WorldWideScience

Sample records for mucopolysaccharides

  1. Acid Mucopolysaccharide of the Crustacean Cuticle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meenakshi, V R; Scheer, B T

    1959-10-30

    The acid mucopolysaccharide found in the crab Hemigrapsus nudus and containing glucose, galactose, and fucose residues is found both in the cuticle and in the digestive gland of the crab. The concentration of mucopolysaccharide is somewhat higher in the cuticle, where it it the only soluble polysaccharide, than in the digestive gland, where it makes up 10 to 25 percent of the total polysaccharide content.

  2. Species of /sup 67/Ga-binding acid mucopolysaccharide in liver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, A.; Ando, I.

    1985-01-01

    It was determined from measuring neutral saccharide in the structure that the principal /sup 67/Ga-binding acid mucopolysaccharide in liver was keratan sulfate and/or keratan polysulfate. On the other hand, it was clarified from the results of mucopolysaccharase treatment that the main /sup 67/Ga-binding acid mucopolysaccharide in liver was neither keratan sulfate, heparan sulfate, heparin, nor chondroitin sulfate A, B and C. Based on the present results, it was deduced that the main /sup 67/Ga-binding acid mucopolysaccharide in liver was keratan polysulfate.

  3. The effect of saponification on the mucopolysaccharides of the ground substance of the human brain: the relation to focal edema and multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feigin, I

    1981-03-01

    The acid mucopolysaccharides of brain tissues are disclosed by their metachromatic staining with toluidine blue following saponification with potassium hydroxide, presumably as a result of the liberation of acid groups previously esterified. Earlier histochemical studies had disclosed the presence of neutral mucopolysaccharides by staining with the periodic acid-Schiff technique, and such staining is intensified by prior saponification. Many biochemical studies have reported the presence of both acid and neutral mucopolysaccharides in brain tissues. Within the white matter following brain edema, the quantity of stained mucopolysaccharides is decreased in the plaques of multiple sclerosis and pontine myelinolysis, and in the lesions of diffuse sclerosis. All of these are characterized by myelin loss with relative preservation of axons. The known physiological effects of the mucopolysaccharides on the water content of normal tissues, and on the properties and diffusability of the increments of fluid that constitute edema, lead to the suggestion that edema may play a major role in the pathogenesis of the demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis.

  4. Sulfated mucopolysaccharides from different types of mastocytes kept in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nader, H.B.

    1978-01-01

    Two different types of mice mastocitomas - solid and/or ascitic - are analysed in detail using a methodology based mainly in azarose gel microelectrophoresis and degradation by specific mucopolysaccharidases. Sulfated mucopolysaccharides are assayed in both types of tumors in cells cultivated in vitro. Radioactive precursors and autoradiographic techniques are used in the research. (M.A.) [pt

  5. Mucopolysaccharides in the trabecular meshwork

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnishi, Yoshitaka; Yamana, Yasuo; Abe, Masahiro

    1982-01-01

    The localization of 35 S-sulfate and 3 H-glucosamine in the trabecular region of the hamster was studied by light and electron microscopic autoradiography after the intraperitoneal injection. Exposed silver grains of 35 S-sulfate were concentrated in the trabecular meshwork, sclera and cornea, and grains of 35 H-glucosamine were localized in the trabecular region. The radioactivity of both isotopes was observed in the Golgi apparatuses of the endothelial cells and fibroblasts in Schlemm's canal and the trabecular meshwork. Thereafter, the grains were noted over the entire cytoplasm, except for the nucleus, and then were incorporated into the amorphous substance and collagen fibers in the juxtacanalicular connective tissue. These results suggest that endothelial cells in the trabecular region synthesize and secrete the sulfated mucopolysaccharides and hyaluronic acid. (author)

  6. Dynamics of hydrated mucopolysaccharides in cartilaginous tissues treated by laser radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omelchenko, Alexander I.; Sobol, Emil N.; Ignatieva, Natalia Y.; Lunin, Valerii V.; Jumel, Kornelia; Harding, Stephen E.; Jones, Nicholas

    2001-05-01

    Dynamic mechanical properties of hydrated mucopolysaccharides have been studied in heated solutions by means of molecular hydrodynamic and acoustic techniques. These experiments model the thermal condition used for laser reshaping of cartilage. It has been shown that elastic modulus and internal friction depends on concentration of chondroitine sulphate in the solution and temperature. Maximum of internal friction was revealed at about 40 degree(s)C that corresponds to temperature of breakdown of hydrophobic bonds. Temperature dependence of internal friction manifests structural changes in polysaccharides molecules under laser heating.

  7. Mucopolysaccharides in the trabecular meshwork. Light and electron microscopic autoradiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ohnishi, Yoshitaka; Yamana, Yasuo; Abe, Masahiro (Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Medicine)

    1982-09-01

    The localization of /sup 35/S-sulfate and /sup 3/H-glucosamine in the trabecular region of the hamster was studied by light and electron microscopic autoradiography after the intraperitoneal injection. Exposed silver grains of /sup 35/S-sulfate were concentrated in the trabecular meshwork, sclera and cornea, and grains of /sup 35/H-glucosamine were localized in the trabecular region. The radioactivity of both isotopes was observed in the Golgi apparatuses of the endothelial cells and fibroblasts in Schlemm's canal and the trabecular meshwork. Thereafter, the grains were noted over the entire cytoplasm, except for the nucleus, and then were incorporated into the amorphous substance and collagen fibers in the juxtacanalicular connective tissue. These results suggest that endothelial cells in the trabecular region synthesize and secrete the sulfated mucopolysaccharides and hyaluronic acid.

  8. Radioprotective effects of shark cartilage mucopolysaccharide preparation on immune nad reproductive organs in male mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luan Jie; Shen Xianrong; Jiang Dingwen; Chen Wei; Lu Min

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the protective effects of shark cartilage mucopolysaccharide preparation (SCMP) on immune and reproductive organs in male mice with irradiation damage induced by γ-rays. Methods: 50 mice were randomly divided into normal control group,model control group, the 0.5g/kg. d SCMP group, the 1.0g/kg. d SCMP group, and the 2.0g/kg. d SCMP group. SCMP was administrated by intragastric infusion with the volume of 0.4ml per 20g. Normal control group and model control group were given the same volume of water. 2 weeks later, all of the mice were irradiated by γ-ray of 60 Co(0.83Gy/h) with the dose of 5 Gy. Peripheral blood WBC, the spleen index(SI), thymus index(TI), the gMNC, testicle index, germ cells were detected. Results: Compared with the modal control group, peripheral blood WBC became significantly higher in the treated groups with 1.0g/kg. d and 2.0g/kg. d SCMP after 3 days by irradiation (P<0.05). TI, BMNC and germ cells were significantly higher in the treated groups with 1.0g/kg. d and 2.0g/kg. d SCMP comparing with the control model group (P<0.05) and SI, and Testicle index was significantly compared with the model group (P<0.05) only in 2.0g/ kg. d SCMP treated group. The germ abnormality rate became lower in SCMP treated groups (P<0.01) in 1.0 and 2.0g/kg. d SCMP group. Conclusion: SCMP has radioprotective effects on immune and reproductive organs in male mice. (authors)

  9. The effects of mucopolysaccharide polysulphate on hydration and elasticity of human skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanitphakdeedecha, Rungsima; Eimpunth, Sasima; Manuskiatti, Woraphong

    2011-01-01

    Background. Mucopolysaccharide polysulphate (MPS) has been used in medicine as an anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic agent for over 50 years. Its chemical structure permits considerable hydrogen bonding with adjacent water molecules, which effectively leads to hydration of the surrounding tissue. In addition, it stimulates endogenous hyaluronate synthesis, resulting in an increase in water-binding capacity and viscoelasticity of the skin. Objective. To study the efficacy of 0.1% MPS on hydration and elasticity of human skin. Methods. The first part of this study was a randomized double blind placebo-controlled study which included 60 female volunteers aged 30-45 years with dry skin, defined by Corneometer CM 825. The volunteers were treated with either 0.1% MPS or vehicle control. All subjects were asked to apply 1 g of cream to their face twice daily for a total period of 4 weeks. Skin hydration and elasticity were measured at baseline and week 4 with Corneometer CM 825 and cutometer MPA 580, respectively, at forehead and both cheeks. The second part of this study focused on the efficacy of 0.1% MPS on skin hydration after single application. 20 female volunteers aged 30-45 years with dry skin, defined by Corneometer CM 825, were recruited to the study. All subjects were asked to apply 2 g of 0.1% MPS cream on entirely randomly selected forearm. Skin hydration at the middle of both forearms was measured at baseline, immediately after application, and every 1 hour after application for a period of 10 hours. Results. 57 subjects (28 in vehicle control group, 29 in MPS) completed treatment protocol. The baseline skin hydration of both groups was not significantly different (P = 0.47). Hower, there was a statistically significant difference in skin hydration at 4 weeks between MPS and placebo group (P = 0.01). Skin elasticity was significantly improved at week 4 in both groups (vehicle-control, P skin elasticity between MPS and vehicle-control group

  10. Behavioural phenotypes of the mucopolysaccharide disorders: a systematic literature review of cognitive, motor, social, linguistic and behavioural presentation in the MPS disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cross, E M; Hare, D J

    2013-03-01

    The mucopolysaccharide disorders (MPS) are a group of recessively inherited metabolic disorders resulting in progressive physical and cognitive decline. MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Embase databases were searched, alongside manual screening, to identify relevant literature. Papers were included in the review if they were published in a peer reviewed journal and conducted empirical research into cognitive, motor, social or linguistic development or behaviour in one or more MPS disorders. Twenty-five papers were reviewed. Two papers used methodology of a sufficiently high standard to demonstrate a behavioural phenotype; both found sleep disturbance to be part of the phenotype of MPS III. Fearfulness and sleep disturbance were frequently observed in people with MPS I and II. Cognitive and motor impairment and decline, and challenging behaviour were highly prevalent in the severe form of MPS II. Cognitive decline and severe behavioural problems relating to aggression, hyperactivity, orality, unusual affect and temper tantrums were seen in MPS III. Sleep disturbance is part of the behavioural phenotype of MPS III, and challenging behaviour is highly prevalent in MPS II and MPS III, therefore the efficacy of behavioural interventions for these populations should be investigated. Further research into the behaviour and adaptive skills of children with MPS III and MPS IV is required.

  11. Acid mucopolysaccharides

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Updated by: Frank A. Greco, MD, PhD, Director, Biophysical Laboratory, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Hospital, Bedford, MA. ... any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should ...

  12. /sup 67/Ga-binding substances in stomach, small intestine, pancreas, and muscle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, Atsushi; Ando, Itsuko; Hirake, Tatsunosuke; Hisada, Kinichi

    1985-11-01

    Normal male rats were injected with either gallium citrate /sup 67/Ga or sodium sulfate /sup 35/S. After 24 h, the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, and muscle were excised and homogenized. After the removal of the nuclear fraction, each of these homogenates was digested with protease. After digestion, the supernatants of the reaction mixtures were applied to a Sephadex-G-100 column. The radioactivity was eluted with buffer solution. The resultant eluates were analyzed for radioactivity and the levels of proteins, uronic acids, and sialic acids. In all four organs, sizable amounts of /sup 67/Ga were bound to sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides with molecular masses of about 10,000 daltons and to sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides, a species whose molecular masses exceed 40,000 daltons. In the stomach, large amounts of /sup 67/Ga were bound to sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides with molecular masses of about 10,000 daltons. From these results, it is obvious that the main /sup 67/Ga-binding substances in these four organs are sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides, and that these acid mucopolysaccharides play the most important role in the concentration of /sup 67/Ga in these organs.

  13. Tumor and liver uptake models of /sup 67/Ga-citrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, A; Ando, I; Sanada, S; Hiraki, T; Hisada, K

    1985-03-01

    After administration /sup 67/Ga concentrates with time in lysosomes from the cytoplasm of liver cells. The lysosomal role in the accumulation of /sup 67/Ga in the liver cell is weakened upon transformation of the liver cell into a malignant tumor cell. In malignant tumors (except for hepatoma) the lysosome does not play a major role in the tumor concentration of /sup 67/Ga. /sup 67/Ga is bound to acid mucopolysaccharides (keratan polysulfate, etc.) in both tumor and liver. In liver cells, large amounts of /sup 67/Ga are transported into lysosomes with these acid mucopolysaccharides, and in hepatoma cells, quite large amounts of /sup 67/Ga are transported into lysosomes with these acid mucopolysaccharides. In malignant tumor cells (except for hepatoma) the effect is much smaller, the acid mucopolysaccharides transporting very little /sup 67/Ga into lysosome. The /sup 67/Ga is concentrated in viable tumor tissue within malignant tissue but hardly at all in necrotic tumor tissue, and concentrates avidly in inflammatory infiltration around tumor cells. Plenty of /sup 67/Ga is found in liver but very little in connective tissue associated with the liver.

  14. Mechanism of tumor and liver concentration of /sup 111/In and /sup 169/Yb: /sup 111/In and /sup 169/Yb binding substances in tumor tissues and liver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, A; Ando, I; Hiraki, T; Takeshita, M; Hisada, K

    1982-07-01

    Tumor-bearing animals were injected with /sup 111/In- and /sup 169/Yb-citrate. Tumor homogenates, from which the nuclear fraction was removed, and the mitochondrial fractions of the host livers were digested with pronase P. After digestion, the supernatants of the reaction mixtures were applied to Sephadex G-100 columns. The resultant eluates were analyzed for radioactivity, protein, uronic acid, and sialic acids. Three peaks of radioactivity were obtained by gel filtration. The first peak, eluted the void volume, contained a species whose molecular weight exceeded 40000. The second peak consisted of substances with molecular weights of 9400-40000. Radioactivity in the third peak was liberated /sup 111/In and /sup 169/Yb. These two nuclides in the second peak were bound to acid mucopolysaccharide and/or the sulfated carbohydrate chain of sulfated glycorprotein. It was thought that the nuclides in the first peak might be bound to some acid mucopolysaccharides. The second peak nuclides seemed to be bound to acid mucopolysaccharide that contained no uronic acids, and/or to the sulfated carbohydrate chain of sulfated glycoprotein. It was concluded that they were bound to the acid mucopolysaccharides and/or the sulfated carbohydrate chain of sulfated glycoprotein in tumor tissues and liver lysosomes.

  15. Mechanism of tumor and liver concentration of /sup 67/Ga: /sup 67/Ga binding substances in tumor tissues and liver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, A; Ando, I; Hiraki, T; Takeshita, M; Hisada, K

    1983-01-01

    Tumor-bearing animals were administered with /sup 67/Ga citrate and tumor homogenates, from which nuclear fraction was removed, and mitochondrial fraction of the host livers were digested with protease (pronase P). After digestion, the supernatants of the reaction mixtures were applied to a Sephadex G-100 column. Resultant eluates were analyzed for radioactivity, protein, uronic acid and sialic acids. Three peaks of radioactivity were obtained by gel filtration. The first peak eluted in the void volume contained a species whose molecular weight exceeded 40,000. The second peak consisted of substances with molecular weights of 9400-40,000. Radioactivity in the third peak was from liberated gallium-67. /sup 67/Ga in the second peak was bound to acid mucopolysaccharide and/or the sulfated carbohydrate chain of sulfated glycoprotein. It was thought that /sup 67/Ga in the first peak might be bound to some acid mucopolysaccharides. Considering the results of cellulose acetate electrophoresis, /sup 67/Ga in the second peak seemed to be bound to acid mucopolysaccharide which contained no uronic acids, and/or to the sulfated carbohydrate chain of sulfated glycoprotein. It was concluded that /sup 67/Ga was bound to the acid mucopolysaccharides and/or the sulfated carbohydrate chain of sulfated glycoprotein in tumor tissues and liver lysosomes.

  16. /sup 67/Ga-binding substances in abscess and normal tissues

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, A; Ando, I; Hiraki, T; Hisada, K; Nitta, K; Ogawa, H

    1984-07-01

    Abscess-induced animals and normal animals were treated with /sup 67/Ga-citrate. Abscess, kidney, heart, lung, and spleen were excised and homogenized. After removal of the nuclear fraction, each of these homogenates was digested with protease. After digestion, the supernatants of the reaction mixtures were applied to a Sephadex G-100 column. Resultant eluates were analyzed for radioactivity, protein, uronic acids, and sialic acids. Sodium sulfate-/sup 35/S was administered to animals that were then treated by the same procedure as that followed for animals treated with /sup 67/Ga-citrate. In abscess, kidney, lung, heart, and spleen, sizeable amounts of /sup 67/Ga had been bound to the sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides with molecular weights of about 10,000, and to the sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides, a species whole molecular weights exceeded 40,000. Based on the results presented here, it is clear that /sup 67/Ga-binding substances in abscess and also in the above four organs are sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides.

  17. Affinity of 167Tm-citrate for tumor and liver tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ando, A.; Ando, I.; Hiraki, T.

    1983-01-01

    Strong affinity of 167 Tm-citrate for tumor tissue was reconfirmed by using Ehrlich tumor. Excellent tumor imaging was obtained with 167 Tm-citrate because of its strong tumor affinity and because of the suitable physical characteristics of 167 Tm. A large amount of 167 Tm had accumulated in the connective tissue which contained inflammatory tissue, quite large amounts were found in areas containing viable and necrotic tumor tissue, and small amounts were present in viable tumor tissue. 167 Tm was not seen in necrotic tumor tissue. It was concluded that lysosomes did not play a major role in the tumor concentration of 167 Tm, but played an important role in the liver concentration of this nuclide. In the case of hepatoma AH109A, it was presumed that lysosomes played a considerably important role in the tumor concentration of 167 Tm, hepatoma AH109A possessing some residual features of the liver. 167 Tm was bound to acid mucopolysaccharides and transposed by the acid mucopolysaccharides in the tumor tissues and liver. The acid mucopolysaccharides to which 167 Tm were bound in tumor and liver, were heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate (or keratosulfate) and heparin (or keratosulfate). (orig.)

  18. Laser biostimulation effects on invertebral disks: histological evidence on intra-observer samples. Retrospective double-blind study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tramontana, Alfonso; Sorge, Roberto; Page, Juan Carlos Miangolarra

    2016-12-30

    Background and aims: The intervertebral disk degeneration is a pathological process determined by a decrease of mucopolysaccharides in the nucleus pulposus with the consequent dehydration and degeneration of the elastic fibers in the annulus fibrosus of the disk. The laser is a therapeutic tool that has, on the treated tissues, biostimulation effects with an increase of oxidative phosphorylation and production of ATP with an acceleration of the mucopolysaccharides synthesis with a consequent rehydration, biostimulation and production of new elastic fibers. The goal of this project is studying whether the laser stimulation may treat degenerated intervertebral disks. Materials and methods: 60 subjects with the same anthropometric parameters were selected and divided into two randomized groups. 30 subjects underwent laser stimulation, whereas 30 underwent placebo. All 60 subjects underwent a discectomy surgery and the intraoperative findings were examined in a lab, studying the positivity of the PAS reaction and the presence of potential newly formed elastic fibers. Results: It has been shown a higher number of mucopolysaccharides and young newly formed elastic fibers in the group that was treated with laser irradiation with a statistically significant difference, compared to the placebo group (pdisks.

  19. Accumulation mechanism of 67Ga-citrate into malignant tumor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Norihisa

    1988-01-01

    In an attempt to explore the accumulation mechanism of Ga-67 in malignant tumors, the role of lysosomes was examined in tumor-bearing mice. Both Ga-67 and Sc-46 radioactivities in the lysosomal fraction were measured by the well type scintilation counter. The disruption of lysosome did not occur in the process of the fractionation procedures because Sc-46 was readily taken up by the lysosome of tumor cells. A large quantity of Ga-67 was taken up by the tumor cytosol and a small quantity was taken up by the tumor lysosome. Both of the nuclides were readily taken up by the liver, with almost the same accumulation rates. Ga-67 was bound to acid mucopolysaccharide with a molecular weight of 10,000 dalton, while Sc-46 was bound to acid mucopolysaccharide whose molecular weight exceeds 40,000 dalton. Lysosomal accumulation in tumor tissues depended on binding substances of these nuclides in tissues. Lysosome did not play an important role in the tumor accumulation of Ga-67. Ga-67 is taken up by tumor tissues and connective tissues, and is bound to acid mucopolysaccharide in these tissues. (Namekawa, K)

  20. /sup 67/GA accumulation in inflammatory lesion and its mechanism: Comparison with malignant tumor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, Atsushi; Ando, Itsuko; Hiraki, Tatsunosuke; Nitta, Kazuo; Ogawa, Hiroshi; Katsuda, Shogo; Tonami, Norihisa; Hisada, Kinichi

    1987-03-01

    The accumulation of /sup 67/Ga in inflammatory lesions increased with time after injection of turpentine oil and reached a plateau 5 days later. At that time the uptake in the lesions was larger than any other tissue, after ten days the lesion uptake decreased. In experiments using rats which has been kept for 5 days after subcutaneous injection of turpentine oil, the accumulation of /sup 67/Ga in inflammatory lesions increased with time until six days after administration of /sup 67/Ga-citrate. It is clear from this study that /sup 67/Ga is avidly accumulated in areas where the subcutaneous tissue is infiltrated with neutrophils and macrophages, that it is not accumulated at the sites in which neutrophils are crowded, that nuclear materials, mitochondria, lysosomes and microsomes do not play a major role in /sup 67/Ga accumulation in the lesion and that the main binding acid in the lesion is a mucopolysaccharide which is none of the following: keratan sulfate, heparan sulfate, heparin, or chondroitin sulfate A, B or C. It is presumed that the main /sup 67/Ga binding acid mucopolysaccharide is keratan polysulfate (or other oversulfate acid mucopolysaccharides).

  1. Vessel wall damage by X-rays and 15 MeV neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aarnoudse, M.W.

    1979-01-01

    In two simple mucopolysaccharide systems, synovial fluid and subcutaneous connective tissue membranes, the degrading effects of 200 kVp X-rays and 15 MeV neutrons is compared. Due to the depolymerization of the mucopolysaccharides the viscosity of synovial fluid decreases and the permeability of the connective tissue membranes for saline increases after irradiation. In both systems a RBE of 0.6 has been found for fast neutrons. The atheromatous changes in the wall of elastic arteries (lipid penetration into the vessel wall and the formation of plaques consisting of large, lipid-filled foam cells) are studied in the carotid arteries of hypercholesterolemic rabbits, two months after irradiating the arteries with different doses of X-rays or neutrons. (Auth.)

  2. Diagnosis of Hunter's syndrome carriers; radioactive sulphate incorporation into fibroblasts in the presence of fructose 1-phosphate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toennesen, T.; Lykkelund, C.; Guettler, F.

    1982-01-01

    Mutual correction of co-cultivated fibroblasts from patients with Hunter's and Hurler's syndrome could be inhibited by either fructose 1-phosphate or mannose 6-phosphate. In the presence of fructose 1-phosphate a 50% mixture of fibroblasts from a patient with Hunter's syndrome and a normal homozygous individual showed an increased 35 S-sulphate incorporation into acid mucopolysaccharides. When fibroblast cultures from one obligate and two possible carriers of Hunter's syndrome were tested for 35 S-sulphate incorporation, the cultures showed either twice the normal 35 S-sulphate incorporation into acid mucopolysaccharides in the presence of fructose 1-phosphate or an abnormally high incorporation in the presence as well as in the absence of the sugar phosphate. (orig.)

  3. Hypothyroidism-induced myocardial damage and heart failure: an overlooked entity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shuvy, Mony; Shifman, Oshrat E Tayer; Nusair, Samir; Pappo, Orit; Lotan, Chaim

    2009-01-01

    Hypothyroid state may induce cardiac muscle impairment such as diastolic dysfunction and abnormal relaxation time. Advanced heart failure in hypothyroid patients has been described only in severe symptomatic cases, mostly during myxedematous coma. We describe an unusual case of asymptomatic patient with hypothyroidism who presented with severely reduced cardiac function with elevated cardiac enzymes reflecting significant myocardial injury. Comprehensive evaluation for heart failure was suggestive only for long-standing untreated hypothyroidism. Endomyocadial biopsy demonstrated unique histological findings of mucopolysaccharide accumulation attributed to hypothyroid state. Asymptomatic hypothyroidism may cause severe reduction in cardiac function accompanied with elevated cardiac enzymes. To our knowledge, this is the first description of human myocardial biopsy revealing mucopolysaccharide accumulation attributed to hypothyroid state.

  4. Llama oviductal sperm reservoirs: involvement of bulbourethral glands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apichela, S A; Argañaraz, M E; Giuliano, S; Zampini, R; Carretero, I; Miragaya, M; Miceli, D C

    2014-04-01

    The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of llama seminal plasma in the formation of oviductal sperm reservoirs. Female llamas with follicles in the mature phase were mated with a bulbourethral glands-removed male. Females mated with nonbulbourethral glands-removed males were used as control. Oviducts were obtained by surgery 24 h after mating. The uterotubal junction and isthmus were examined by scanning electron microscopy, and mucopolysaccharides were identified by Alcian blue staining. To know the proteins probably involved in sperm reservoir formation, SDS-PAGE of seminal plasma (8% and 18% resolving gel) was made. Spermatozoa only adhered to the oviductal mucosa surface of uterotubal junction of females mated with nonbulbourethral glands-removed males confirming that seminal plasma and, in particular, bulbourethral secretions are related with the oviductal sperm reservoir formation. Histological sections showed sperm in the lumen, immersed in substance, positive for acid mucopolysaccharides. Alcian blue staining of seminal plasma proteins SDS-PAGE showed a band of high molecular weight containing mucopolysaccharides, only present in nonbulbourethral glands-removed males. Bulbourethral glands would secrete at least eight different proteins that most likely participate in the process of sperm storage in the oviduct. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  5. Affinity of /sup 167/Tm-citrate for tumor and liver tissue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ando, A; Ando, I; Hiraki, T; Sakamoto, K; Hisada, K; Takeshita, M

    1983-10-07

    Strong affinity of /sup 167/Tm-citrate for tumor tissue was reconfirmed by using Ehrlich tumor. Excellent tumor imaging was obtained with /sup 167/Tm-citrate because of its strong tumor affinity and because of the suitable physical characteristics of /sup 167/Tm. A large amount of /sup 167/Tm had accumulated in the connective tissue which contained inflammatory tissue, quite large amounts were found in areas containing viable and necrotic tumor tissue, and small amounts were present in viable tumor tissue. /sup 167/Tm was not seen in necrotic tumor tissue. It was concluded that lysosomes did not play a major role in the tumor concentration of /sup 167/Tm, but played an important role in the liver concentration of this nuclide. In the case of hepatoma AH109A, it was presumed that lysosomes played a considerably important role in the tumor concentration of /sup 167/Tm, hepatoma AH109A possessing some residual features of the liver. /sup 167/Tm was bound to acid mucopolysaccharides and transposed by the acid mucopolysaccharides in the tumor tissues and liver. The acid mucopolysaccharides to which /sup 167/Tm were bound in tumor and liver, were heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate (or keratosulfate) and heparin (or keratosulfate).

  6. Magnetic resonance imaging of local soft tissue inflammation using gadolinium-DTPA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paajanen, H.; Brasch, R.C.; Schmiedl, U.; Ogan, M.

    1987-01-01

    Chemical inflammation was induced subcutaneously in 10 rats using carrageenan mucopolysaccharide. Dual spin echo (SE) imaging of inflammatory loci was performed employing a 0.35 tesla resistive magnet. In addition, gadolinium-DTPA was administrated intravenously into 5 rats to evaluate the potential benefits of paramagnetic contrast medium for the detection and characterization of inflammatory loci. T2 weighted SE images demonstrated the edematous lesions as zones of high intensity. This was attributed to the increased relaxation times of lesions when compared to the adjacent soft tissue. The inflammation was also delineated on T1 weighted SE images, but only after injection of paramagnetic Gd-DTPA. Carrageenan mucopolysaccharide-induced lesions provide a useful experimental model for in viva evaluation of soft tissue inflammation using magnetic resonance imaging. No special benefit of paramagnetic contrast enhancement was demonstrated in this model of local edema. (orig.)

  7. Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The spermathecal complex of Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli (Diptera: Psychodidae) undergoes histological and physiological changes during its gonotropic cycle. The present histochemical study revealed a mucopolysaccharide secretory mass in the spermathecae of the newly emerged sandfly. Sperm competition occurs ...

  8. The potential of fish production based on periphyton

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dam, van A.A.; Beveridge, M.C.M.; Azim, M.E.; Verdegem, M.C.J.

    2002-01-01

    Periphyton is composed of attached plant and animal organisms embedded in a mucopolysaccharide matrix. This review summarizes research on periphyton-based fish production and on periphyton productivity and ingestion by fish, and explores the potential of developing periphyton-based aquaculture.

  9. Biofilms associated with bowel necrosis: A newly recognised ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    All specimens showed varying degrees of bowel necrosis and an organising acute peritoneal reaction. In addition, all showed colonies of Gram-negative bacteria within a mucopolysaccharide matrix. Conclusions. The identification of biofilms in necrotic bowel has raised questions regarding their clinical implications. Further ...

  10. Relation between the location of elements in the Thomsen-Bohr type periodic table and lysosomal accumulation in tumor and liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ando, Atsushi; Ando, Itsuko

    1989-01-01

    This study was undertaken to evaluate the lysosomal accumulation of radioactive metal ions in tumor and liver, using tumor-bearing animals. From the experimental of lysosomal accumulation and binding substance for nineteen radioactive metal ions, the following results were obtained. Hard and borderline acids which have incomplete d-shells accumulated extensively in lysosomes of tumor and liver with time after administration of these ions. They were bound in these tissues to the acid mucopolysaccharides whose molecular weights exceed 40,000 daltons. Trivalent hard acids (Ga 3+ , In 3+ , Yb 3+ , Tm 3+ ) which have complete d-shells accumulated extensively in the lysosomes of liver, but very little in lysososmes of tumor, and were bound to the acid mucopolysaccharide with a molecular weight of about 10,000 daltons in tissues. It was clear based on these results and the facts reported previously that a very interesting relationship existed between the location of elements in the Thomsen-Bohr type periodic table and the lysosomal accumulation of metal ions

  11. Changes in hypothalamus in continuously irradiated sheep

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arendarcik, J.; Stanikova, A.; Rajtova, V.; Molnarova, M.

    1983-01-01

    Neurosecretion, PAS-positive mucopolysaccharides and the Nissl substance were studied in the neurons of the rostral, medial and caudal hypothalamus of continuously irradiated ewes. The study was performed on 21 ewes of the Slovak Merino breed of a live weight of 34 kg. The animals were in the period of physiological anoestrus and their age was two to three years. The first group of six ewes was the control. The second group included 15 sheep irradiated with a total dose of 6.7 Gy (700 R) for seven days. Co 60 was used as the source of irradiation. The animals of this group were killed seven days following treatment. The ewes in the third group were left for the study of mortality. The brains were perfused with 2% buffered paraformaldehyde immediately after the bleeding of the sheep; then the brains were removed from the skulls and fixed in buffered picroformol. Paraffin slices were stained with haematoxylin-eosine, aldehyde-fuchsine and alcian blue for neurosecretion, by the PAS reaction for mucopolysaccharides and with cresyl violet for the Nissl substance. It was found that irradiation of the whole body inhibited the activity of neurosecretory cells in the rostral and medial hypothalamus, thus reducing neurosecretion. These regions also showed a reduced activity of the PAS reaction used for the demonstration of mucopolysaccharides. The observed changes also included damage of the endothelium of blood vessels with the occurrence of erythrocyte extravasates and with haemorrhages. In this way, the trophism of neurosecretory cells was affected, which is ascribed to the decrease in the amount of neurosecretory material. In the caudal hypothalamus, neurosecretion and PAS-positivity were slightly stimulated by irradiation. The Nissl substance disappeared as a result of irradiation. (author)

  12. Dynamic Response of Vertebral Elements Related to USAF Injury

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-02-01

    eventual loss of mucopolysaccharide matrix from both the hyaline cartilage end plates and fibro- cartilage annulUS« resulting in increased cell...In other studies conducted during this contract period, seven adult Rhesus monkeys have been subjected to implantations of calibrated stress...fibroblasts; 2. Loss of cells from and compression of the circular regions lying between the cartilage end plates and nucleus; 3. Altered staining and

  13. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (ILAR)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-05-12

    neck, reluctance to move, abnormal gait- "walking on eggs" Spine. thoracic Few signs. often moving Slight Short or lumbar immediately aBased on...brains of old dogs (Witniewski et al., 1970). Various forms of arthritis, spondylosis , and degenerative joint disease are common and contribute to problems...collapse of disk spaces, vertebral and long-bone osteopenia. and spondylosis also de- velop. Mucopolysaccharide accumulation in heart valves and coronary ar

  14. Comparison of proteins involved in chondroitin sulfate utilization by three colonic Bacteroides species.

    OpenAIRE

    Lipeski, L; Guthrie, E P; O'Brien, M; Kotarski, S F; Salyers, A A

    1986-01-01

    Three species of colonic bacteria can ferment the mucopolysaccharide chondroitin sulfate: Bacteroides ovatus, Bacteroides sp. strain 3452A (an unnamed DNA homology group), and B. thetaiotaomicron. Proteins associated with the utilization of chondroitin sulfate by B. thetaiotaomicron have been characterized previously. In this report we compare chondroitin lyases and chondroitin sulfate-associated outer membrane polypeptides of B. ovatus and Bacteroides sp. strain 3452A with those of B. thetai...

  15. LANTHANUM STAINING OF THE SURFACE COAT OF CELLS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shea, Stephen M.

    1971-01-01

    Among the techniques which have been reported to stain the surface coat of cells, for electron microscopy, is lanthanum staining en bloc. Similarly, the presence of the cationic dye, Alcian blue 8GX, in a primary glutaraldehyde fixative has been reported to improve the preservation of the surface coat of cells of many types; however, the preserved coat is not very electron opaque unless thin sections are counterstained. The present paper shows that for several rat tissues lanthanum staining en bloc is an effective electron stain for the cell surface, giving excellent contrast, if combined sequentially with prefixation in an aldehyde fixative containing Alcian blue. The cationic substance cetylpyridinium chloride was found to have a similar effect to that of Alcian blue in enhancing the lanthanum staining of the surface coat material of the brush border of intestinal epithelial cells. The patterns of lanthanum staining obtained for the tissues studied strikingly resemble those reported in the literature where tissues are stained by several standard methods for demonstrating mucosubstances at the ultrastructural level. This fact and the reproduction of the effect of Alcian blue by cetylpyridinium chloride constitute a persuasive empirical argument that the material visualized is a mucopolysaccharide or mucopolysaccharide-protein complex. PMID:4108476

  16. Intracytoplasmic Crystalline Inclusions in the Hepatocytes of an Antelope

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    trout [7]. They have never been described in antelopes. The current report describes the his- tological and electron microscopic features of...red O (Figure 2(b)), glycogen with periodic acid-Schiff stain (with and without diastase digestion ) (Figure 2(d)), and acid mucopolysaccharides. The...female Ohrid trout (Salmo letnica Kar.),” Tissue and Cell, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 281–285, 2009. [8] G. S. Murti and R. Borgmann, “Intracytoplasmic periodic

  17. UV-absorbing bacteria in coral mucus and their response to simulated temperature elevations

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ravindran, J.; Kannapiran, E.; Manikandan, B.; Francis, K.; Arora, S.; Karunya, E.; AmitKumar; Singh, S.K.; Jose, J.

    cervicornis. Mol Mar Biol Biotechnol 4: 345-354 Ritchie KB, Smith GW (2004) Microbial communities of coral surface mucopolysaccharide layers. In: Rosenberg E, Loya Y (eds) Coral health and disease. Springer Verlag, New York, pp 269-263 Ritchie KB, Dennis... JH, McGrath T, Smith GW (1994) Bacteria associated with bleached and nonbleached areas of Montastrea annularis. Proceedings 5th symposium: Natural history of Bahamas. San Salvador, Bahamas, Bahamas field station, pp 75-80 Rohwer F, Seguritan V...

  18. Digestion of proteoglycan by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

    OpenAIRE

    Kuritza, A P; Salyers, A A

    1983-01-01

    It has been shown previously that Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a human colonic anaerobe, can utilize the tissue mucopolysaccharide chondroitin sulfate as a source of carbon and energy and that the enzymes involved in this utilization are all cell associated (A. A. Salyers and M. B. O'Brien, J. Bacteriol. 143:772-780, 1980). Since chondroitin sulfate does not generally occur in isolated form in tissue, but rather is bound covalently in proteoglycan, we investigated the extent to which chondro...

  19. Congenital adenoma of the iris and ciliary body: light and electron microscopic observations.

    OpenAIRE

    Rennie, I G; Parsons, M A; Palmer, C A

    1992-01-01

    A 23-year-old man had a lesion in the right inferior iris which appeared to have enlarged since it was first seen when the patient was aged 5 years. The lesion was excised by a partial iridocyclectomy. Histopathologically the neoplasm was composed of both pigmented and non-pigmented cells. Pseudoacini, containing acid mucopolysaccharides, were present throughout the tumour matrix. Electron microscopically the non-pigmented cells were found to possess a convoluted plasmalemma, abundant rough e...

  20. Lung clearance of polydispersed colloidal 198Au particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Addabbo, A.; Fanfani, G.

    1975-01-01

    Lung clearance was studied on a group of subjects over 65 years old and on subjects aged between 30 and 40. A slowing down of material deposited in the bronchial tubes (polydispersed colloidal 198 Au particles) was observed in the senile subjects. This phenomenon is apparently related not only to a reduced activity of the vibratile ciliae, in connection with the frequent metaplasia of the bronchial cylindrical epithelium, but also to a quantitative and qualitative change in the mucopolysaccharides forming the mucus secretion [fr

  1. Dietary cadmium and enteropathy in the Japanese quail: histochemical and ultrastructural studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Richardson, M.E.; Fox, M.R.S.

    1974-01-01

    Cadmium was fed to young Japanese quail, at a level of 75 mg. per kg. of diet, from hatching to 4 weeks of age. Cadmium produced gross, microscopic, and ultrastructural lesions in the proximal small intestine of these quail, similar to those occurring in human malabsorption syndromes, celiac disease, nontropical sprue, and tropical sprue. The small intestines of the quail were dilated and thin walled. Villi were short and thick and had a dense cellular infiltrate in the lamina propria. The striated border was thin but stained for neutral mucopolysaccharides, as did the normal border. Some villi were covered with stratified epithelial cells. Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of goblet were seen, but the mucin stained for weakly acidic mucopolysaccharides, as did the normal cells. At the ultrastructural level, microvilli of both absorptive and goblet cells were markedly shortened, particularly near the tips of the villi. Absorptive cells were atrophic, and there was s diminution of the usual cellular organelles. Granular cisternae were long and tortuous, mitochondria were dense and small, and large lysosome-like bodies and large lipid droplets accumulated in the cytoplasm, but there was a decrease in the normal small, pale and dark lipid droplets. The cellular infiltrate of the lamina propria included groups of plasma cells with dilated cisternae. There were large, irregular, electron-dense bodies in the endothelium of large veins and degeneration of some nerve plexuses in the muscularis propria. 31 references, 21 figures.

  2. [The effect of pectin and cellulose on the metabolism of lipids and complex carbohydrates under experimental conditions].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burmeĭstere, M F; Zhikhare, L Iu; Feldmane, L E; Breĭde, B S

    1976-01-01

    Experiments conducted with albino rats have evidenced that under the effect of an atherogenic ration the level of lipids and cholesterol in the blood plasma and hepatic tissue and of sillac acids in the blood plasma increased. In the aortic intima the content of acid mucopolysaccharides was rising, this being attended by a concurrent swelling of the main interstitial substance and of the collagen fibers in the subendothelial layer. An addition of apple pectin or of cellulose to the atherogenic ration deferred the development of the mentioned changes.

  3. Light and electron microscopic study of the eyelids, conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue and lacrimal gland in Bilgorajska Goose (Anser anser).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klećkowska-Nawrot, Joanna; Nowaczyk, Renata; Goździewska-Harłajczuk, Karolina; Barszcz, Karolina; Kowalczyk, Artur; Łukaszewicz, Ewa

    2016-01-01

    Normal structure of the accessory organs of the eye is essential for normal eye physiology. Among the most important accessory organs of the eye are the eyelids, the conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue (CALT) and the lacrimal gland (LG). The aim of this study was to demonstrate the histological structure of the eyelids and LG by histochemical and ultrastructural analysis. The study was performed on 13 adult female Bilgorajska geese. Eyelid samples were stained with the Alcian blue (AB pH 2.5) and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) methods. Staining methods used for LG were AB pH 2.5, aldehyde fuchsin (AF), PAS and Hale's dialysed iron (HDI). Within the connective tissue of the eyelids, well-developed, diffuse, CALT follicles were observed, mostly under the conjunctival epithelium. Numerous lymphocytes were present within loose connective tissue. Staining of the eyelids with the PAS method demonstrated the presence of goblet cells of a mucous nature, and AB pH 2.5 staining indicated the presence of sulfated acid mucopolysaccharides. PAS staining of LG revealed the presence of secretory cells containing weakly PAS-positive granules. All epithelial cells of the corpus glandulae and the duct systems reacted positively to AB pH 2.5. HDI staining detected the presence of carboxylated acid mucopolysaccharides. Transmission electron microscopy investigations revealed two types of secretory epithelial cells in LG. Both types of LG cells contained drop-like secretory vesicles of different sizes with low or high electron density in cytoplasm, as well as small and large lipid vacuoles, and numerous small primary lysosomes.

  4. A study of muscular tissue of animal origin by reflection-spectroscopy methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plotnikova, L. V.; Nechiporenko, A. P.; Orekhova, S. M.; Plotnikov, P. P.; Ishevskii, A. L.

    2017-06-01

    A comparative analysis of the spectral characteristics of the surface of muscular tissue of animal origin (pork) and its main components has been performed by the methods of diffuse reflection electronic spectroscopy (DRES) and frustrated total internal reflection IR spectroscopy. The experiments have shown that the application of the DRES method makes it possible to detect more pronounced changes in the surface optical characteristics of muscular tissue and obtain electronic spectra containing information about the component composition of its main parts under successive extraction of sarcoplasmic materials, myofibrillar proteins of the actomyosin complex, and stroma mucopolysaccharides.

  5. MRI findings in the mild type of mucopolysaccharidosis II (Hunter's syndrome)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimoda-Matsubayashi, S.; Ito, T.; Hattori, N.; Okuma, Y.; Mizuno, Y.; Kuru, Y.; Sumie, H.

    1990-01-01

    Neuroradiological findings in a 44-year-old male with the typical mild type of Hunter's disease are reported. Cranial MRI revealed patchy areas of increased and decreased signals in T1- and T2-weighted images in the thalamus and the basal ganglia giving rise to a honey comb-like appearance as a whole. The deep white matter showed high signals in the T2-weighted image. To our knowledge, the honey comb-like appearance has never been reported in this disorder. Deposition of mucopolysaccharides and/or glycolipids and increase in fluid content seem to be responsible for these changes. (orig.)

  6. [Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies on mucous cysts].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuroda, N

    1989-01-01

    The present study investigated the histopathology, histochemistry of mucopolysaccharides, and immunohistochemistry of oral mucous cysts. The materials were obtained from ninety cases that were histopathologically diagnosed as oral mucous cysts at the Department of Oral Pathology, Meikai University School of Dentistry. Mucopolysaccharide staining was done with PAS, alcian blue (AB, pH 2.5) and high iron diamine (HID). Immunohistochemical studies were focused on secretory component (SC), lactoferrin (Lf), alpha-amylase (Am), IgA, lysozyme (Ly), and keratin (Kr). The following results were obtained: 1. Histopathological findings. (1) Retention and/or retention-like type cysts occurred in was twenty-six cases and the extravasation type in sixty-four cases. (2) Cases showing epithelial lining of the cystic wall were only eight in number, and many cystic walls were contained granulation tissue (fifty cases). (3) As for inflammation of the cystic wall, the degree was slight, and infiltrated cells were mainly macrophages (so-called mucinophages) and lymphocytes. (4) Regarding adjoining salivary glands, acinar cells showed atrophic changes, and hypertrophy of mucous acinar cells was evident. Many ducts showed dilatation, and stromal connective tissue showed fibrosis and hyalinization. 2. Histochemical findings on mucopolysaccharides. (1) Mucous materials in cystic cavity, mucous acinar cells, and secretory materials in ductal lumens were intensely stained by PAS and AB. But stainability with AB was less than that with PAS staining. Serous acinar cells and ductal epithelium were negative to PAS and AB staining. (2) Stainability of the above with HID was less than at with PAS or AB. Cystic walls were not stained by HID. Mucous acinar cells reactive with HID were intensely stained, but the number of the positive cells was limited when compared with the numbers of PAS-and AB-positive cells. 3. Immunohistochemical findings. (1) As for mucous materials in the cystic cavity

  7. In vivo uptake of /sup 67/Ga-citrate by an experimental abscess and the mechanism of /sup 67/Ga uptake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nitta, Kazuo; Ogawa, Hiroshi [Daiichi Radioisotope Labs. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Ando, Atsushi; Ando, Itsuko; Hiraki, Tatsunosuke

    1983-10-01

    This study was undertaken to investigate the accumulation of /sup 67/Ga in an experimental abscess and to elucidate the mechanism of /sup 67/Ga uptake in the abscess. Two, three, five, seven and ten days after subcutaneous injection of 0.2 ml turpentine to the rats, /sup 67/Ga-citrate was injected to the rats. Twenty-four hours after injection of /sup 67/Ga, abscess and organs were excised and uptake rates of /sup 67/Ga were assayed. Furthermore, five days after subcutaneous injection of 0.2 ml turpentine to the rats, /sup 67/Ga-citrate was injected to the rats, at various time intervals from 10 minutes to 6 days, abscess and organs were excised and uptake rates of /sup 67/Ga were assayed. And subcellular distribution of /sup 67/Ga in abscess was determined at various time intervals after administration of /sup 67/Ga-citrate. On the other hand, to elucidate /sup 67/Ga binding substances in abscess, /sup 67/Ga-citrate and sodium sulfate-/sup 35/S were injected to the above rats, respectively. Twenty-four hours after injection, abscess was excised and homogenized. The homogenate was digested with proteinase. After digestion, the reaction mixture was gelfiltered on Sephadex G-100. Eluate samples were assayed for radioactivity, uronic acid and protein. Uptake rates of /sup 67/Ga in abscess increased with time after injection of turpentine and reached a plateau 5--7 days later./sup 67/Ga was eluted with acid mucopolysaccharides with molecular weights of 9400--40000, and with molecular weight larger than 40000. It was concluded that /sup 67/Ga was bound to the acid mucopolysaccharides (heparan sulfate, etc) in the abscess.

  8. Dietary fat level affecting histochemical radiosensitivity in dorsal aorta in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yousri, R.M.; Roushdy, H.M.; EL-Malkh, N.M.; Ashry, M.A.; Soliman, S.M.

    1988-01-01

    The present work has been conducted to investigate the effect of dietary fat status and/or cumulative whole body gamma radiation exposures up to 15 Gy the histochemical pattern of the dorsal aortas of male albino rats. Experimental animals were fed on either fat-rich or fat-free diet and the observations compared with those fed normal fat diet. The histochemical investigations has been confined to the concentration levels of mucopolysaccharide substance and total lipids. The dorsal aorta normal fat group showed higher content of PAS-positive material in the first two layers of the aorta wall in comparison with decreased amount of collagen fibers was shown in fat-rich group

  9. Hunter′s syndrome: A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N S Savitha

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Hunter′s syndrome or mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS type II is an X-linked recessive mucopolysaccharide disorder caused by a defect in the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs characterized by involvement of nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and mucoskeletal systems along with numerous oral manifestations. This is a case report of a 13-year-old boy referred to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry with a chief complaint of irregularly placed teeth from a general physician. Here we highlight the pivotal role of pediatric dentists in diagnosis and treatment planning for patients diagnosed with such systemic conditions and the provision of advanced dental care in the management of the same.

  10. Aterial connective tissue changes and distribution of 125I-labelled low density lipoprotein in hypertensive pigs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharpe, D.N.; Scott, P.J.; Flint, M.H.; Donald, J.

    1980-01-01

    Young pigs with hypertension of 10 weeks duration, resulting from cellophane perinephritis, were injected with 125 I-labelled low-density lipoprotein ( 125 I LDL) before being killed 24 h or 48 h later. Intimal thickening and increased acid mucopolysaccharide were demonstrated in the aortas and major arteries of the hypertensive animals. Increased accumulation of ( 125 I)LDL was observed in the inner media beneath areas of intimal thickening. It is suggested that the primary effect of hypertension in atherosclerosis is to produce structural changes in arterial connective tissue which allow increased accumulation of LDL by altering the permeability and binding properties of the arterial wall. (author)

  11. An inventory of factors that affect polysaccharide production by Phaeocystis globosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Rijssel, M.; Janse, I.; Noordkamp, D. J. B.; Gieskes, W. W. C.

    2000-08-01

    Phaeocystis material contains polysaccharides that are built from at least eight different monosaccharides. Differences have been reported between the carbohydrate composition of different Phaeocystis species, and also between samples taken from Phaeocystis globosa blooms in different areas. In order to elucidate factors that could play a role in determining variation in carbohydrate composition and production, a number of Phaeocystis globosa strains were studied under laboratory conditions. Although there was a clear distinction of a northern and a southern cluster in the Phaeocystis globosa strains based on RAPD analysis, the differences in the composition of the mucopolysaccharides were relatively small. The contribution of glucose, however, ranged from 7-85% of total sugars. A strain that was cultured in seawaters of diverse origin produced polysaccharides of a different composition, suggesting the effect of environmental factors. The presence of bacteria affected neither the amount, nor the composition of the carbohydrates that were produced by Phaeocystis globosa. Glucose is part of both the intracellular polysaccharide pool and of the mucopolysaccharides in the colony matrix. Using specific digestion of the intracellular chrysolaminaran by laminarinase, the distribution of polysaccharides over different pools could be assessed. During growth of an axenic, mucus-producing strain, the portion of glucose present as chrysolaminaran appeared to increase. The polyglucose that was not digested by laminarinase remains unidentified. This study shows that environmental factors rather than strain differences determine differences in the sugar composition of Phaeocystis globosa, especially with respect to the glucose content of the material. A difference in the contribution of glucose could be correlated to the portion of cells in the culture that are not in the colonies. Our study emphasises that for studying polysaccharide dynamics in Phaeocystis globosa it is

  12. Histological and histochemical studies on liver of rat subjected to synergistic effect of natural and synthetic food colorants and/or gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soliman, O.; Hafez, M. N.; Abd El Maguid, A.

    2007-01-01

    The present work has been carried out to detect some histological and histochemical changes in the liver of albino rats after oral administration of a mixture of the synthetic food colorants tartrazine and brilliant blue and/ or gamma-irradiation (5 Gy). The possible ameliorative effect of the natural food colorant beta-carotene (30 mg/ kg body wt) orally administered with the synthetic food colorants tartrazine and brilliant blue and irradiation was evaluated. Rats were divided into five groups: 1- Control group. 2- Group received a food colorant mixture of tartrazine and brilliant blue (100 mg/ kg body wt). 3- Group received gamma-irradiation at 5 Gy. 4-Animals received the food colorant mixture for 2 weeks and were irradiated. 5- Animals received beta-carotene (30 mg/ kg body wt) with the food colorant mixture for 2 weeks and were then irradiated (5 Gy). Administration of tartrazine and brilliant blue caused histopathological and histochemical changes in the liver of rat manifested by haemorrhage, vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes, dilatation of blood sinusoids, scattered necrotic areas and a decrease in the mucopolysaccharides content. The radiation caused infiltration of inflammatory cells in the portal area, necrosis with pyknosis and karyolysis of nuclei and a decrease in the mucopolysaccharide content of hepatic cells 1 and 3 days post-irradiation. The present work also showed that the natural food colorant beta-carotene reduced the toxicity of the synthetic food colorants tartrazine and brilliant blue and gamma-irradiation when the natural pigment was given together with the synthetic dyes used as food additives. In conclusion, synthetic food colours and/ or radiation induced histopathological and histochemical disturbances in rats. On the other hand, administration of the natural food colorant beta-carotene had a significant protective role against the damaging effects induced by these synthetic colours mixture

  13. Comparative morphology of changeable skin papillae in octopus and cuttlefish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Justine J; Bell, George R R; Kuzirian, Alan M; Velankar, Sachin S; Hanlon, Roger T

    2014-04-01

    A major component of cephalopod adaptive camouflage behavior has rarely been studied: their ability to change the three-dimensionality of their skin by morphing their malleable dermal papillae. Recent work has established that simple, conical papillae in cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) function as muscular hydrostats; that is, the muscles that extend a papilla also provide its structural support. We used brightfield and scanning electron microscopy to investigate and compare the functional morphology of nine types of papillae of different shapes, sizes and complexity in six species: S. officinalis small dorsal papillae, Octopus vulgaris small dorsal and ventral eye papillae, Macrotritopus defilippi dorsal eye papillae, Abdopus aculeatus major mantle papillae, O. bimaculoides arm, minor mantle, and dorsal eye papillae, and S. apama face ridge papillae. Most papillae have two sets of muscles responsible for extension: circular dermal erector muscles arranged in a concentric pattern to lift the papilla away from the body surface and horizontal dermal erector muscles to pull the papilla's perimeter toward its core and determine shape. A third set of muscles, retractors, appears to be responsible for pulling a papilla's apex down toward the body surface while stretching out its base. Connective tissue infiltrated with mucopolysaccharides assists with structural support. S. apama face ridge papillae are different: the contraction of erector muscles perpendicular to the ridge causes overlying tissues to buckle. In this case, mucopolysaccharide-rich connective tissue provides structural support. These six species possess changeable papillae that are diverse in size and shape, yet with one exception they share somewhat similar functional morphologies. Future research on papilla morphology, biomechanics and neural control in the many unexamined species of octopus and cuttlefish may uncover new principles of actuation in soft, flexible tissue.

  14. Unilateral exophthalmos in primary hyperthyroidism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, C. Y.; Kim, Y. J.; Choi, K. O.

    1980-01-01

    The exophthalmos of Graves' disease remains a pathophysiologic and therapeutic puzzle. Its relation to the hyperthyroidism of Grave's disease is far from clarified. It is a common clinical observation that exophthalmos does not often relate temporally with the onset of hyperthyroidism. Furthermore, exophthalmos may occur in patients who have no evidence of thyroid disease. Pathologically, exophthalmos is characterized by marked lymphocytic infiltration of the retro-orbital muscles, with edema and mucopolysaccharide deposition. Recently, cellular immunity in response to retro-orbital antigens and abnormal humoral immunity are suggested for the pathogenesis of exophthalmos. We experienced 2 patients with hyperthyroidism and unilateral exophthalmos. The clinical and laboratory features of the patients are presented with review of articles, with emphasis on pathogenesis.

  15. Fermentation of mucin and plant polysaccharides by strains of Bacteroides from the human colon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salyers, A A; Vercellotti, J R; West, S E; Wilkins, T D

    1977-01-01

    Ten Bacteroides species found in the human colon were surveyed for their ability to ferment mucins and plant polysaccharides ("dietary fiber"). A number of strains fermented mucopolysaccharides (heparin, hyaluronate, and chondroitin sulfate) and ovomucoid. Only 3 of the 188 strains tested fermented beef submaxillary mucin, and none fermented porcine gastric mucin. Many of the Bacteroides strains tested were also able to ferment a variety of plant polysaccharides, including amylose, dextran, pectin, gum tragacanth, gum guar, larch arabinogalactan, alginate, and laminarin. Some plant polysaccharides such as gum arabic, gum karaya, gum ghatti and fucoidan, were not utilized by any of the strains tested. The ability to utilize mucins and plant polysaccharides varied considerably among the Bacteroides species tested. PMID:848954

  16. Carcinoid heart disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen A. Geller

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The images are of the tricuspid valve and the pulmonic valve from the autopsy of a patient with mid-gut neuroendocrine carcinoma, carcinoid pattern, extensively metastatic to the liver. The patient had typical “carcinoid syndrome,” including clinical evidence of tricuspid and pulmonic stenosis and insufficiency. The tricuspid valve (left shows slight retraction and distortion by the overlying endothelial deposition of plaque composed of acid mucopolysaccharide-rich matrix with varying amounts of smooth muscle cells and collagen fibers. The plaque material causes partial coalescence of chordae tendinae with effacement of the usual delicate strands. The pulmonic valve (right shows more marked distortion with shrinkage and obliteration of cusps and coalescence at the commissures. Beneath the plaque the valves are intact.

  17. Oxygen dynamics in periphyton communities and associated effects on phosphorus release from lake sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carlton, R.G.

    1986-01-01

    Periphyton is typically a heterogeneous assemblage of filamentous and single celled photoautotrophic and heterotrophic micoorganisms suspended in a mucopolysaccharide matrix which they produce. By definition, the assemblage is attached to a substratum such as rock, sediment, or plant in an aquatic environment. Microtechniques with high spatial and temporal resolution are required to define metabolic interactions among the heterotrophic and autotrophic constituents, and between periphyton and its environment. This study used oxygen sensitive microelectrodes with tip diameters of 32 P radiotracer and that permitted manipulation of the velocity, flushing rate, and oxygen concentration of overlying water was developed to investigate the role of photosynthetic oxygen production on the phosphorus dynamics in lake sediments colonized by epipelic periphyton. 89 refs., 20 figs

  18. No evidence of a causal relationship between hypothyroidism and glaucoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thvilum, Marianne; Brandt, Frans; Brix, Thomas Heiberg

    2018-01-01

    Background An interrelationship between hypothyroidism and glaucoma, due to a shared autoimmune background or based on deposition of mucopolysaccharides in the trabecular meshwork in the eye, has been suggested but is at present unsubstantiated. Therefore, our objective was to investigate......-hypothyroid controls according to age and sex. Prevalence of glaucoma was recorded and cases and controls were followed over a mean of 7.1 years (range 0±17). Logistic and Cox regression models were used to assess the risk of glaucoma before and after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, respectively. Results Overall, we...... found a higher prevalence of glaucoma in subjects with hypothyroidism as compared to controls (4.6% vs. 4.3%, p glaucoma [1.09; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.13]. Based on the Cox regression...

  19. Galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase activity in Morquio syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yutaka, T.; Okada, S.; Kato, T.; Inui, K.; Yabuuhi, H.

    1982-01-01

    The authors have prepared a new substrate, o-β-D-sulfo-galactosyl-(1-4)-β-D-6-sulfo-2-acetamido-2-deoxyglucosyl-(1-4)-D-[1- 3 H]galactitol, from shark cartilage keratan sulfate, for the assay of galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase activity. Using this substrate, they found there was a striking deficiency of galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase activity, in addition to the known deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfate sulfatase, in the cultured skin fibroblasts of patients with Morquio syndrome. Their results could be explained by the hypothesis that accumulation of keratan sulfate and chondroitin 6-sulfate in Morquio syndrome is due to a deficiency of galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase and N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfate sulfatase activity, which are necessary for the degradation of these two mucopolysaccharides. (Auth.)

  20. Galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase activity in Morquio syndrome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yutaka, T.; Okada, S.; Kato, T.; Inui, K.; Yabuuhi, H. (Osaka Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine)

    1982-07-01

    The authors have prepared a new substrate, o-..beta..-D-sulfo-galactosyl-(1-4)-..beta..-D-6-sulfo-2-acetamido-2-deoxyglucosyl-(1-4)-D-(1-/sup 3/H)galactitol, from shark cartilage keratan sulfate, for the assay of galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase activity. Using this substrate, they found there was a striking deficiency of galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase activity, in addition to the known deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfate sulfatase, in the cultured skin fibroblasts of patients with Morquio syndrome. Their results could be explained by the hypothesis that accumulation of keratan sulfate and chondroitin 6-sulfate in Morquio syndrome is due to a deficiency of galactose 6-sulfate sulfatase and N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfate sulfatase activity, which are necessary for the degradation of these two mucopolysaccharides.

  1. [Functional morphology of the submandibular salivary glands of white rats during aging involution].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rybakova, M G

    1979-12-01

    Functional morphology of different zones of submandibular glands of albino rats was studied quantitatively with due regard for the stages of neuroendocrine system involution. It is shown that function of salivary glands during ageing is not altered; cyclic fluctuations with estral cycle phases are maintained similarly to those in young animals. But the basal level of proteins and mucopolysaccharides is reduced, their mean levels being equal to the minimal level in young animals. On the other hand, activation of enzymes responsible for energy and transport processes takes place and their relationships change. The data obtained prove the relationship between salivary and endocrine glands and confirm the viewpoint that in early age involution disintegration occurs between different parameters of the functional activity of salivary glands rather than there take place changes in their function.

  2. X-ray microanalysis of black piedra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Figueras, M J; Guarro, J

    1997-11-01

    The elements present in the fungal structures produced by Piedraia hortae in vivo and in vitro have been investigated using electron microscopy X-ray microanalysis. Phosphorus, sulphur and calcium were detected in the nodules which developed on hair and on colonies on culture. These elements belong to the extracellular material that compacts the pseudoparenchymatous organization of the fungus. They may be present due to the capacity of melanin-like pigments to sequester ions and/or they may form part of the sulphates and phosphates of the polyanionic mucopolysaccharides that constitute the extracellular material. Environmental contaminants such as aluminium, silicon and iron were detected exclusively on the surface of the nodule. They were deposited or linked to the residual molecules produced during the breakdown of the cuticular keratin. The advantages of these techniques for elucidating the chemical nature of fungal structures are discussed.

  3. In vitro binding of 67Ga to Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kojima, S.; Kubodera, A.

    1984-01-01

    The binding of 67 Ga to Ehrlich ascites tumor cells (ETC) was studied in vitro. Acid mucopolysaccharide (AMPS) present at the cell surface of ETC was identified as heparan sulfate (HS). The extent of 67 Ga binding to ETC reached a plateau (ca. 10% of the added dose) at 1-2 h after the start of incubation. The binding was higher under neutral or alkaline conditions than under acidic conditions. Heparin and heparitinase treatment both significantly decreased the extent of 67 Ga binding to ETC. Mild treatment with protease, including trypsin or papain, also decreased the binding. On the contrary, the treatment with trypsin under severe conditions markedly increased the extent of 67 Ga binding to ETC. These results support the hypothesis that HS plays an important role as a 67 Ga receptor in the mechanism of gallium binding to ETC. (orig.)

  4. Distribution of heparin-/sup 67/Ga in tumor-bearing rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hiraki, T; Ando, A; Sanada, S [Kanazawa Univ. (Japan). School of Paramedicine; Ando, I; Hisada, K

    1976-06-01

    Heparin is a kind of acidic mucopolysaccharide. The distribution of heparin-/sup 67/Ga complex in tumor-bearing rats was investigated by administering it to rats into which Yoshida sarcoma had been transplanted subcutaneously. These rats were sacrificed at 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and 3 hours after injection. Radioactivity of the tumor, blood, muscle, liver, kidney, spleen and urine were measured with a well-type scintillation counter. Retention values in these organs and excretion rates in the urine were calculated. Excretion rates (%/dose) of heparin-/sup 67/Ga in 10 min., 30 min., 1 hour, and 3 hours were 38.2%, 67.5%, 79.5% and 78.0%, respectively. From these facts, it was thought that heparin-/sup 67/Ga complex was not suitable for tumor scanning, but that this compound might be a suitable agent for the renal function test.

  5. Bioactive compounds of sea cucumbers and their therapeutic effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Shujuan; Feng, Wenjing; Hu, Song; Liang, Shixiu; An, Nina; Mao, Yongjun

    2016-05-01

    Sea cucumbers belong to the Class Holothuroidea of marine invertebrates. They are commercially valuable and prized as a food and folk medicine in Asia. Nutritionally, sea cucumbers have an impressive profile of valuable nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids. A number of unique biological and pharmacological activities/properties, including anticancer, anticoagulant/antithrombotic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antihypertension and radioprotective, have been ascribed to various compounds isolated from sea cucumbers. The therapeutic properties and medicinal benefits of sea cucumbers can be linked to the presence of a wide array of bioactives, especially triterpene glycosides, acid mucopolysaccharide, sphingoid bases, glycolipids, fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, polysaccharides, phospholipids, cerebrosides, phosphatidylcholines, and other extracts and hydrolysates. This review highlights the valuable bioactive components as well as the multiple therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers with a view to exploring their potential uses as functional foods and a natural source of new multifunctional drugs.

  6. ACS labelled with sup(99m)Tc and cartilage scintigraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dupuy, J.C.; Harmand, M.F.; Blanquet, P.

    1976-01-01

    ACS, chondroitine-sulphate acid, is the principal mucopolysaccharide of cartilagineous substance. We therefore thought it of interest to label this molecule with sup(99m)Tc so as to obtain a scintigraphic image of cartilagineous formations. sup(99m)Tc-pyrophosphate and the sup(99m)Tc-polyphosphates permit simultaneous imaging of hyperactive zones in bone and cartilage. The ACS-labelling technique is based on the reduction of sup(99m)Tc-pertechnetate by the tin-II-ion. Sephadex-gel chromatography at different pH-levels was used to study labelling gain, under optimum conditions it can attain 85%. The labelled product was administered intravenously and studied in rat and rabbit. An identical biological half-life of 15 minutes was found for both species. Scintigraphes from rabbits permitted clear visualization of the epiphyses of tubular bones, intervertebral cartilage, and auricular cartilage. These encouraging results point to interesting clinical applications

  7. [Lysozyme in the treatment of juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis. A new concept in its etiopathogenesis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altamar-Ríos, J

    1990-01-01

    The A. inform about the results achieved with lysozyme chlorhydrate in the treatment of 15 patients with juvenile laryngeal papillomatosis. The lysozyme is an electropositive enzyme which synthesis is related to the degree of proteins and vitamin B complex ingestion. Lysozyme is a component of the immunitary inespecific system, serving to prevent against HPV-DNA at the level of the secretory film of the mucociliary apparatus of the respiratory mucous membrane. Furthermore, lysozyme hydrolyzes the mucopolysaccharide of the connective tissue and inhibits the virus-DNA replication. 100-300 mgr daily during 30-60 days simultaneously with hyperproteic diet and vitamin B complex (after correction of the nutrimental deficiencies) brought about the evanishment of papillomatosis. The A. suggest that the predisposition to infection by virus DNA is primarily of immunitary origin, because of lysozyme deficiency, and secondary due to a low intake of proteins and vitamin B complex.

  8. Complete genome sequence of Pedobacter heparinus type strain (HIM 762-3T)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Cliff; Spring, Stefan; Lapidus, Alla; Glavina Del Rio, Tijana; Tice, Hope; Copeland, Alex; Cheng, Jan-Fang; Lucas, Susan; Chen, Feng; Nolan, Matt; Bruce, David; Goodwin, Lynne; Pitluck, Sam; Ivanova, Natalia; Mavrommatis, Konstantinos; Mikhailova, Natalia; Pati, Amrita; Chen, Amy; Palaniappan, Krishna; Land, Miriam; Hauser, Loren; Chang, Yun-Juan; Jefferies, Cynthia C.; Saunders, Elizabeth; Chertkov, Olga; Brettin, Thomas; Goker, Markus; Rohde, Manfred; Bristow, James; Eisen, Jonathan A.; Markowitz, Victor; Hugenholtz, Philip; Kyrpides, Nikos C.; Klenk, Hans-Peter; Detter, John C.

    2009-05-20

    Pedobacter heparinus (Payza and Korn 1956) Steyn et al. 1998 comb. nov. is the type species of the rapidly growing genus Pedobacter within the family Sphingobacteriaceae of the phylum 'Bacteroidetes'. P. heparinus is of interest, because it was the first isolated strain shown to grow with heparin as sole carbon and nitrogen source and because it produces several enzymes involved in the degradation of mucopolysaccharides. All available data about this species are based on a sole strain that was isolated from dry soil. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence, and annotation. This is the first report on a complete genome sequence of a member of the genus Pedobacter, and the 5,167,383 bp long single replicon genome with its 4287 protein-coding and 54 RNA genes is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.

  9. A Potential Adjuvant Agent of Chemotherapy: Sepia Ink Polysaccharides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fangping Li

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Sepia ink polysaccharide (SIP isolated from squid and cuttlefish ink is a kind of acid mucopolysaccharide that has been identified in three types of primary structures from squid (Illex argentinus and Ommastrephes bartrami, cuttlefish Sepiella maindroni, and cuttlefish Sepia esculenta ink. Although SIP has been proved to be multifaceted, most of the reported evidence has illuminated its chemopreventive and antineoplastic activities. As a natural product playing a role in cancer treatment, SIP may be used as chemotherapeutic ancillary agent or functional food. Based on the current findings on SIP, we have summarized four topics in this review, including: chemopreventive, antineoplastic, chemosensitive, and procoagulant and anticoagulant activities, which are correlative closely with the actions of anticancer agents on cancer patients, such as anticancer, toxicity and thrombogenesis, with the latter two actions being common causes of death in cancer cases exposed to chemotherapeutic agents.

  10. Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in individuals with Mucopolysaccharide Disease Type III (Sanfilippo Syndrome): a systematic review

    OpenAIRE

    Wolfenden, C.; Wittkowski, A.; Hare, Dougal

    2017-01-01

    The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in many genetic disorders is well documented but not as yet in Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III). MPS III is a recessively inherited metabolic disorder and evidence suggests that symptoms of ASD present in MPS III. This systematic review examined the extant literature on the symptoms of ASD in MPS III and quality assessed a total of 16 studies. Results indicated that difficulties within speech, language and communication consistent with ...

  11. Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Individuals with Mucopolysaccharide Disease Type III (Sanfilippo Syndrome): A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolfenden, C; Wittkowski, A; Hare, D J

    2017-11-01

    The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in many genetic disorders is well documented but not as yet in Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III). MPS III is a recessively inherited metabolic disorder and evidence suggests that symptoms of ASD present in MPS III. This systematic review examined the extant literature on the symptoms of ASD in MPS III and quality assessed a total of 16 studies. Results indicated that difficulties within speech, language and communication consistent with ASD were present in MPS III, whilst repetitive and restricted behaviours and interests were less widely reported. The presence of ASD-like symptoms can result in late diagnosis or misdiagnosis of MPS III and prevent opportunities for genetic counselling and the provision of treatments.

  12. Ultraviolet radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hawk, J.

    1986-01-01

    Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun or artificial sources is reflected or transmitted at the surface of the skin, about 5% of normally incident rays being directly reflected. The transmitted fraction is scattered, photochemically absorbed or dissipated as heat within the skin, or passes from it to contribute to the variable total amount of reflected and transmitted radiation. The UVR absorbers in skin are not definitely known, but DNA is a definite target and probably lipoprotein membranes, RNA, proteins, mucopolysaccharides, elastin and collagen. Photochemical or free radical damage to absorber or nearby organelles leads to pharmacological, ultrastructural, histological and clinical changes. Most frequent DNA damage is pyrimidine dimer formation, apparently inhibiting cell function and replication. This is largely enzymatically repaired in man in the dark by excision repair, post-replication repair and possible other enzymatic mechanisms, and at least in some organisms by light-induced photoreactivation repair. UVR exposure causes well recognized acute and chronic clinical syndromes in man. These are discussed in this paper

  13. Quantal basis of vesicle growth and information content, a unified approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nitzany, Eyal; Hammel, Ilan; Meilijson, Isaac

    2010-09-07

    Secretory vesicles express a periodic multimodal size distribution. The successive modes are integral multiples of the smallest mode (G(1)). The vesicle content ranges from macromolecules (proteins, mucopolysaccharides and hormones) to low molecular weight molecules (neurotransmitters). A steady-state model has been developed to emulate a mechanism for the introduction of vesicles of monomer size, which grow by a unit addition mechanism, G(1)+G(n)-->G(n+1) which, at a later stage are eliminated from the system. We describe a model of growth and elimination transition rates which adequately illustrates the distributions of vesicle population size at steady-state and upon elimination. Consequently, prediction of normal behavior and pathological perturbations is feasible. Careful analysis of spontaneous secretion, as compared to short burst-induced secretion, suggests that the basic character-code for reliable communication should be within a range of only 8-10 vesicles' burst which may serve as a yes/no message. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Safe intubation in Morquio-Brailsford syndrome: A challenge for the anesthesiologist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Souvik Chaudhuri

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Morquio-Brailsford syndrome is a type of mucopolysaccharidoses. It is a rare disease with features of short stature, atlantoaxial instability with risk of cord damage, odontoid hypoplasia, pectus carinatum, spine deformities, hepatomegaly, and restrictive lung disease. Neck movements during intubation are associated with the risk of quadriparesis due to cervical instability. This, along with the distortion of the airway anatomy due to deposition of mucopolysaccharides makes airway management arduous. We present our experience in management of difficult airway in a 3-year-old girl with Morquio-Brailsford syndrome posted for magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography scan of a suspected unstable cervical spine. As utmost sagacity during intubation is required, the child was intubated inside operation theatre in the presence of experienced anesthesiologists and then shifted to the peripheral location. Intubation was done with an endotracheal tube railroaded over a pediatric fibreoptic bronchoscope passed through the lumen of a classic laryngeal mask airway, keeping head in neutral position.

  15. Effects of recombinant eel growth hormone on the uptake of ( sup 35 S)sulfate by ceratobranchial cartilages of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duan, C.M.; Inui, Y. (Univ. of Tokyo (Japan))

    1990-08-01

    Effects of growth hormone (GH) on the synthesis of mucopolysaccharide by ceratobranchial cartilages of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, were examined by monitoring the in vitro uptake of ({sup 35}S)sulfate. The ({sup 35}S)sulfate uptake decreased rapidly to one-third of the initial level during the first 3 days after hypophysectomy, and decreased gradually thereafter. When hypophysectomized eels were injected intramuscularly with recombinant eel GH (2 micrograms/g), the plasma GH concentrations increased maximally after 6 hr, and declined rapidly thereafter. On the other hand, the sulfate uptake increased significantly after 12 hr, and high levels were maintained until 48 hr. The stimulating effect of GH was dose dependent (0.02-2 micrograms/g). However, the addition of eel GH (0.05-5 micrograms/ml) to the culture medium did not affect the sulfate uptake by hypophysectomized eel cartilages, suggesting that the stimulative action of GH on the sulfate uptake by the cartilages is indirect.

  16. Bentall operation, total aortic replacement and mitral valve replacement for a young adult with Marfan syndrome: a case of three-staged operation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inui, K; Shimazaki, Y; Watanabe, T; Kuraoka, S; Minowa, T; Miura, M; Oshikiri, S; Toyama, H

    1998-08-01

    In Marfan syndrome, the most common cardiovascular abnormalities are dilatation of the aorta and aortic valve regurgitation in adult patients. Mitral valve dysfunction is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and children with Marfan syndrome, and is not frequently operated on in adult Marfan patients who undergo surgery for diseases of the aortic root and total aorta. This report describes a successfully three-staged operation for a 24 year-old man with Marfan syndrome who underwent an emergent Bentall operation and aortic arch replacement, total aortic replacement and mitral valve replacement over 2 years. Mitral valve regurgitation was mild but increased after the second operation. The graft was tightly adhesive and invasive to the sternum. Endoscopic view was helpful to avoid graft damage at resternotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful in each operation. Microscopic examination of the mitral valve leaflets showed abnormal increase of mucopolysaccharides, and disruption and fragmentation of elastic fibers.

  17. Correlation of two-dimensional echocardiography and pathologic findings in porcine valve dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forman, M B; Phelan, B K; Robertson, R M; Virmani, R

    1985-02-01

    Two-dimensional echocardiographic findings in porcine valve dysfunction were compared with pathologic findings in 10 patients (12 valves). Three specific echocardiographic findings were identified in patients with regurgitant lesions: prolapse, fracture and flail leaflets. Prolapse was associated pathologically with thinning of the leaflets, longitudinal tears close to the ring margin and acid mucopolysaccharide accumulation. Valve fracture was seen with and without prolapse and was accompanied pathologically by small pinpoint perforations or tears of the leaflet. A flail leaflet was seen with a linear tear of the free margin and was associated with calcific deposits. Mild degrees of fracture seen pathologically were missed on the echocardiographic study in five patients. Thickening or calcification, when present in moderate or severe amounts, was correctly identified by echocardiography. When all abnormal features were considered collectively, two-dimensional echocardiography correctly identified at least one of them in all patients. Therefore, two-dimensional echocardiography may prove useful in assessing the source of valvular regurgitation in patients with bioprosthetic valves.

  18. Development of Mucoadhesive Chitosan Derivatives for Use as Submucosal Injections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hidemi Hattori

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD have been used for surgical treatment of early gastric cancer. These endoscopic techniques require proper submucosal injections beneath the tumor to provide a sufficiently high submucosal fluid cushion (SFC to facilitate clean dissection and resection of the tumor. Until now, the submucosal injection materials developed for endoscopic techniques such as EMR and ESD of tumors have been composed of macromolecules, proteins, or polysaccharides. We have been investigating the use of chitosan, a product that is obtained by the alkaline deacetylation of chitin, the second-most abundant natural polysaccharide. Specifically, we have been studying a photocrosslinked chitosan hydrogel (PCH and solubilized chitosan derivatives for use as novel submucosal injections for endoscopic techniques. Notably, chitosan derivatives with lactose moieties linked to the amino groups of its glucosamine units can specifically interact with acidic mucopolysaccharides and mucins in submucosa without the need for the incorporation of harmful photoreactive groups nor potentially mutagenic ultraviolet irradiation.

  19. Effects of organic solvents on hyaluronic acid nanoparticles obtained by precipitation and chemical crosslinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bicudo, Rafaela Costa Souza; Santana, Maria Helena Andrade

    2012-03-01

    Hyaluronic acid is a hydrophilic mucopolysaccharide composed of alternating units of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. It is used in many medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications, as sponges, films, or particle formulations. Hyaluronic acid nanoparticles can be synthesized free of oil and surfactants by nanoprecipitation in organic solvents, followed by chemical crosslinking. The organic solvent plays an important role in particles size and structure. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of acetone, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol on the synthesis and physico-chemical properties of hyaluronic acid nanoparticles. Particles were crosslinked with adipic hydrazide and chloride carbodiimide under controlled conditions. The nanoparticles obtained with all three studied solvents were moderately electrostatically stable. Experiments with acetone produced the smallest particle size (120.44 nm) and polydispersity (0.27). The size and polydispersity of hyaluronic acid nanoparticles correlated with the surface tension between water and the organic solvents, not with the thermodynamic affinity of water for the organic solvents.

  20. Radiological and clinical characterization of the lysosomal storage disorders: non-lipid disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, E I; Xing, M; Moreno-De-Luca, A; Harmouche, E; Terk, M R

    2014-01-01

    Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a large group of genetic metabolic disorders that result in the accumulation of abnormal material, such as mucopolysaccharides, glycoproteins, amino acids and lipids, within cells. Since many LSDs manifest during infancy or early childhood, with potentially devastating consequences if left untreated, timely identification is imperative to prevent irreversible damage and early death. In this review, the key imaging features of the non-lipid or extralipid LSDs are examined and correlated with salient clinical manifestations and genetic information. Disorders are stratified based on the type of excess material causing tissue or organ dysfunction, with descriptions of the mucopolysaccharidoses, mucolipidoses, alpha-mannosidosis, glycogen storage disorder II and cystinosis. In addition, similarities and differences in radiological findings between each of these LSDs are highlighted to facilitate further recognition. Given the rare and extensive nature of the LSDs, mastery of their multiple clinical and radiological traits may seem challenging. However, an understanding of the distinguishing imaging characteristics of LSDs and their clinical correlates may allow radiologists to play a key role in the early diagnosis of these progressive and potentially fatal disorders.

  1. New Methods of Simulation of Mn(II) EPR Spectra: Single Crystals, Polycrystalline and Amorphous (Biological) Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misra, Sushil K.

    Biological systems exhibit properties of amorphous materials. The Mn(II) ion in amorphous materials is characterized by distributions of spin-Hamiltonian parameters around mean values. It has a certain advantage over other ions, being one of the most abundant elements on the earth. The extent to which living organisms utilize manganese varies from one organism to the other. There is a fairly high concentration of the Mn(II) ion in green plants, which use it in the O2 evolution reaction of photosynthesis (Sauer, 1980). Structure-reactivity relationships in Mn(II)-O2 complexes are given in a review article by Coleman and Taylor (1980). Manganese is a trace requirement in animal nutrition; highly elevated levels of manganese in the diet can be toxic, probably because of an interference with iron homeostasis (Underwood, 1971). On the other hand, animals raised with a dietary deficiency of manganese exhibit severe abnormalities in connective tissue; these problems have been attributed to the obligatory role of Mn(II) in mucopolysaccharide metabolism (Leach, 1971). Mn(II) has been detected unequivocally in living organisms.

  2. Interactions between the tropical sea anemone Aiptasia pallida and Serratia marcescens, an opportunistic pathogen of corals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krediet, Cory J; Meyer, Julie L; Gimbrone, Nicholas; Yanong, Roy; Berzins, Ilze; Alagely, Ali; Castro, Herman; Ritchie, Kim B; Paul, Valerie J; Teplitski, Max

    2014-06-01

    Coral reefs are under increasing stress caused by global and local environmental changes, which are thought to increase the susceptibility of corals to opportunistic pathogens. In the absence of an easily culturable model animal, the understanding of the mechanisms of disease progression in corals remains fairly limited. In the present study, we tested the susceptibility of the tropical sea anemone Aiptasia pallida to an opportunistic coral pathogen (Serratia marcescens). A. pallida was susceptible to S. marcescens PDL100 and responded to this opportunistic coral pathogen with darkening of the tissues and retraction of tentacles, followed by complete disintegration of polyp tissues. Histological observations revealed loss of zooxanthellae and structural changes in eosinophilic granular cells in response to pathogen infection. A screen of S. marcescens mutants identified a motility and tetrathionate reductase mutants as defective in virulence in the A. pallida infection model. In co-infections with the wild-type strain, the tetrathionate reductase mutant was less fit within the surface mucopolysaccharide layer of the host coral Acropora palmata. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Update on the possible nutritional importance of silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Forrest H

    2014-10-01

    Convincing evidence that silicon is a bioactive beneficial trace element continues to accumulate. The evidence, which has come from human, animal, and in vitro studies performed by several laboratories, indicate that silicon in nutritional and supra nutritional amounts promotes bone and connective tissue health, may have a modulating effect on the immune or inflammatory response, and has been associated with mental health. A plausible mechanism of action for the beneficial effects of silicon is the binding of hydroxyl groups of polyols such that it influences the formation and/or utilization of glycosaminoglycans, mucopolysaccharides, and collagen in connective tissue and bone. In addition, silicon may affect the absorption, retention or action of other mineral elements (e.g., aluminum, copper, magnesium). Based on findings from both animal and human experiments, an intake of silicon of near 25mg/d would be a reasonable suggestion for an adequate intake that would assure its nutritional benefits. Increased intakes of silicon through consuming unrefined grains, certain vegetables, and beverages and cereals made from grains should be recognized as a reasonable dietary recommendation. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  4. A procedure for Alcian blue staining of mucins on polyvinylidene difluoride membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Weijie; Matsuno, Yu-ki; Kameyama, Akihiko

    2012-10-16

    The isolation and characterization of mucins are critically important for obtaining insight into the molecular pathology of various diseases, including cancers and cystic fibrosis. Recently, we developed a novel membrane electrophoretic method, supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME), which separates mucins on a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane impregnated with a hydrophilic polymer. Alcian blue staining is widely used to visualize mucopolysaccharides and acidic mucins on both blotted membranes and SMME membranes; however, this method cannot be used to stain mucins with a low acidic glycan content. Meanwhile, periodic acid-Schiff staining can selectively visualize glycoproteins, including mucins, but is incompatible with glycan analysis, which is indispensable for mucin characterizations. Here we describe a novel staining method, designated succinylation-Alcian blue staining, for visualizing mucins on a PVDF membrane. This method can visualize mucins regardless of the acidic residue content and shows a sensitivity 2-fold higher than that of Pro-Q Emerald 488, a fluorescent periodate Schiff-base stain. Furthermore, we demonstrate the compatibility of this novel staining procedure with glycan analysis using porcine gastric mucin as a model mucin.

  5. Human enteric viruses in groundwater indicate offshore transport of human sewage to coral reefs of the Upper Florida Keys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Futch, J. Carrie; Griffin, Dale W.; Lipp, Erin K.

    2010-01-01

    To address the issue of human sewage reaching corals along the main reef of the Florida Keys, samples were collected from surface water, groundwater and coral [surface mucopolysaccharide layers (SML)] along a 10 km transect near Key Largo, FL. Samples were collected semi-annually between July 2003 and September 2005 and processed for faecal indicator bacteria (faecal coliform bacteria, enterococci and Clostridium perfringens) and human-specific enteric viruses (enterovirus RNA and adenovirus DNA) by (RT)-nested polymerase chain reaction. Faecal indicator bacteria concentrations were generally higher nearshore and in the coral SML. Enteric viruses were evenly distributed across the transect stations. Adenoviruses were detected in 37 of 75 samples collected (49.3%) whereas enteroviruses were only found in 8 of 75 samples (10.7%). Both viruses were detected twice as frequently in coral compared with surface water or groundwater. Offshore, viruses were most likely to be found in groundwater, especially during the wet summer season. These data suggest that polluted groundwater may be moving to the outer reef environment in the Florida Keys.

  6. Biodegradation of the chitin-protein complex in crustacean cuticle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artur, Stankiewicz B.; Mastalerz, Maria; Hof, C.H.J.; Bierstedt, A.; Flannery, M.B.; Briggs, D.E.G.; Evershed, R.P.

    1998-01-01

    Arthropod cuticles consist predominantly of chitin cross-linked with proteins. While there is some experimental evidence that this chitin-protein complex may resist decay, the chemical changes that occur during degradation have not been investigated in detail. The stomatopod crustacean Neogonodactylus oerstedii was decayed in the laboratory under anoxic conditions. A combination of pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and FTIR revealed extensive chemical changes after just 2 weeks that resulted in a cuticle composition dominated by chitin. Quantitative analysis of amino acids (by HPLC) and chitin showed that the major loss of proteins and chitin occurred between weeks 1 and 2. After 8 weeks tyrosine, tryptophan and valine are the most prominent amino acid moieties, showing their resistance to degradation. The presence of cyclic ketones in the pyrolysates indicates that mucopolysaccharides or other bound non-chitinous carbohydrates are also resistant to decay. There is no evidence of structural degradation of chitin prior to 8 weeks when FTIR revealed a reduction in chitin-specific bands. The chemical changes are paralleled by structural changes in the cuticle, which becomes an increasingly open structure consisting of loose chitinous fibres. The rapid rate of decay in the experiments suggests that where chitin and protein are preserved in fossil cuticles degradation must have been inhibited.Arthropod cuticles consist predominantly of chitin cross-linked with proteins. While there is some experimental evidence that this chitin-protein complex may resist decay, the chemical changes that occur during degradation have not been investigated in detail. The stomatopod crustacean Neogonodactylus oerstedii was decayed in the laboratory under anoxic conditions. A combination of pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and FTIR revealed extensive chemical changes after just 2 weeks that resulted in a cuticle composition dominated by chitin. Quantitative

  7. Pseudoparasitic Liesegang structures in perirenal hemorrhagic cysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sneige, N; Dekmezian, R H; Silva, E G; Cartwright, J; Ayala, A G

    1988-02-01

    Periodic structures with equally spaced radial striations identified as Liesegang-like rings were seen in two male patients' hemorrhagic perirenal cysts. The patients, one 48 and the other 60 years old, had acute right-flank pain and anemia; both had nephrectomy. The rings, initially believed to represent parasites (Dioctophyma renale), were from 8 to 500 micron in diameter and had uniform, pink-tan, radially striated double walls. Multiple small rings within a larger ring predominated in one case. Morphologically, the rings differed from D. renale when compared with specimens from animals infected naturally or experimentally with the giant kidney worm. Histochemical and immunoperoxidase tests for iron, calcium, mucopolysaccharides, amyloid, keratin, and hemoglobin had negative results. Energy-dispersive x-ray elemental analysis demonstrated no detectable elements; ultrastructurally, however, the rings displayed a fine fibrillary composition with a concentric and radial pattern. These rings are believed to be an end product of a phenomenon resembling or are, in fact, the Liesegang phenomenon. Because these Liesegang-like structures may be mistaken for parasites on fine-needle aspiration or surgical specimens of hemorrhagic areas, pathologists should be aware of them.

  8. Case study on bio-remediation. Bio remediation no case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cioffi, J; Lehmicke, L

    1993-08-01

    This paper introduces two cases of contamination removal using microorganisms in areas contaminated by harmful substances, carried out by ECOVA Inc. in the U.S.A. One case is a removal of soils over an area of 230,000 m[sup 3] contaminated with petroleum-based substances. The removal was intended to reduce contamination at higher than 15,000 ppm down to 1,000 ppm. Discussions on pilot soils and monitoring of activities of living organisms were carried out to determine an optimal condition. It was found that microorganisms having orange color matters have decomposing capability, produce mucopolysaccharides in long-chained hydrocarbon, and make hydrocarbon soluble. The contaminant removal in this area took 19 months. The decomposition work required consideration on temperatures, moistures, aeration frequencies, and nutrient amounts as the affecting factors. The other case is an experiment on removing perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) from water in the Savanna River. Microorganisms that decompose only TCE were used, with existing methane as a carbon source. An interim result has been obtained that TCE:PCE changed from 0.65:1 to 0.35:1 in twelve months. There has been neither increase nor decrease in the amount of microorganisms.

  9. The myocardial microangiopathy in human and experimental diabetes mellitus. (A microscopic, ultrastructural, morphometric and computer-assisted symbolic-logic analysis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taşcă, C; Stefăneanu, L; Vasilescu, C

    1986-01-01

    The following microscopical aspects were found in the small intramural arteries in the myocardium of 30 diabetic patients: endothelial proliferations with focal protuberances leading to partial narrowing of the lumen, increased thickness of the arterial wall due to fibrosis and accumulations of neutral mucopolysaccharides: alteration of elastic fibres. Morphometrically, the arterial wall thickness and the arterial diameter were increased whereas the arterial density decreased in the diabetic heart. In 25 rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes the small intramyocardial arteries were investigated at 11 to 40 weeks of diabetic state. Using morphometrical analysis a constant increase of arterial wall thickness paralleling the diabetes duration was found. Microscopically, the lesions consist in endothelial proliferation with bridging across the vascular lumen and slight perivascular and diffuse fibrosis. Ultrastructurally, the capillary basal lamina was thickened in the diabetic myocardium. In order to investigate the morphometrical data we used symbolic-logic as a decision method, by applying an original computer program based on the Quine-McCluskey algorithm. All our results together with the final symbolic-logic expression suggest that damage of the small intramyocardial arteries plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

  10. Relation between the location of elements in the periodic table and tumor-uptake rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ando, A; Ando, I; Hiraki, T; Hisada, K

    1985-01-01

    The bipositive ions and anions, with few exceptions, indicated a low tumor uptake rate. On the other hand, compounds of Hg, Au and Bi, which have a strong binding power to protein, showed a high tumor uptake rate. As Hg2+, Au+ and Bi3+ are soft acids according to the classification of Lewis acids, it was thought that these ions would bind strongly to soft bases (R-SH, R-S-) present in tumor tissue. For many hard acids such as 85Sr2+, 67Ga3+, 181Hf4+, and 95Nb5+, tumor uptake rates are shown as a function of ionic potentials (valency/ionic radii) of the metal ions. Considering the present data and previously reported results, it was presumed that hard acids of trivalence, quadrivalence and pentavalence would replace calcium in the calcium salts of hard bases (calcium salts of acid mucopolysaccharides, etc.). Ionic potentials of alkaline metals and Tl were small, but the tumor-uptake rate of these elements indicated various values. As Ge and Sb are bound by covalent bonds to chloride, GeCl4 and SbCl3 behaved differently from many metallic compounds in tumor tissue.

  11. Establishment and characterization of a differentiated epithelial cell culture model derived from the porcine cervix uteri.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miessen, Katrin; Einspanier, Ralf; Schoen, Jennifer

    2012-03-19

    Cervical uterine epithelial cells maintain a physiological and pathogen-free milieu in the female mammalian reproductive tract and are involved in sperm-epithelium interaction. Easily accessible, differentiated model systems of the cervical epithelium are not yet available to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms within these highly specialized cells. Therefore, the aim of the study was to establish a cell culture of the porcine cervical epithelium representing in vivo-like properties of the tissue. We tested different isolation methods and culture conditions and validated purity of the cultured cells by immunohistochemistry against keratins. We could reproducibly culture pure epithelial cells from cervical tissue explants. Based on a morphology score and the WST-1 Proliferation Assay, we optimized the growth medium composition. Primary porcine cervical cells performed best in conditioned Ham's F-12, containing 10% FCS, EGF and insulin. After cultivation in an air-liquid interface for three weeks, the cells showed a discontinuously multilayered phenotype. Finally, differentiation was validated via immunohistochemistry against beta catenin. Mucopolysaccharide production could be shown via alcian blue staining. We provide the first suitable protocol to establish a differentiated porcine epithelial model of the cervix uteri, based on easily accessible cells using slaughterhouse material.

  12. Dissociated cultures of newborn mouse brain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiesmann, U.N.; Hofmann, K.; Burkhart, T.; Herschkowitz, N.

    1975-01-01

    The metabolism of 35 SO 4 -sulfated lipids and mucopolysaccharides was studied in dissociated brain cell cultures from newborn albino mouse brains. The cultures were maintained under an atmosphere of 40% O 2 and 5% CO 2 in apparent good health up to 30 days. Early morphological examination of the dissociated cells demonstrated an initial partial reaggregation of the cells, which later settled and became confluent bilayered cultures. Cell proliferation measured by DNA and protein determination, morphological differentiation and biochemical differentiation took place in the dissociated brain cell cultures analogous in some respects to the in vivo situation. A timed increase in the synthesis of a myelin precursor, cerebroside 35 SO 4 , was observed after 6 to 8 days in culture (DIC). A peak of cerebroside sulfate was evident at 17 DIC. No stable sulfatide was observed at any time. Protein-bound macromolecular 35 SO 4 -MPS was synthetized and secreted from the cells into the culture medium. Maximal synthesis and secretion occurred at 8 DIC. This culture system proves to be a useful model for studying some aspects of differentiation of brain cells under external conditions. (author)

  13. Histochemical and ultrastructural studies on the calcareous corpuscles and eggs of Taenia taeniaeformis and Dipylidium caninum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalifa, Refaat M A; Mazen, Nawal A M; Marawan, Aziza M A; Thabit, Hasnaa T M

    2011-08-01

    Calcareous corpuscles were noticed by several previous workers to be present in larval and adult cestodes without knowing their function. However, nothing was mentioned in the available literature about distribution of these corpuscles and their density, structure and composition in different parts of the body of different cestodes. Hence, in the present work, a comparative study of their distribution, density, histochemical and ultrastructural characters in different parts of the body was performed in Taenia taeniaeformis and Dipylidium caninum. Due to the presence of the eggs in their gravid segments, their histochemical and ultrastructural characteristics were also studied. It was found that the size, location and density of the calcareous bodies were different in different body parts of the same and the other cestode. Histochemically, the main component of these corpuscles was calcium; while other constituents as polysaccharides, lipids, protrins and mucopolysaccharides were found in their outer rim. Ultrastructurally, they were quite similar in the two studied cestodes and different stages of their development were exhibited. Histochemically, the eggs of both cestodes were similar in their contents. However, some ultrastructural differences have been demonstrated particularly in relation to the size and shape of the rods in the embryophore and the structures in between the embryophore and onchosphere.

  14. A review of bloat in feedlot cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, K J; McAllister, T A; Popp, J D; Hristov, A N; Mir, Z; Shin, H T

    1998-01-01

    Improvements in feedlot management practices and the use of various feed additives have reduced, but not eliminated, the occurrence of bloat in feedlot cattle. Feedlot bloat reduces the profitability of production by compromising animal performance and more directly by causing fatalities. In feedlots, bloat is associated with the ingestion of large amounts of rapidly fermented cereal grain and destabilization of the microbial populations of the rumen. An abundance of rapidly fermented carbohydrate allows acid-tolerant bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus bovis and Lactobacillus spp.) to proliferate and produce excessive quantities of fermentation acids. As a result, ruminal pH becomes exceedingly low, and this impairs rumen motility. Further, the excessive production of mucopolysaccharide or "slime" increases the viscosity of ruminal fluid and stabilizes the foam implicated in frothy feedlot bloat. Although protocols have been developed to treat feedlot bloat, the most profitable approach is to use management strategies to reduce its likelihood. Amount of roughage, grain processing techniques, selection of cereal grain (e.g., corn, barley, and wheat), dietary adaptation periods, and various additives (e.g., ionophores) can influence the occurrence of bloat in feedlot cattle. Successful management of these factors depends on a thorough understanding of the behavioral, dietary, and microbial events that precipitate bloat in feedlot cattle.

  15. The effects of hyaluronan and its fragments on lipid models exposed to UV irradiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trommer, Hagen; Wartewig, Siegfried; Böttcher, Rolf; Pöppl, Andreas; Hoentsch, Joachim; Ozegowski, Jörg H; Neubert, Reinhard H H

    2003-03-26

    The effects of hyaluronan and its degradation products on irradiation-induced lipid peroxidation were investigated. Liposomal skin lipid models with increasing complexity were used. Hyaluronan and its fragments were able to reduce the amount of lipid peroxidation secondary products quantified by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay. The qualitative changes were studied by mass spectrometry. To elucidate the nature of free radical involvement electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies were carried out. The influence of hyaluronan and its fragments on the concentration of hydroxyl radicals generated by the Fenton system was examined using the spin trapping technique. Moreover, the mucopolysaccharide's ability to react with stable radicals was checked. The quantification assay of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) showed no concentration changes of the stable radical caused by hyaluronan. Hyaluronan was found to exhibit prooxidative effects in the Fenton assay in a concentration dependent manner. A transition metal chelation was proposed as a mechanism of this behavior. Considering human skin and its constant exposure to UV light and oxygen and an increased pool of iron in irradiated skin the administration of hyaluronan or its fragments in cosmetic formulations or sunscreens could be helpful for the protection of the human skin. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science B.V.

  16. Antibacterial Activity of Marine and Black Band Disease Cyanobacteria against Coral-Associated Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gantar, Miroslav; Kaczmarsky, Longin T.; Stanić, Dina; Miller, Aaron W.; Richardson, Laurie L.

    2011-01-01

    Black band disease (BBD) of corals is a cyanobacteria-dominated polymicrobial disease that contains diverse populations of heterotrophic bacteria. It is one of the most destructive of coral diseases and is found globally on tropical and sub-tropical reefs. We assessed ten strains of BBD cyanobacteria, and ten strains of cyanobacteria isolated from other marine sources, for their antibacterial effect on growth of heterotrophic bacteria isolated from BBD, from the surface mucopolysaccharide layer (SML) of healthy corals, and three known bacterial coral pathogens. Assays were conducted using two methods: co-cultivation of cyanobacterial and bacterial isolates, and exposure of test bacteria to (hydrophilic and lipophilic) cyanobacterial cell extracts. During co-cultivation, 15 of the 20 cyanobacterial strains tested had antibacterial activity against at least one of the test bacterial strains. Inhibition was significantly higher for BBD cyanobacteria when compared to other marine cyanobacteria. Lipophilic extracts were more active than co-cultivation (extracts of 18 of the 20 strains were active) while hydrophilic extracts had very limited activity. In some cases co-cultivation resulted in stimulation of BBD and SML bacterial growth. Our results suggest that BBD cyanobacteria are involved in structuring the complex polymicrobial BBD microbial community by production of antimicrobial compounds. PMID:22073011

  17. Immunohistochemical investigations and introduction of new therapeutic strategies in scleromyxoedema: Case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Altmeyer Peter

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Scleromyxoedema is a rare chronic skin disease of obscure origin, which may often be associated with severe internal co-morbidity. Even though different casuistic treatment modalities have been described, to date, curing still seems to be impossible. Case presentation We report a 44-year-old Caucasian female presenting with remarkable circumscribed, erythematous to skin-coloured, indurated skin eruptions at the forehead, arms, shoulders, legs and the gluteal region. Routine histology and Alcian blue labelling confirmed a massive deposition of acid mucopolysaccharides. Immunohistochemical investigations revealed proliferating fibroblasts and a discrete lymphocytic infiltration as well as increased dermal expression of MIB-1+ and anti-mastcell-tryptase+ cells. Bone marrow biopsies confirmed a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance without morphological characteristics of plasmocytoma; immunofixation unveiled the presence of IgG-kappa paraproteins. Conclusions Taking all data into account, our patient exhibited a complex form of lichen mxyoedematosus, which could most likely be linked a variant of scleromyxoedema. Experimental treatment with methotrexate resulted in a stabilisation of clinical symptoms but no improvement after five months of therapy. A subsequent therapeutic attempt by the use of medium-dose ultraviolet A1 cold-light photomonotherapy led to a further stabilisation of clinical symptoms, but could not induce a sustained amelioration of skin condition.

  18. Establishment and characterization of a differentiated epithelial cell culture model derived from the porcine cervix uteri

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miessen Katrin

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cervical uterine epithelial cells maintain a physiological and pathogen-free milieu in the female mammalian reproductive tract and are involved in sperm-epithelium interaction. Easily accessible, differentiated model systems of the cervical epithelium are not yet available to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms within these highly specialized cells. Therefore, the aim of the study was to establish a cell culture of the porcine cervical epithelium representing in vivo-like properties of the tissue. Results We tested different isolation methods and culture conditions and validated purity of the cultured cells by immunohistochemistry against keratins. We could reproducibly culture pure epithelial cells from cervical tissue explants. Based on a morphology score and the WST-1 Proliferation Assay, we optimized the growth medium composition. Primary porcine cervical cells performed best in conditioned Ham's F-12, containing 10% FCS, EGF and insulin. After cultivation in an air-liquid interface for three weeks, the cells showed a discontinuously multilayered phenotype. Finally, differentiation was validated via immunohistochemistry against beta catenin. Mucopolysaccharide production could be shown via alcian blue staining. Conclusions We provide the first suitable protocol to establish a differentiated porcine epithelial model of the cervix uteri, based on easily accessible cells using slaughterhouse material.

  19. Biocompatibility and Biomechanical Effect of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes Implanted in the Corneal Stroma: A Proof of Concept Investigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfredo Vega-Estrada

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Corneal ectatic disorders are characterized by a progressive weakening of the tissue due to biomechanical alterations of the corneal collagen fibers. Carbon nanostructures, mainly carbon nanotubes (CNTs and graphene, are nanomaterials that offer extraordinary mechanical properties and are used to increase the rigidity of different materials and biomolecules such as collagen fibers. We conducted an experimental investigation where New Zealand rabbits were treated with a composition of CNTs suspended in balanced saline solution which was applied in the corneal tissue. Biocompatibility of the composition was assessed by means of histopathology analysis and mechanical properties by stress-strain measurements. Histopathology samples stained with blue Alcian showed that there were no fibrous scaring and no alterations in the mucopolysaccharides of the stroma. It also showed that there were no signs of active inflammation. These were confirmed when Masson trichrome staining was performed. Biomechanical evaluation assessed by means of tensile test showed that there is a trend to obtain higher levels of rigidity in those corneas implanted with CNTs, although these changes are not statistically significant (p>0.05. Implanting CNTs is biocompatible and safe procedure for the corneal stroma which can lead to an increase in the rigidity of the collagen fibers.

  20. MUCOLYTIC AGENTS IN PEDIATRICS: RATIONAL SELECTION, THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS AND SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF TREATMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. I. Simonova

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the cough treatment options with mucolytic agents administration at the first several days of acute respiratory tract infections in children. Efficacy of treatment with secretolytic and secretomotoric drugs significantly depends on certain factors. The article contains the criteria of therapeutic efficacy of expectorants. A special attention is given to N-acetylcysteine — a direct acting mucolytic agent, which effect is caused by presence of free sulfhydryl groups, disrupting disulfide bonds between molecules of acid mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins therefore changing the structure of sputum. Acetylcysteine is active against every type of sputum (mucous, muco-purulent, purulent, that is especially important in treatment of bacterial infections, when it is necessary to quickly decrease sputum thickness, eliminate it from the respiratory tract and prevent dissemination of the infection. High efficacy of acetylcysteine is caused by its unique triple action: mucolytic, antioxidant and antitoxic. Mechanism of action of acetylcysteine is discussed in detail. Timely administered treatment will improve sputum discharge and therefore eliminate one of the main factors of bronchial obstruction and decrease the risk of microbial colonization of the respiratory tract. The article also includes indications, contraindications and dosage regimens of acetylcysteine in children. The most common mistakes and specific aspects of mucolytic drugs in pediatrics are listed in the conclusion. 

  1. The Potential Health Benefits of Polyphenol-Rich Extracts from Cichorium intybus L. Studied on Caco-2 Cells Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Azzini

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Phytochemicals can exert their bioactivity without reaching the systemic circulation; scarcely absorbed antioxidants might reach the large bowel contributing to protection from oxidative damage-induced gastrointestinal diseases. In the present work, we aimed to study the relationship between potential activity of polyphenol-rich extracts from Cichorium intybus L. and changes in morphological characteristics on Caco-2 cells. Phytochemicals content (carotenoids and flavonoids and total antioxidant activity of Red Chicory of Treviso and Variegated Chicory of Castelfranco were evaluated. The bioactivity of polyphenol-rich extracts from chicories was studied in in vitro Caco-2 cell monolayers model. Morphological characteristics changes to test the antioxidant and/or prooxidant effect were verified by histological analysis and observed by Electronic Scansion Microscopy (SEM. On Caco-2 cell model, the polyphenols fractions from chicories have indicated a moderate antioxidant behavior until 17 μM concentration, while 70 μM and 34 μM exert cytotoxic effects for Treviso’s and Castelfranco’s Chicory, respectively, highlighted by TEER decreasing, increased permeability, and alteration of epithelium. Our findings support the beneficial effects of these products in counteracting the oxidative stress and cellular damage, induced in vitro on Caco-2 cell model, through interaction with the mucopolysaccharide complexes in the glycocalyx, maintaining in vivo a healthy and effective intestinal barrier.

  2. Morphometric changes in the aortic arch with advancing age in fetal to mature thoroughbred horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endoh, Chihiro; Matsuda, Kazuya; Okamoto, Minoru; Tsunoda, Nobuo; Taniyama, Hiroyuki

    2017-03-28

    Aortic rupture is a well recognized cause of sudden death in thoroughbred horses. Some microscopic lesions, such as those caused by cystic medial necrosis and medionecrosis, can lead to aortic rupture. However, these microscopic lesions are also observed in normal horses. On the other hand, a previous study of aortic rupture suggested that underlying elastin and collagen deposition disorders might be associated with aortic rupture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the structural components of the tunica media of the aortic arch, which is composed of elastin, collagen, smooth muscle cells and mucopolysaccharides (MPS), in fetal to mature thoroughbred horses. The percentage area of elastin was greatest in the young horses and subsequently decreased with aging. The percentage area of collagen increased with aging, and the elderly horses (aged ≥20) exhibited significantly higher percentage areas of collagen than the young horses. The percentage area of smooth muscle cells did not change with age. The percentage area of MPS was inversely proportional to the percentage area of elastin. The fetuses exhibited a markedly larger percentage area of MPS than the mature horses. We concluded that the medial changes seen in the aortic arch, which included a reduction in the amount of elastin and increases in the amounts of collagen and MPS, were age-related variations.

  3. Biochemical Hypermedia: Galactose Metabolism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.K. Sugai

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Animations of biochemical processes and virtual laboratory environments lead to true molecular simulations. The use of interactive software’s in education can improve cognitive capacity, better learning and, mainly, it makes information acquisition easier. Material and Methods: This work presents the development of a biochemical hypermedia to understanding of the galactose metabolism. It was developed with the help of concept maps, ISIS Draw, ADOBE Photoshop and FLASH MX Program. Results and Discussion: A step by step animation process shows the enzymatic reactions of galactose conversion to glucose-1-phosphate (to glycogen synthesis, glucose-6-phosphate (glycolysis intermediary, UDP-galactose (substrate to mucopolysaccharides synthesis and collagen’s glycosylation. There are navigation guide that allow scrolling the mouse over the names of the components of enzymatic reactions of via the metabolism of galactose. Thus, explanatory text box, chemical structures and animation of the actions of enzymes appear to navigator. Upon completion of the module, the user’s response to the proposed exercise can be checked immediately through text box with interactive content of the answer. Conclusion: This hypermedia was presented for undergraduate students (UFSC who revealed that it was extremely effective in promoting the understanding of the theme.

  4. No evidence of a causal relationship between hypothyroidism and glaucoma: A Danish nationwide register-based cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thvilum, Marianne; Brandt, Frans; Brix, Thomas Heiberg; Hegedüs, Laszlo

    2018-01-01

    An interrelationship between hypothyroidism and glaucoma, due to a shared autoimmune background or based on deposition of mucopolysaccharides in the trabecular meshwork in the eye, has been suggested but is at present unsubstantiated. Therefore, our objective was to investigate, at a nationwide and population-based level, whether there is such an association. Observational cohort study using record-linkage data from nationwide Danish health registers. 121,799 individuals diagnosed with a first episode of hypothyroidism were identified and were matched with 4 non-hypothyroid controls according to age and sex. Prevalence of glaucoma was recorded and cases and controls were followed over a mean of 7.1 years (range 0-17). Logistic and Cox regression models were used to assess the risk of glaucoma before and after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, respectively. Overall, we found a higher prevalence of glaucoma in subjects with hypothyroidism as compared to controls (4.6% vs. 4.3%, p glaucoma [1.09; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.13]. Based on the Cox regression model, there was no increased risk of glaucoma after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism [hazard ratio (HR) 1.00; 95% CI: 0.96-1.06], and the HR decreased further after adjusting for pre-existing co-morbidity (0.88; 95% CI: 0.84-0.93). There was an increased risk of glaucoma before but not after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, suggesting that screening for glaucoma in hypothyroid individuals is unwarranted.

  5. Characterization of the gacA-dependent surface and coral mucus colonization by an opportunistic coral pathogen Serratia marcescens PDL100.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krediet, Cory J; Carpinone, Emily M; Ritchie, Kim B; Teplitski, Max

    2013-05-01

    Opportunistic pathogens rely on global regulatory systems to assess the environment and to control virulence and metabolism to overcome host defenses and outcompete host-associated microbiota. In Gammaproteobacteria, GacS/GacA is one such regulatory system. GacA orthologs direct the expression of the csr (rsm) small regulatory RNAs, which through their interaction with the RNA-binding protein CsrA (RsmA), control genes with functions in carbon metabolism, motility, biofilm formation, and virulence. The csrB gene was controlled by gacA in Serratia marcescens PDL100. A disruption of the S. marcescens gacA gene resulted in an increased fitness of the mutant on mucus of the host coral Acropora palmata and its high molecular weight fraction, whereas the mutant was as competitive as the wild type on the low molecular weight fraction of the mucus. Swarming motility and biofilm formation were reduced in the gacA mutant. This indicates a critical role for gacA in the efficient utilization of specific components of coral mucus and establishment within the surface mucopolysaccharide layer. While significantly affecting early colonization behaviors (coral mucus utilization, swarming motility, and biofilm formation), gacA was not required for virulence of S. marcescens PDL100 in either a model polyp Aiptasia pallida or in brine shrimp Artemia nauplii. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Matrix change of bone grafting substitute after implantation into guinea pig bulla.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Punke, Ch; Zehlicke, T; Just, T; Holzhüter, G; Gerber, T; Pau, H W

    2012-05-01

    Many different surgical techniques have been developed to remove open mastoid cavities. In addition to autologous materials, alloplastic substances have been used. A very slow absorption of these materials and extrusion reactions have been reported. We investigated a newly developed, highly porous bone grafting material to eliminate open mastoid cavities, in an animal model. To characterise the transformation process, the early tissue reactions were studied in relation to the matrix transformation of the bone material. NanoBone (NB), a highly porous bone grafting material based on calcium phosphate and silica, was filled into the open bullae from 20 guinea pigs. The bullae were examined histologically. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used to investigate the change in the elemental composition at different sampling times. The surface topography of the sections was examined by electron microscopy. After 1 week, periodic acid-Schiffs (PAS) staining demonstrated accumulation of glycogen and proteins, particularly in the border area of the NB particles. After 2 weeks, the particles were evenly coloured after PAS staining. EDX analysis showed a rapid absorption of the silica in the bone grafting material. NanoBone showed a rapid matrix change after implantation in the bullae of guinea pigs. The absorption of the silica matrix and replacement by PAS-positive substances like glycoproteins and mucopolysaccharides seems to play a decisive role in the degradation processes of NB. This is associated with the good osteoinductive properties of the material.

  7. Analysis of coral mucus as an improved medium for detection of enteric microbes and for determining patterns of sewage contamination in reef environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipp, Erin K.; Griffin, Dale W.

    2004-01-01

    Traditional fecal indicator bacteria are often subject to a high degree of die-off and dilution in tropical marine waters, particularly in offshore areas such as coral reefs. Furthermore, these microbes are often not associated with human waste, and their presence may not be indicative of health risk. To address the offshore extent of wastewater contamination in the Florida Keys reef tract, we assayed coral surfaces for the presence of human-specific enteric viruses. The overlying water column and surface mucopolysaccharide (mucus) layers from scleractinian corals were sampled from three stations along a nearshore-to-offshore transect beginning at Long Key in the middle Florida Keys, USA. Samples were assayed for standard bacterial water quality indicators (fecal coliform bacteria and enterococci) and for human enteroviruses by direct reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The concentration of the bacterial indicators was greatest at the nearshore station in both the water column and corals, and decreased with distance from shore; no indicator bacteria were detected at the offshore station. Whereas human enteroviruses were not detected in any of the water column samples, they were detected in 50–80% of coral mucus samples at each station. These data provide evidence that human sewage is impacting the reef tract up to ~6.5 km from shore in the middle Florida Keys and that coral mucus is an efficient trap for viral markers associated with anthropogenic pollution.

  8. Proliferation and differentiation of stem cells in contact with eluate from fibrin-rich plasma membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernanda Gimenez de Souza

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the ability of the eluate from fibrin-rich plasma (FRP membrane to induce proliferation and differentiation of isolated human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs into chondrocytes. Method: FRP membranes were obtained by centrifugation of peripheral blood from two healthy donors, cut, and maintained in culture plate wells for 48 h to prepare the fibrin eluate. The SCATh were isolated from adipose tissue by collagenase digestion solution, and expanded in vitro. Cells were expanded and treated with DMEM-F12 culture, a commercial media for chondrogenic differentiation, and eluate from FRP membrane for three days, and labeled with BrdU for quantitative assessment of cell proliferation using the High-Content Operetta® imaging system. For the chondrogenic differentiation assay, the SCATh were grown in micromass for 21 days and stained with toluidine blue and aggrecan for qualitative evaluation by light microscopy. The statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and Tukey's test. Results: There was a greater proliferation of cells treated with the eluate from FRP membrane compared to the other two treatments, where the ANOVA test showed significance (p < 0.001. The differentiation into chondrocytes was visualized by the presence of mucopolysaccharide in the matrix of the cells marked in blue toluidine and aggrecan. Conclusions: Treatment with eluate from FRP membrane stimulated cell proliferation and induced differentiation of the stem cells into chondrocytes, suggesting a potential application of FRP membranes in hyaline cartilage regeneration therapies.

  9. Should metabolic diseases be systematically screened in nonsyndromic autism spectrum disorders?

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    Manuel Schiff

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In the investigation of autism spectrum disorders (ASD, a genetic cause is found in approximately 10-20%. Among these cases, the prevalence of the rare inherited metabolic disorders (IMD is unknown and poorly evaluated. An IMD responsible for ASD is usually identified by the associated clinical phenotype such as dysmorphic features, ataxia, microcephaly, epilepsy, and severe intellectual disability (ID. In rare cases, however, ASD may be considered as nonsyndromic at the onset of a related IMD. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the utility of routine metabolic investigations in nonsyndromic ASD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the results of a metabolic workup (urinary mucopolysaccharides, urinary purines and pyrimidines, urinary creatine and guanidinoacetate, urinary organic acids, plasma and urinary amino acids routinely performed in 274 nonsyndromic ASD children. RESULTS: The metabolic parameters were in the normal range for all but 2 patients: one with unspecific creatine urinary excretion and the other with persistent 3-methylglutaconic aciduria. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide the largest ever reported cohort of ASD patients for whom a systematic metabolic workup has been performed; they suggest that such a routine metabolic screening does not contribute to the causative diagnosis of nonsyndromic ASD. They also emphasize that the prevalence of screened IMD in nonsyndromic ASD is probably not higher than in the general population (<0.5%. A careful clinical evaluation is probably more reasonable and of better medical practice than a costly systematic workup.

  10. Physicochemical Characterization of Biopolymer Chitosan Extracted from Shrimp Shells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nezamaddin Mengelizadeh

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Chitosan is a deacetylated derivative of chitin, which is a naturally abundant mucopolysaccharide, supporting the matter of crustaceans, insects, and fungi. Because of its unique properties, such as non-toxicity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, chitosan has a wide range of applications in various fields. The objective of the present work is to extract the polymer chitosan from Persian Gulf shrimp shells. In order to determine the physicochemical characteristics of the extracted chitosan, degree of deacetylation, molecular weight, water and fat binding capacities extraction rate, and apparent viscosity were measured using a variety of techniques including viscometry, weight measurement method and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR. The results of the study of the physicochemical properties, molecular weight (6.7×105 Da, degree of deacetylation (57%, ash content as well as yield (0.5% of the prepared chitosan indicated that shrimp processing wastes (shrimp shells are a good source of chitosan. The water binding capacity (521% and fat binding capacity (327% of the prepared chitosan are in good agreement with the other studies. The elemental analysis showed the C, H and N contents of 35.92%, 7.02%, and 8.66%, respectively. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of chitosan was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The results indicated the high potential of chitosan as an antibacterial agent. Moreover, the results of the study indicated that shrimp shells are a rich source of chitin as 25.21% of the shell’s dry weight.

  11. Histochemical and ultrastructural investigations on the antioedematous and radioprotective effect of 0-(β-hydroxyethyl)-rutosides in the brain of rats after single dose irradiation. Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thiel, H.J.; Sauer, R.; Lierse, W.; Lehmann, F.M.

    1988-01-01

    The disturbances of the carbohydrate metabolism and the activation of acid phosphatases with and without protection by 0-(β-hydroxyethyl)-rutoside (HR) were studied in irradiated rat brains by means of the light microscope. The histochemically demonstrable deposition of glycogen and acid mucopolysaccarides serves as a criterion for a reversible lesion of the irradiated cerebral tissue. The extent of local activation of repair processes following to irradiation can be determined by the quantity of acid phosphatases in the lysosomes. For the dose range of 1 to 5 Gy, HR seems to exert a protective effect on the cellular metasbolism of the irradiated cerebral tissue shown by ba slight decrease of glycogen and mucopolysaccharide deposits compared to the untreated animals. However, when exceeding a threshold dose of 10 Gy, the deposition of carbohydrates in the HR group is strongly increased. A slightly increased activity of acid phosphatases induced by HR can be supposed at best for the dose range of 5 to 7.5 Gy. If the dose is even more increased, the reverse effect found in the carbohydrate metabolism, too, and an increased activation of acid phosphatases in the control group will be observed. This unexpected reversion of the protective effect could be related to the assumed inhibitory effect of HR on the ATPases and thus on the anaerobic part of glycolysis or to a breakdown of the cell interaction system of endothelial cells, glia cells, and neurons. (orig.) [de

  12. No evidence of a causal relationship between hypothyroidism and glaucoma: A Danish nationwide register-based cohort study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Background An interrelationship between hypothyroidism and glaucoma, due to a shared autoimmune background or based on deposition of mucopolysaccharides in the trabecular meshwork in the eye, has been suggested but is at present unsubstantiated. Therefore, our objective was to investigate, at a nationwide and population-based level, whether there is such an association. Subjects and methods Observational cohort study using record-linkage data from nationwide Danish health registers. 121,799 individuals diagnosed with a first episode of hypothyroidism were identified and were matched with 4 non-hypothyroid controls according to age and sex. Prevalence of glaucoma was recorded and cases and controls were followed over a mean of 7.1 years (range 0–17). Logistic and Cox regression models were used to assess the risk of glaucoma before and after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, respectively. Results Overall, we found a higher prevalence of glaucoma in subjects with hypothyroidism as compared to controls (4.6% vs. 4.3%, p hypothyroidism, the odds ratio (OR) was significantly increased for glaucoma [1.09; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04–1.13]. Based on the Cox regression model, there was no increased risk of glaucoma after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism [hazard ratio (HR) 1.00; 95% CI: 0.96–1.06], and the HR decreased further after adjusting for pre-existing co-morbidity (0.88; 95% CI: 0.84–0.93). Conclusions There was an increased risk of glaucoma before but not after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, suggesting that screening for glaucoma in hypothyroid individuals is unwarranted. PMID:29444121

  13. Longitudinal shifts in bacterial diversity and fermentation pattern in the rumen of steers grazing wheat pasture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitta, D W; Pinchak, W E; Dowd, S; Dorton, K; Yoon, I; Min, B R; Fulford, J D; Wickersham, T A; Malinowski, D P

    2014-12-01

    Grazing steers on winter wheat forage is routinely practiced in the Southern Great Plains of the US. Here, we investigated the dynamics in bacterial populations of both solid and liquid ruminal fractions of steers grazing on maturing wheat forage of changing nutritive quality. The relationship between bacterial diversity and fermentation parameters in the liquid fraction was also investigated. During the first 28 days, the wheat was in a vegetative phase with a relatively high crude protein content (CP; 21%), which led to the incidence of mild cases of frothy bloat among steers. Rumen samples were collected on days 14, 28, 56 and 76, separated into solid and liquid fractions and analyzed for bacterial diversity using 16S pyrotag technology. The predominant phyla identified were Bacteroidetes (59-77%) and Firmicutes (20-33%) across both ruminal fractions. Very few differences were observed in the rumen bacterial communities within solid and liquid fractions on day 14. However, by day 28, the relatively high CP content complemented a distinct bacterial and chemical composition of the rumen fluid that was characterized by a higher ratio (4:1) of Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes and a corresponding lower acetate:propionate (3:1) ratio. Further, a greater accumulation of biofilm (mucopolysaccharide complex) on day 28 was strongly associated with the abundance of Firmicutes lineages such as Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Oscillospira and Moryella (Prumen microbiome and their association with fermentation activity in the rumen of steers during the vegetative (bloat-prone) and reproductive stages of wheat forage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. [Mechanisms of urinary tract sterility maintenance].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okrągła, Emilia; Szychowska, Katarzyna; Wolska, Lidia

    2014-06-02

    Physiologically, urine and the urinary tract are maintained sterile because of physical and chemical properties of urine and the innate immune system's action. The urinary tract is constantly exposed to the invasion of microorganisms from the exterior environment, also because of the anatomical placement of the urethra, in the vicinity of the rectum. Particularly vulnerable to urinary tract infections (UTI) are women (an additional risk factor is pregnancy), but also the elderly and children. The main pathogens causing UTI are bacteria; in 70-95% of cases it is the bacterium Escherichia coli. Infections caused by viruses and fungi are less common and are associated with decreased immunity, pharmacotherapy, or some diseases. Bacteria have evolved a number of factors that facilitate the colonization of the urinary tract: the cover and cell membrane antigens O and K1, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), fimbriae, pile and cilia. On the other hand, the human organism has evolved mechanisms to hinder colonization of the urinary tract: mechanisms arising from the anatomical structure of the urinary tract, the physicochemical properties of the urine and the activity of the innate immune system, also known as non-specific, which isolates and destroys pathogens using immunological processes, and the mechanisms for release of antimicrobial substances such as Tamm-Horsfall protein, mucopolysaccharides, immunoglobulins IgA and IgG, lactoferrin, lipocalin, neutrophils, cytokines and antimicrobial peptides. This review aims to analyze the state of knowledge on the mechanisms to maintain the sterility of the urinary tract used by the human organism and bacterial virulence factors to facilitate the colonization of the urinary tract.

  15. Functional and morphological changes in adenohypophysis of ewes after X irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maracek, I.; Arendarcik, J.; Tokos, M.; Balun, J.; Stanikova, A.; Praslicka, M.

    1980-01-01

    Qualitative histological and quantitative histocytological changes in the adenohypophysis of ewes of the Slovak Merino breed were studied in the period of physiological anoestrus and in the autumn breeding season. The animals were divided into three groups with four ewes in each. One group served as the control. The ewes in the second group were exposed to X-rays at a dose of 516.5 mC.kg -1 (2000 R), applied to the hypothalamo-hypophysial region. The animals in the third group were exposed to an irradiation dose of 64.4 mC.kg -1 (250 R), applied directly to the ovaries after laparotomy. The 10th day from irradiation the animals were sacrificed and the excised hypophyses were processed. A qualitative microscopic analysis showed a change in the PAS-positive mucopolysaccharides in the adenohypophysial cells, and increased production of PAS-positive intra-acinous colloid, and alterations of blood vessels after irradiation. Quantitative microscopic analysis demonstrated a reduction in the number of PAS-positive cells in the irradiated neurocranium, the hypothalamo-hypophysial region being affected, and a multiplication of PAS-positive cells after the irradiation of the ovaries in the anoestrous period. In the autumn breeding season, PAS-positive cells markedly multiplied after the exposure of the ovaries to X-rays. Irradiation of the head resulted in a significant multiplication of acidophilous cells in the anoestrous period and caused a decrease in the weight of the hypophyses and ovaries. An increase in hypophysis weight was recorded after irradiation of the ovaries. (author)

  16. Gelatinous Marrow Transformation: A Series of 11 Cases from a Tertiary Care Centre in South India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sreeya Das

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Gelatinous marrow transformation (GMT or serous atrophy of bone marrow (BM is a rare disease characterised by focal marrow hypoplasia, fat atrophy, and accumulation of extracellular mucopolysaccharides abundant in hyaluronic acid. This study reviews 11 cases of GMT from South India. Clinical and haematological parameters, BM aspirate, and biopsies of all patients diagnosed with GMT over a period of 7 years were studied. GMT was diagnosed in BM biopsy based on characteristic morphological appearance and was confirmed by alcian blue positive staining pattern at pH levels of 2.5 and 0.5. Eleven patients were diagnosed with GMT. All were males within the age range of 15 to 50 years. The underlying clinical diagnosis was human immunodeficiency virus positivity in 5 cases, 2 with coexistent disseminated tuberculosis, 1 with cryptococcal meningitis, and 1 with oral candidiasis; disseminated tuberculosis in 1 case; pyrexia of unknown origin in 2 cases; Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1 case; acute lymphoblastic lymphoma with maintenance chemotherapy in 1 case; and alcoholic pancreatitis in 1 case. BM aspirates showed gelatinous metachromatic seromucinous material in 3 cases. BM biopsies were hypocellular in 7 and normocellular in 4 cases and showed focal GMT in 5 and diffuse GMT in 6 cases. Reactive changes were seen in 4 cases and haemophagocytosis in addition to GMT in 1 case. GMT is a relatively uncommon condition and an indicator of severe illness. It should be differentiated from myelonecrosis, amyloidosis, and marrow oedema. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose this condition.

  17. Iterative Otsu's method for OCT improved delineation in the aorta wall

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Daniel; Real, Eusebio; Val-Bernal, José F.; Revuelta, José M.; Pontón, Alejandro; Calvo Díez, Marta; Mayorga, Marta; López-Higuera, José M.; Conde, Olga M.

    2015-07-01

    Degradation of human ascending thoracic aorta has been visualized with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). OCT images of the vessel wall exhibit structural degradation in the media layer of the artery, being this disorder the final trigger of the pathology. The degeneration in the vessel wall appears as low-reflectivity areas due to different optical properties of acidic polysaccharides and mucopolysaccharides in contrast with typical ordered structure of smooth muscle cells, elastin and collagen fibers. An OCT dimension indicator of wall degradation can be generated upon the spatial quantification of the extension of degraded areas in a similar way as conventional histopathology. This proposed OCT marker can offer in the future a real-time clinical perception of the vessel status to help cardiovascular surgeons in vessel repair interventions. However, the delineation of degraded areas on the B-scan image from OCT is sometimes difficult due to presence of speckle noise, variable signal to noise ratio (SNR) conditions on the measurement process, etc. Degraded areas can be delimited by basic thresholding techniques taking advantage of disorders evidences in B-scan images, but this delineation is not optimum in the aorta samples and requires complex additional processing stages. This work proposes an optimized delineation of degraded areas within the aorta wall, robust to noisy environments, based on the iterative application of Otsu's thresholding method. Results improve the delineation of wall anomalies compared with the simple application of the algorithm. Achievements could be also transferred to other clinical scenarios: carotid arteries, aorto-iliac or ilio-femoral sections, intracranial, etc.

  18. Effect of Diffusion on the Autoradiographic Measurement of Macromolecular Synthesis in Specific Cell Types In Vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dixon, K.; Schwarz, V. [Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Manchester, Manchester (United Kingdom)

    1970-02-15

    Organ slices cultured in vitro lack a capillary circulation. Cells within the slice are supplied with nutrients and oxygen by diffusion from the culture medium into the slice. The rate of synthesis of macromolecules, e.g. ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, protein or mucopolysaccharide can be determined in these circumstances by adding labelled precursors to the culture medium. Comparisons of the rate of synthesis between different types of cell within a single organ slice or between different slices can be quantitated by autoradiography and grain counting only if the concentration of labelled precursor in tissue water is uniform throughout all the slices. To achieve this aim the precursor should rapidly saturate the tissue water at the beginning of the incubation period, and subsequently diffusion into the slice should keep pace with consumption of the precursor by the cells. Experimental methods to measure the relevant parameters of any organ slice and precursor combination will be described. These parameters are the diffusion coefficient of the precursor in the organ slice, the rate of consumption of the precursor by each cell type, and the frequency and distribution of tissue within the slice. The relation between precursor concentration and position within the slice can be calculated under differing culture conditions, using the appropriate mathematical model. It is then possible to choose those conditions which give a uniform concentration of precursor throughout the organ slice. The methods are illustrated by consideration of ribonucleic acid synthesis from {sup 3}H-uridine in full thickness slices of human skin, an organ which contains several tissues including epidermis, hair follicle, eccrine sweat gland and sebaceous gland. (author)

  19. Biomimetic synthesis and biocompatibility evaluation of carbonated apatites template-mediated by heparin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deng, Yi [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Studies, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Peking University, Beijing 100081 (China); Center for Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Sun, Yuhua [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Studies, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Peking University, Beijing 100081 (China); Chen, Xiaofang [Center for Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Zhu, Peizhi, E-mail: pzzhu@umich.edu [Center for Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055 (United States); Wei, Shicheng, E-mail: sc-wei@pku.edu.cn [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Studies, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Peking University, Beijing 100081 (China); Center for Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

    2013-07-01

    Biomimetic synthesis of carbonated apatites with good biocompatibility is a promising strategy for the broadening application of apatites for bone tissue engineering. Most researchers were interested in collagen or gelatin-based templates for synthesis of apatite minerals. Inspired by recent findings about the important role of polysaccharides in bone biomineralization, here we reported that heparin, a mucopolysaccharide, was used to synthesize carbonated apatites in vitro. The results indicated that the Ca/P ratio, carbon content, crystallinity and morphology of the apatites varied depending on the heparin concentration and the initial pH value. The morphology of apatite changed from flake-shaped to needle-shaped, and the degree of crystallinity decreased with the increasing of heparin concentration. Biocompatibility of the apatites was tested by proliferation and alkaline phosphatase activity of MC3T3-E1 cells. The results suggested that carbonated apatites synthesized in the presence of heparin were more favorable to the proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells compared with traditional method. In summary, the heparin concentration and the initial pH value play a key role in the chemical constitution and morphology, as well as biological properties of apatites. These biocompatible nano-apatite crystals hold great potential to be applied as bioactive materials for bone tissue engineering. - Highlights: • Heparin was used as a template to synthesize needle-shaped nano-apatite. • Changing the pH value and concentration led to different properties of apatite. • Apatite prepared by heparin was more favorable to the osteogenic differentiation. • Possible synthesis mechanism of apatite templated by heparin was described.

  20. Mechanisms of urinary tract sterility maintenance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emilia Okrągła

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Physiologically, urine and the urinary tract are maintained sterile because of physical and chemical properties of urine and the innate immune system’s action. The urinary tract is constantly exposed to the invasion of microorganisms from the exterior environment, also because of the anatomical placement of the urethra, in the vicinity of the rectum. Particularly vulnerable to urinary tract infections (UTI are women (an additional risk factor is pregnancy, but also the elderly and children. The main pathogens causing UTI are bacteria; in 70-95% of cases it is the bacterium Escherichia coli. Infections caused by viruses and fungi are less common and are associated with decreased immunity, pharmacotherapy, or some diseases. Bacteria have evolved a number of factors that facilitate the colonization of the urinary tract: the cover and cell membrane antigens O and K1, lipopolysaccharide (LPS, fimbriae, pile and cilia. On the other hand, the human organism has evolved mechanisms to hinder colonization of the urinary tract: mechanisms arising from the anatomical structure of the urinary tract, the physicochemical properties of the urine and the activity of the innate immune system, also known as non-specific, which isolates and destroys pathogens using immunological processes, and the mechanisms for release of antimicrobial substances such as Tamm-Horsfall protein, mucopolysaccharides, immunoglobulins IgA and IgG, lactoferrin, lipocalin, neutrophils, cytokines and antimicrobial peptides. This review aims to analyze the state of knowledge on the mechanisms to maintain the sterility of the urinary tract used by the human organism and bacterial virulence factors to facilitate the colonization of the urinary tract.

  1. In vivo engineering of a functional tendon sheath in a hen model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Liang; Cao, Dejun; Liu, Wei; Zhou, Guangdong; Zhang, Wen Jie; Cao, Yilin

    2010-05-01

    Repair of injured tendon sheath remains a major challenge and this study explored the possibility of in vivo reconstruction of a tendon sheath with tendon sheath derived cells and polyglycolic acid (PGA) fibers in a Leghorn hen model. Total 55 Leghorn hens with a 1cm tendon sheath defect created in the left middle toe of each animal were randomly assigned into: (1) experimental group (n=19) that received a cell-PGA construct; (2) scaffold control group (n=18) that received a cell-free PGA scaffold; (3) blank control group (n=18) with the defect untreated. Tendon sheath cells were isolated, in vitro expanded, and seeded onto PGA scaffolds. After in vitro culture for 7 days, the constructs were in vivo implanted to repair the sheath defects. Alcian blue staining confirmed the ability of cultured cells to produce specific matrices containing acidic carboxyl mucopolysaccharide (mainly hyaluronic acid). In addition, the engineered sheath formed a relatively mature structure at 12 weeks post-surgery, which was similar to that of native counterpart, including a smooth inner surface, a well-developed sheath histological structure with a clear space between the tendon and the engineered sheath. More importantly, Work of Flexion assay revealed that the tendons needed less power consumption to glide inside the engineered sheath when compared to the tendons which were surrounded by scar-repaired tissues, indicating that the engineered sheaths had gained the function to a certain extent of preventing tendon adhesion. Taken together, these results suggest that tendon sheaths that are functionally and structurally similar to native sheaths are possible to be engineered in vivo using tendon sheath cells and PGA scaffolds. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Platelet lysate induces chondrogenic differentiation of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Ghmkin; Bahjat, Mohammad; Kasem, Issam; Soukkarieh, Chadi; Aljamali, Majd

    2018-01-01

    Articular cartilage has a poor capacity for self-repair, and thus still presents a major challenge in orthopedics. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells with the potential to differentiate into chondrocytes in the presence of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). Platelet lysate (PL) contains a relatively large number of growth factors, including TGF-β, and has been shown to ameliorate cartilage repair. Here, we investigated the ability of PL to direct chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs along with other standard differentiation components in a pellet culture system. We isolated and expanded MSCs from human umbilical cords using a PL-supplemented medium and characterized the cells based on immunophenotype and potential for differentiation to adipocytes and osteocytes. We further cultured MSCs as pellets in a chondrogenic-differentiation medium supplemented with PL. After 21 days, the pellets were processed for histological analysis and stained with alician blue and acridine orange. The expression of SOX9 was investigated using RT-PCR. MSCs maintained their stemness characteristics in the PL-supplemented medium. However, the distribution of cells in the pellets cultured in the PL-supplemented chondrogenic differentiation medium had a greater similarity to cartilage tissue-derived chondrocytes than to the negative control. The intense alician blue staining indicated an increased production of mucopolysaccharides in the differentiated pellets, which also showed elevated expression of SOX9 . Our data suggest that MSCs could be differentiated to chondrocytes in the presence of PL and absence of exogenous TGF-β. Further research needs to be conducted to understand the exact role and potential of PL in chondrogenic differentiation and chondrocyte regeneration.

  3. Partial trisomy 5q resulting from chromosome 7 insertion: An expansion of the phenotype

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fries, M.H.; Reilly, P.A.; Williams, T.C. [Keesler Medical Center, MS (United States)] [and others

    1994-09-01

    Partial trisomy 5q has been categorized into three separate phenotypes; however, a distinctive phenotype has not been described for duplications spanning 5q23-q35. We report a case of partial trisomy 5q for this region as a result of a ins(7,5)(q31.3;q23.2q35.1)mat. The liveborn male infant was delivered by emergency cesarean section at 37 weeks after a pregnancy notable for oligohydramnios, with birth weight 1792 g (<3%). Postnatal course was marked by psychomotor delay, failure to thrive, and biopsy demonstrated neonatal giant cell hepatitis with a paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts. His appearance was remarkable for lack of subcutaneous fat, midline displaced hair whorl, bitemporal narrowing with frontal bossing, wide anterior fontanel, widow`s peak, protuberant eyes with periorbital and lid edema, short flat nasal bridge with broad flattened nasal tip, long smooth philtrum, wide mouth with thin lips, wide gingival ridges, micrognathia, posteriorly rotated low-set ears, hepatomegaly, flexion contractions of elbows, and generalized hypertonicity. Urine organic acids, oligosaccharide/mucopolysaccharide screen, and plasma amino acids were negative. GTG-banding on prometaphase chromosomes showed an unbalanced translocation involving chr. 7. This was identified as an insertion of chr. 5 (q23.2q35.1) into distal 7q after FISH using chr. 5 and chr. 7 painting probes. The infant`s mother carries the balanced insertional rearrangement: 46,XX,dir ins(7,5)(q31.3;q23.2q35.1). This phenotype overlaps that of previously described duplications with the addition of giant cell hepatitis, coarsened facial features, gingival thickening, and flexion contractures, suggestive of a yet undiagnosed storage disorder.

  4. Analysis of the interaction between transcription factor 7-like 2 genetic variants with nopal and wholegrain fibre intake: effects on anthropometric and metabolic characteristics in type 2 diabetes patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Ortiz, M M; Garay-Sevilla, M E; Tejero, M E; Perez-Luque, E L

    2016-09-01

    The transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) genetic variants have shown differential effect on low-fat and high-fat diet in obese subjects. Nopal is a Mexican variety of cactus that is a traditional food and has been used in the treatment of diabetes. Its hypoglycaemic effect may be because of its soluble fibre (mucopolysaccharide) content. This study analysed the effects of the rs7903146 and rs12255372 TCF7L2 variants on anthropometric, metabolic and hormonal parameters in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who consumed fibre from either nopal tortilla or wholegrain bread for 8 weeks. We followed-up seventy-four patients who consumed an individualised isoenergetic diet that included nopal tortilla (Diet 1) and sixty-three patients with a diet that included wholegrain bread (Diet 2). Anthropometric, metabolic and hormonal measures were collected at baseline and final intervention. The size effect and carry-over effect were estimated. To assess the interaction of genotype and diets, we used a general linear model repeated-measures analysis. Minor allele frequency of rs7903146T was 0·27 and for rs12255372T it was 0·13. At 8 weeks after Diet 1 intake, weight, BMI, waist and hip circumference decreased (P=0·00015) in rs7903146CC and rs12255372GG genotypes. In particular, patients carrying of the rs7903146CC and consuming Diet 1 showed a reduction in waist circumference of more than 2·5 cm compared with Diet 2 (P<0·001). No significant interaction between rs7903146 or rs12255372 and diet was seen in this study. In conclusion, in the carriers of the rs7903146CC and rs12255372GG wild types, significant changes in all anthropometric measures were observed, and had better response to both diets.

  5. Defects in the medial entorhinal cortex and dentate gyrus in the mouse model of Sanfilippo syndrome type B.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazuhiro Ohmi

    Full Text Available Sanfilippo syndrome type B (MPS IIIB is characterized by profound mental retardation in childhood, dementia and death in late adolescence; it is caused by deficiency of α-N-acetylglucosaminidase and resulting lysosomal storage of heparan sulfate. A mouse model, generated by homologous recombination of the Naglu gene, was used to study pathological changes in the brain. We found earlier that neurons in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC and the dentate gyrus showed a number of secondary defects, including the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau (Ptau detected with antibodies raised against Ptau in Alzheimer disease brain. By further use of immunohistochemistry, we now show staining in neurons of the same area for beta amyloid, extending the resemblance to Alzheimer disease. Ptau inclusions in the dentate gyrus of MPS IIIB mice were reduced in number when the mice were administered LiCl, a specific inhibitor of Gsk3β. Additional proteins found elevated in MEC include proteins involved in autophagy and the heparan sulfate proteoglycans, glypicans 1 and 5, the latter closely related to the primary defect. The level of secondary accumulations was associated with elevation of glypican, as seen by comparing brains of mice at different ages or with different mucopolysaccharide storage diseases. The MEC of an MPS IIIA mouse had the same intense immunostaining for glypican 1 and other markers as MPS IIIB, while MEC of MPS I and MPS II mice had weak staining, and MEC of an MPS VI mouse had no staining at all for the same proteins. A considerable amount of glypican was found in MEC of MPS IIIB mice outside of lysosomes. We propose that it is the extralysosomal glypican that would be harmful to neurons, because its heparan sulfate branches could potentiate the formation of Ptau and beta amyloid aggregates, which would be toxic as well as difficult to degrade.

  6. [The connective tissues, from the origin of the concept to its "Maturation" to extracellular matrix. Application to ocular tissues. Contribution to the history of medical sciences].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Labat-Robert, J; Robert, L; Pouliquen, Y

    2011-06-01

    The "Tissue" concept emerged apparently in the medical literature at about the French revolution, during the second half of the 18(th) century. It was found in the texts written by the physicians of Béarn and Montpellier, the Bordeu-s and also by the famous physician, Felix Vicq d'Azyr, the last attending physician of the queen Marie-Antoinette, "Bordeu et al. (1775) et Pouliquen (2009)". It was elaborated into a coherent doctrine somewhat later by Xavier Bichat, considered as the founder of modern pathological anatomy, Bichat. With the advent of histochemistry, from the beginning of the 20(th) century, several of the principal macromolecular components of connective tissues, collagens, elastin, "acid mucopolysaccharides" (later glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans) and finally structural glycoproteins were characterized. These constituents of connective tissues were then designated as components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), closely associated to the cellular components of these tissues by adhesive (structural) glycoproteins as fibronectin, several others and cell receptors, "recognising" ECM-components as integrins, the elastin-receptor and others. This molecular arrangement fastens cells to the ECM-components they synthesize and mediates the exchange of informations between the cells to the ECM (inside-out) and also from the ECM-components to the cells (outside-in). This macromolecular arrangement is specific for each tissue as a result of the differentiation of their cellular components. It is also the basis and condition of the fulfillment of the specific functions of differentiated tissues. This is a short description of the passage of the "tissue" concept from its vague origin towards its precise identification at the cellular and molecular level up to the recognition of its functional importance and its establishment as an autonomous science. This can be considered as a new example of the importance of metaphors for the progress of science, Keller

  7. Hepatobiliary alterations in massive biliary ascariasis: histopathological aspects of an autopsy case Lesões hepatobiliares em ascaridíase biliar maciça: aspectos histopatológicos em um caso de autópsia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Carlos da Costa Gayotto

    1990-04-01

    Full Text Available Hepatobiliary alterations found in an autopsy case of massive Biliary Ascariasis, are reported on histological grounds. Severe cholangitis was the main finding, but other changes were also detected, such as pyloric and intestinal metaplasia, hyperplasia of the epithelial lining, with intraductal papillomas and adenomatous proliferation. Remnants of the worm were observed tightly adhered to the epithelium, forming microscopic intrahepatic calculi. Mucopolysaccharides, especially acid, showed to be strongly positive on the luminal border, and in proliferated glands around the ducts. The authors discuss the similarity between such findings and Oriental Cholangiohepatitis, and suggest that inflammation and the presence of the parasitic remnants are responsible for the hyperplastic and metaplastic changes, similarly with what occurs in chlonorchiasis, fascioliasis and schistosomiasis.Os autores apresentam os aspectos histopatológicos encontrados no fígado de um caso de autópsia de Ascaridíase Biliar maciça. A intensa colangite foi o aspecto predominante, mas outras lesões também foram encontradas, tais como metaplasia pilórica e intestinal, hiperplasia epitelial com papilomas intraductais, e por vezes padrão adenomatoso. Restos do helminto foram encontrados fortemente aderidos ao epitélio, sendo intensa a positividade de mucopolissacárides, principalmente ácidos, na borda luminal do epitélio ductal e em glândulas proliferadas ao redor dos ductos. Os autores discutem a semelhança da Ascaridíase Biliar com a Colangio Hepatite Oriental, e sugerem que o processo inflamatório e a presença de restos do verme são responsáveis pelas alterações hiperplásicas e metaplásicas, analogamente ao que ocorre na clonorquíase, fasciolíase e esquistossomose.

  8. Morphology and putative function of the colon and cloaca of marine and freshwater snakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babonis, Leslie S; Womack, Molly C; Evans, David H

    2012-01-01

    Among tetrapods, evidence for postrenal modification of the urine by the distal digestive tract (including the colon and cloaca) is highly variable. Birds and bladderless reptiles are of interest because the colon and cloaca represent the only sites from which water and ions can be reclaimed from the urine secreted by the kidney. For animals occupying desiccating environments (e.g., deserts and marine environments), postrenal modification of the urine may directly contribute to the maintenance of hypo-osmotic body fluids. We compared the morphology and distribution of key proteins in the colon, cloaca, and urogenital ducts of watersnakes from marine (Nerodia clarkii clarkii) and freshwater (Nerodia fasciata) habitats. Specifically, we examined the epithelia of each tissue for evidence of mucus production by examining the distribution of mucopolysaccharides, and for evidence of water/ion regulation by examining the distribution of Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase (NKA), Na(+) /K(+) /Cl(-) cotransporter (NKCC), and aquaporin 3 (AQP3). NKCC localized to the basolateral epithelium of the colon, urodeal sphincter, and proctodeum, consistent with a role in secretion of Na(+), Cl(-) , and K(+) from the tissue, but NKA was not detected in the colon or any compartment of the cloaca. Interestingly, NKA was detected in the basolateral epithelium of the ureters, suggesting the urothelium may play a role in active ion transport. AQP3 was detected in the ureters and coprodeal complex, consistent with a role in urinary and fecal dehydration or, potentially, in the production of the watery component of the mucus secreted by the coprodeal complex. Since no differences in general cloacal morphology, production of mucus, or the distribution of ion transporters/water channels were detected between the two species, cloacal osmoregulation may either be regulated by proteins not examined in this study or may not be responsible for the differential success of N. c. clarkii and N. fasciata in marine

  9. Composition and metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids in Sparus aurata semen and its relation to viability expressed as sperm motility when activated.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahnsteiner, Franz; Mansour, Nabil; Caberlotto, Stefano

    2010-09-01

    The present study investigated aspects of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in Sparus aurata semen and tested the effect of lipids, carbohydrates and related metabolites on sperm viability using in vitro incubation experiments. Sparus aurata semen contained enzyme systems to metabolize sugars and lipids. Also key enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and enzymes involved in ATP metabolism were detected. When spermatozoa were incubated in sperm motility inhibiting saline solution for 48 h phospholipid levels decreased constantly and triglycerides levels during the first 24 h of incubation indicating that spermatozoa utilize lipids as energy resources. After 24 h triglycerides levels started to re-increase indicating a change in sperm metabolism, in particular the onset of triglycerides synthesis by the fatty acid synthase complex. In the incubation period from 0 to 24 h glucose levels were constant, and decreased thereafter. Glycogen levels did not change at all. Semen contained also considerable amounts of sialic acid, glucuronic acid and hexosamines, components of mucopolysaccharides. To find out whether lipids, carbohydrates, and related metabolites had a positive effect on sperm functionality semen was incubated together with the described compounds in sperm motility inhibiting saline solution and motility when activated was determined. In the control 37.2+/-10.1% of the spermatozoa were locally motile and 38.3+/-13.3% motile after 24 h, 36.4+/-5.2% were locally motile and 9.6+/-4.5% were motile after 48 h. The swimming velocity was 89.0+/-13.1 microm/s after 24 h and 61.3+/-12.6% after 48 h. Different types of lipids (arachidic acid, linoleic acid, and glycerol trimyristate) and metabolites acting as fuel for the tricarboxylic acid cycle (hydroxybutyrate, ketoglutarate, and pyruvate) had a positive effect on the sperm viability. Tested carbohydrates (fucose, galactose, glucosamine, glucose, glucoheptose, glycogen, and sialic acid) had no effect. Also lactate

  10. The clinical efficacy observation of fluoroscopy-guided foam sclerotherapy with lauromacrogol for varicose veins of the lower extremities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Yongqiang; Xu Jingxuan; Chen Junying; Wu Yan; Zhang Chuanhong; Li Liang

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of foam sclerotherapy with lauromacrogol for varicose veins of the lower extremities. Methods: During the period from February to July 2011, we retrospectively analyzed 20 patients with varicose veins of the lower extremities, who were treated with lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent injected directly at varicose veins, and in 5 extremities injected at the great saphenous vein (GSV) through a catheter at the same time. Elastic bandages were applied at the site of the injected varicosities after the therapy. The clogging of the varicose veins, the improvement of the clinical symptoms and the adverse reaction were observed. Results: Lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent was successfully injected under the guidance of fluoroscopy in 20 patients with 28 affected extremities. The average volume of foam sclerosing agent in each affected extremity was 7.8 ml. All patients presented self limiting minor complications, including swelling and pain, which was obviously alleviated by the externally applied Mucopolysaccharide Polysulfate Cream. Two patients presented cough that was relieved after inhaling oxygen. Most of treated varicosities demonstrated pigmentation after the first week, which gradually disappeared after the four-month use of vitamin E capsule. A second foam sclerotherapy was carried out for 3 affected extremities of 3 patients two months after the first therapy. Two cases of leg venous ulcer were healed within a few weeks. All patients could walk immediately with no deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, anaphylaxis, or transient visual disturbance. Obvious abnormal varicose veins as well as the soreness and fatigue of the lower extremities disappeared in all patients at the 10th-month follow-up. The grading of the disease was significantly improved by the treatment (Z=5.103, P<0.01). Conclusions: The efficacy of lauromacrogol foam sclerosing agent in the treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities is

  11. The spectrum of Apert syndrome: phenotype, particularities in orthodontic treatment, and characteristics of orthognathic surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ehmer Ulrike

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In the PubMed accessible literature, information on the characteristics of interdisciplinary orthodontic and surgical treatment of patients with Apert syndrome is rare. The aim of the present article is threefold: (1 to show the spectrum of the phenotype, in order (2 to elucidate the scope of hindrances to orthodontic treatment, and (3 to demonstrate the problems of surgery and interdisciplinary approach. Children and adolescents who were born in 1985 or later, who were diagnosed with Apert syndrome, and who sought consultation or treatment at the Departments of Orthodontics or Craniomaxillofacial Surgery at the Dental School of the University Hospital of Münster (n = 22; 9 male, 13 female were screened. Exemplarily, three of these patients (2 male, 1 female, seeking interdisciplinary (both orthodontic and surgical treatment are presented. Orthodontic treatment before surgery was performed by one experienced orthodontist (AH, and orthognathic surgery was performed by one experienced surgeon (UJ, who diagnosed the syndrome according to the criteria listed in OMIM™. In the sagittal plane, the patients suffered from a mild to a very severe Angle Class III malocclusion, which was sometimes compensated by the inclination of the lower incisors; in the vertical dimension from an open bite; and transversally from a single tooth in crossbite to a circular crossbite. All patients showed dentitio tarda, some impaction, partial eruption, idopathic root resorption, transposition or other aberrations in the position of the tooth germs, and severe crowding, with sometimes parallel molar tooth buds in each quarter of the upper jaw. Because of the severity of malocclusion, orthodontic treatment needed to be performed with fixed appliances, and mainly with superelastic wires. The therapy was hampered with respect to positioning of bands and brackets because of incomplete tooth eruption, dense gingiva, and mucopolysaccharide ridges. Some teeth did not