson, Dave [S.M. Stoller Corporation

    2006-03-01

    Several facets of groundwater remediation stand to gain from the advances made during recent years in disciplines that contribute to remediation science. Engineered remedies designed to aggressively remove subsurface contamination should benefit from this progress, and more passive cleanup methods and the long-term monitoring of such passive approaches may benefit equally well if not more. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management (LM) has adopted a strategic plan that is designed to take advantage of technological improvements in the monitoring and assessment of both active and passive groundwater remedies. Flexible adaptation of new technologies, as they become available, to long-term surveillance at LM sites is expected to reduce site stewardship costs while ensuring the future protection of human health and the environment. Some of the technologies are expected to come from government initiatives that focus on the needs of subsurface monitoring. Additional progress in monitoring science will likely result from continual improvements in our understanding of contaminant fate-and-transport processes in the groundwater and the vadose zone.

  6. Exosomes Derived from Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Tumor Growth Through Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Qi

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs are known to home to sites of tumor microenvironments where they participate in the formation of the tumor microenvironment and to interplay with tumor cells. However, the potential functional effects of MSCs on tumor cell growth are controversial. Here, we, from the view of bone marrow MSC-derived exosomes, study the molecular mechanism of MSCs on the growth of human osteosarcoma and human gastric cancer cells. Methods: MSCs derived from human bone marrow (hBMSCs were isolated and cultured in complete DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10% exosome-depleted fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin-streptomycin, cell culture supernatants containing exosomes were harvested and exosome purification was performed by ultracentrifugation. Osteosarcoma (MG63 and gastric cancer (SGC7901 cells, respectively, were treated with hBMSC-derived exosomes in the presence or absence of a small molecule inhibitor of Hedgehog pathway. Cell viability was measured by transwell invasion assay, scratch migration assay and CCK-8 test. The expression of the signaling molecules Smoothened, Patched-1, Gli1 and the ligand Shh were tested by western blot and RT-PCR. Results: In this study, we found that hBMSC-derived exosomes promoted MG63 and SGC7901 cell growth through the activation of Hedgehog signaling pathway. Inhibition of Hedgehog signaling pathway significantly suppressed the process of hBMSC-derived exosomes on tumor growth. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated the new roles of hedgehog signaling pathway in the hBMSCs-derived exosomes induced tumor progression.

  7. The Structure and Content of Long-Term and Short-Term Mate Preferences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter K. Jonason

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This study addresses two limitations in the mate preferences literature. First, research all-too-often relies on single-item assessments of mate preferences precluding more advanced statistical techniques like factor analysis. Second, when factor analysis could be done, it exclusively has done for long-term mate preferences, at the exclusion of short-term mate preferences. In this study (N = 401, we subjected 20 items designed to measure short- and long-term mate preferences to both principle components (n = 200 and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 201. In the long-term context, we replicated previous findings that there are three different categories of preferences: physical attractiveness, interpersonal warmth, and social status. In the short-term context, physical attractiveness occupied two parts of the structure, social status dropped out, and interpersonal warmth remained. Across short- and long-term contexts, there were slight changes in what defined the shared dimensions (i.e., physical attractiveness and interpersonal warmth, suggesting prior work that applies the same inventory to each context might be flawed. We also replicated sex differences and similarities in mate preferences and correlates with sociosexuality and mate value. We adopt an evolutionary paradigm to understand our results.

  8. Telomerase reverse transcriptase mediated immortalization of human bone marrow stromal cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Teng

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Primary human bone marrow stromal cells (hMSCs were transfected with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT gene with lipofection method. The hTERT transfected hMSCs of passage 100 underwent chondrogenesis induction with dexamethasone, transforming the growth factor β and vitamin C, osteogenesis induction with dexamethasone, β glycerophosphoric acid and vitamin C, and cardiomyocyte induction with 5-azacytidine. After 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of induction, immunocytochemistry was performed to detect the expressions of type I and II collagen and osteocalcin, and alizarin red staining was performed to detect the bone nodule formation in osteogenesis induction. Immunocytochemistry was carried out to detect the striated muscle actin expression in cardiomyocytes. The hMSCs undergoing successful transfection were positive for the hTERT. The hTERT transfected cells were grown in vitro successfully and passaged for 136 generations. Results showed that these cells could be induced to differentiate into chondrocytes, bone and myocardial cells. Introduction of exogenous hTERT into hMSCs could achieve immortalized hMSCs with the potential of multi-directional differentiation. Thus, these cells could be applied as seed cells in tissue engineering.

  9. Long-Term Memory and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crossland, John

    2011-01-01

    The English National Curriculum Programmes of Study emphasise the importance of knowledge, understanding and skills, and teachers are well versed in structuring learning in those terms. Research outcomes into how long-term memory is stored and retrieved provide support for structuring learning in this way. Four further messages are added to the…

  10. A least squares approach for efficient and reliable short-term versus long-term optimization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Lasse Hjuler; Capolei, Andrea; Jørgensen, John Bagterp

    2017-01-01

    The uncertainties related to long-term forecasts of oil prices impose significant financial risk on ventures of oil production. To minimize risk, oil companies are inclined to maximize profit over short-term horizons ranging from months to a few years. In contrast, conventional production...... optimization maximizes long-term profits over horizons that span more than a decade. To address this challenge, the oil literature has introduced short-term versus long-term optimization. Ideally, this problem is solved by a posteriori multi-objective optimization methods that generate an approximation...... the balance between the objectives, leaving an unfulfilled potential to increase profits. To promote efficient and reliable short-term versus long-term optimization, this paper introduces a natural way to characterize desirable Pareto points and proposes a novel least squares (LS) method. Unlike hierarchical...

  11. Sacrococcygeal teratoma: Clinical characteristics and long-term ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background/Purpose : The excision of sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) may be associated with significant long-term morbidity for the child. We reviewed our experience with SCT in a tertiary health care facility in a developing country with particular interest on the long-term sequelae. Methods : Between January 1990 and ...

  12. Managerial Long-Term Responsibility in Family-Controlled Firms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dietmar Sternad

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Evidence suggests that long-term orientation (LTO as a dominantstrategic logic contributes to the sustainable performance offamily-controlled firms (FCFS. Combining a review of the literatureon lto with stewardship theory and upper echelons theoryreasoning, this article presents a typology of managerial responsibilityand introduces the concept of long-term responsibility as amanagerial characteristic constituting a major driving force behindcreating lto. The antecedents of long-term responsibilityunder family firm-specific conditions (stemming from the familysystem, the governance system, and family-firm managers’ personalcharacteristics are also identified and presented in an integratedmodel. The paper contributes to a more comprehensiveunderstanding of intertemporal choice in fcfs and explains whythey tend to be more long-term oriented than other types of firms.

  13. Research priorities for grassland science: the need of long term integrated experiments networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Lemaire

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Grasslands have to be considered not only as a mean for providing foods for domestic herbivore but also as an important biome of terrestrial biosphere. This function of grasslands as an active component of our environment requires specific studies on the role and impact of this ecosystem on soil erosion and soil quality, quality and quantity of water resources, atmosphere composition and greenhouse gas emission or sequestration, biodiversity dynamics at different scales from field plot to landscape. All these functions have to be evaluated in conjunction with the function of providing animal products for increasing human population. So multifunctionality of grasslands become a new paradigm for grassland science. Environmental and biodiversity outputs require long term studies, being the long term retro-active processes within soil, vegetation and micro-organism communities in relation to changes in management programme. So grassland science needs to carry on long term integrated experimentation for studying all the environmental outputs and ecological services associated to grassland management systems.

  14. Collectes à long terme

    CERN Multimedia

    Collectes à long terme

    2014-01-01

    En cette fin d’année 2014 qui approche à grands pas, le Comité des Collectes à Long Terme remercie chaleureusement ses fidèles donatrices et donateurs réguliers pour leurs contributions à nos actions en faveur des plus démunis de notre planète. C’est très important, pour notre Comité, de pouvoir compter sur l’appui assidu que vous nous apportez. Depuis plus de 40 ans maintenant, le modèle des CLT est basé principalement sur des actions à long terme (soit une aide pendant 4-5 ans par projet, mais plus parfois selon les circonstances), et sa planification demande une grande régularité de ses soutiens financiers. Grand MERCI à vous ! D’autres dons nous parviennent au cours de l’année, et ils sont aussi les bienvenus. En particulier, nous tenons à remercier...

  15. Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate-Enhanced Marrow Stimulation of Chondral Defects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eichler, Hermann; Orth, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow play a critical role in osteochondral repair. A bone marrow clot forms within the cartilage defect either as a result of marrow stimulation or during the course of the spontaneous repair of osteochondral defects. Mobilized pluripotent MSCs from the subchondral bone migrate into the defect filled with the clot, differentiate into chondrocytes and osteoblasts, and form a repair tissue over time. The additional application of a bone marrow aspirate (BMA) to the procedure of marrow stimulation is thought to enhance cartilage repair as it may provide both an additional cell population capable of chondrogenesis and a source of growth factors stimulating cartilage repair. Moreover, the BMA clot provides a three-dimensional environment, possibly further supporting chondrogenesis and protecting the subchondral bone from structural alterations. The purpose of this review is to bridge the gap in our understanding between the basic science knowledge on MSCs and BMA and the clinical and technical aspects of marrow stimulation-based cartilage repair by examining available data on the role and mechanisms of MSCs and BMA in osteochondral repair. Implications of findings from both translational and clinical studies using BMA concentrate-enhanced marrow stimulation are discussed. PMID:28607559

  16. A METHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION OF LONG-TERM DEFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS OF LONG-SPAN HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY BRIDGES USING HIGH-RESOLUTION SAR IMAGES

    OpenAIRE

    Jia, H. G.; Liu, L. Y.

    2016-01-01

    Natural causes and high-speed train load will result in the structural deformation of long-span bridges, which greatly influence the safety operation of high-speed railway. Hence it is necessary to conduct the deformation monitoring and regular status assessment for long-span bridges. However for some traditional surveying technique, e.g. control-point-based surveying techniques, a lot of human and material resources are needed to perform the long-term monitoring for the whole bridge. In this...

  17. CLIMATE CHANGE: LONG-TERM TRENDS AND SHORT-TERM OSCILLATIONS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    GAO Xin-quan; ZHANG Xin; QIAN Wei-hong

    2006-01-01

    Identifying the Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature reconstruction and instrumental data for the past 1000 years shows that climate change in the last millennium includes long-term trends and various oscillations. Two long-term trends and the quasi-70-year oscillation were detected in the global temperature series for the last 140 years and the NH millennium series. One important feature was emphasized that temperature decreases slowly but it increases rapidly based on the analysis of different series. Benefits can be obtained of climate change from understanding various long-term trends and oscillations. Millennial temperature proxies from the natural climate system and time series of nonlinear model system are used in understanding the natural climate change and recognizing potential benefits by using the method of wavelet transform analysis. The results from numerical modeling show that major oscillations contained in numerical solutions on the interdecadal timescale are consistent with that of natural proxies. It seems that these oscillations in the climate change are not directly linked with the solar radiation as an external forcing. This investigation may conclude that the climate variability at the interdecadal timescale strongly depends on the internal nonlinear effects in the climate system.

  18. Impact of long-term and short-term therapies on seminal parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jlenia Elia

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this work was: i to evaluate the prevalence of male partners of subfertile couples being treated with long/short term therapies for non andrological diseases; ii to study their seminal profile for the possible effects of their treatments on spermatogenesis and/or epididymal maturation. Methods: The study group was made up of 723 subjects, aged between 25 and 47 years. Semen analysis was performed according to World Health Organization (WHO guidelines (1999. The Superimposed Image Analysis System (SIAS, which is based on the computerized superimposition of spermatozoa images, was used to assess sperm motility parameters. Results: The prevalence of subjects taking pharmacological treatments was 22.7% (164/723. The prevalence was 3.7% (27/723 for the Short-Term Group and 18.9% (137/723 for the Long-Term Group. The subjects of each group were also subdivided into subgroups according to the treatments being received. Regarding the seminal profile, we did not observe a significant difference between the Long-Term, Short-Term or the Control Group. However, regarding the subgroups, we found a significant decrease in sperm number and progressive motility percentage in the subjects receiving treatment with antihypertensive drugs compared with the other subgroups and the Control Group. Conclusions: In the management of infertile couples, the potential negative impact on seminal parameters of any drugs being taken as Long-Term Therapy should be considered. The pathogenic mechanism needs to be clarified.

  19. The Basel experience with total body irradiation for conditioning patients with acute leukemia for allogenic bone marrow transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Speck, B.; Cornu, P.; Nissen, C.; Gratwohl, A.; Sartorius, J.

    1979-01-01

    We are reporting our experience with 13 patients suffering from end stage acute leukemia that were prepared for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation by combined chemotherapy followed by high dose cyclophosphamide (Cy) and total body irradiation (TBI). Only one patient became a long term survivor. Of the evaluable 12 patients, 6 died of interstitial pneumonia, 4 of GvH and 1 of recurrent leukemia. We conclude that adding combined chemotherapy to the standard conditioning program with Cy and TBI probably increases the risk of developing fatal interstitial pneumonia without eliminating the risk of recurrent leukemia. We suggest that allogenic marrow grafts should be performed earlier in the course of refractory acute leukemias, because in patients with end stage disease its chances of being curative are small

  20. A cost of long-term memory in Drosophila

    OpenAIRE

    Mery, Frederic; Kawecki, Tadeusz J.

    2005-01-01

    Two distinct forms of consolidated associative memory are known in Drosophila: long-term memory and so-called anesthesia-resistant memory. Long-term memory is more stable, but unlike anesthesia-resistant memory, its formation requires protein synthesis. We show that flies induced to form long-term memory become more susceptible to extreme stress (such as desiccation). In contrast, induction of anesthesia-resistant memory had no detectable effect on desiccation resistance. This finding may hel...