Prognosis and risk factors for intrauterine growth retardation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sehested, Line Thousig; Pedersen, Pernille

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is the term describing a foetus that has not reached its genetic growth potential. There is no international consensus on the definition of IUGR. The aim of this study was to describe a cohort of weight-restricted neonates and their mothers...

Radiation-Induced Growth Retardation and Microstructural and Metabolite Abnormalities in the Hippocampus.

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Rodgers, Shaefali P; Zawaski, Janice A; Sahnoune, Iman; Leasure, J Leigh; Gaber, M Waleed

2016-01-01

Cranial radiotherapy (CRT) increases survival in pediatric brain-tumor patients but can cause deleterious effects. This study evaluates the acute and long-term impact of CRT delivered during childhood/adolescence on the brain and body using a rodent model. Rats received CRT, either 4 Gy fractions × 5 d (fractionated) or a cumulative dose of 20 Gy (single dose) at 28 d of age. Animals were euthanized 1 d, 5 d, or 3.5 mo after CRT. The 3.5 mo group was imaged prior to euthanasia. At 3.5 mo, we observed significant growth retardation in irradiated animals, versus controls, and the effects of single dose on brain and body weights were more severe than fractionated. Acutely single dose significantly reduced body weight but increased brain weight, whereas fractionation significantly reduced brain but not body weights, versus controls. CRT suppressed cell proliferation in the hippocampal subgranular zone acutely. Fractional anisotropy (FA) in the fimbria was significantly lower in the single dose versus controls. Hippocampal metabolite levels were significantly altered in the single dose animals, reflecting a heightened state of inflammation that was absent in the fractionated. Our findings indicate that despite the differences in severity between the doses they both demonstrated an effect on cell proliferation and growth retardation, important factors in pediatric CRT.

Distal joint contractures, mental retardation, characteristic face and growth retardation: Chitayat syndrome revisited.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wortmann, S.B.; Rodenburg, R.J.T.; Schwahn, B.; Smeitink, J.A.M.; Morava, E.

2007-01-01

We report on a patient with congenital distal limb contractures, characteristic face, prominent metopic sutures, narrow forehead, severe psychomotor and growth retardation, white matter lesions and failure to thrive. The child has many overlapping features with those reported previously by Chitayat.

Language development in preschool children born after asymmetrical intrauterine growth retardation.

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Simić Klarić, Andrea; Kolundžić, Zdravko; Galić, Slavka; Mejaški Bošnjak, Vlatka

2012-03-01

After intrauterine growth retardation, many minor neurodevelopmental disorders may occur, especially in the motor skills domain, language and speech development, and cognitive functions. The assessment of language development and impact of postnatal head growth in preschool children born with asymmetrical intrauterine growth retardation. Examinees were born at term with birth weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age, parity and gender. Mean age at the time of study was six years and four months. The control group was matched according to chronological and gestational age, gender and maternal education with mean age six years and five months. There were 50 children with intrauterine growth retardation and 50 controls, 28 girls and 22 boys in each group. For the assessment of language development Reynell Developmental Language Scale, the Naming test and Mottier test were performed. There were statistically significant differences (p language comprehension, total expressive language (vocabulary, structure, content), naming skills and non-words repetition. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between relative growth of the head [(Actual head circumference - head circumference at birth)/(Body weight - birth weight)] and language outcome. Children with neonatal complications had lower results (p language comprehension and total expressive language. Intrauterine growth retardation has a negative impact on language development which is evident in preschool years. Slow postnatal head growth is correlated with poorer language outcome. Neonatal complications were negatively correlated with language comprehension and total expressive language. Copyright © 2011 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flexible PVC flame retarded with expandable graphite

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Focke, WW

2014-02-01

Full Text Available this outstanding fire resistance. Thus flame-retardant (FR) and smoke-suppressant (SS) additives must be incorporated in order to meet product test specifications such as oxygen index, heat release rate, smoke evolution, or the extent of burning [1]. Levchik... plot for the composites fabricated in this work. For a material to be effectively flame retarded both the fire load and the fire growth index should assume low values. Figure 11 shows a dramatic decrease for all the EG composites relative to the neat...

Growth retardation and functional disability in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeed, S.; Zammurrad, S.; Rasheed, U.

2017-01-01

To determine the frequency of growth retardation and functional disability in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out at the Department of Rheumatology, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad from March 2016 to December 2016. 92 patients with JIA were included in the study. Height and weight of each patient was recorded and BMI calculated. Functional Disability was determined by calculating the CHAQ Score, while disease activity was estimated through JADAS 27 score. Growth Retardation was defined as height, weight and/or BMI below the 3rd centile according to the CDC growth charts. A cut off of ?1 for CHAQ Score was used to define severe functional disability. Results: Out of 92 patients, there were 47 male (51.1%) and 45 (48.9%) females. Height, weight and BMI below 3rd centile was observed in 30(32.6%), 49(53.3%) and 41(44.6%) patients, respectively. The overall frequency of growth retardation was 64.1% (n=59) and severe functional disability (CHAQ Score ?1) was seen in 32.6% (n=30) of patients. Conclusions: Growth retardation was seen in more than half of patients with JIA and a significant proportion had severe functional disability. Severe functional disability was seen only in patients with active disease. (author)

[Associated factors in newborns with intrauterine growth retardation].

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Thompson-Chagoyán, Oscar C; Vega-Franco, Leopoldo

2008-01-01

To identify the risk factors implicated in the intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) of neonates born in a social security institution. Case controls design study in 376 neonates: 188 with IUGR (weight RCIU in the population.

Tourette syndrome, growth retardation, and platyspondyly: an entity?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheper, Frederike Y.; Hennekam, Raoul C. M.

2002-01-01

A 14-year-old male is described with Tourette syndrome, platyspondyly, a marked delay in bone age, growth retardation that is more expressed in the limbs and talipes equinovarus. This appears to be a new entity

Fetal programming: prenatal testosterone excess leads to fetal growth retardation and postnatal catch-up growth in sheep.

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Manikkam, Mohan; Crespi, Erica J; Doop, Douglas D; Herkimer, Carol; Lee, James S; Yu, Sunkyung; Brown, Morton B; Foster, Douglas L; Padmanabhan, Vasantha

2004-02-01

Alterations in the maternal endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic environment disrupt the developmental trajectory of the fetus, leading to adult diseases. Female offspring of rats, subhuman primates, and sheep treated prenatally with testosterone (T) develop reproductive/metabolic defects during adult life similar to those that occur after intrauterine growth retardation. In the present study we determined whether prenatal T treatment produces growth-retarded offspring. Cottonseed oil or T propionate (100 mg, im) was administered twice weekly to pregnant sheep between 30-90 d gestation (term = 147 d; cottonseed oil, n = 16; prenatal T, n = 32). Newborn weight and body dimensions were measured the day after birth, and postnatal weight gain was monitored for 4 months in all females and in a subset of males. Consistent with its action, prenatal T treatment produced females and males with greater anogenital distances relative to controls. Prenatal T treatment reduced body weights and heights of newborns from both sexes and chest circumference of females. Prenatally T-treated females, but not males, exhibited catch-up growth during 2-4 months of postnatal life. Plasma IGF-binding protein-1 and IGF-binding protein-2, but not IGF-I, levels of prenatally T-treated females were elevated in the first month of life, a period when the prenatally T-treated females were not exhibiting catch-up growth. This is suggestive of reduced IGF availability and potential contribution to growth retardation. These findings support the concept that fetal growth retardation and postnatal catch-up growth, early markers of future adult diseases, can also be programmed by prenatal exposure to excess sex steroids.

Growth hormone treatment in children with rheumatic disease, corticosteroid induced growth retardation, and osteopenia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

F.K. Grote (Floor); L.W.A. van Suijlekom-Smit (Lisette); D. Mul (Dick); W.C.J. Hop (Wim); R. ten Cate (Rebecca); W. Oostdijk (Wilma); W.H.J. van Luijk (Wilma); C.J.A. Jansen-Van Wijngaarden (C. J A); S.M.P.F. de Muinck Keizer-Schrama (Sabine)

2006-01-01

textabstractBackground: In children with severe rheumatic disease (RD), treatment with corticosteroids (CS) is frequently needed and growth retardation and osteopenia may develop. A beneficial effect of human growth hormone (hGH) has been reported but mostly in trials without a control group. Aims:

Growth hormone treatment in children with rheumatic disease, corticosteroid induced growth retardation, and osteopenia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grote, FK; van Suijlekom-Smit, LWA; Mul, D; Hop, WCJ; ten Cate, R; Oostdijk, W; Van Luijk, W; Jansen-van Wijngaarden, CJA; Keizer-Schrama, SMPFD

Background: In children with severe rheumatic disease (RD), treatment with corticosteroids (CS) is frequently needed and growth retardation and osteopenia may develop. A beneficial effect of human growth hormone (hGH) has been reported but mostly in trials without a control group. Aims: To study the

Effect of the growth retardant Cycocel® in controlling the growth of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2010-07-19

Jul 19, 2010 ... Hydroponic culture of Gladiolus tristis: Application of paclobutrazol for flowering and height control. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 7(3): 239-243. Ninnemann H, Zeevaart JAD, Kende H, Lang A (1964). The plant growth retardant CCC as an inhibitor of gibberellin biosynthesis in. Fusarium moniliforme. Planta (Bert.) ...

Crack growth retardation due to micro-roughness: a mechanism for overload effects in fatigue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suresh, S.

1982-01-01

A new mechanism for fatigue crack growth retardation following an overload is presented in this paper, based on a micro-roughness model. It is reasoned, with the aid of extensive experimental evidence available in the literature, that retardation following an overload is governed by the micromechanisms of near-threshold crack growth. This model is found to rationalize a number of hitherto unexplained experimental observations. Moreover, the present arguments, which suggest that plasticity-induced crack closure is not likely to be the primary mechanism for retardation following single overloads, do not exclude the role of residual stresses or blunting, but provide further mechanistic basis to account for the inconsistencies in the previous models. Additional sources of prolonged retardation, in terms of crack closure due to corrosion debris formed in moist environments, are suggested. It is pointed out that such environmental effects could play an important role in post-overload crack growth in certain alloy systems

Fatigue crack growth retardation in spot heated mild steel sheet

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

Department of Metallurgical Engineering, *Department of Applied Mechanics and Hydraulics, ... growth retardation increases with increasing level of overload as well as with ..... Suresh S 1996 Fatigue of materials (Cambridge: Cambridge.

Growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor I and its binding proteins 1 and 3 in last trimester intrauterine growth retardation with increased pulsatility index in the umbilical artery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, T; Main, K; Andersson, A M

1996-01-01

The interrelationships between maternal hormone levels and placental dysfunction in mothers bearing children with intrauterine growth retardation remain unclear. We have examined some endocrinological aspects of intrauterine growth retardation and, in particular, tested whether low levels of GH...

Diagnostic Criteria for Transient Myocardial Ischemia in Newborn Infants with Intrauterine Growth Retardation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umida F. Nasirova, PhD

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Metabolic and hemodynamic disturbances in newborns with intrauterine growth retardation resulting from the transferred intrauterine hypoxia, lead to the development of transient myocardial ischemia. Study included 158 newborn infants with intrauterine growth retardation, 83% of which have the asymmetric and 17% - the symmetric form of IUGR, revealed differences in heart rate due to higher dispersion parameters of cardiac rhythm. It was determined that in infants with intrauterine growth retardation heart rate, respiratory rate accelerated and blood pressure increased in compare with the newborns in the control group. According to the ECG examination results, were revealed the signs of focal changes of ST-T, accompanied by inversion of the ST-T segment below the isoline, which accompanied with the positive and peaked T waves, considered as myocardial ischemia. In infants with intrauterine growth retardation, survived after perinatal damage of the central nervous system, the prolongation of the QRST interval was noted in compare with the control group newborns, which could be an indicator of conjunction of hypoxic and ischemic changes in the myocardium. Clinical manifestations of transient myocardial ischemia followed by pale skin, acrocyanosis, and perioral cyanosis against dullness of heart sounds. Obtained results deepened an understanding of posthypoxic myocardial dysfunction, which is characterized by cardiac rhythm and conductivity disturbances, as well as changes in ventricular complex, and causing the need for electrocardiographic screening in the neonatal period

Locoregional injection of F-18 radiopharmaceuticals suppresses tumor xenograft growth in rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, C -L [The Univ. of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas (United States)

2004-07-01

The energetic positrons (0.633 Mev) from F-18 dissipate kinetic energies before annihilation to produce two 0.511 Mev photons which also contribute to the radiation absorbed dose to the surroundings. In living organism, the contribution from the positron itself to the surrounding tissues (up to 2 mm) is larger than from the 2 photons. Apoptosis has been reported in rat tumors after systemic injection of F-18 FDG although no growth retardation was noted. This study is designed to exploit the pharmacokinetic advantages of locoregional injection of positron emitters in the suppression of tumor growth in rats. Methods: Groups of Fisher 344 adult female rats were inoculated with rat mammary tumors (100,000 cells) intramuscularly (IM) in the thigh. Locoregional injection with F-18 NaF or F-18 FDG was accomplished in days 3 or 7 with single doses of increasing strengths (0.2 to 3 mCi). Tumor growth rates were noted and compared to control (sham injection with saline). The locoregional distribution and clearance of F-18 were estimated from serial tomograms using a Concord MicroPET (R4) after intramuscular injection of 0.1-0.2 mCi of F-18 NaF or F-18 FDG in groups of triplicate rats. Results: A dose-related pattern of tumor suppression is noted with F-18 FDG, whether treatment occurs in day 3 or 7 after inoculation. Additional experiment of injection of 5 mci of F-18 FDG at day 14 also suppressed the growth of a well-formed tumor. Tumor suppression by F-18 NaF is less obvious and only occurs with high dose (2 mCi). MicroPET images demonstrate that F-18 FDG is retained in the injection site while F-18 NaF dissipates rapidly. Conclusion: Locoregional injection of positron-emitters may be sufficient to suppress tumor growth. The mechanism is likely related to the pharmacokinetic profile of the compound within the tissue. Discussion: Locoregional application of radionuclides may provide feasible alternatives to slow tumor growth or prevent tumor recurrence. The use of

Psychomotor retardation in a girl with complete growth hormone deficiency.

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Dayal, Devi; Malhi, Prabhjot; Kumar Bhalla, Anil; Sachdeva, Naresh; Kumar, Rakesh

2013-01-01

Infants with complete growth hormone deficiency may suffer from psychomotor retardation in addition to severe growth failure. Without replacement therapy, they may have a compromised intellectual potential manifesting as learning disabilities and attention-deficit disorders in later life. In this communication, we discuss an infant who showed improvement in physical growth after growth hormone therapy but her psychomotor skills did not improve probably due to late start of treatment. There is a need to start growth hormone therapy as early as possible in infants with complete growth hormone deficiency to avoid adverse effects on psychomotor and brain development.

A case of functional growth hormone deficiency and early growth retardation in a child with IFT172 mutations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas-Herald, Angela K; Kinning, Esther; Iida, Aritoshi; Wang, Zheng; Miyake, Noriko; Ikegawa, Shiro; McNeilly, Jane; Ahmed, S Faisal

2015-04-01

Ciliopathies are a group of rare conditions that present through a wide range of manifestations. Given the relative common occurrence of defects of the GH/IGF-I axis in children with short stature and growth retardation, the association between ciliopathies and these defects needs further attention. Our patient is a boy who was born at term and noted to have early growth retardation and weight gain within the first 18 months of life. Biochemical tests demonstrated low IGF-I but a normal peak GH on stimulation and an adequate increase in IGF-I on administration of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH). A magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed pituitary hypoplasia and an ectopic posterior pituitary. His growth responded well to rhGH therapy. Subsequently he also developed a retinopathy of his rods and cones, metaphyseal dysplasia, and hypertension with renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy. Whole-exome sequencing demonstrated compound heterozygous mutations of IFT172, thus consistent with a ciliopathy. This is the first reported case of a child with a mutation in IFT172 who presented with growth retardation in early childhood and was initially managed as a case of functional GH deficiency that responded to rhGH therapy. This case highlights the importance of ciliary function in pituitary development and the link between early onset growth failure and ciliopathies.

Acute toxicity of fire-retardant and foam-suppressant chemicals to yalella azteca (Saussure)

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McDonald, Susan F.; Hamilton, Steven J.; Buhl, Kevin J.; Heisinger, James F.

1997-01-01

Acute toxicity tests were conducted with Hyalella azteca Saussure (an amphipod) exposed in soft and hard waters to three fire retardants (Fire-Trol GTS-R, Fire-Trol LCG-R, and Phos-Chek D75-F) and two foam suppressants (Phos-Chek WD-881 and Silv-Ex). The chemicals were slightly to moderately toxic to amphipods. The most toxic chemical to amphipods in soft and hard water was Phos-Chek WD-881 (96-h mean lethal concentration [LC50] equal to 10 mg/L and 22 mg/L, respectively), and the least toxic chemical to amphipods in soft water was Fire-Trol GTS-R (96-h LC50 equal to 127 mg/L) and in hard water was Fire-Trol LCG-R (96-h LC50 equal to 535 mg/L). Concentrations of ammonia in tests with the three fire retardants and both water types were greater than reported LC50 values and probably were the major toxic component. Estimated un-ionized ammonia concentrations near the LC50 were frequently less than the reported LC50 ammonia concentrations for amphipods. The three fire retardants were more toxic in soft water than in hard water even though ammonia and un-ionized ammonia concentrations were higher in hard water tests than in soft water tests. The accidental entry of fire-fighting chemicals into aquatic environments could adversely affect aquatic invertebrates, thereby disrupting ecosystem function.

TNF promoter polymorphisms and modulation of growth retardation and disease severity in pediatric Crohn's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Arie; Shamir, Raanan; Wine, Eytan; Weiss, Batya; Karban, Amir; Shaoul, Ron R; Reif, Shimon S; Yakir, Benjamin; Friedlander, Marcello; Kaniel, Yael; Leshinsky-Silver, Esther

2005-07-01

Delayed growth is common in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). Multiple factors have been shown to affect growth in this situation, the most prominent being the presence and severity of inflammation and inadequate nutritional intake. Inflammation, anorexia, and weight loss are all manifestations of circulating TNF-alpha, which is elevated in CD. The ability to secrete TNF-alpha may be affected by polymorphisms in the TNF-alpha promoter. The aim of our study was to determine whether growth retardation and disease severity in pediatric onset CD are affected by TNF promoter genotype. Genotyping for TNF-alpha and NOD2/CARD15 single nucleotide polymorphisms was performed in 87 patients with detailed growth records. Parameters including disease location and disease severity were recorded, and the effect of these polymorphisms on Z-scores for height and weight at disease onset and during follow-up were analyzed. Lower age of onset was linked to more height retardation, while the presence of colonic disease and the absence of ileal disease were more likely to predict the absence of growth retardation. The presence of two polymorphisms thought to decrease circulating TNF-alpha was associated with higher mean Z-scores for height and a trend toward less growth retardation. Two other polymorphisms were modestly associated with disease severity. Polymorphisms in the TNF-alpha promoter may independently modulate growth and disease severity in pediatric onset CD. The effect of these polymorphisms does not appear to be mediated via weight loss, and is relatively modest.

Retardation of muscle growth in castrated male mice: further ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Retardation of muscle growth in castrated male mice was studied as an evidence for the influence of hormones on the development of muscle mass. Male albino mice were castrated at 28days of age by open castration method. The weights and the muscle mass indices (mg muscle weight per gram body weight) of the ...

Impact of intrauterine growth retardation and body proportionality on fetal and neonatal outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, M S; Olivier, M; McLean, F H; Willis, D M; Usher, R H

1990-11-01

Previous prognostic studies of infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) have not adequately considered the heterogeneity of IUGR in terms of cause, severity, and body proportionality and have been prone to misclassification of IUGR because of errors in estimation of gestational age. Based on a cohort of 8719 infants with early-ultrasound-validated gestational ages and indexes of body proportionality standardized for birth weight, the consequences of severity and cause-specific IUGR and proportionality for fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality were assessed. With progressive severity of IUGR, there were significant (all P less than .001) linear trends for increasing risks of stillbirth, fetal distress (abnormal electronic fetal heart tracings)O during parturition, neonatal hypoglycemia (minimum plasma glucose less than 40 mg/dL), hypocalcemia (minimum Ca less than 7 mg/dL), polycythemia (maximum capillary hemoglobin greater than or equal to 21 g/dL), severe depression at birth (manual ventilation greater than 3 minutes), 1-minute and 5-minute Apgar scores less than or equal to 6, 1-minute Apgar score less than or equal to 3, and in-hospital death. These trends persisted for the more common outcomes even after restriction to term (37 to 42 weeks) births. There was no convincing evidence that outcome among infants with a given degree of growth retardation varied as a function of cause of that growth retardation. Among infants with IUGR, increased length-for-weight had significant crude associations with hypoglycemia and polycythemia, but these associations disappeared after adjustment for severity of growth retardation and gestational age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Excess TSH causes abnormal skeletal development in young mice with hypothyroidism via suppressive effects on the growth plate.

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Endo, Toyoshi; Kobayashi, Tetsuro

2013-09-01

Hypothyroidism in the young leads to irreversible growth failure. hyt/hyt Mice have a nonfunctional TSH receptor (TSHR) and are severely hypothyroid, but growth retardation was not observed in adult mice. We found that epiphysial cartilage as well as cultured chondrocytes expressed functional TSHR at levels comparable to that seen in the thyroid, and that addition of TSH to cultured chondrocytes suppressed expression of chondrocyte differentiation marker genes such as Sox-9 and type IIa collagen. Next, we compared the long bone phenotypes of two distinct mouse models of hypothyroidism: thyroidectomized (THYx) mice and hyt/hyt mice. Although both THYx and hyt/hyt mice were severely hypothyroid and had similar serum Ca(2+) and growth hormone levels, the tibia was shorter and the proliferating and hypertrophic zones in the growth plate was significantly narrower in THYx mice than in hyt/hyt mice. Supplementation of hyt/hyt mice thyroid hormone resulted in a wider growth plate compared with that of wild-type mice. Expressions of chondrocyte differentiation marker genes Sox-9 and type IIa collagen in growth plate from THYx mice were 52 and 60% lower than those of hyt/hyt mice, respectively. High serum TSH causes abnormal skeletal development in young mice with hypothyroidism via suppressive effects on the growth plate.

Preliminary report: BGLIIA-BGLIIB haplotype of growth hormone cluster is associated with glucose intolerance in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and with growth hormone deficit in growth retardation.

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Bottini, E; Lucarelli, P; Amante, A; Saccucci, P; Gloria-Bottini, F

2002-01-01

We studied 101 growth-retarded children from the population of Ancona (Italy). Plasma growth hormone (GH) levels at the end of insulin and clonidine tests were considered for classification of children into 3 categories according to severity of GH deficit: total deficit of GH (TD), partial deficit (PD, and familiar short stature (FSS; no deficit of GH). The BGLIIA*2/BGLIIB*1 haplotype of GH cluster that was previously found to be negatively associated with severe glucose intolerance in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is negatively associated with GH deficit in growth-retarded children. The hypothesis that intrauterine growth retardation and glucose intolerance in adult life could be phenotypes of the same underlying genotype has been recently put forward. The present observation suggests that genes influencing both growth and glucose tolerance are encoded in the GH cluster. Copyright 2002 by W.B. Saunders Company

Height suppression of tomato plug seedlings by an environment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Experiments were conducted to investigate appropriate concentrations of plant growth retardants (PGRs) and duration of seed soaking in order to suppress hypocotyl length and plug seedling height of 2 tomato cultivars ( Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. cv. Seogeon and Seokwang). Daminozide (B-9), uniconazole ...

Changes in GH/IGF-1 axis in intrauterine growth retardation: consequences of fetal programming?

Science.gov (United States)

Setia, S; Sridhar, M G

2009-11-01

Fetal growth is a complex process that depends on the genotype and epigenotype of the fetus, maternal nutrition, the availability of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, intrauterine insults, and a variety of growth factors and proteins of maternal and fetal/placental origin. In the fetus, growth hormone (GH) plays little or no role in regulating fetal growth, and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) control growth directly independent of fetal GH secretion. Placental growth hormone (PGH) is the prime regulator of maternal serum IGF-1 during pregnancy. Total as well as free PGH and IGFs are significantly lower in pregnancies with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). The GH/IGF axis is significantly affected by intrauterine growth retardation and some of these alterations may lead to permanent pathological programming of the IGF axis. Alterations in the IGF axis may play a role in the future occurrence of insulin resistance and hypertension. In this review we focus on the regulation of fetal growth and the role of fetal programming in the late consequences of a poor fetal environment reflected in IUGR.

[Linear growth retardation in children under five years of age: a baseline study].

Science.gov (United States)

Rissin, Anete; Figueiroa, José Natal; Benício, Maria Helena D'Aquino; Batista Filho, Malaquias

2011-10-01

The scope of this study was to describe the prevalence of, and analyze factors associated with, linear growth retardation in children. The baseline study analyzed 2040 children under the age of five, establishing a possible association between growth delay (height/age index non-binary variables, there was a positive association with roof type and number of inhabitants per room and a negative association with income per capita, mother's schooling and birth weight. The adjusted analysis also indicated water supply, visit from the community health agent, birth delivery location, internment for diarrhea, or for pneumonia and birth weight as significant variables. Several risk factors were identified for linear growth retardation pointing to the multi-causal aspects of the problem and highlighting the need for control measures by the various hierarchical government agents.

Radioiodine uptake in young carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) retarded in growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lysak, A.

1978-01-01

In the light of results obtained in recent years, radioiodine disposition in young carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), retarded in growth is described. The pharynx centre accumulates most of the administered radioiodine. Activation of renal centre takes place already after 10 days of intensive feeding. (author)

Endocrine dysfunction and growth retardation assessment in children with beta -thalassemia major

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noureldin, A.M.; Ahmed, A.M.

2002-01-01

Children suffering from beta-thalassemia major are reported to have endocrine abnormalities and growth retardation. This study was carried out to study the cause of their growth retardation and determine the extent and rate of endocrine complications. Twenty beta-thalassemic major pubertal children, with mean baemoglobin and ferritin concentration of 8.8±0.6 and 3.597± 1.931, respectively, and twenty pubertal control children were used in the study. The anthropometric measurements that carried out revealed significant low growth rate in patient groups in comparison with control. Patients divided into two groups; I) D-thal with delayed growth and II) S-thal with stunted growth. Basal serum thyoid hormones (T 3 and T 4 ) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in patient groups and control group. T 3 showed highly significant decrease (P 4 showed non-significant change and TSH showed highly significant increase (P<0.001). Serum growth hormone showed significant lower concentrations in patient groups with values of 2.163±0.9 ng/ml, (P<0.01) and 1.832±1.9ng/ml, (P<0.01) for delayed growth thalassemic group (D-thal) and stunted growth thalassemic group (S-thal), respectively. Serum concentration of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) hormone was studied. D-thal and S-thal had significant lower basal IGF-1 concentrationsof-58.44% (P<0.001) for D-thal and -64.37%, (P<0.001) for S-thal

Reactive oxygen species are involved in lipopolysaccharide-induced intrauterine growth restriction and skeletal development retardation in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, De-Xiang; Chen, Yuan-Hua; Zhao, Lei; Wang, Hua; Wei, Wei

2006-12-01

Maternal infection is a cause of adverse developmental outcomes including embryonic resorption, intrauterine fetal death, and preterm labor. Lipopolysaccharide-induced developmental toxicity at early gestational stages has been well characterized. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of maternal lipopolysaccharide exposure at late gestational stages on intrauterine fetal growth and skeletal development and to assess the potential role of reactive oxygen species in lipopolysaccharide-induced intrauterine fetal growth restriction and skeletal development retardation. The timed pregnant CD-1 mice were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (25 to 75 microg/kg per day) on gestational day 15 to 17. To investigate the role of reactive oxygen species on lipopolysaccharide-induced intrauterine fetal growth restriction and skeletal development retardation, the pregnant mice were injected with alpha-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone (100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) at 30 minutes before lipopolysaccharide (75 microg/kg per day, intraperitoneally), followed by an additional dose of alpha-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone (50 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) at 3 hours after lipopolysaccharide. The number of live fetuses, dead fetuses, and resorption sites was counted on gestational day 18. Live fetuses in each litter were weighed. Crown-rump and tail lengths were examined and skeletal development was evaluated. Maternal lipopolysaccharide exposure significantly increased fetal mortality, reduced fetal weight and crown-rump and tail lengths of live fetuses, and retarded skeletal ossification in caudal vertebrae, anterior and posterior phalanges, and supraoccipital bone in a dose-dependent manner. Alpha-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone, a free radical spin-trapping agent, almost completely blocked lipopolysaccharide-induced fetal death (63.2% in lipopolysaccharide group versus 6.5% in alpha-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone + lipopolysaccharide group, P intrauterine growth restriction

Plant growth retardation and conserved miRNAs are correlated to Hibiscus chlorotic ringspot virus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Ruimin; Wan, Zi Yi; Wong, Sek-Man

2013-01-01

Virus infection may cause a multiplicity of symptoms in their host including discoloration, distortion and growth retardation. Hibiscus chlorotic ringspot virus (HCRSV) infection was studied using kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), a non-wood fiber-producing crop in this study. Infection by HCRSV reduced the fiber yield and concomitant economic value of kenaf. We investigated kenaf growth retardation and fluctuations of four selected miRNAs after HCRSV infection. Vegetative growth (including plant height, leaf size and root development) was severely retarded. From the transverse and radial sections of the mock and HCRSV-infected kenaf stem, the vascular bundles of HCRSV-infected plants were severely disrupted. In addition, four conserved plant developmental and defence related microRNAs (miRNAs) (miR165, miR167, miR168 and miR171) and their respective target genes phabulosa (PHB), auxin response factor 8 (ARF8), argonaute 1 (AGO1) and scarecrow-like protein 1 (SCL1) displayed variation in expression levels after HCRSV infection. Compared with the mock inoculated kenaf plants, miR171 and miR168 and their targets SCL1 and AGO1 showed greater fluctuations after HCRSV infection. As HCRSV upregulates plant SO transcript in kenaf and upregulated AGO1 in HCRSV-infected plants, the expression level of AGO1 transcript was further investigated under sulfite oxidase (SO) overexpression or silencing condition. Interestingly, the four selected miRNAs were also up- or down-regulated upon overexpression or silencing of SO. Plant growth retardation and fluctuation of four conserved miRNAs are correlated to HCRSV infection.

An experimental study on the factors that affect fatigue crack growth retardation behavior in SM45C steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seon Jin; Kim, Jong Hoon; Ahn, Seok Hwan

2000-01-01

Constant ΔK fatigue crack growth tests were performed applying an intermediate multiple overload for SM45C steel. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of specimen thickness at various baseline stress intensity levels(ΔK b ), overload application position(a/W) and overload application frequency(OL Hz ) on fatigue crack growth retardation behavior. The principal results are summarized as follows. The amount of retardation for a given ΔK b level is increased with increasing the baseline stress intensity level in all specimen thickness. The normalized minimum crack growth rate is increased with increasing the specimen thickness, except for ΔK=45MPa√m. The retardation cycle is decreased with increasing the overload application position and increased with the overload application frequency

Flame retardant synergism between molybdenum and halogen-containing compounds in unsaturated polyesters. [Smoke suppression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skinner, G.A.; Parker, L.E.; Marshall, P.J.

1978-01-01

Oxygen index results for a series of unsaturated polyesters, containing molybdenum oxide and various halogenated compounds, have provided definite evidence for some form of flame retardant synergistic effect between molybdenum and halogen. With the halogenated compounds used, the magnitude of the effect was greater in the presence of bromine but was dependent on the type of compound. When dibromoneopentyl glycol was used as the bromine source, the synergistic effect exhibited by molybdenum oxide was comparable to that shown by antimony oxide. Since molybdenum oxide also acts as a smoke suppressant, it could offer a useful alternative to antimony oxide particularly in the light of probable changes in standards and regulatory control regarding smoke emission. 4 figures, 2 tables.

The Kenny-Caffey syndrome: growth retardation and hypocalcemia in a young boy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, W K; Vargas, A; Barnes, J; Root, A W

1983-04-01

A 2-year-old black boy with the Kenny-Caffey syndrome was first evaluated because of growth retardation and hypocalcemia. Hypothalamic-pituitary function was normal. Basal serum somatomedin C levels were normal for age, but did not increase during short-term administration of human growth hormone. Serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone levels remained inappropriately low during spontaneous and induced hypocalcemia, indicating that hypocalcemia was the consequence of hypoparathyroidism. The manifestations of 15 patients with this syndrome are tabulated.

Severe linear growth retardation in rural Zambian children: the influence of biological variables.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hautvast, J.L.A.; Tolboom, J.J.M.; Kaftwembe, E.M.; Musonda, R.M.; Mwanakasale, V.; Staveren, W.A. van; Hof, M.A. van 't; Sauerwein, R.W.; Willems, J.L.; Monnens, L.A.H.

2000-01-01

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of stunting in preschool children in Zambia is high; stunting has detrimental effects on concurrent psychomotor development and later working capacity. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate biological variables that may contribute to linear growth retardation in

Abnormal Grain Growth Suppression in Aluminum Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Hales, Stephen J. (Inventor); Claytor, Harold Dale (Inventor); Alexa, Joel A. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

The present invention provides a process for suppressing abnormal grain growth in friction stir welded aluminum alloys by inserting an intermediate annealing treatment ("IAT") after the welding step on the article. The IAT may be followed by a solution heat treatment (SHT) on the article under effectively high solution heat treatment conditions. In at least some embodiments, a deformation step is conducted on the article under effective spin-forming deformation conditions or under effective superplastic deformation conditions. The invention further provides a welded article having suppressed abnormal grain growth, prepared by the process above. Preferably the article is characterized with greater than about 90% reduction in area fraction abnormal grain growth in any friction-stir-welded nugget.

Development of low-smoke, flame-retarding cables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, H.; Kanemitsuya, K.; Furukawa, K.; Mio, K.

1983-01-01

A great deal of attention has been given to the potential fire hazard of combustion gases from organic materials. Although cable industries have developed flame-retarding organic materials for the insulation and jacketing of wires and cables, there was insufficient prevention of toxic gas formation during combustion. To cope with these problems associated with conventional PVC cables, the authors have directed to develop low-smoke, flame-retarding plasticized PVC formulations retaining the original mechanical, electrical and aging properties. A series of basic investigations on smoke suppression followed by an evaluation on practical cables could indicate some effective means to end these problems. This paper describes the results and discussion on smoke suppressing study of plasticized PVC as well as behavior and characteristics of the low-smoke, flame-retarding PVC wires and cables using these materials. (author)

The tissue and plasma concentration of polyols and sugars in sheep intrauterine growth retardation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T.R.H. Regnault (Timothy); C. Teng (Cecilia); B. de Vrijer (Barbra); H.L. Galan (Henry); R.B. Wilkening (Randall); F.C. Battaglia (Frederick)

2010-01-01

textabstractIn an ovine model of placental insufficiency-induced intrauterine growth retardation (PI-IUGR), characterized by hypoxia, hypoglycemia and a significant reduction in fetal weight, we assessed alterations in fetal and placental polyols. Arterial maternal-fetal concentration differences of

Volumetric analysis of the normal infant brain and in intrauterine growth retardation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toft, P B; Leth, H; Ring, P B

1995-01-01

and the volumes were determined by encircling each structure of interest on every slice. Segmentation into grey matter, white matter and CSF was done by semi-automatic discriminant analysis. Growth charts for the cerebrum, cerebellum, corpora striata, thalami, ventricles, and grey and white matter are provided...... for infants with appropriate birth weight. The striatal (P = 0.02) and thalamic (P matter to white matter (G/W-ratio) increased (P = 0.01). In the neonatal patients, brain volumes were independently associated...... growth retardation reduces grey matter volume more than white matter....

Toxicity of fire retardant chemicals and fire suppressant foams to vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife species

Science.gov (United States)

Vyas, Nimish B.; Hill, Elwood F.

1996-01-01

Under laboratory conditions, acute single-dose oral toxicity tests (LD50) were conducted with three fire retardant chemicals (Fire-Trol GTS-R, Phos-Chek D75-F, and Fire-Trol LCG-R) and two fire suppressant foams (Silv-Ex and Phos-Chek WD-881) to determine effects on adult northern bobwhite, American kestrel, red-winged blackbird, and white-footed mouse. In addition, earthworms were exposed (LC50) for 14 days in treated soil.In general, no toxic responses were evident. For northern bobwhite, the LD50 for all five chemicals was >2000 mg a.l./kg of body mass. American kestrels regurgitated all chemicals except Silv-ex; LD50s all exceeded 2000 mg/kg. The LD50 for red-winged blackbird was also >2000 mg/kg for all chemicals except Fire-Trol GTS-R which is currently undergoing further testing. In addition, the LD50 for white-footed mouse was >2000 mg/kg for Phos-Chek D75F. The 14-day LC50 for earthworms was >1000 ppm for all chemicals. Therefore, we concluded that these retardants and foams do not pose an acute hazard to adult birds, mammals, or earthworms. However, ecological studies to evaluate the potential effects of these formulations on vertebrate behavior and population dynamics are in progress.

Horseshoe kidney with growth retardation: Don't forget Turner syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Arslansoyu-Çamlar, Seçil; Soylu, Alper; Abacı, Ayhan; Türkmen, Mehmet Atilla; Ülgenalp, Ayfer; Kavukçu, Salih

2016-01-01

Horseshoe kidney is the most frequent renal fusion anomaly that is usually asymptomatic and isolated malformation. However it can be seen with various syndromes and chromosomal anomalies. It was reported that 15-35% of Turner syndrome cases (TS) also display horseshoe kidney condition. TS is a chromosomal anomaly that had been characterized by delayed puberty, short body height and gonadal dysgenesis. In this report a five-year-old girl with horseshoe kidney, which has growth retardation during follow-up as only symptom of Turner syndrome.

Mechanical mandible competence in rats with nutritional growth retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lezón, Christian Esteban; Pintos, Patricia Mabel; Bozzini, Clarisa; Romero, Alan Agüero; Casavalle, Patricia; Friedman, Silvia María; Boyer, Patricia Mónica

2017-08-01

In order to provide a better understanding of the sympathetic nervous system as a negative regulator of bone status, the aim of the study was to establish the biomechanical mandible response to different doses of a β-adrenergic antagonist such as propranolol (P) in a stress-induced food restriction model of growth retardation. Rats were assigned to eight groups: Control (C), C+P3.5 (CP3.5), C+P7 (CP7), C+P14 (CP14), NGR, NGR+P3.5 (NGRP3.5), NGR+P7 (NGRP7) and NGR+P14 (NGRP14). C, CP3.5, CP7 and CP14 rats were freely fed with the standard diet. NGR, NGRP3.5, NGRP7 and NGRP14 rats received, for 4 weeks (W4), 80% of the amount of controls food consumed. Propranolol 3.5, 7 and 14mg/kg/day was injected ip 5days per week in CP3.5 and NGRP3.5, CP7 and NGRP7, CP14 and NGRP14, respectively. At W4, zoometry, mandible morphometry, static histomorphometric and biomechanical competence were performed. A dose of Propranolol 7mg/kg/day induced interradicular bone volume accretion reaching a mandible stiffness according to chronological age. These findings evidenced that sympathetic nervous system activity is a negative regulator of mandible mechanical competence in the nutritional growth retardation model. Propranolol 7mg/kg/day, under the regimen usage, seems to be appropriate to blockade SNS activity on mandible mechanical performance in NGR rats, probably associated to an effect on bone mechanostat system ability to detect disuse mode as an error. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abscinazole-F1, a conformationally restricted analogue of the plant growth retardant uniconazole and an inhibitor of ABA 8'-hydroxylase CYP707A with no growth-retardant effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Todoroki, Yasushi; Kobayashi, Kyotaro; Shirakura, Minaho; Aoyama, Hikaru; Takatori, Kokichi; Nimitkeatkai, Hataitip; Jin, Mei-Hong; Hiramatsu, Saori; Ueno, Kotomi; Kondo, Satoru; Mizutani, Masaharu; Hirai, Nobuhiro

2009-09-15

To develop a specific inhibitor of abscisic acid (ABA) 8'-hydroxylase, a key enzyme in the catabolism of ABA, a plant hormone involved in stress tolerance, seed dormancy, and other various physiological events, we designed and synthesized conformationally restricted analogues of uniconazole (UNI), a well-known plant growth retardant, which inhibits a biosynthetic enzyme (ent-kaurene oxidase) of gibberellin as well as ABA 8'-hydroxylase. Although most of these analogues were less effective than UNI in inhibition of ABA 8'-hydroxylase and rice seedling growth, we found that a lactol-bridged analogue with an imidazole is a potent inhibitor of ABA 8'-hydroxylase but not of plant growth. This compound, abscinazole-F1, induced drought tolerance in apple seedlings upon spray treatment with a 10 microM solution.

Deletion of the MBII-85 snoRNA gene cluster in mice results in postnatal growth retardation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris V Skryabin

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS [MIM 176270] is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by decreased fetal activity, muscular hypotonia, failure to thrive, short stature, obesity, mental retardation, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. It is caused by the loss of function of one or more imprinted, paternally expressed genes on the proximal long arm of chromosome 15. Several potential PWS mouse models involving the orthologous region on chromosome 7C exist. Based on the analysis of deletions in the mouse and gene expression in PWS patients with chromosomal translocations, a critical region (PWScr for neonatal lethality, failure to thrive, and growth retardation was narrowed to the locus containing a cluster of neuronally expressed MBII-85 small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA genes. Here, we report the deletion of PWScr. Mice carrying the maternally inherited allele (PWScr(m-/p+ are indistinguishable from wild-type littermates. All those with the paternally inherited allele (PWScr(m+/p- consistently display postnatal growth retardation, with about 15% postnatal lethality in C57BL/6, but not FVB/N crosses. This is the first example in a multicellular organism of genetic deletion of a C/D box snoRNA gene resulting in a pronounced phenotype.

CDK10 Mutations in Humans and Mice Cause Severe Growth Retardation, Spine Malformations, and Developmental Delays

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Windpassinger, Christian; Piard, Juliette; Bonnard, Carine; Alfadhel, Majid; Lim, Shuhui; Bisteau, Xavier; Blouin, Stéphane; Ali, Nur'Ain B; Ng, Alvin Yu Jin; Lu, Hao; Tohari, Sumanty; Talib, S Zakiah A; van Hul, Noémi; Caldez, Matias J; Van Maldergem, Lionel; Yigit, Gökhan; Kayserili, Hülya; Youssef, Sameh A; Coppola, Vincenzo; de Bruin, Alain; Tessarollo, Lino; Choi, Hyungwon; Rupp, Verena; Roetzer, Katharina; Roschger, Paul; Klaushofer, Klaus; Altmüller, Janine; Roy, Sudipto; Venkatesh, Byrappa; Ganger, Rudolf; Grill, Franz; Ben Chehida, Farid; Wollnik, Bernd; Altunoglu, Umut; Al Kaissi, Ali; Reversade, Bruno; Kaldis, Philipp

2017-01-01

In five separate families, we identified nine individuals affected by a previously unidentified syndrome characterized by growth retardation, spine malformation, facial dysmorphisms, and developmental delays. Using homozygosity mapping, array CGH, and exome sequencing, we uncovered bi-allelic

A new familial intrauterine growth retardation syndrome the "3-M syndrome".

Science.gov (United States)

Spranger, J; Opitz, J M; Nourmand, A

1976-09-01

Two pairs of siblings are described with proportionate dwarfism due to skeletal hypoplasia of prenatal onset. The head size was normal for age and disproportionately large for height. The patients had a characteristic face different from that seen in the Silver-Russell syndrome. The family data are in accordance with autosomal recessive inheritance. In spite of some similarities, the bulk of clinical and genetic evidence suggests that the described intrauterine growth retardation syndrome is different from the Silver-Russell syndrome and presents an apparently "new" entity which has been designated 3-M syndrome.

Influence of Aphelenchus avenae on Vesicular-arbuscular Endomycorrhizal Growth Response in Cotton.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussey, R S; Roncadori, R W

1981-01-01

The influence of Aphelenchus avenae on the relationship between cotton (Gossypium hirsutum 'Stoneville 213') and Gigaspora margarita or Glomus etunicatus was assessed by its effect on the mycorrhizal stimulation of plant growth and microorganism reproduction. The mycophagous nematode usually did not suppress stimulation of shoot growth resulting from mycorrhizae (G. margarita) at inoculum levels of 3,000 or 6,000 nematodes per pot, but retarded root growth at 6,000 per pot. When the nematode inoculum was increased to 10, 40, or 80 thousand, G. margarita stimulation of shoot or root growth was retarded at the two higher rates. Shoot growth enhancement by G. etunicatus was suppressed by 10 thousand A. avenae but not by 40 or 80 thousand. A. avenae reproduced better when the nematode was added 3 wk after G. margarita than with simultaneous inoculations. Sporulation of both fungi was affected little by the mycophagous nematode. The high numbers of A. avenae required for an antagonistic effect probably precludes the occurrence of any significant interaction between these two organisms under field conditions.

Fire and smoke retardants

Science.gov (United States)

Drews, M. J.

Despite a reduction in Federal regulatory activity, research concerned with flame retardancy and smoke suppression in the private sector appears to be increasing. This trend seem related to the increased utilization of plastics for end uses which traditionally have employed metal or wood products. As a result, new markets have appeared for thermally stable and fire resistance thermoplastic materials, and this in turn has spurred research and development activity. In addition, public awareness of the dangers associated with fire has increased as a result of several highly publicized hotel and restaurant fires within the past two years. The consumers recognition of flammability characteristics as important materials property considerations has increased. The current status of fire and smoke retardant chemistry and research are summarized.

Thyroid stimulating hormone and leptin levels and severe growth retardation among beta- thalassaemic patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dayer, D.; Salahcheh, M.; Jazayeri, S.M.H.; Kaydani, G.A.; Kadkhodaei Elyaderani, M.K.; Shaneh, S.

2012-01-01

Objective: It has been proposed that thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) influences leptin secretion from adipocytes. We evaluated the association between TSH and leptin levels in thalassaemic patients with growth retardation. Methodology: Blood samples were collected from 30 major thalassaemic patients and 24 normal subjects (range: 12 - 20 y). Both Leptin and TSH were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. The anthropomorphic data were collected based on standard methods. Independent sample t-test and Pearson's correlation were used to analyze data. Results: Patients had severe growth retardation. Mean concentration of leptin in thalassaemic mean value of serum TSH concentration of lepton in thalassaemic patients was significantly lower than normal subjects (2.26 +- 2,61 vs 13.14 +- 15.95 ng/ml). The mean value os serum TSH concentration in beta- thalassaemic patients was higher than normal subjects. But the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.146). There was no marked relationship between TSH and leptin concentration in thalassaemic patients (r= -0.022, P =0.909) and in control group (r =0.289, P=0.214). Conclusion: In beta - thalassaemic patients and normal group leptin secretion is a not affected by TSH concentration. (author)

Flame retardants in UK furniture increase smoke toxicity more than they reduce fire growth rate.

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, Sean T; Birtles, Robert; Dickens, Kathryn; Walker, Richard G; Spearpoint, Michael J; Stec, Anna A; Hull, T Richard

2018-04-01

This paper uses fire statistics to show the importance of fire toxicity on fire deaths and injuries, and the importance of upholstered furniture and bedding on fatalities from unwanted fires. The aim was to compare the fire hazards (fire growth and smoke toxicity) using different upholstery materials. Four compositions of sofa-bed were compared: three meeting UK Furniture Flammability Regulations (FFR), and one using materials without flame retardants intended for the mainland European market. Two of the UK sofa-beds relied on chemical flame retardants to meet the FFR, the third used natural materials and a technical weave in order to pass the test. Each composition was tested in the bench-scale cone calorimeter (ISO 5660) and burnt as a whole sofa-bed in a sofa configuration in a 3.4 × 2.25 × 2.4 m 3 test room. All of the sofas were ignited with a No. 7 wood crib; the temperatures and yields of toxic products are reported. The sofa-beds containing flame retardants burnt somewhat more slowly than the non-flame retarded EU sofa-bed, but in doing so produced significantly greater quantities of the main fire toxicants, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. Assessment of the effluents' potential to incapacitate and kill is provided showing the two UK flame retardant sofa-beds to be the most dangerous, followed by the sofa-bed made with European materials. The UK sofa-bed made only from natural materials (Cottonsafe ® ) burnt very slowly and produced very low concentrations of toxic gases. Including fire toxicity in the FFR would reduce the chemical flame retardants and improve fire safety. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distinct mechanisms are responsible for osteopenia and growth retardation in OASIS-deficient mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, Tomohiko; Hino, Shin-Ichiro; Nishimura, Riko; Yoneda, Toshiyuki; Wanaka, Akio; Imaizumi, Kazunori

2011-03-01

Old astrocyte specifically induced substance (OASIS), which is a new type of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress transducer, is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor of the CREB/ATF family that contains a transmembrane domain and is processed by regulated intramembrane proteolysis in response to ER stress. OASIS is selectively expressed in certain types of cells such as astrocytes and osteoblasts. We have previously demonstrated that OASIS activates transcription of the type I collagen gene Col1a1 and contributes to the secretion of bone matrix proteins in osteoblasts, and that OASIS-/- mice exhibit osteopenia and growth retardation. In the present study, we examined whether osteopenia in OASIS-/- mice is rescued by OASIS introduction into osteoblasts. We generated OASIS-/- mice that specifically expressed OASIS in osteoblasts using a 2.3-kb osteoblast-specific type I collagen promoter (OASIS-/-;Tg mice). Histological analysis of OASIS-/-;Tg mice revealed that osteopenia in OASIS-/- mice was rescued by osteoblast-specific expression of the OASIS transgene. The decreased expression levels of type I collagen mRNAs in the bone tissues of OASIS-/- mice were recovered by the OASIS transgene accompanied by the rescue of an abnormal expansion of the rough ER in OASIS-/- osteoblasts. In contrast, growth retardation in OASIS-/- mice did not improve in OASIS-/-;Tg mice. Interestingly, the serum levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 were downregulated in OASIS-/- mice compared with those in wild-type mice. These decreased GH and IGF-1 levels in OASIS-/- mice did not change when OASIS was introduced into osteoblasts. Taken together, these results indicate that OASIS regulates skeletal development by osteoblast-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Suppressing magnetic island growth by resonant magnetic perturbation

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Q.; Günter, S.; Lackner, K.

2018-05-01

The effect of externally applied resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on the growth of magnetic islands is investigated based on two-fluid equations. It is found that if the local bi-normal electron fluid velocity at the resonant surface is sufficiently large, static RMPs of the same helicity and of moderate amplitude can suppress the growth of magnetic islands in high-temperature plasmas. These islands will otherwise grow, driven by an unfavorable plasma current density profile and bootstrap current perturbation. These results indicate that the error field can stabilize island growth, if the error field amplitude is not too large and the local bi-normal electron fluid velocity is not too low. They also indicate that applied rotating RMPs with an appropriate frequency can be utilized to suppress island growth in high-temperature plasmas, even for a low bi-normal electron fluid velocity. A significant change in the local equilibrium plasma current density gradient by small amplitude RMPs is found for realistic plasma parameters, which are important for the island stability and are expected to be more important for fusion reactors with low plasma resistivity.

Numerical simulation of fatigue crack growth rate and crack retardation due to an overload using a cohesive zone model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Silitonga, S.; Maljaars, J.; Soetens, F.; Snijder, H.H.

2014-01-01

In this work, a numerical method is pursued based on a cohesive zone model (CZM). The method is aimed at simulating fatigue crack growth as well as crack growth retardation due to an overload. In this cohesive zone model, the degradation of the material strength is represented by a variation of the

EFFECT OF SOME PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS WITH RETARDING ACTIVITY ON SPRING PEA FOR GRAIN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsenka ZHELYAZKOVA

2012-12-01

Full Text Available A field experiment was conducted at Trakia University - Stara Zagora to establish the effect of some growth retardants on morphological and productive parameters in spring pea for grain variety Bogatir. Three combined preparations: Trisalvit (phenylphthalamic acid + chlorocholine chloride + chlorophenoxyacetic acid +salicylic acid at doses of 300 and 400 сmз*ha-1; SM-21 (phenylphthalamic acid + chlorocholine chloride at doses of 300 and 400 сmз*ha-1 and PNSA-44 (phenylphthalamic acid + naphthaleneacetic acid + chlorophenoxyacetic acid at doses of 200 and 300 сmз*ha-1 were applied in the early growth phase of the plant up to a height of 15-20 cm. The study showed that the greatest reduction in the stem height (by 12.8% compared to untreated plants was achieved by applying SM-21 (400 сmз*ha-1. The application of growth regulators Trisalvit and SM-21 had no appreciable effect on the production of spring pea grain. Maximum values of yield structure components (number of pods and grain per plant, grain mass per plant and mass of 1000 grain and the yield were obtained after application of PNSA-44 (300 сmз*ha-1 - up to 5.6% (117.2 kg*ha-1 more grain than the control. The investigation of the influence of tested factors (retardant, dose and year demonstrated that the conditions of the year as a factor had the strongest effect on plant height and grain yield.

the use of castor oil as a flame retardant in polyurethane foam

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Abdusalam

Flame retardant help to suppress the combustion process depending on the polymer and the fire safety test. (Desch, 1973) . Flame retarding agent either cooled, the burning material below its ignition point or exclude air by forming a blanket of inert gas. It also interferes with one or several stages of the combustion process.

Suspected X-linked facial dysmorphia and growth retardation in related Labrador retriever puppies.

Science.gov (United States)

Dierks, C; Hoffmann, H; Heinrich, F; Hellige, M; Hewicker-Trautwein, M; Distl, O

2017-02-01

Seven male Labrador retriever puppies from four different litters were identified with a brachycephalic-like face and skull, associated with low birth weight, severe growth retardation, and reduced abilities to crawl and suckle, which were not compatible with survival. Excessive doming of the cranium, brachygnathia superior and inferior, and an abnormally opened fontanelle were found in all affected puppies by computed tomography and at post-mortem examination. Pedigree analysis supported an X-linked recessive mode of inheritance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Endurance exercise and growth hormone improve bone formation in young and growth-retarded chronic kidney disease rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Troib, Ariel; Guterman, Mayan; Rabkin, Ralph; Landau, Daniel; Segev, Yael

2016-08-01

Childhood chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with both short stature and abnormal bone mineralization. Normal longitudinal growth depends on proper maturation of epiphyseal growth plate (EGP) chondrocytes, leading to the formation of trabecular bone in the primary ossification centre. We have recently shown that linear growth impairment in CKD is associated with impaired EGP growth hormone (GH) receptor signalling and that exercise improved insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) signalling in CKD-related muscle atrophy. In this study, 20-day-old rats underwent 5/6 nephrectomy (CKD) or sham surgery (C) and were exercised with treadmill, with or without GH supplementation. CKD-related growth retardation was associated with a widened EGP hypertrophic zone. This was not fully corrected by exercise (except for tibial length). Exercise in CKD improved the expression of EGP key factors of endochondral ossification such as IGF-I, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and osteocalcin. Combining GH treatment with treadmill exercise for 2 weeks improved the decreased trabecular bone volume in CKD, as well as the expression of growth plate runt-related transcription factor 2, RANKL, metalloproteinase 13 and VEGF, while GH treatment alone could not do that. Treadmill exercise improves tibial bone linear growth, as well as growth plate local IGF-I. When combined with GH treatment, running exercise shows beneficial effects on trabecular bone formation, suggesting the potential benefit of this combination for CKD-related short stature and bone disease. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

Flame retardancy and ultraviolet resistance of silk fabric coated by graphene oxide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji Yi-Min

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Silk fabrics were coated by graphene oxide hydrosol in order to improve its flame retardancy and ultraviolet resistance. In addition, montmorillonoid was doped into the graphene oxide hydrosol to further improve the flame retardancy of silk fabrics. The flame retardancy and ultraviolet resistance were mainly characterized by limiting oxygen index, vertical flame test, smoke density test, and ultraviolet protection factor. The synergistic effect of graphene oxide and montmorillonoid on the thermal stabilization property of the treated silk fabrics was also investigated. The results show that the treated silk fabrics have excellent flame retardancy, thermal stability, smoke suppression, and ultraviolet resistance simultaneously.

Nicotine-induced retardation of chondrogenesis through down-regulation of IGF-1 signaling pathway to inhibit matrix synthesis of growth plate chondrocytes in fetal rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Yu; Cao, Hong; Cu, Fenglong; Xu, Dan; Lei, Youying; Tan, Yang; Magdalou, Jacques; Wang, Hui; Chen, Liaobin

2013-01-01

Previous studies have confirmed that maternal tobacco smoking causes intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and skeletal growth retardation. Among a multitude of chemicals associated with cigarette smoking, nicotine is one of the leading candidates for causing low birth weights. However, the possible mechanism of delayed chondrogenesis by prenatal nicotine exposure remains unclear. We investigated the effects of nicotine on fetal growth plate chondrocytes in vivo and in vitro. Rats were given 2.0 mg/kg·d of nicotine subcutaneously from gestational days 11 to 20. Prenatal nicotine exposure increased the levels of fetal blood corticosterone and resulted in fetal skeletal growth retardation. Moreover, nicotine exposure induced the inhibition of matrix synthesis and down-regulation of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling in fetal growth plates. The effects of nicotine on growth plates were studied in vitro by exposing fetal growth plate chondrocytes to 0, 1, 10, or 100 μM of nicotine for 10 days. Nicotine inhibited matrix synthesis and down-regulated IGF-1 signaling in chondrocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that prenatal nicotine exposure induces delayed chondrogenesis and that the mechanism may involve the down-regulation of IGF-1 signaling and the inhibition of matrix synthesis by growth plate chondrocytes. The present study aids in the characterization of delayed chondrogenesis caused by prenatal nicotine exposure, which might suggest a candidate mechanism for intrauterine origins of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. - Highlights: ► Prenatal nicotine-exposure could induce delayed chondrogenesis in fetal rats. ► Nicotine inhibits matrix synthesis of fetal growth plate chondrocytes. ► Nicotine inhibits IGF-1 signaling pathway in fetal growth plate chondrocytes

Nicotine-induced retardation of chondrogenesis through down-regulation of IGF-1 signaling pathway to inhibit matrix synthesis of growth plate chondrocytes in fetal rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Yu; Cao, Hong; Cu, Fenglong [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Xu, Dan [Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical School of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Research Center of Food and Drug Evaluation, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Lei, Youying [Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical School of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Tan, Yang [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Magdalou, Jacques [UMR 7561 CNRS-Nancy Université, Faculté de Médicine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy (France); Wang, Hui [Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical School of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Research Center of Food and Drug Evaluation, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Chen, Liaobin, E-mail: lbchen@whu.edu.cn [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China)

2013-05-15

Previous studies have confirmed that maternal tobacco smoking causes intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and skeletal growth retardation. Among a multitude of chemicals associated with cigarette smoking, nicotine is one of the leading candidates for causing low birth weights. However, the possible mechanism of delayed chondrogenesis by prenatal nicotine exposure remains unclear. We investigated the effects of nicotine on fetal growth plate chondrocytes in vivo and in vitro. Rats were given 2.0 mg/kg·d of nicotine subcutaneously from gestational days 11 to 20. Prenatal nicotine exposure increased the levels of fetal blood corticosterone and resulted in fetal skeletal growth retardation. Moreover, nicotine exposure induced the inhibition of matrix synthesis and down-regulation of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling in fetal growth plates. The effects of nicotine on growth plates were studied in vitro by exposing fetal growth plate chondrocytes to 0, 1, 10, or 100 μM of nicotine for 10 days. Nicotine inhibited matrix synthesis and down-regulated IGF-1 signaling in chondrocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that prenatal nicotine exposure induces delayed chondrogenesis and that the mechanism may involve the down-regulation of IGF-1 signaling and the inhibition of matrix synthesis by growth plate chondrocytes. The present study aids in the characterization of delayed chondrogenesis caused by prenatal nicotine exposure, which might suggest a candidate mechanism for intrauterine origins of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. - Highlights: ► Prenatal nicotine-exposure could induce delayed chondrogenesis in fetal rats. ► Nicotine inhibits matrix synthesis of fetal growth plate chondrocytes. ► Nicotine inhibits IGF-1 signaling pathway in fetal growth plate chondrocytes.

Maternal health-related quality of life after induction of labor or expectant monitoring in pregnancy complicated by intrauterine growth retardation beyond 36 weeks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bijlenga, D.; Boers, K.E.; Birnie, E.; Mol, B.W.J.; Vijgen, S.C.M.; van der Post, J.A.M.; de Groot, C.J.; Rijnders, R.J.P.; Pernet, P.J.; Roumen, F.J.; Stigter, R.H.; Delemarre, F.M.C.; Bremer, H.A.; Porath, M.; Scherjon, S.A.; Bonsel, G.J.

2011-01-01

Pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) beyond 36 weeks of gestation are at increased risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Optimal treatment in IUGR at term is highly debated. Results from the multicenter DIGITAT (Disproportionate Intrauterine Growth Intervention Trial

Void growth suppression by dislocation impurity atmospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weertman, J.; Green, W.V.

1976-01-01

A detailed calculation is given of the effect of an impurity atmosphere on void growth under irradiation damage conditions. Norris has proposed that such an atmosphere can suppress void growth. The hydrostatic stress field of a dislocation that is surrounded by an impurity atmosphere was found and used to calculate the change in the effective radius of a dislocation line as a sink for interstitials and vacancies. The calculation of the impurity concentration in a Cottrell cloud takes into account the change in hydrostatic pressure produced by the presence of the cloud itself. It is found that void growth is eliminated whenever dislocations are surrounded by a condensed atmosphere of either oversized substitutional impurity atoms or interstitial impurity atoms. A condensed atmosphere will form whenever the average impurity concentration is larger than a critical concentration

Preparation and Flame Retardant and Smoke Suppression Properties of Bamboo-Wood Hybrid Scrimber Filled with Calcium and Magnesium Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Fu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The physical and mechanical properties of bamboo-wood hybrid scrimber filled with different loadings of nanoparticles were studied. The effects of nanoparticles on flame retardant and smoke suppression properties of bamboo-wood hybrid scrimber were studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, cone calorimeter (CONE, and scanning electron microscope (SEM. The results showed that the physical and mechanical properties of bamboo-wood hybrid scrimber were improved by adding a moderate loading of nanoparticles; the optimal loading of nanoparticles was 10%. The heat transfer in bamboo-wood hybrid scrimber was prevented and the escaping channel of combustible gas was blocked by the uniformly filling effect of nanoparticles. The gas concentration was diluted by the noncombustible gas produced by pyrolysis of nanoparticles; the combustion chain reaction was suppressed by highly reactive free radicals produced by pyrolysis of nanoparticles. The residual mass of bamboo-wood hybrid scrimber filled with nanoparticles in thermogravimetric (TG curve at 900 s and burned by method of cone calorimeter (CONE at 600 s was increased compared to that of untreated one, which showed that inorganic mineral powder has the effect of catalytic charring.

ER stress-induced protein, VIGG, disturbs plant cation homeostasis, which is correlated with growth retardation and robustness to ER stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katoh, Hironori; Fujita, Keiko; Takuhara, Yuki; Ogawa, Atsushi; Suzuki, Shunji

2011-01-01

Highlights: → VIGG is an ER stress-induced protein in plant. → We examine the characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. → VIGG-overexpressing plants reveal growth retardation and robustness to ER stress. → VIGG disturbs cation homeostasis in plant. -- Abstract: VIGG is a putative endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein induced by virus infection and ER stress, and is correlated with fruit quality in grapevine. The present study was undertaken to determine the biological function of VIGG in grapevine. Experiments using fluorescent protein-VIGG fusion protein demonstrated that VIGG is localized in ER and the ER targeting sequence is in the N-terminus. The overexpression of VIGG in Arabidopsis plant led to growth retardation. The rosette leaves of VIGG-overexpressing plants were smaller than those of the control plants and rolled at 42 days after seeding. VIGG-overexpressing plants revealed robustness to ER stress as well as the low expression of ER stress marker proteins, such as the luminal binding proteins. These characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing plants were supported by a microarray experiment that demonstrated the disruption of genes related to ER stress response and flowering, as well as cation mobility, in the plants. Finally, cation homeostasis in the plants was disturbed by the overexpression of VIGG. Taken together, these results suggest that VIGG may disturb cation homeostasis in plant, which is correlated with the robustness to ER stress and growth retardation.

ER stress-induced protein, VIGG, disturbs plant cation homeostasis, which is correlated with growth retardation and robustness to ER stress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katoh, Hironori; Fujita, Keiko; Takuhara, Yuki [Laboratory of Fruit Genetic Engineering, The Institute of Enology and Viticulture, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-0005 (Japan); Ogawa, Atsushi [Department of Biological Production, Akita Prefectural University, Shimosinjyou-nakano 241-438, Akita 010-0195 (Japan); Suzuki, Shunji, E-mail: suzukis@yamanashi.ac.jp [Laboratory of Fruit Genetic Engineering, The Institute of Enology and Viticulture, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-0005 (Japan)

2011-02-18

Highlights: {yields} VIGG is an ER stress-induced protein in plant. {yields} We examine the characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. {yields} VIGG-overexpressing plants reveal growth retardation and robustness to ER stress. {yields} VIGG disturbs cation homeostasis in plant. -- Abstract: VIGG is a putative endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein induced by virus infection and ER stress, and is correlated with fruit quality in grapevine. The present study was undertaken to determine the biological function of VIGG in grapevine. Experiments using fluorescent protein-VIGG fusion protein demonstrated that VIGG is localized in ER and the ER targeting sequence is in the N-terminus. The overexpression of VIGG in Arabidopsis plant led to growth retardation. The rosette leaves of VIGG-overexpressing plants were smaller than those of the control plants and rolled at 42 days after seeding. VIGG-overexpressing plants revealed robustness to ER stress as well as the low expression of ER stress marker proteins, such as the luminal binding proteins. These characteristics of VIGG-overexpressing plants were supported by a microarray experiment that demonstrated the disruption of genes related to ER stress response and flowering, as well as cation mobility, in the plants. Finally, cation homeostasis in the plants was disturbed by the overexpression of VIGG. Taken together, these results suggest that VIGG may disturb cation homeostasis in plant, which is correlated with the robustness to ER stress and growth retardation.

Fagopyrum esculentum Alters Its Root Exudation after Amaranthus retroflexus Recognition and Suppresses Weed Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Gfeller, Aurélie; Glauser, Gaétan; Etter, Clément; Signarbieux, Constant; Wirth, Judith

2018-01-01

Weed control by crops through growth suppressive root exudates is a promising alternative to herbicides. Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum ) is known for its weed suppression and redroot pigweed ( Amaranthus retroflexus ) control is probably partly due to allelopathic root exudates. This work studies whether other weeds are also suppressed by buckwheat and if the presence of weeds is necessary to induce growth repression. Buckwheat and different weeds were co-cultivated in soil, separating roots by a mesh allowing to study effects due to diffusion. Buckwheat suppressed growth of pigweed, goosefoot and barnyard grass by 53, 42, and 77% respectively without physical root interactions, probably through allelopathic compounds. Root exudates were obtained from sand cultures of buckwheat (BK), pigweed (P), and a buckwheat/pigweed mixed culture (BK-P). BK-P root exudates inhibited pigweed root growth by 49%. Characterization of root exudates by UHPLC-HRMS and principal component analysis revealed that BK and BK-P had a different metabolic profile suggesting that buckwheat changes its root exudation in the presence of pigweed indicating heterospecific recognition. Among the 15 different markers, which were more abundant in BK-P, tryptophan was identified and four others were tentatively identified. Our findings might contribute to the selection of crops with weed suppressive effects.

A Newborn with Icthyosis, Corpus Callosum Hypoplasia, Microcephaly, Atrichia and Intra Uterine Growth Retardation (IUGR: AVariant of Icthyosis Follicularis Atrichia Photophobia (IFAP or Brain Anomalies, Retardation, Ectodermal Dysplasia, Skeletal Deformities, Hirschsprung Disease, Ear/Eye Anomalies, Cleft Palate, Cryptorchidism (BRESHECK?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gurudutt S. Joshi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available A full term newborn small for gestational age Intra Uterine Growth Retardation (IUGR admitted with congenital dysmorphic features with icthyosis, atrichia, microcephaly and eye abnormalities, when explored further for other congenital malformations, revealed Corpus callosum hypoplasia and closely related features with two rare syndromes Icthyosis Follicularis Atrichia Photophobia (IFAP or Brain Anomalies Retardation, Ectodermal Dysplasia, Skeletal Deformities, Hirschsprung Disease, Hemivertebrae, Ear/Eye Anomalies, and Kidney Dysplasia (BRESHECK.

Relationship between cord blood IGF-I, IGFBP-3 levels and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Suqing; Chu Kaiqiu; Chen Shengjie

2008-01-01

Objective: To study the cord blood insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and its binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) levels in neonates with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Methods: Cord serum IGF-I (with RIA) and IGFBP-3 (with IRMA) levels were measured in 22 neonates with IUGR and 64 neonates with appropriate gestational age (AGA). Results: Cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels in IUGR neonates were significantly lower than those in AGA neonates (P<0.001). Among the 86 neonates studied in this article, 44 were born pre-term and 42 were born full term. From the data, we could see that the cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels in pre-term neonates were significantly lower than those in full-term neonates (P also <0.001). IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were mutually positively correlated (P<0.01). Conclusion: Cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were useful indicator of neonates growth. (authors)

Growth retardation of paramecium and mouse cells by shielding them from background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawanishi, Masanobu; Okuyama, Katsuyuki; Shiraishi, Kazunori; Matsuda, Yatsuka; Taniguchi, Ryoichi; Shiomi, Nobuyuki; Yonezawa, Morio; Yagi, Takashi

2012-01-01

In the 1970s and 1980s, Planel et al. reported that the growth of paramecia was decreased by shielding them from background radiation. In the 1990s, Takizawa et al. found that mouse cells displayed a decreased growth rate under shielded conditions. The purpose of the present study was to confirm that growth is impaired in organisms that have been shielded from background radiation. Radioprotection was produced with a shielding chamber surrounded by a 15 cm thick iron wall and a 10 cm thick paraffin wall that reduced the γ ray and neutron levels in the chamber to 2% and 25% of the background levels, respectively. Although the growth of Paramecium tetraurelia was not impaired by short-term radioprotection (around 10 days), which disagreed with the findings of Planel et al., decreased growth was observed after long-term (40-50 days) radiation shielding. When mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells were incubated inside or outside of the shielding chamber for 7 days, the number of cells present on the 6th and 7th days under the shielding conditions was significantly lower than that present under the non-shielding conditions. These inhibitory effects on cell growth were abrogated by the addition of a 137 Cs γ-ray source disk to the chamber. Furthermore, no growth retardation was observed in XRCC4-deficient mouse M10 cells, which display impaired DNA double strand break repair. (author)

Crack retardation by load reduction during fatigue crack propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyun Soo; Nam, Ki Woo; Ahn, Seok Hwan; Do, Jae Yoon

2003-01-01

Fracture life and crack retardation behavior were examined experimentally using CT specimens of aluminum alloy 5083. Crack retardation life and fracture life were a wide difference between 0.8 and 0.6 in proportion to ratio of load reduction. The wheeler model retardation parameter was used successfully to predict crack growth behavior. By using a crack propagation rule, prediction of fracture life can be evaluated quantitatively. A statistical approach based on Weibull distribution was applied to the test data to evaluate the dispersion in the retardation life and fracture life by the change of load reduction

Neonatal cardiovascular system adaptation in babies with intrauterine growth retardation

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I. N. Petrova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: to reveal the adaptive features of the cardiovascular system in newborn infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR on the basis of a clinical instrumental study.Subjects and methods. A study group included 100 newborn infants with IUGR; a control group consisted of 40 babies with normal anthropometric measurements at birth. Medical history and clinical data and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings were analyzed.Results. All the examinees with IUGR had manifestations of cardiovascular system dysadaptation. There was a high rate of electrocardiographic changes, such as cardiac arrhythmias; low voltage; systolic overload of the right heart and left ventricle; signs of ventricular hypertrophy; and transient myocardial ischemia. The specific features of cardiac hemodynamics were decreased sizes of the left ventricle, lower parameters of its systolic function, and longer functioning of fetal communications.Conclusion. IUGR is associated with the development of cardiovascular system dysadaptation syndrome, which is due to prior perinatal hypoxia. The findings necessitate a follow-up of children by involving a cardiologist.

Formation of layer-by-layer assembled titanate nanotubes filled coating on flexible polyurethane foam with improved flame retardant and smoke suppression properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Haifeng; Wang, Wei; Pan, Ying; Song, Lei; Hu, Yuan; Liew, Kim Meow

2015-01-14

A fire blocking coating made from chitosan, titanate nanotubes and alginate was deposited on a flexible polyurethane (FPU) foam surface by a layer-by-layer assembly technique in an effort to reduce its flammability. First, titanate nanotubes were prepared by a hydrothermal method. And then the coating growth was carried out by alternately submerging FPU foams into chitosan solution, titanate nanotubes suspension and alginate solution. The mass gain of coating on the surface of FPU foams showed dependency on the concentration of titanate nanotubes suspension and the trilayers's number. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that titanate nanotubes were distributed well on the entire surface of FPU foam and showed a randomly oriented and entangled network structure. The cone calorimeter result indicated that the coated FPU foams showed reduction in the peak heat release rate (peak HRR), peak smoke production rate (peak SPR), total smoke release (TSR) and peak carbon monoxide (CO) production compared with those of the control FPU foam. Especially for the FPU foam with only 5.65 wt % mass gain, great reduction in peak HRR (70.2%), peak SPR (62.8%), TSR (40.9%) and peak CO production (63.5%) could be observed. Such a significant improvement in flame retardancy and the smoke suppression property for FPU foam could be attributed to the protective effect of titanate nanotubes network structure formed, including insulating barrier effect and adsorption effect.

Water relations, gas exchange and growth of dominant and suppressed shoots of Arbutus unedo L.

Science.gov (United States)

Castell, C; Terradas, J

1995-06-01

Basal shoots produced by Arbutus unedo L. after cutting at ground level vary in size and growth rate, and are classified accordingly as dominant or suppressed. The suppressed shoots eventually cease growth and die. In this study, we investigated the role of light and water in the competition among shoots of A. unedo. Dominant and suppressed shoots of A. unedo showed similar leaf water potentials and tissue water relations over the year, suggesting that water status is not responsible for the lack of flushing in suppressed shoots. Although suppressed shoots did not flush under low light, they showed many characteristics of shade-tolerant plants. Leaves of suppressed shoots had lower leaf conductance and light-saturated photosynthetic rate, and higher specific leaf area than leaves of dominant shoots. We conclude that light was the main resource determining competition among shoots and the death of suppressed shoots.

Fetal growth retardation and lack of hypotaurine in ezrin knockout mice.

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Tomohiro Nishimura

Full Text Available Ezrin is a membrane-associated cytoplasmic protein that serves to link cell-membrane proteins with the actin-based cytoskeleton, and also plays a role in regulation of the functional activities of some transmembrane proteins. It is expressed in placental trophoblasts. We hypothesized that placental ezrin is involved in the supply of nutrients from mother to fetus, thereby influencing fetal growth. The aim of this study was firstly to clarify the effect of ezrin on fetal growth and secondly to determine whether knockout of ezrin is associated with decreased concentrations of serum and placental nutrients. Ezrin knockout mice (Ez(-/- were confirmed to exhibit fetal growth retardation. Metabolome analysis of fetal serum and placental extract of ezrin knockout mice by means of capillary electrophoresis-time-of-flight mass spectrometry revealed a markedly decreased concentration of hypotaurine, a precursor of taurine. However, placental levels of cysteine and cysteine sulfinic acid (precursors of hypotaurine and taurine were not affected. Lack of hypotaurine in Ez(-/- mice was confirmed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Administration of hypotaurine to heterogenous dams significantly decreased the placenta-to-maternal plasma ratio of hypotaurine in wild-type fetuses but only slightly decreased it in ezrin knockout fetuses, indicating that the uptake of hypotaurine from mother to placenta is saturable and that disruption of ezrin impairs the uptake of hypotaurine by placental trophoblasts. These results indicate that ezrin is required for uptake of hypotaurine from maternal serum by placental trophoblasts, and plays an important role in fetal growth.

Deletions and rearrangements of the H19/IGF2 enhancer region in patients with Silver-Russell syndrome and growth retardation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grønskov, Karen; Poole, Rebecca L; Hahnemann, Johanne M D

2011-01-01

Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is characterised by prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, dysmorphic facial features, and body asymmetry. In 35-60% of SRS cases the paternally methylated imprinting control region (ICR) upstream of the H19 gene (H19-ICR) is hypomethylated, leading to downregula...

Increased lipolysis but diminished gene expression of lipases in subcutaneous adipose tissue of healthy young males with intrauterine growth retardation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Højbjerre, Lise; Alibegovic, Amra C; Sonne, Mette P

2011-01-01

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with a central fat distribution and risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adults when exposed to a sedentary Western lifestyle. Increased lipolysis is an early defect of metabolism in IUGR subjects, but the sites and molecular mechanisms involv...

Placental alterations in structure and function in intra-uterine growth-retarded horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Robles, M; Peugnet, P M; Valentino, S A; Dubois, C; Dahirel, M; Aubrière, M-C; Reigner, F; Serteyn, D; Wimel, L; Couturier-Tarrade, A; Chavatte-Palmer, P

2018-05-01

Following embryo transfer (ET), the size and breed of the recipient mare can affect fetal development and subsequent post natal growth rate and insulin sensitivity in foals. To investigate placental adaptation in pregnancies where increased or restricted fetal growth was induced through ET between Pony, Saddlebred and Draught horses. In vivo experiment. Control Pony (P, n = 21) and Saddlebred (S, n = 28) pregnancies were obtained by artificial insemination. Increased pregnancies were obtained by transferring Pony (P-D, n = 6) and Saddlebred (S-D, n = 8) embryos into Draught mares. Restricted pregnancies were obtained by transferring Saddlebred embryos into Pony mares (S-P, n = 6). Placental weight and surface were recorded and samples collected for stereology and analysis of expression of genes involved in placental growth, vascularisation and nutrient transport. Data were analysed by linear model. S-P foals were growth retarded when compared with controls despite increased gestational length. Placental weight was reduced but placental surface density and volume fraction were increased. Placental expression of genes involved in growth and development and nutrient transfer was strongly reduced. In contrast, placental size and weight were increased in enhanced growth P-D and S-D foals. The trophoblastic surface density and the allantoic vessels surface density were decreased in P-D and S-D, respectively, both with very few modifications in gene expression. Control embryos were produced by artificial insemination whereas experimental embryos were produced by ET. Placental structure and gene expression are modified after ET into a smaller or larger breed than that of the embryo. These adaptations contribute to the observed phenotype of foal growth restriction or enhanced growth at birth. © 2017 EVJ Ltd.

Gamma radiation induces growth retardation, impaired egg production, and oxidative stress in the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Won, Eun-Ji; Lee, Jae-Seong, E-mail: jslee2@skku.edu

2014-05-01

Highlights: • Mortality was increased with a dose dependent manner in ovigerous females of Paracyclopina nana. • Developmental impairments were observed in gamma irradiated nauplii. • Ovigerous females exposed to more than 50 Gy could not have normal two bilateral egg sacs. • Oxidative levels increased with antioxidant enzyme activities in the gamma irradiated P. nana. • The molecular indices (antioxidant enzymes and heat shock protein) were also increased. - Abstract: Accidental nuclear radioisotope release into the ocean from nuclear power plants is of concern due to ecological and health risks. In this study, we used the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana to examine the effects of radioisotopes on marine organisms upon gamma radiation, and to measure the effects on growth and fecundity, which affect population and community structure. Upon gamma radiation, mortality (LD50 – 96 h = 172 Gy) in P. nana was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner in ovigerous P. nana females. For developmental impairment of gamma-irradiated nauplii, we observed growth retardation; in over 30 Gy-irradiated groups, offspring did not grow to adults. Particularly, over 50 Gy-irradiated ovigerous P. nana females did not have normal bilateral egg sacs, and their offspring did not develop normally to adulthood. Additionally, at over 30 Gy, we found dose-dependent increases in oxidative levels with elevated antioxidant enzyme activities and DNA repair activities. These findings indicate that gamma radiation can induce oxidative stress and DNA damage with growth retardation and impaired reproduction.

Gamma radiation induces growth retardation, impaired egg production, and oxidative stress in the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Won, Eun-Ji; Lee, Jae-Seong

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Mortality was increased with a dose dependent manner in ovigerous females of Paracyclopina nana. • Developmental impairments were observed in gamma irradiated nauplii. • Ovigerous females exposed to more than 50 Gy could not have normal two bilateral egg sacs. • Oxidative levels increased with antioxidant enzyme activities in the gamma irradiated P. nana. • The molecular indices (antioxidant enzymes and heat shock protein) were also increased. - Abstract: Accidental nuclear radioisotope release into the ocean from nuclear power plants is of concern due to ecological and health risks. In this study, we used the marine copepod Paracyclopina nana to examine the effects of radioisotopes on marine organisms upon gamma radiation, and to measure the effects on growth and fecundity, which affect population and community structure. Upon gamma radiation, mortality (LD50 – 96 h = 172 Gy) in P. nana was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner in ovigerous P. nana females. For developmental impairment of gamma-irradiated nauplii, we observed growth retardation; in over 30 Gy-irradiated groups, offspring did not grow to adults. Particularly, over 50 Gy-irradiated ovigerous P. nana females did not have normal bilateral egg sacs, and their offspring did not develop normally to adulthood. Additionally, at over 30 Gy, we found dose-dependent increases in oxidative levels with elevated antioxidant enzyme activities and DNA repair activities. These findings indicate that gamma radiation can induce oxidative stress and DNA damage with growth retardation and impaired reproduction

Chromosomal aberrations as etiological factors of intrauterine growth retardation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Bojana

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR is a pathological condition of pregnancy characterised by birth weight below the 10th centile. A number of fetal, placental and maternal causes can lead to IUGR; although, in most cases no specific causes can be identified. The aim of this study was to determine the part of chromosomal abnormalities in IUGR etiology. Methods. Fetal blood karyotype taken by cordocentesis from 168 fetuses with diagnosed IUGR was analyzed. Results. Chromosomal rearrangements both numerical and structural were detected in 14 cases (12.2%. Two cases were triploid. Patau syndrome, Edwards syndrome and Down syndrome were found in two cases each. There was one case of trisomy 7 (47, XY, +7 and one case of trisomy 16 (47, XX, +16; one translocation, 46, XY, t (2; 14(q23; q32 and a deletion 46, XYdel (12 (p12 as well as two cases of sex chromosomes abnormalities, 45, X (Turner syndrome and 47, XYY. Conclusion. These findings suggest that a consistent number of symmetrical IUGR cases (about 12% can be associated with chromosomal rearrangements. Chromosomal aberrations that cause IUGR are heterogeneous, aberration of autosomes, mostly autosomal trisomies, being the most common.

Arabidopsis ZED1-related kinases mediate the temperature-sensitive intersection of immune response and growth homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhicai; Cui, Dayong; Liu, Jing; Zhao, Jingbo; Liu, Cheng; Xin, Wei; Li, Yuan; Liu, Na; Ren, Dongtao; Tang, Dingzhong; Hu, Yuxin

2017-07-01

Activation of the immune response in plants antagonizes growth and development in the absence of pathogens, and such an autoimmune phenotype is often suppressed by the elevation of ambient temperature. However, molecular regulation of the ambient temperature-sensitive intersection of immune response and growth is largely elusive. A genetic screen identified an Arabidopsis mutant, zed1-D, by its high temperature-dependent growth retardation. A combination of molecular, cytological and genetic approaches was used to investigate the molecular basis behind the temperature-sensitive growth and immune response in zed1-D. A dominant mutation in HOPZ-ETI-DEFICIENT 1 (ZED1) is responsible for a high temperature-dependent autoimmunity and growth retardation in zed1-D. The autoimmune phenotype in zed1-D is dependent on the HOPZ-ACTIVATED RESISTANCE 1 (ZAR1). ZED1 and some ZED1-related kinases (ZRKs) are induced by elevated temperature and function cooperatively to suppress the immune response by modulating the transcription of SUPPRESSOR OF NPR1-1 CONSTITUTIVE 1 (SNC1) in the absence of pathogens. Our data reveal a previously unidentified role of ZRKs in the ambient temperature-sensitive immune response in the absence of pathogens, and thus reveals a possible molecular mechanism underlying the temperature-mediated intersection of immune response and growth in plants. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION AND ITS IMPACT ON CHILDREN'S HEALTH IN LATER LIFE. THE POSSIBILITY OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT

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T. V. Belousova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The sources of development, homeostasis and metabolism habits, long-term effects on the health of infants delivered with intrauterine growth retardation are considered. Principals and aspects of nutrition choice for these particular infants as well as some controversial aspects on this topic are discussed. Research data represents nutrition of newborns and up to 3 months infants, including those with the IGR and moderate postnatal inanition, fed with goat milk based formula, containing pre- and probiotics. 

Brominated Flame Retardants and their metabolites: Novel insights into endocrine disruptive properties.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fernández Cantón, R.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304831530

2008-01-01

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are chemicals that are added to materials to inhibit or suppress ignition and are incorporated during the manufacture of e.g. electronic equipment, furniture, construction materials and textiles. BFRs have become an increasingly important group of organohalogen

Procyanidins Mitigate Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis by, at Least in Part, Suppressing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Signaling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Wang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Procyanidins are a family of plant metabolites that have been suggested to mitigate osteoarthritis pathogenesis in mice. However, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. This study aimed to determine whether procyanidins mitigate traumatic injury-induced osteoarthritis (OA disease progression, and whether procyanidins exert a chondroprotective effect by, at least in part, suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor signaling. Procyanidins (extracts from pine bark, orally administered to mice subjected to surgery for destabilization of the medial meniscus, significantly slowed OA disease progression. Real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that procyanidin treatment reduced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and effectors in OA pathogenesis that are regulated by vascular endothelial growth factor. Procyanidin-suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor expression was correlated with reduced phosphorylation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 in human OA primary chondrocytes. Moreover, components of procyanidins, procyanidin B2 and procyanidin B3 exerted effects similar to those of total procyanidins in mitigating the OA-related gene expression profile in the primary culture of human OA chondrocytes in the presence of vascular endothelial growth factor. Together, these findings suggest procyanidins mitigate OA pathogenesis, which is mediated, at least in part, by suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor signaling.

Amelioration of improper differentiation of somatostatin-positive interneurons by triiodothyronine in a growth-retarded hypothyroid mouse strain.

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Uchida, Katsuya; Taguchi, Yusuke; Sato, Chika; Miyazaki, Hidetaka; Kobayashi, Kenichi; Kobayashi, Tetsuya; Itoi, Keiichi

2014-01-24

Thyroid hormone (TH) plays an important role in brain development, and TH deficiency during pregnancy or early postnatal periods leads to neurological disorders such as cretinism. Hypothyroidism reduces the number of parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons in the neocortex and hippocampus. Here we used a mouse strain (growth-retarded; grt) that shows growth retardation and hypothyroidism to examine whether somatostatin (Sst)-positive interneurons that are generated from the same pool of neural progenitor cells as PV-positive cells are also altered by TH deficiency. The number of PV-positive interneurons was significantly decreased in the neocortex and hippocampus of grt mice as compared with normal control mice. In contrast to the decrease in the number of PV neurons, the number of Sst-positive interneurons in grt mice was increased in the stratum oriens of the hippocampus and the hilus of the dentate gyrus, although their number was unchanged in the neocortex. These changes were reversed by triiodothyronine administration from postnatal day (PD) 0 to 20. TH supplementation that was initiated after PD21 did not, however, affect the number of PV- or Sst-positive cells. These results suggest that during the first three postnatal weeks, TH may be critical for the generation of subpopulations of interneurons. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Parental Attitude Towards Mental Retardation

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LEOKADIA WIATROWSKA

2017-10-01

Full Text Available https://doaj.org/puChild's developmental retardation is an undoubted condition for the absence of educational attainment and its unpleasant mental state. Due to the nature of multidimensional state of that, parental attitudes become relevant, as they affect the acceleration or retardation of development. Positive parental attitudes are the strong weapon for the child and his struggles on the way to an equal start and equal development opportunities. For this reason you should emphasize those factors that build the structures supporting developmental progression.An ecosystem approach to human development emphasizes each factor as relevant component for growth and expansion, without denying its own human activity and his self-determination rightblisher/metadata

Autosomal recessive intestinal lymphangiectasia and lymphedema, with facial anomalies and mental retardation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hennekam, R. C.; Geerdink, R. A.; Hamel, B. C.; Hennekam, F. A.; Kraus, P.; Rammeloo, J. A.; Tillemans, A. A.

1989-01-01

We report on two male and two female relatives with intestinal lymphangiectasia; severe lymphedema of limbs, genitalia, and face; facial anomalies; seizures; mild growth retardation; and moderate mental retardation. Main facial anomalies are a flat face, flat nasal bridge, hypertelorism, small

miR-137 suppresses tumor growth of malignant melanoma by targeting aurora kinase A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Xiao; Zhang, Haiping [Department of Dermatology and Venereal Disease, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053 (China); Lian, Shi [Department of Dermatology and Venereal Disease, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069 (China); Zhu, Wei, E-mail: zhuwei_2020@163.com [Department of Dermatology and Venereal Disease, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053 (China)

2016-07-01

As an oncogene, aurora kinase A (AURKA) is overexpressed in various types of human cancers. However, the expression and roles of AURKA in malignant melanoma are largely unknown. In this study, a miR-137-AURKA axis was revealed to regulate melanoma growth. We found a significant increase in levels of AURKA in melanoma. Both genetic knockdown and pharmacologic inhibition of AURKA decreased tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Further found that miR-137 reduced AURKA expression through interaction with its 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) and that miR-137 was negatively correlated with AURKA expression in melanoma specimens. Overexpression of miR-137 decreased cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro. Notably, re-expression of AURKA significantly rescued miR-137-mediated suppression of cell growth and clonality. In summary, these results reveal that miR-137 functions as a tumor suppressor by targeting AURKA, providing new insights into investigation of therapeutic strategies against malignant melanoma. -- Highlights: •First reported overexpression of AURKA in melanoma. •Targeting AURKA inhibits melanoma growth in vitro and in vivo. •Further found miR-137 suppressed cell growth by binding to AURKA 3′UTR. •Re-expression of AURKA rescued miR-137-mediated suppression. •miR-137-AURKA axis may be potential therapeutic targets of melanoma.

Solution-mediated growth of NBA-ZSM-5 crystals retarded by gel entrapment

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Aguilar-Mamani, Wilson; Akhtar, Farid; Hedlund, Jonas; Mouzon, Johanne

2018-04-01

The synthesis of flat tablet-shaped ZSM-5 crystals from a gel using metakaolin as aluminosilicate source and n-butyl amine as structure directing agent was investigated. The evolution inside the solid phase was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry. A kinetic study indicated that the nucleation of the majority crystals occurred concurrently with the formation of the gel upon heating the starting liquid suspension. Microstructural evidences undeniably showed that the gel precipitated on ZSM-5 crystals and mineral impurities originating from kaolin. As a result, crystal growth was retarded by gel entrapment, as indicated by the configuration and morphology of the embedded crystals. The results presented herein are harmonized with a solution-mediated nucleation and growth mechanism. Our observations differ from the autocatalytic model that suggests that the nuclei rest inside the gel until released when the gel is consumed. Our results show instead that it is crystals that formed in an early stage before entrapment inside the gel that rest inside the gel until exposed at the gel surface. These results illustrate the limitation of the classical method used in the field to determine nucleation profiles when the crystals become trapped inside the gel.

Comparison of the effects of radiation and hyperthermia on prenatal retardation of brain growth of guinea-pigs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wanner, R.A.; Edwards, M.J.

1983-01-01

On day 21 of pregnancy guinea-pigs were exposed to hyperthermia or #betta# radiation. The effects on prenatal growth and especially brain growth of offspring were compared. Doses of 0.04-0.99 Gy of radiation produced a dose-dependent and irreversible reduction of brainweight in the offspring, but had little effect on body weight. Treatment with hyperthermia resulting in maternal temperatures of 41.8-43.9 0 C after exposure in a heated incubator for an hour also produced a dose-related micrencephaly in the offspring. Comparison of the two agents showed that a dose increment of 0.525 Gy of radiation produced a deficit in brain weight equivalent to an elevation of 1 0 C in maternal temperature. Using this guinea-pig brain weight assay system a threshold was detected of between 0.05 and 0.10 Gy for retardation of brain growth. (author)

Effect of gamma irradiation, evaporation retardants and transpiration suppressants on grain yield, nutrient uptake and moisture-use efficiency on bread wheat (Triticum aestivum)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dash, D.K.; Sen, Avijit; Misra, N.M.

1988-01-01

A field trial was conducted on 'Malaviya 37' bread wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn. emend. Fiori and Paol.) in 1982-83 and 1983-84. It included 4 dos es of gamma irradiation of seeds (0, 2.5, 4.5 and 6.5 kR) and 5 treatments of evaporation retardants and transpiration suppressants, viz. control, rice (Oryza sativa Linn.) straw, wheat straw, rice straw + phenyl mercuric acetate (150 ppm) and wheat straw + kaolin (6 per cent). Seed irradiation with gamma-rays at 6.5 kR and wheat straw + kaolin gave 11.76 and 61.37 per cent higher yield than the control respectively. For moisture-use efficiency and NPK uptake these treatments also showed the same trend. (author). 12 refs

Risk Factors and Relationship Between Intestinal Parasites and the Growth Retardation and Psychomotor Development Delays of Children in Şanlıurfa, Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Yentur Doni, Nebiye; Yildiz Zeyrek, Fadile; Simsek, Zeynep; Gurses, Gulcan; Sahin, İbrahim

2015-12-01

The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors for and relationship among parasitic infections, growth retardation, and psychomotor developmental delays in children aged 6 years and below. This case-control study was performed in Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey between October and December 2007. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, anthropometry, Ankara Development Screening Inventory, and laboratory analysis of stool specimens. The most common parasite was Giardia intestinalis (42.53%) followed by Enterobius vermicularis (27.58%), Ascaris lumbricoides (18.39%), Hymenolepis nana (5.75%), Trichuris trichiura (3.45%), Escherichia coli (1.15%), and Blastocystis spp. (1.15%). Fifty-eight percent of all children were infected with intestinal parasites; 55.2% had only one parasite, whereas 44.8% had multiple parasites. The children infected with G. intestinalis and other intestinal parasites had significantly higher levels of growth retardation and psychomotor development delay than non-infected children. Children with parasitic infections had growth delay up to 2.9 times, general development delay up to 1.9 times, language-cognitive development delay up to 2.2 times, and fine motor development delay up to 2.9 times higher than children without any parasitic infections. However, no significant relationship among intestinal parasites, gross motor development, social-self skills, and development delay was identified. The education level of parents, poor economic situation, number of households, not washing hands, playing with soil, family history of parasitic infection were the significant risk factors for intestinal parasites. Our study indicates that the presence of either malnutrition or intestinal parasites may put a child in a high-risk group for developmental delays and growth retardation. Therefore, public health interventions can embrace nationwide deworming in children.

Growth Retardation of Chick Embryo Exposed to a Low Dose of Electromagnetic Waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqi, N.; Norrish, M.; Heming, T.

2016-01-01

Background: The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of low dose of the non-ionizing (REW) emitted by a mobile phone on the development of chick embryo. Methods: one hundred and twenty chick fertilized eggs were equally divided into a control and an exposed group. Sixty fertilized eggs were placed in an egg incubator with a mobile phone (SAR US: 1.10W/kg (head) 0.47 W/kg body) in silent mode having vibration disable mode. Mobile was called for a total of 20 minutes in 24 hours. Twenty embryos each were sacrificed at day 5, 10 and 15, mortality, wet body weight, head to rump length, eye diameter and morphological changes were noted. The control group, 60 eggs were incubated in the same conditions, having removed the phone. Results: No mortality was noted. The experimental group exposed to REW showed subcutaneous haemorrhagic areas and significant growth retardation at day 10 as evidence by smaller eye diameter, wet weight and CR length than the control group. There were no significant growth differences at either day 5 or at day 15. Conclusion: Electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile phones even though for a very short duration of 20 minutes per day have affected the growth of the chick embryo at day 10 of incubation, Hence exposure of these waves are not 100 percent safe. (author)

Growth Retardation Of Chick Embryo Exposed To A Low Dose Of Electromagnetic Waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqi, Najam; John C, Muthusami; Norrish, Mark; Heming, Thomas

2016-01-01

The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of low dose of the nonionizing (REW) emitted by a mobile phone on the development of chick embryo. one hundred and twenty chick fertilized eggs were equally divided into a control and an exposed group. Sixty fertilized eggs were placed in an egg incubator with a mobile phone (SAR US: 1.10W/kg (head) 0.47 W/kg body) in silent mode having vibration disable mode. Mobile was called for a total of 20 minutes in 24 hours. Twenty embryos each were sacrificed at day 5, 10 and 15, mortality, wet body weight, head to rump length, eye diameter and morphological changes were noted. The control group, 60 eggs were incubated in the same conditions, having removed the phone. No mortality was noted. The experimental group exposed to REW showed subcutaneous haemorrhagic areas and significant growth retardation at day 10 as evidence by smaller eye diameter, wet weight and CR length than the control group. There were no significant growth differences at either day 5 or at day 15. Electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile phones even though for a very short duration of 20 minutes per day have affected the growth of the chick embryo at day 10 of incubation, Hence exposure of these waves are not 100% safe.

Estradiol suppresses tissue androgens and prostate cancer growth in castration resistant prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montgomery, Bruce; Nelson, Peter S; Vessella, Robert; Kalhorn, Tom; Hess, David; Corey, Eva

2010-01-01

Estrogens suppress tumor growth in prostate cancer which progresses despite anorchid serum androgen levels, termed castration resistant prostate cancers (CRPC), although the mechanisms are unclear. We hypothesize that estrogen inhibits CRPC in anorchid animals by suppressing tumoral androgens, an effect independent of the estrogen receptor. The human CRPC xenograft LuCaP 35V was implanted into orchiectomized male SCID mice and established tumors were treated with placebo, 17β-estradiol or 17β-estradiol and estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780. Effects of 17β-estradiol on tumor growth were evaluated and tissue testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) evaluated by mass spectrometry. Treatment of LuCaP 35V with 17β-estradiol slowed tumor growth compared to controls (tumor volume at day 21: 785 ± 81 mm 3 vs. 1195 ± 84 mm 3 , p = 0.002). Survival was also significantly improved in animals treated with 17β-estradiol (p = 0.03). The addition of the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780 did not significantly change survival or growth. 17β-estradiol in the presence and absence of ICI 182,780 suppressed tumor testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) as assayed by mass spectrometry. Tissue androgens in placebo treated LuCaP 35V xenografts were; T = 0.71 ± 0.28 pg/mg and DHT = 1.73 ± 0.36 pg/mg. In 17β-estradiol treated LuCaP35V xenografts the tissue androgens were, T = 0.20 ± 0.10 pg/mg and DHT = 0.15 ± 0.15 pg/mg, (p < 0.001 vs. controls). Levels of T and DHT in control liver tissue were < 0.2 pg/mg. CRPC in anorchid animals maintains tumoral androgen levels despite castration. 17β-estradiol significantly suppressed tumor T and DHT and inhibits growth of CRPC in an estrogen receptor independent manner. The ability to manipulate tumoral androgens will be critical in the development and testing of agents targeting CRPC through tissue steroidogenesis

METHOD OF TREATMENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL PUBERTY RETARDATION IN BOYS (CASE HISTORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Sinitsina

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The results of examination of a 15-year-old boy with growth and puberty retardation are analyzed in this article. On the grounds of performed complex examination the patient was found physical development delay, changes at the endocrinal status, as well as pathological signs on X-ray, rheo- and electroencephalography, which are characteristic for functional growth and puberty retardation. In order to correct the found disturbances transcranial magnetotherapy was carried out. During the performed treatment improvement of the physical development characteristics, endocrinal status and data of rheo- and electroencephalography were noted.

Maternal health-related quality of life after induction of labor or expectant monitoring in pregnancy complicated by intrauterine growth retardation beyond 36 weeks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D. Bijlenga (Denise); K.E. Boers (Kim); E. Birnie (Erwin); B.W.J. Mol (Ben); S.C.M. Vijgen (Sylvia); J.A.M. van der Post (Joris); C.J.M. de Groot (Christianne); R.J.P. Rijnders (Robbert); P.J. Pernet (Paula); F.J.M.E. Roumen (Frans); R.H. Stigter (Rob); F.M.C. Delemarre (Friso); H.A. Bremer (Henk); M. Porath (Martina); S.A. Scherjon (Sico); G.J. Bonsel (Gouke)

2011-01-01

textabstractObjective: Pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) beyond 36 weeks of gestation are at increased risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Optimal treatment in IUGR at term is highly debated. Results from the multicenter DIGITAT (Disproportionate Intrauterine

Effects of triazole derivatives on strigolactone levels and growth retardation in rice.

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Shinsaku Ito

Full Text Available We previously discovered a lead compound for strigolactone (SL biosynthesis inhibitors, TIS13 (2,2-dimethyl-7-phenoxy-4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylheptan-3-ol. Here, we carried out a structure-activity relationship study of TIS13 to discover more potent and specific SL biosynthesis inhibitor because TIS13 has a severe side effect at high concentrations, including retardation of the growth of rice seedlings. TIS108, a new TIS13 derivative, was found to be a more specific SL biosynthesis inhibitor than TIS13. Treatment of rice seedlings with TIS108 reduced SL levels in both roots and root exudates in a concentration-dependent manner and did not reduce plant height. In addition, root exudates of TIS108-treated rice seedlings stimulated Striga germination less than those of control plants. These results suggest that TIS108 has a potential to be applied in the control of root parasitic weeds germination.

Structural and functional development of small intestine in intrauterine growth retarded porcine offspring born to gilts fed diets with differing protein ratios throughout pregnancy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mickiewicz, M; Zabielski, R; Grenier, B

2012-01-01

Protein level in the maternal diet plays a crucial role in fetal programming during pregnancy. Low or high protein level increases the risk of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). The aim of this study was to investigate the structural and functional development of the small intestine in piglets...... and active caspase 3 in mid-jejunum epithelium of HP and LP non-IUGR neonates were significantly lower as compared to C non-IUGRs whilst in IUGRs the respective expressions were as high as in C non-IUGRs. The postnatal dynamics of brush border enzyme activities and vacuolated enterocytes disappearance showed...... significant drop in enterocyte maturation in IUGR as compared to non-IUGR neonates. In conclusion, both HP and LP diets led to retarded development of non-IUGR piglets. In IUGR piglets both HP and LP diets resulted in delayed catch-up growth, without adaptive changes in brush border digestive enzymes....

High Concentration of Melatonin Regulates Leaf Development by Suppressing Cell Proliferation and Endoreduplication in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiannan; An, Bang; Shi, Haitao; Luo, Hongli; He, Chaozu

2017-05-05

N -acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine (Melatonin), as a crucial messenger in plants, functions in adjusting biological rhythms, stress tolerance, plant growth and development. Several studies have shown the retardation effect of exogenous melatonin treatment on plant growth and development. However, the in vivo role of melatonin in regulating plant leaf growth and the underlying mechanism are still unclear. In this study, we found that high concentration of melatonin suppressed leaf growth in Arabidopsis by reducing both cell size and cell number. Further kinetic analysis of the fifth leaves showed that melatonin remarkably inhibited cell division rate. Additionally, flow cytometic analysis indicated that melatonin negatively regulated endoreduplication during leaf development. Consistently, the expression analysis revealed that melatonin regulated the transcriptional levels of key genes of cell cycle and ribosome. Taken together, this study suggests that high concentration of melatonin negatively regulated the leaf growth and development in Arabidopsis , through modulation of endoreduplication and the transcripts of cell cycle and ribosomal key genes.

PICK1 deficiency impairs secretory vesicle biogenesis and leads to growth retardation and decreased glucose tolerance.

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Birgitte Holst

Full Text Available Secretory vesicles in endocrine cells store hormones such as growth hormone (GH and insulin before their release into the bloodstream. The molecular mechanisms governing budding of immature secretory vesicles from the trans-Golgi network (TGN and their subsequent maturation remain unclear. Here, we identify the lipid binding BAR (Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs domain protein PICK1 (protein interacting with C kinase 1 as a key component early in the biogenesis of secretory vesicles in GH-producing cells. Both PICK1-deficient Drosophila and mice displayed somatic growth retardation. Growth retardation was rescued in flies by reintroducing PICK1 in neurosecretory cells producing somatotropic peptides. PICK1-deficient mice were characterized by decreased body weight and length, increased fat accumulation, impaired GH secretion, and decreased storage of GH in the pituitary. Decreased GH storage was supported by electron microscopy showing prominent reduction in secretory vesicle number. Evidence was also obtained for impaired insulin secretion associated with decreased glucose tolerance. PICK1 localized in cells to immature secretory vesicles, and the PICK1 BAR domain was shown by live imaging to associate with vesicles budding from the TGN and to possess membrane-sculpting properties in vitro. In mouse pituitary, PICK1 co-localized with the BAR domain protein ICA69, and PICK1 deficiency abolished ICA69 protein expression. In the Drosophila brain, PICK1 and ICA69 co-immunoprecipitated and showed mutually dependent expression. Finally, both in a Drosophila model of type 2 diabetes and in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice, we observed up-regulation of PICK1 mRNA expression. Our findings suggest that PICK1, together with ICA69, is critical during budding of immature secretory vesicles from the TGN and thus for vesicular storage of GH and possibly other hormones. The data link two BAR domain proteins to membrane remodeling processes in the secretory pathway of

Curcumin suppresses growth of mesothelioma cells in vitro and in vivo, in part, by stimulating apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ying; Rishi, Arun K; Wu, Wenjuan; Polin, Lisa; Sharma, Sunita; Levi, Edi; Albelda, Steven; Pass, Harvey I; Wali, Anil

2011-11-01

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive, asbestos-related malignancy of the thoracic pleura. Although, platinum-based agents are the first line of therapy, there is an urgent need for second-line therapies to treat the drug-resistant MPM. Cell cycle as well as apoptosis pathways are frequently altered in MPM and thus remain attractive targets for intervention strategies. Curcumin, the major component in the spice turmeric, alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutics has been under investigation for a number of cancers. In this study, we investigated the biological and molecular responses of MPM cells to curcumin treatments and the mechanisms involved. Flow-cytometric analyses coupled with western immunoblotting and gene-array analyses were conducted to determine mechanisms of curcumin-dependent growth suppression of human (H2373, H2452, H2461, and H226) and murine (AB12) MPM cells. Curcumin inhibited MPM cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner while pretreatment of MPM cells with curcumin enhanced cisplatin efficacy. Curcumin activated the stress-activated p38 kinase, caspases 9 and 3, caused elevated levels of proapoptotic proteins Bax, stimulated PARP cleavage, and apoptosis. In addition, curcumin treatments stimulated expression of novel transducers of cell growth suppression such as CARP-1, XAF1, and SULF1 proteins. Oral administration of curcumin inhibited growth of murine MPM cell-derived tumors in vivo in part by stimulating apoptosis. Thus, curcumin targets cell cycle and promotes apoptosis to suppress MPM growth in vitro and in vivo. Our studies provide a proof-of-principle rationale for further in-depth analysis of MPM growth suppression mechanisms and their future exploitation in effective management of resistant MPM.

Toxicity of water and sediment from stormwater retarding basins to Hydra hexactinella

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenkrantz, Rikke Tjørnhøj; Pollino, Carmel A.; Nugegoda, Dayanthi

2008-01-01

of 50 ml/L and 100 ml/L, while the 7 h pulse exposure caused a significant increase in the mean population growth rate compared to the control. Water samples from the two other retarding basins were found non-toxic to H. hexactinella. This is the first study to employ sediment tests with Hydra spp....... on stormwater sediments and a lower population growth rate was observed for organisms exposed to sediment from the Avoca St retarding basins. The behavioral study showed that H. hexactinella tended to avoid the sediment-water interface when exposed to sediment from all retarding basins, compared...... to the reference sediment. Further work is needed to determine the long-term effects of stormwater polluted sediments and acute effects due to organism exposure to short-term high concentrations during rain events. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

MicroRNA MiR-17 retards tissue growth and represses fibronectin expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Sze Wan; Lee, Daniel Y; Deng, Zhaoqun; Shatseva, Tatiana; Jeyapalan, Zina; Du, William W; Zhang, Yaou; Xuan, Jim W; Yee, Siu-Pok; Siragam, Vinayakumar; Yang, Burton B

2009-08-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded regulatory RNAs, frequently expressed as clusters. Previous studies have demonstrated that the six-miRNA cluster miR-17~92 has important roles in tissue development and cancers. However, the precise role of each miRNA in the cluster is unknown. Here we show that overexpression of miR-17 results in decreased cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. Transgenic mice overexpressing miR-17 showed overall growth retardation, smaller organs and greatly reduced haematopoietic cell lineages. We found that fibronectin and the fibronectin type-III domain containing 3A (FNDC3A) are two targets that have their expression repressed by miR-17, both in vitro and in transgenic mice. Several lines of evidence support the notion that miR-17 causes cellular defects through its repression of fibronectin expression. Our single miRNA expression assay may be evolved to allow the manipulation of individual miRNA functions in vitro and in vivo. We anticipate that this could serve as a model for studying gene regulation by miRNAs in the development of gene therapy.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm hampers murine central wound healing by suppression of vascular epithelial growth factor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trøstrup, Hannah; Lerche, Christian J; Christophersen, Lars J

2018-01-01

-wounded, infection-susceptible BALB/c mice, which display delayed wound closure compared to C3H/HeN mice. Wounds were evaluated histopathologically 4, 7 or 10 days post-infection. Photoplanimetry evaluated necrotic areas. P. aeruginosa biofilm suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor levels centrally in BALB....../c wounds but increased peripheral levels 4-7 days post-infection. Central zones of the burn wound displayed lower levels of central vascular endothelial growth factor as observed 4 and 7 days post-infection in BALB/c mice compared to their C3H/HeN counterparts. Biofilm suppressed early, centrally located S......100A8/A9 in BALB/c and centrally and peripherally later on in C3H/HeN wounds as compared to uninfected mice. Peripheral polymorphonuclear-dominated inflammation and larger necrosis were observed in BALB/c wounds. In conclusion, P. aeruginosa biofilm modulates wounds by suppressing central...

Measles virus C protein suppresses gamma-activated factor formation and virus-induced cell growth arrest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokota, Shin-ichi; Okabayashi, Tamaki; Fujii, Nobuhiro

2011-01-01

Measles virus (MeV) produces two accessory proteins, V and C, from the P gene. These accessory proteins have been reported to contribute to efficient virus proliferation through the modulation of host cell events. Our previous paper described that Vero cell-adapted strains of MeV led host cells to growth arrest through the upregulation of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), and wild strains did not. In the present study, we found that C protein expression levels varied among MeV strains in infected SiHa cells. C protein levels were inversely correlated with IRF-1 expression levels and with cell growth arrest. Forced expression of C protein released cells from growth arrest. C-deficient recombinant virus efficiently upregulated IRF-1 and caused growth arrest more efficiently than the wild-type virus. C protein preferentially bound to phosphorylated STAT1 and suppressed STAT1 dimer formation. We conclude that MeV C protein suppresses IFN-γ signaling pathway via inhibition of phosphorylated STAT1 dimerization.

Influence of Plant Growth Retardants on Quality of Codonopsis Radix

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Yinyin Liao

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Plant growth retardant (PGR refers to organics that can inhibit the cell division of plant stem tip sub-apical meristem cells or primordial meristem cell. They are widely used in the cultivation of rhizomatous functional plants; such as Codonopsis Radix, that is a famous Chinese traditional herb. However, it is still unclear whether PGR affects the medicinal quality of C. Radix. In the present study, amino acid analyses, targeted and non-targeted analyses by ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF-MS and gas chromatography-MS were used to analyze and compare the composition of untreated C. Radix and C. Radix treated with PGR. The contents of two key bioactive compounds, lobetyolin and atractylenolide III, were not affected by PGR treatment. The amounts of polysaccharides and some internal volatiles were significantly decreased by PGR treatment; while the free amino acids content was generally increased. Fifteen metabolites whose abundance were affected by PGR treatment were identified by UPLC-TOF-MS. Five of the up-regulated compounds have been reported to show immune activity, which might contribute to the healing efficacy (“buqi” of C. Radix. The results of this study showed that treatment of C. Radix with PGR during cultivation has economic benefits and affected some main bioactive compounds in C. Radix.

Crustose coralline algae can suppress macroalgal growth and recruitment on Hawaiian coral reefs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeij, M.J.A.; Dailer, M.L.; Smith, C.M.

2011-01-01

Crustose coralline algae are important components of tropical reef communities because they promote successful settlement by corals and contribute to solidification of the reef framework. We show experimentally that crustose coralline algae are also capable of suppressing the growth and recruitment

Inhibition of BRD4 suppresses tumor growth and enhances iodine uptake in thyroid cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Xuemei; Wu, Xinchao; Zhang, Xiao; Hua, Wenjuan; Zhang, Yajing; Maimaiti, Yusufu; Gao, Zairong; Zhang, Yongxue

2016-01-01

Thyroid cancer is a common malignancy of the endocrine system. Although radioiodine "1"3"1I treatment on differentiated thyroid cancer is widely used, many patients still fail to benefit from "1"3"1I therapy. Therefore, exploration of novel targeted therapies to suppress tumor growth and improve radioiodine uptake remains necessary. Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is an important member of the bromodomain and extra terminal domain family that influences transcription of downstream genes by binding to acetylated histones. In the present study, we found that BRD4 was up-regulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. Inhibition of BRD4 in thyroid cancer cells by JQ1 resulted in cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and enhanced "1"3"1I uptake in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, JQ1 treatment suppressed C-MYC but enhanced NIS expression. We further demonstrated that BRD4 was enriched in the promoter region of C-MYC, which could be markedly blocked by JQ1 treatment. In conclusion, our findings revealed that the aberrant expression of BRD4 in thyroid cancer is possibly involved in tumor progression, and JQ1 is potentially an effective chemotherapeutic agent against human thyroid cancer. - Highlights: • BRD4 is upregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. • Inhibition of BRD4 induced cell cycle arrest and enhanced radioiodine uptake in vitro and impaired tumor growth in vivo. • JQ1 suppressed the expression of C-MYC and promoted the expression of NIS and P21. • JQ1 attenuated the recruitment of BRD4 to MYC promoter in thyroid cancer.

Rapamycin delays growth of Wnt-1 tumors in spite of suppression of host immunity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svirshchevskaya, Elena V; Mariotti, Jacopo; Wright, Mollie H; Viskova, Natalia Y; Telford, William; Fowler, Daniel H; Varticovski, Lyuba

2008-01-01

Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR), is an immunosuppressive agent that has anti-proliferative effects on some tumors. However, the role of Rapamycin-induced immune suppression on tumor progression has not been examined. We developed a transplantation model for generation of mammary tumors in syngeneic recipients that can be used to address the role of the immune system on tumor progression. We examined the effect of Rapamycin on the immune system and growth of MMTV-driven Wnt-1 mammary tumors which were transplanted into irradiated and bone marrow-reconstituted, or naïve mice. Rapamycin induced severe immunosuppression and significantly delayed the growth of Wnt-1 tumors. T cell depletion in spleen and thymus and reduction in T cell cytokine secretion were evident within 7 days of therapy. By day 20, splenic but not thymic T cell counts, and cytokine secretion recovered. We determined whether adoptive T cell therapy enhances the anti-cancer effect using ex vivo generated Rapamycin-resistant T cells. However, T cell transfer during Rapamycin therapy did not improve the outcome relative to drug therapy alone. Thus, we could not confirm that suppression of T cell immunity contributes to tumor growth in this model. Consistent with suppression of the mTOR pathway, decreased 4E-BP1, p70 S6-kinase, and S6 protein phosphorylation correlated with a decrease in Wnt-1 tumor cell proliferation. Rapamycin has a direct anti-tumor effect on Wnt-1 breast cancer in vivo that involves inhibition of the mTOR pathway at doses that also suppress host immune responses

Inhibition of BRD4 suppresses tumor growth and enhances iodine uptake in thyroid cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Xuemei [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Wu, Xinchao [Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Zhang, Xiao; Hua, Wenjuan; Zhang, Yajing [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Maimaiti, Yusufu [Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Gao, Zairong, E-mail: gaobonn@163.com [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Zhang, Yongxue [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China)

2016-01-15

Thyroid cancer is a common malignancy of the endocrine system. Although radioiodine {sup 131}I treatment on differentiated thyroid cancer is widely used, many patients still fail to benefit from {sup 131}I therapy. Therefore, exploration of novel targeted therapies to suppress tumor growth and improve radioiodine uptake remains necessary. Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is an important member of the bromodomain and extra terminal domain family that influences transcription of downstream genes by binding to acetylated histones. In the present study, we found that BRD4 was up-regulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. Inhibition of BRD4 in thyroid cancer cells by JQ1 resulted in cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and enhanced {sup 131}I uptake in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, JQ1 treatment suppressed C-MYC but enhanced NIS expression. We further demonstrated that BRD4 was enriched in the promoter region of C-MYC, which could be markedly blocked by JQ1 treatment. In conclusion, our findings revealed that the aberrant expression of BRD4 in thyroid cancer is possibly involved in tumor progression, and JQ1 is potentially an effective chemotherapeutic agent against human thyroid cancer. - Highlights: • BRD4 is upregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. • Inhibition of BRD4 induced cell cycle arrest and enhanced radioiodine uptake in vitro and impaired tumor growth in vivo. • JQ1 suppressed the expression of C-MYC and promoted the expression of NIS and P21. • JQ1 attenuated the recruitment of BRD4 to MYC promoter in thyroid cancer.

Hypoxia-activated genes from early placenta are elevated in Preeclampsia, but not in Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danan Jean-Louis

2005-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As a first step to explore the possible relationships existing between the effects of low oxygen pressure in the first trimester placenta and placental pathologies developing from mid-gestation, two subtracted libraries totaling 2304 cDNA clones were constructed. For achieving this, two reciprocal suppressive/subtractive hybridization procedures (SSH were applied to early (11 weeks human placental villi after incubation either in normoxic or in hypoxic conditions. The clones from both libraries (1440 hypoxia-specific and 864 normoxia-specific were spotted on nylon macroarrays. Complex cDNAs probes prepared from placental villi (either from early pregnancy, after hypoxic or normoxic culture conditions, or near term for controls or pathological placentas were hybridized to the membranes. Results Three hundred and fifty nine clones presenting a hybridization signal above the background were sequenced and shown to correspond to 276 different genes. Nine of these genes are mitochondrial, while 267 are nuclear. Specific expression profiles characteristic of preeclampsia (PE could be identified, as well as profiles specific of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR. Focusing on the chromosomal distribution of the fraction of genes that responded in at least one hybridization experiment, we could observe a highly significant chromosomal clustering of 54 genes into 8 chromosomal regions, four of which containing imprinted genes. Comparative mapping data indicate that these imprinted clusters are maintained in synteny in mice, and apparently in cattle and pigs, suggesting that the maintenance of such syntenies is requested for achieving a normal placental physiology in eutherian mammals. Conclusion We could demonstrate that genes induced in PE were also genes highly expressed under hypoxic conditions (P = 5.10-5, which was not the case for isolated IUGR. Highly expressed placental genes may be in syntenies conserved interspecifically

Delayed growth

Science.gov (United States)

... Slow rate of growth; Retarded growth and development; Growth delay Images Toddler development References Cooke DW, Divall SA, Radovick S. Normal and aberrant growth in children. In: Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR, ...

Identification of derlin-1 as a novel growth factor-responsive endothelial antigen by suppression subtractive hybridization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ran Yuliang; Jiang Yangfu; Zhong Xing; Zhou Zhuan; Liu Haiyan; Hu Hai; Lou Jinning; Yang Zhihua

2006-01-01

Endothelial cells play an important regulatory role in embryonic development, reproductive functions, tumor growth and progression. In the present study, the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method was employed to identify differentially expressed genes between non-stimulated endothelial cells and activated endothelial cells. Following mRNA isolation of non-stimulated and hepatocellular carcinoma homogenate-stimulated cells, cDNAs of both populations were prepared and subtracted by suppressive PCR. Sequencing of the enriched cDNAs identified a couple of genes differentially expressed, including derlin-1. Derlin-1 was significantly up-regulated by tumor homogenates, VEGF, and endothelial growth supplements in a dose-dependent manner. Knock-down of derlin-1 triggered endothelial cell apoptosis, inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, and blocked the formation of a network of tubular-like structures. Our data reveal that derlin-1 is a novel growth factor-responsive endothelial antigen that promotes endothelial cell survival and growth

miR-216b suppresses breast cancer growth and metastasis by targeting SDCBP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jana, Samir; Sengupta, Suman; Biswas, Subir; Chatterjee, Annesha; Roy, Himansu; Bhattacharyya, Arindam

2017-01-01

Breast cancer is the most deadly cancer among women and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Treatment effectiveness is complicated with tumor invasiveness/drug resistance. To tailor treatments more effectively to individual patients, it is important to define tumor growth and metastasis at molecular levels. SDCBP is highly overexpressed and associated with a strikingly poor prognosis in breast cancer. However the post transcriptional regulation of SDCBP overexpression remains to be an unexplored area. Our study reveals that miR-216b directly regulates SDCBP expression by binding to its 3′UTR region. miR-216b is a tumor suppressive miRNA and it is underexpressed during metastatic breast cancer. Consequently, overexpression of miR-216b resulted in decreased proliferation, migration and invasion in BC cell lines by modulating the expression of SDCBP. Inhibition of miR-216b divergent the tumor suppressive role by inducing the growth proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. There is therefore a negative correlation between the expression of miR-216b and its target gene SDCBP in the BC tissue samples as well as cell lines. Simultaneous expression of miR-216b and SDCBP rescued the growth, migration and invasion effect suggesting that tumor suppressive action of miR-216b may be directly mediated by SDCBP. In summary, the study identifies miR-216b as a regulator of SDCBP expression in breast cancer which can potentially be targeted for developing newer therapies for the effective treatment of this killer disease.

Virus-like particles suppress growth of the red-tide-forming marine dinoflagellate Gymnodinium mikimotoi.

Science.gov (United States)

Onji, Masashi; Nakano, Shin-ichi; Suzuki, Satoru

2003-01-01

We isolated 2 virus-like agents that suppressed growth of Gymnodinium mikimotoi from coastal waters of the Uwa Sea, Japan. The agents found in the flagellate cells, named GM6 and GM7, were filterable in a 0.22-microm-pore filter with approximately 100-nm shapes. Electron microscopic observation showed the presence of virus-like particles in severely damaged G. mikimotoi cells infected by GM6. The growth-suppression activity of the agents (GM6 or GM7) was lost by heating at 50 degrees C, with treatments of DNase and protease, and filtration through a 0.05-microm filter. Our results suggest that the agents are DNA viruses infectious to and virulent for G. mikimotoi. This is the first report of a virus-like agent specific to G. mikimotoi.

Retardo estatural em menores de cinco anos: um estudo "baseline" Linear growth retardation in children under five years of age: a baseline study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anete Rissin

2011-10-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Descrever a prevalência e analisar fatores associados ao retardo estatural em menores de cinco anos. MÉTODOS: Estudo "baseline", que analisou 2.040 crianças, verificando possíveis associações entre o retardo estatural (índice altura/idade The scope of this study was to describe the prevalence of, and analyze factors associated with, linear growth retardation in children. The baseline study analyzed 2040 children under the age of five, establishing a possible association between growth delay (height/age index < 2 scores Z and variables in six hierarchical blocks: socio-economic, residence, sanitary, maternal, biological and healthcare access. Multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression with the robust standard error option, obtaining adjusted prevalence ratios with a CI of 95% and the respective significant probability values. Among non-binary variables, there was a positive association with roof type and number of inhabitants per room and a negative association with income per capita, mother's schooling and birth weight. The adjusted analysis also indicated water supply, visit from the community health agent, birth delivery location, internment for diarrhea, or for pneumonia and birth weight as significant variables. Several risk factors were identified for linear growth retardation pointing to the multi-causal aspects of the problem and highlighting the need for control measures by the various hierarchical government agents.

Assessment of Growth Disturbance in Japanese Children with IBD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tetsuo Shono

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In Japan, there is as yet no report on growth retardation in children with IBD. We therefore investigated the cause of growth retardation in Japanese children with IBD. We investigated the height, body weight, serum levels of albumin, IGF-I, CRP, and cytokines, and the amount of corticosteroid administered in children with Crohn's disease (CD, =15 and ulcerative colitis (UC, =18. Our results suggest that growth retardation is already present before the initial visit in children with CD, and chronic inflammation may be responsible this growth disturbance. Moreover, the amount of PSL used may contribute to growth retardation by decreasing the serum levels of IGF-I in children with IBD.

Facilitative Effects of Forgetting from Short-Term Memory on Growth of Long-Term Memory in Retardates

Science.gov (United States)

Sperber, Richard D.

1976-01-01

Competing explanations of the beneficial effect of spacing in retardate discrimination learning were tested. Results are inconsistent with consolidation and rehearsal theories but support the prediction of the Geber, Greenfield, and House spacing model that forgetting from short-term memory facilities retardate learning. (Author/SB)

A nonlinear competitive model of the prostate tumor growth under intermittent androgen suppression.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jing; Zhao, Tong-Jun; Yuan, Chang-Qing; Xie, Jing-Hui; Hao, Fang-Fang

2016-09-07

Hormone suppression has been the primary modality of treatment for prostate cancer. However long-term androgen deprivation may induce androgen-independent (AI) recurrence. Intermittent androgen suppression (IAS) is a potential way to delay or avoid the AI relapse. Mathematical models of tumor growth and treatment are simple while they are capable of capturing the essence of complicated interactions. Game theory models have analyzed that tumor cells can enhance their fitness by adopting genetically determined survival strategies. In this paper, we consider the survival strategies as the competitive advantage of tumor cells and propose a new model to mimic the prostate tumor growth in IAS therapy. Then we investigate the competition effect in tumor development by numerical simulations. The results indicate that successfully IAS-controlled states can be achieved even though the net growth rate of AI cells is positive for any androgen level. There is crucial difference between the previous models and the new one in the phase diagram of successful and unsuccessful tumor control by IAS administration, which means that the suggestions from the models for medication can be different. Furthermore we introduce quadratic logistic terms to the competition model to simulate the tumor growth in the environment with a finite carrying capacity considering the nutrients or inhibitors. The simulations show that the tumor growth can reach an equilibrium state or an oscillatory state with the net growth rate of AI cells being androgen independent. Our results suggest that the competition and the restraint of a limited environment can enhance the possibility of relapse prevention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of a pathogenic FTO mutation by next-generation sequencing in a newborn with growth retardation and developmental delay.

Science.gov (United States)

Daoud, Hussein; Zhang, Dong; McMurray, Fiona; Yu, Andrea; Luco, Stephanie M; Vanstone, Jason; Jarinova, Olga; Carson, Nancy; Wickens, James; Shishodia, Shifali; Choi, Hwanho; McDonough, Michael A; Schofield, Christopher J; Harper, Mary-Ellen; Dyment, David A; Armour, Christine M

2016-03-01

A homozygous loss-of-function mutation p.(Arg316Gln) in the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene, which encodes for an iron and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenase, was previously identified in a large family in which nine affected individuals present with a lethal syndrome characterised by growth retardation and multiple malformations. To date, no other pathogenic mutation in FTO has been identified as a cause of multiple congenital malformations. We investigated a 21-month-old girl who presented distinctive facial features, failure to thrive, global developmental delay, left ventricular cardiac hypertrophy, reduced vision and bilateral hearing loss. We performed targeted next-generation sequencing of 4813 clinically relevant genes in the patient and her parents. We identified a novel FTO homozygous missense mutation (c.956C>T; p.(Ser319Phe)) in the affected individual. This mutation affects a highly conserved residue located in the same functional domain as the previously characterised mutation p.(Arg316Gln). Biochemical studies reveal that p.(Ser319Phe) FTO has reduced 2-oxoglutarate turnover and N-methyl-nucleoside demethylase activity. Our findings are consistent with previous reports that homozygous mutations in FTO can lead to rare growth retardation and developmental delay syndrome, and further support the proposal that FTO plays an important role in early development of human central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Mechanisms of environmental chemicals that enable the cancer hallmark of evasion of growth suppression.

Science.gov (United States)

Nahta, Rita; Al-Mulla, Fahd; Al-Temaimi, Rabeah; Amedei, Amedeo; Andrade-Vieira, Rafaela; Bay, Sarah N; Brown, Dustin G; Calaf, Gloria M; Castellino, Robert C; Cohen-Solal, Karine A; Colacci, Annamaria; Cruickshanks, Nichola; Dent, Paul; Di Fiore, Riccardo; Forte, Stefano; Goldberg, Gary S; Hamid, Roslida A; Krishnan, Harini; Laird, Dale W; Lasfar, Ahmed; Marignani, Paola A; Memeo, Lorenzo; Mondello, Chiara; Naus, Christian C; Ponce-Cusi, Richard; Raju, Jayadev; Roy, Debasish; Roy, Rabindra; Ryan, Elizabeth P; Salem, Hosni K; Scovassi, A Ivana; Singh, Neetu; Vaccari, Monica; Vento, Renza; Vondráček, Jan; Wade, Mark; Woodrick, Jordan; Bisson, William H

2015-06-01

As part of the Halifax Project, this review brings attention to the potential effects of environmental chemicals on important molecular and cellular regulators of the cancer hallmark of evading growth suppression. Specifically, we review the mechanisms by which cancer cells escape the growth-inhibitory signals of p53, retinoblastoma protein, transforming growth factor-beta, gap junctions and contact inhibition. We discuss the effects of selected environmental chemicals on these mechanisms of growth inhibition and cross-reference the effects of these chemicals in other classical cancer hallmarks. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Complete suppression of in vivo growth of human leukemia cells by specific immunotoxins: nude mouse models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, H.; Seon, B.K.

1987-01-01

In this study, immunotoxins containing monoclonal anti-human T-cell leukemia antibodies are shown to be capable of completely suppressing the tumor growth of human T-cell leukemia cells in vivo without any overt undersirable toxicity. These immunotoxins were prepared by conjugating ricin A chain (RA) with our monoclonal antibodies, SN1 and SN2, directed specifically to the human T-cell leukemia cell surface antigens TALLA and GP37, respectively. The authors have shown that these monoclonal antibodies are highly specific for human T-cell leukemia cells and do not react with various normal cells including normal T and B cells, thymocytes, and bone marrow cells. Ascitic and solid human T-cell leukemia cell tumors were generated in nude mice. The ascitic tumor was generated by transplanting Ichikawa cells (a human T-cell leukemia cell) i.p. into nude mice, whereas the solid tumor was generated by transplanting s.c. MOLT-4 cells (a human T-cell leukemia cell line) and x-irradiated human fibrosarcoma cells into x-irradiated nude mice. To investigate the efficacy of specific immunotoxins in suppression the in vivo growth of the ascitic tumor, they divided 40 nude mice that were injected with Ichikawa cells into four groups. None of the mice in group 4 that were treated with SN1-RA and SN2-RA showed any signs of a tumor or undesirable toxic effects for the 20 weeks that they were followed after the transplantation. Treatment with SN1-RA plus SN2-RA completely suppressed solid tumor growth in 4 of 10 nude mice carrying solid tumors and partially suppressed the tumor growth in the remaining 6 nude mice. These results strongly suggest that SN1-RA and SN2-RA may be useful for clinical treatment

Durable flame retardant finish for silk fabric using boron hybrid silica sol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Qiang-hua; Gu, Jiali; Chen, Guo-qiang [National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University (China); Xing, Tie-ling, E-mail: xingtieling@suda.edu.cn [National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University (China); Jiangsu HuaJia Group (China)

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Highly homogeneous boron hybrid silica sol flame retardant system was prepared through sol-gel method. • The silk samples treated and cross-linked by this hybrid sol and BTCA solution showed a higher limiting oxygen index (LOI) more than 31.0% and a better washing durability for more than 30 times washing. • The smoke suppression, combustion performance and thermal stability properties of the treated samples have a significant improvement. - Abstract: A hybrid silica sol was prepared via sol gel method using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as a precursor and boric acid (H{sub 3}BO{sub 3}) as flame retardant additive and then applied to silk fabric. In order to endow silk fabric with durable flame retardancy, 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) was used as cross-linking agent for the sake of strong linkage formation between the hybrid silica sol and silk fabric. The FT-IR and XPS analysis demonstrated the Si-O-B formation in the sol system, as well as the linkage between the sol and silk after the treatment. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) and smoke density test indicated good flame retardancy and smoke suppression of the treated silk fabrics. The micro calorimeter combustion (MCC) test and thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis showed that the treated samples had less weight loss in the high temperature and lower heat release rate when burning. The washing durability evaluation results indicated that there was a distinct improvement for the silk samples treated with BTCA even after 30 times washing. In addition, the influence of the processing order of BTCA and silica sol treatment on the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the finished silk fabric was also investigated. And the results demonstrated that the sample treated with BTCA first and then with the silica sol exhibited better LOI value (32.3%) than that of the sample by the conversed treatment order. Moreover the tensile property of treated samples was nearly unchanged, but the handle of sol treated

Suppressed osteoclast differentiation at the chondro-osseous junction mediates endochondral ossification retardation in long bones of Wistar fetal rats with prenatal ethanol exposure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan, Zhengqi [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical School of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Zhang, Xianrong [Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan 430071 (China); Shangguan, Yangfan; Hu, Hang [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Chen, Liaobin, E-mail: lbchen@whu.edu.cn [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan 430071 (China); Wang, Hui, E-mail: wanghui19@whu.edu.cn [Department of Pharmacology, Basic Medical School of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071 (China); Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan 430071 (China)

2016-08-15

Prenatal ethanol exposure (PEE) inhibits longitudinal growth of fetal bones, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate how PEE induces the retardation of long bone development in fetal rats. Pregnant Wistar rats were treated with ethanol or distilled water (control group) by gavage from gestational day (GD) 9 to 20. Fetuses were delivered by cesarean section on GD20. Fetal sera were collected for assessing corticosterone (CORT) level. Fetal long bones were harvested for histochemical, immunohistochemical and gene expression analysis. Primary chondrocytes were treated with ethanol or CORT for analyzing genes expression. PEE fetuses showed a significant reduction in birth weight and body length. The serum CORT concentration in PEE group was significantly increased, while the body weight, body length and femur length all were significantly decreased in the PEE group. The length of the epiphyseal hypertrophy zone was enlarged, whereas the length of the primary ossification center was significantly reduced in PEE fetuses. TUNEL assay showed reduced apoptosis in the PEE group. Further, the gene expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) was markedly up-regulated. In vitro experiments showed that CORT (but not ethanol) treatment significantly activated the expression of OPG, while the application of glucocorticoid receptor inhibitor, mifepristone, attenuated these change induced by CORT. These results indicated that PEE-induced glucocorticoid over-exposure enhanced the expression of OPG in fetal epiphyseal cartilage and further lead to the suppressed osteoclast differentiation in the chondro-osseous junction and consequently inhibited the endochondral ossification in long bones of fetal rats. - Highlights: • Glucocorticoid but not ethanol enhanced the expression of OPG in chondrocytes. • PEE reduced osteoclast differentiation relative with over-expression of OPG. • PEE inhibited endochondral ossification in fetal long bones of

Heterologous expression of a ketohexokinase in potato plants leads to inhibited rates of photosynthesis, severe growth retardation and abnormal leaf development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Geigenberger, P.; Regierer, B.; Lytovchenko, A.

2004-01-01

of ketohexokinase but did not accumulate fructose 1-phosphate. They were, however, characterised by a severe growth retardation and abnormal leaf development. Studies of (14)CO(2) assimilation and metabolism, and of the levels of photosynthetic pigments, revealed that these lines exhibited restricted photosynthesis......In the present paper we investigated the effect of heterologous expression of a rat liver ketohexokinase in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants with the aim of investigating the role of fructose 1-phosphate in plant metabolism. Plants were generated that contained appreciable activity...

Biallelic UNC80 mutations caused infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies 2 in two Chinese patients with variable phenotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yunjuan; Ji, Xing; Yan, Hui; Ye, Xiantao; Liu, Yu; Wei, Wei; Xiao, Bing; Sun, Yu

2018-06-20

Biallelic UNC80 mutations cause infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies 2 (IHPRF2), which is characterized by hypotonia, developmental delay (DD)/intellectual disability (ID), intrauterine growth retardation, postnatal growth retardation and characteristic facial features. We report two unrelated Chinese patients with compound heterozygous UNC80 mutations inherited from their parents, as identified by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Mutations c.3719G>A (p.W1240*)/c.4926_4937del (p.N1643_L1646del) and c.4963C>T (p.R1655C)/c.8385C>G (p.Y2795*) were identified in patient 1 and patient 2, respectively. Although both patients presented with DD/ID and hypotonia, different manifestations also occurred. Patient 1 presented with infantile hypotonia, epilepsy and hyperactivity without growth retardation, whereas patient 2 presented with persistent hypotonia, growth retardation and self-injury without epilepsy. Furthermore, we herein summarize the genotypes and phenotypes of patients with UNC80 mutations reported in the literature, revealing that IHPRF2 is a phenotypically heterogeneous disease. Common facial dysmorphisms include a thin upper lip, a tented upper lip, a triangular face, strabismus and microcephaly. To some extent, the manifestations of IHPRF2 mimic those of Angelman syndrome (AS)-like syndromes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Platinum-doped titanate nanotubes/reduced graphene oxide: photocatalytic activity and flame retardancy

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Guangya; Sang, Bin; Zhou, Zhiqi; Li, Zhiwei

2018-01-01

The ‘white pollution’ produced by wasted flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with poor degradation ability and the potential fire hazard of PVC with high flammability not only restrict their application but also cause serious environmental problem. Thus platinum-doped titanate nanotubes/reduced graphene oxide (denoted as Pt-TNTs/rGO) nanocomposites were prepared by a facile method in order to improve the visible photodegradation and get rid of the ‘white pollution’ as well as flame retardancy of PVC. The photodegradation activity and flame retardancy effect of the as-prepared Pt-TNTs/rGO nanocomposites were investigated by ultraviolet and visible light irradiation as well as cone calorimetry. Results show that the Pt-TNTs/rGO-PVC nanocomposites exhibit enhanced visible light photodegradation performance (with mass loss being 6.5%) during 15 day exposure to solar irradiation, and good flame retardancy (providing a 44% reduction of total smoke release as compared with that of PVC matrix). Besides, Pt-TNTs/rGO-PVC nanocomposites show suppressed smoke and reduced CO production as compared with the PVC matrix. These results demonstrate that Pt-TNTs/rGO not only get rid of the ‘white pollution’ as the photocatalyst but also improve the fire safety of PVC as the flame retardant. This could be ascribed to the combination effect between Pt-TNTs and rGO. The present research, hopefully, is to pave a potential pathway to constructing polymer-matrix composites with desired photodegradation activity and flame retardancy, thereby shedding light on simultaneously dealing with the ‘white pollution’ and high flammability of polymer matrix like PVC.

Emittance growth due to noise and its suppression with the Feedback system in large hadron colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedev, V.; Parkhomchuk, V.; Shiltsev, V.; Stupakov, G.

1993-03-01

The problem of emittance growth due to random fluctuation of the magnetic field in hadron colliders is considered. Based on a simple one-dimensional linear model, a formula for an emittance growth rate as a function of the noise spectrum is derived. Different sources of the noise are analyzed and their role is estimated for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). A theory of feedback suppression of the emittance growth is developed which predicts the residual growth of the emittance in the accelerator with a feedback system

Growth failure, somatomedin and growth hormone levels in juvenile diabetes mellitus--a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, H

1979-06-01

Growth hormone (hGH) responsiveness to exercise and somatomedin C (SmC) activity were measured in ten children with insulin-deficient diabetes mellitus. Four of the ten children showed a significant degree of growth retardation. Normal SmC activity was found in association with elevated hGH levels. The hypothesis that growth-retarded diabetics have a failure of Sm production despite high hGH levels (analogous to malnutrition and Laron dwarfism) was not substantiated by this study. Chronic deficiency of insulin, itself a somatomedin, may play a major role in diabetic growth failure.

Suppression of polymorphonuclear (PMN) and monocyte-mediated inhibition of Candida albicans growth by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djeu, J.Y.; Parapanios, A.; Halkias, D.; Friedman, H.

1986-01-01

This study was an in vitro attempt to identify the effector cells responsible for growth inhibition of the opportunistic fungus, candida albicans, and to determine if THC or another marijuana derivatives, 11-hydroxyTHC, would adversely affect their function. Using a 24h radiolabel assay, the authors found that growth inhibition of C. albicans was primarily mediated by PMN and monocytes that could be isolated normal human peripheral blood. Both effector cell types caused almost complete inhibition of Candida growth at effector/target ratio of 300/1 and inhibition was often still seen at 30/1-. Incubation of PMN, PBL, or monocytes for 1 hr at 37C with THC or 11-hydroxyTHC caused a marked suppression of function in all 3 cell populations. Maximal suppression was obtained with 7.5-10μg/ml of the drugs in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) or with 2-4μg/ml in 1% FBS. These drug concentrations did not affect lymphoid cell viability or candida growth in the absence of lymphoid effector cells. Marijuana derivatives, therefore, are doubly dangerous in that opportunistic fungi such as C. albicans can grow in their presence while the effector cells that control fungal growth are readily inactivated

Uncovering growth-suppressive MicroRNAs in lung cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xi; Sempere, Lorenzo F; Galimberti, Fabrizio

2009-01-01

PURPOSE: MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profiles improve classification, diagnosis, and prognostic information of malignancies, including lung cancer. This study uncovered unique growth-suppressive miRNAs in lung cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: miRNA arrays were done on normal lung tissues...... and adenocarcinomas from wild-type and proteasome degradation-resistant cyclin E transgenic mice to reveal repressed miRNAs in lung cancer. Real-time and semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR as well as in situ hybridization assays validated these findings. Lung cancer cell lines were derived from each......-malignant human lung tissue bank. RESULTS: miR-34c, miR-145, and miR-142-5p were repressed in transgenic lung cancers. Findings were confirmed by real-time and semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR as well as in situ hybridization assays. Similar miRNA profiles occurred in human normal versus malignant lung...

Thermal Stability, Combustion Behavior, and Mechanical Property in a Flame-Retardant Polypropylene System

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Lili Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In order to comprehensively improve the strength, toughness, flame retardancy, smoke suppression, and thermal stability of polypropylene (PP, layered double hydroxide (LDH Ni0.2Mg2.8Al–LDH was synthesized by a coprecipitation method coupled with the microwave-hydrothermal treatment. The X-ray diffraction (XRD, morphology, mechanical, thermal, and fire properties for PP composites containing 1 wt %–20 wt % Ni0.2Mg2.8Al–LDH were investigated. The cone calorimeter tests confirm that the peak heat release rate (pk–HRR of PP–20%LDH was decreased to 500 kW/m2 from the 1057 kW/m2 of PP. The pk–HRR, average mass loss rate (AMLR and effective heat of combustion (EHC analysis indicates that the condensed phase fire retardant mechanism of Ni0.2Mg2.8Al–LDH in the composites. The production rate and mean release yield of CO for composites gradually decrease as Ni0.2Mg2.8Al–LDH increases in the PP matrix. Thermal analysis indicates that the decomposition temperature for PP–5%LDH and PP–10%LDH is 34 °C higher than that of the pure PP. The mechanical tests reveal that the tensile strength of PP–1%LDH is 7.9 MPa higher than that of the pure PP. Furthermore, the elongation at break of PP–10%LDH is 361% higher than PP. In this work, the synthetic LDH Ni0.2Mg2.8Al–LDH can be used as a flame retardant, smoke suppressant, thermal stabilizer, reinforcing, and toughening agent of PP products.

Fire retardant formulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2017-01-01

The present invention relates to compositions where a substrate is liable to catch fire such as bituminous products, paints, carpets or the like. The invention relates to a composition comprising 40-95 weight % of a substrate to be rendered fire resistant such as bituminous material or paint......, carpets which substrate is mixed with 5-60 weight % of a fire retardant component. The invention relates to a fire retardant component comprising or being constituted of attapulgite, and a salt being a source of a blowing or expanding agent, where the attapulgite and the salt are electrostatically...... connected by mixing and subjecting the mixture of the two components to agitation. Also, the invention relates to compositions comprising 40-95 weight % of a substrate to be rendered fire resistant mixed with 5-60 weight % of a fire retardant according to claim 1 or 2, which fire retardant component...

Noise suppress or express exponential growth for hybrid Hopfield neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Song; Shen Yi; Chen Guici

2010-01-01

In this Letter, we will show that noise can make the given hybrid Hopfield neural networks whose solution may grows exponentially become the new stochastic hybrid Hopfield neural networks whose solution will grows at most polynomially. On the other hand, we will also show that noise can make the given hybrid Hopfield neural networks whose solution grows at most polynomially become the new stochastic hybrid Hopfield neural networks whose solution will grows at exponentially. In other words, we will reveal that the noise can suppress or express exponential growth for hybrid Hopfield neural networks.

ASC-J9 Suppresses Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Growth through Degradation of Full-length and Splice Variant Androgen Receptors

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Shinichi Yamashita

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Early studies suggested androgen receptor (AR splice variants might contribute to the progression of prostate cancer (PCa into castration resistance. However, the therapeutic strategy to target these AR splice variants still remains unresolved. Through tissue survey of tumors from the same patients before and after castration resistance, we found that the expression of AR3, a major AR splice variant that lacks the AR ligand-binding domain, was substantially increased after castration resistance development. The currently used antiandrogen, Casodex, showed little growth suppression in CWR22Rv1 cells. Importantly, we found that AR degradation enhancer ASC-J9 could degrade both full-length (fAR and AR3 in CWR22Rv1 cells as well as in C4-2 and C81 cells with addition of AR3. The consequences of such degradation of both fAR and AR3 might then result in the inhibition of AR transcriptional activity and cell growth in vitro. More importantly, suppression of AR3 specifically by short-hairpin AR3 or degradation of AR3 by ASC-J9 resulted in suppression of AR transcriptional activity and cell growth in CWR22Rv1-fARKD (fAR knockdown cells in which DHT failed to induce, suggesting the importance of targeting AR3. Finally, we demonstrated the in vivo therapeutic effects of ASC-J9 by showing the inhibition of PCa growth using the xenografted model of CWR22Rv1 cells orthotopically implanted into castrated nude mice with undetectable serum testosterone. These results suggested that targeting both fAR- and AR3-mediated PCa growth by ASC-J9 may represent the novel therapeutic approach to suppress castration-resistant PCa. Successful clinical trials targeting both fAR and AR3 may help us to battle castration-resistant PCa in the future.

Growth Retardation in Children with Kidney Disease

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Paulina Salas

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Growth failure is almost inextricably linked with chronic kidney disease (CKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD. Growth failure in CKD has been associated with both increased morbidity and mortality. Growth failure in the setting of kidney disease is multifactorial and is related to poor nutritional status as well as comorbidities, such as anemia, bone and mineral disorders, and alterations in hormonal responses, as well as to aspects of treatment such as steroid exposure. This review covers updated management of growth failure in these children including adequate nutrition, treatment of metabolic alterations, and early administration of recombinant human growth hormone (GH.

The super collider transverse feedback system for suppression of the emittance growth and beam instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedev, V.A.

1993-01-01

A super collider transverse feedback system designed to suppress injection errors, emittance growth due to external noises, and beam instabilities is considered. It is supposed that the feedback system should consist of two circuits: an injection damper operating just after injection and a super damper. To damp the emittance growth, the superdamper has to operate with the ultimate decrement close to the revolution frequency. The physics of such a feedback system and its main limitations are discussed. 9 refs.; 21 figs.; 1 tab

Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate suppresses melanoma growth by inhibiting inflammasome and IL-1β secretion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, Lixia Z.; Liu, Weimin; Luo, Yuchun; Okamoto, Miyako; Qu, Dovina; Dunn, Jeffrey H.; Fujita, Mayumi

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► EGCG inhibits melanoma cell growth at physiological doses (0.1–1 μM). ► EGCG inhibits melanoma cell growth via inflammasomes and IL-1β suppression. ► Inflammasomes and IL-1β could be potential targets for future melanoma therapeutics. -- Abstract: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenolic component of green tea, has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties. The anti-melanoma effect of EGCG has been previously suggested, but no clear mechanism of action has been established. In this study, we demonstrated that EGCG inhibits melanoma cell growth at physiological doses (0.1–1 μM). In the search for mechanisms of EGCG-mediated melanoma cell suppression, we found that NF-κB was inhibited, and that reduced NF-κB activity was associated with decreased IL-1β secretion from melanoma cells. Since inflammasomes are involved in IL-1β secretion, we investigated whether IL-1β suppression was mediated by inflammasomes, and found that EGCG treatment led to downregulation of the inflammasome component, NLRP1, and reduced caspase-1 activation. Furthermore, silencing the expression of NLRP1 abolished EGCG-induced inhibition of tumor cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a key role of inflammasomes in EGCG efficacy. This paper provides a novel mechanism for EGCG-induced melanoma inhibition: inflammasome downregulation → decreased IL-1β secretion → decreased NF-κB activities → decreased cell growth. In addition, it suggests inflammasomes and IL-1β could be potential targets for future melanoma therapeutics.

Herbal Extract SH003 Suppresses Tumor Growth and Metastasis of MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells by Inhibiting STAT3-IL-6 Signaling

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Youn Kyung Choi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Cancer inflammation promotes cancer progression, resulting in a high risk of cancer. Here, we demonstrate that our new herbal extract, SH003, suppresses both tumor growth and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells via inhibiting STAT3-IL-6 signaling path. Our new herbal formula, SH003, mixed extract from Astragalus membranaceus, Angelica gigas, and Trichosanthes kirilowii Maximowicz, suppressed MDA-MB-231 tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo and reduced the viability and metastatic abilities of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro. Furthermore, SH003 inhibited STAT3 activation, which resulted in a reduction of IL-6 production. Therefore, we conclude that SH003 suppresses highly metastatic breast cancer growth and metastasis by inhibiting STAT3-IL-6 signaling path.

Exogenous regucalcin suppresses the growth of human liver cancer HepG2 cells in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Masayoshi; Murata, Tomiyasu

2018-04-05

Regucalcin, which its gene is localized on the X chromosome, plays a pivotal role as a suppressor protein in signal transduction in various types of cells and tissues. Regucalcin gene expression has been demonstrated to be suppressed in various tumor tissues of animal and human subjects, suggesting a potential role of regucalcin in carcinogenesis. Regucalcin, which is produced from the tissues including liver, is found to be present in the serum of human subjects and animals. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of exogenous regucalcin on the proliferation in cloned human hepatoma HepG2 cells in vitro. Proliferation of HepG2 cells was suppressed after culture with addition of regucalcin (0.01 – 10 nM) into culture medium. Exogenous regucalcin did not reveal apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells in vitro. Suppressive effects of regucalcin on cell proliferation were not enhanced in the presence of various signaling inhibitors including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Bay K 8644, PD98059, staurosporine, worthomannin, 5,6-dichloro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB) or gemcitabine, which were found to suppress the proliferation. In addition, exogenous regucalcin suppressed the formation of colonies of cultured hepatoma cells in vitro. These findings demonstrated that exogenous regucalcin exhibits a suppressive effect on the growth of human hepatoma HepG2 cells, proposing a strategy with the gene therapy for cancer treatment.

Intrauterine growth retardation increases the susceptibility of pigs to high-fat diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle.

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Jingbo Liu

Full Text Available It has been recognized that there is a relationship between prenatal growth restriction and the development of metabolic-related diseases in later life, a process involved in mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR increases the susceptibility of offspring to high-fat (HF diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Recent findings suggested that HF feeding decreased mitochondrial oxidative capacity and impaired mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. Therefore, we hypothesized that the long-term consequences of IUGR on mitochondrial biogenesis and function make the offspring more susceptible to HF diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Normal birth weight (NBW, and IUGR pigs were allotted to control or HF diet in a completely randomized design, individually. After 4 weeks of feeding, growth performance and molecular pathways related to mitochondrial function were determined. The results showed that IUGR decreased growth performance and plasma insulin concentrations. In offspring fed a HF diet, IUGR was associated with enhanced plasma leptin levels, increased concentrations of triglyceride and malondialdehyde (MDA, and reduced glycogen and ATP contents in skeletal muscle. High fat diet-fed IUGR offspring exhibited decreased activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD. These alterations in metabolic traits of IUGR pigs were accompanied by impaired mitochondrial respiration function, reduced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA contents, and down-regulated mRNA expression levels of genes responsible for mitochondrial biogenesis and function. In conclusion, our results suggest that IUGR make the offspring more susceptible to HF diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.

Intrauterine Growth Retardation Increases the Susceptibility of Pigs to High-Fat Diet-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Skeletal Muscle

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jingbo; Chen, Daiwen; Yao, Ying; Yu, Bing; Mao, Xiangbing; He, Jun; Huang, Zhiqing; Zheng, Ping

2012-01-01

It has been recognized that there is a relationship between prenatal growth restriction and the development of metabolic-related diseases in later life, a process involved in mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) increases the susceptibility of offspring to high-fat (HF) diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Recent findings suggested that HF feeding decreased mitochondrial oxidative capacity and impaired mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. Therefore, we hypothesized that the long-term consequences of IUGR on mitochondrial biogenesis and function make the offspring more susceptible to HF diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Normal birth weight (NBW), and IUGR pigs were allotted to control or HF diet in a completely randomized design, individually. After 4 weeks of feeding, growth performance and molecular pathways related to mitochondrial function were determined. The results showed that IUGR decreased growth performance and plasma insulin concentrations. In offspring fed a HF diet, IUGR was associated with enhanced plasma leptin levels, increased concentrations of triglyceride and malondialdehyde (MDA), and reduced glycogen and ATP contents in skeletal muscle. High fat diet-fed IUGR offspring exhibited decreased activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). These alterations in metabolic traits of IUGR pigs were accompanied by impaired mitochondrial respiration function, reduced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) contents, and down-regulated mRNA expression levels of genes responsible for mitochondrial biogenesis and function. In conclusion, our results suggest that IUGR make the offspring more susceptible to HF diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. PMID:22523560

COLOUR LEARNING IN RETARDED CHILDREN*

African Journals Online (AJOL)

COLOUR LEARNING IN RETARDED CHILDREN* !\\'fRS E. K~SEBOOM, Principal, ADS. LEVIN, M.B., M.R.C.P., D.C.H., Hon. Medical Officer, Hamlet B School for. Retarded Children, Johannesburg. '... silly children, with no understanding .. -'. Jeremiah 4:22. Tt has been observed' that mentally retarded children have.

Growth of Murine Splenic Tissue Is Suppressed by Lymphotoxin β-Receptor Signaling (LTβR) Originating from Splenic and Non-Splenic Tissues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milićević, Novica M; Nohroudi, Klaus; Schmidt, Friederike

2016-01-01

LTβR signaling. Two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis and subsequent mass spectrometry of stromal splenic tissue was applied to screen for potential factors mediating the LTβR dependent suppressive activity. Thus, LTβR dependent growth suppression is involved in regulating the size...

AN EFFECT OF SHOT PEENING ON GROWTH AND RETARDATION OF PHYSICALLY SHORT FATIGUE CRACKS IN AN AIRCRAFT Al-ALLOY

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Ivo Černý

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Results of an investigation of effect of shot peening on development of physically short fatigue crack in an aircraft V-95 Al-alloy, which is of a similar type as 7075 alloy, are described and discussed in the paper. The first part deals with adaptation and verification of direct current potential drop method for detection and measurement of short crack initiation and growth. The specific material and quite large dimensions of flat specimens with side necking of a low stress concentration factor had to be considered when position of electrodes was specified and the measurement method verified. The specimen type and dimensions were proposed taking account of the investigation of shot peening effects. Physically short fatigue cracks of the length from 0.2 mm to more than 3 mm, most of them between 0.8 – 1.5 mm, were prepared under high cycle fatigue loading of a constant nominal stress amplitude plus/minus 160 MPa. Specimens with existing short fatigue cracks were shot peened using two different groups of parameters. Development of crack growth after shot peening was measured and compared with crack growth in specimens without shot peening. Retardation of crack growth was significant particularly with cracks shorter than 2 mm. For the specific stress amplitude, evaluated results enable to estimate threshold length of defects, which after the application of shot peening will be reliably arrested.

Research on flame retardation of wool fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enomoto, Ichiro; Ametani, Kazuo; Sawai, Takeshi

1990-01-01

Flame retardant, vinyl phosphonate oligomer, was uniformly impregnated in wool fibers, and by irradiating low energy electron beam or cobalt-60 gamma ray, the flame retardation of fabrics was attempted, as the results, the following knowledges were obtained. At the rate of sticking of flame retardant lower than that in cotton fabrics, sufficient flame retarding property can be given. The flame retarding property withstands 30 times of washing. The lowering of strength due to the processing hardly arose. For the flame retardation, gamma-ray was more effective than electron beam. Since the accidents of burning clothes have occurred frequently, their flame retardation has been demanded. So far the flame retardation of cotton fabrics has been advanced, but this time the research on the flame retardation of wool fabrics was carried out by the same method. The experimental method is explained. As for the performance of the processed fabrics, the rate of sticking of the flame retardant, the efficiency of utilization, the flame retarding property, the endurance in washing and the tensile and tearing strength were examined. As the oxygen index was higher, the flame retarding property was higher, and in the case of the index being more than 27, the flame retarding property is sufficient, that is, the rate of sticking of 6% in serge and 5% in muslin. (K.I.)

Flame retardancy and thermal degradation of cotton textiles based on UV-curable flame retardant coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xing, Weiyi [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, 166 Ren' ai Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123 (China); Jie, Ganxin [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Adaptability for Industrial Products, China National Electric Apparatus Research Institute, Guangzhou 510300 (China); Song, Lei; Hu, Shuang; Lv, Xiaoqi; Wang, Xin [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Hu, Yuan, E-mail: yuanhu@ustc.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, 166 Ren' ai Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123 (China)

2011-01-20

The flame retardant coatings were prepared through UV-curable technique using tri(acryloyloxyethyl) phosphate (TAEP) and triglycidyl isocyanurate acrylate (TGICA). Results from FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that flame retardant coatings were successfully coated onto the surface of cotton fabrics. The flame retardancy of the treated fabrics was studied by Micro-scale Combustion Calorimeter (MCC) and limited oxygen index (LOI). The cottons coated flame retardant coatings had the lower peak heat release rate (PHRR), heat release capacity (HRC), total heat of combustion (THC) and higher LOI value compared with untreated cotton. The results from TGA test showed that the flame retardant coatings lowered the decomposition temperature of treated fabric. The thermal decomposition of cottons was monitored by real time FTIR analysis and thermogravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry (TGA-IR). The enhanced flame retardant action might be caused by thermal decomposition of TAEP structure, producing acidic intermediates, which could react with fabrics to alter its thermal decomposition process.

Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Anagliptin Prevents Intracranial Aneurysm Growth by Suppressing Macrophage Infiltration and Activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikedo, Taichi; Minami, Manabu; Kataoka, Hiroharu; Hayashi, Kosuke; Nagata, Manabu; Fujikawa, Risako; Higuchi, Sei; Yasui, Mika; Aoki, Tomohiro; Fukuda, Miyuki; Yokode, Masayuki; Miyamoto, Susumu

2017-06-19

Chronic inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors have anti-inflammatory effects, including suppressing macrophage infiltration, in various inflammatory models. We examined whether a DPP-4 inhibitor, anagliptin, could suppress the growth of IAs in a rodent aneurysm model. IAs were surgically induced in 7-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats, followed by oral administration of 300 mg/kg anagliptin. We measured the morphologic parameters of aneurysms over time and their local inflammatory responses. To investigate the molecular mechanisms, we used lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW264.7 macrophages. In the anagliptin-treated group, aneurysms were significantly smaller 2 to 4 weeks after IA induction. Anagliptin inhibited the accumulation of macrophages in IAs, reduced the expression of MCP-1 (monocyte chemotactic protein 1), and suppressed the phosphorylation of p65. In lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, anagliptin treatment significantly reduced the production of tumor necrosis factor α, MCP-1, and IL-6 (interleukin 6) independent of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1), the key mediator in the antidiabetic effects of DPP-4 inhibitors. Notably, anagliptin activated ERK5 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5), which mediates the anti-inflammatory effects of statins, in RAW264.7 macrophages. Preadministration with an ERK5 inhibitor blocked the inhibitory effect of anagliptin on MCP-1 and IL-6 expression. Accordingly, the ERK5 inhibitor also counteracted the suppression of p65 phosphorylation in vitro. A DPP-4 inhibitor, anagliptin, prevents the growth of IAs via its anti-inflammatory effects on macrophages. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

Increased insulin sensitivity in intrauterine growth retarded newborns--do thyroid hormones play a role?

Science.gov (United States)

Setia, Sajita; Sridhar, M G; Koner, B C; Bobby, Zachariah; Bhat, Vishnu; Chaturvedula, Lata

2007-02-01

Thyroid hormones are necessary for normal brain development. We studied thyroid hormone profile and insulin sensitivity in intrauterine growth retarded (IUGR) newborns to find correlation between insulin sensitivity and thyroid status in IUGR newborns. Fifty IUGR and fifty healthy control infants were studied at birth. Cord blood was collected for determination of T(3), T(4), TSH, glucose and insulin levels. IUGR newborns had significantly lower insulin, mean+/-S.D., 5.25+/-2.81 vs. 11.02+/-1.85microU/ml, but significantly higher insulin sensitivity measured as glucose to insulin ratio (G/I), 9.80+/-2.91 vs. 6.93+/-1.08 compared to healthy newborns. TSH was also significantly higher 6.0+/-2.70 vs. 2.99+/-1.05microU/ml with significantly lower T(4), 8.65+/-1.95 vs. 9.77+/-2.18microg/dl, but similar T(3) levels, 100.8+/-24.36 vs. 101.45+/-23.45ng/dl. On stepwise linear regression analysis in IUGR infants, insulin sensitivity was found to have a significant negative association with T(4) and significant positive association with TSH. Thyroid hormones may play a role in increased insulin sensitivity at birth in IUGR.

Skeletal manifestations of stress in child victims of the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852): prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, Harris lines, and growth retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Geber, Jonny

2014-09-01

The Great Irish Famine of 1845-1852 is among the worst food crises in human history. While numerous aspects of this period have been studied by generations of scholars, relatively little attention has so far been given to the physiological impact it is likely to have had on the people who suffered and succumbed to it. This study examines the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, Harris lines, and growth retardation in the nonadult proportion of a skeletal population comprising victims of the Famine who died in the workhouse in the city of Kilkenny between 1847 and 1851. The frequency of enamel hypoplasia in these children does not appear to have increased as a consequence of famine, although this fact is likely to be a reflection of the osteological paradox. Harris lines and growth retardation; however, were very prevalent, and the manifestation and age-specific distribution of these may be indicators of the Famine experience. While there was no clear correlation in the occurrence of the assessed markers, the presence of cribra orbitalia displayed a significant relationship to enamel hypoplasia in 1- to 5-year-old children. While starvation, metabolic disorders and infectious diseases are likely to have greatly contributed to the manifestation of the markers, the psychosocial stress relating to institutionalization in the workhouse should not be underestimated as a substantial causative factor for skeletal stress in this population. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Final height and intrauterine growth retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tauber, Maïthé

2017-06-01

Approximately 10% of small for gestational age (SGA) children maintain a small body size throughout childhood and often into adult life with a decreased pubertal spurt. Growth hormone (GH) therapy increases short-term growth in a dose-dependent manner and adult height had now been well documented. Shorter children might benefit from a higher dose at start (50μg/kg/day). The response to GH treatment was similar for both preterm and term short SGA groups and the effect of GH treatment on adult height showed a wide variation in growth response. As a whole, mean adult height is higher than -2 SDS in 60% of patients and 70% reached an adult height in their target height with better results with higher doses and combined GnRH analog therapy in those who were short at onset of puberty. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Mental and growth retardation after medulloblastoma radiation therapy. MRI assessment of radiation injuries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyagi, Koichi; Mukawa, Jiro; Mekaru, Susumu; Harakuni, Tsuyoshi; Yamaguchi, Keiichiro; Tominaga, Daisuke; Nakasone, Susumu.

1996-01-01

We report on 3 cases of a medulloblastoma and discuss the usefulness of calculating the T2 value from long-term follow-up MRIs of 1.5 T in order to analyze the cause of mental retardation. Of 13 medulloblastoma patients who were treated at our hospital from 1970 through 1984, 4 patients survived. Excluding 1 of these patients, a 2-year-old child, the remaining 3 cases are discussed. The 3 patients underwent surgery and received postoperative craniospinal irradiation and chemotherapy. The radiation dose (tumoral dose) was 40 to 85 Gy to the posterior fossa, 0 to 30.4 Gy to the spinal cord, and 25.6 to 35.2 Gy to the whole brain. The long-term effects were evaluated by calculating the T2 value and conducting a psychometric analysis from 2 to 11 years after radiation therapy. Their respective Tanaka-Vineland IQ test results were 32, 46, and 102 and their respective growth heights were -3.6 SD, -6.4 SD, and +0.18 SD. Growth hormone deficiencies were identified in all 3 patients. The decline in ability and failure to grow became more pronounced with time. The calculated T2 values showed alterations in the hippocampus, the occipital white matter, and the hypothalamus of all 3 patients. The hippocampal alteration contributed to a decline in intellectual ability and resulted in learning difficulties at school. It should be noted that in addition to whole-brain radiation that was pursued, the focal radiation provided delivers the same radiation dose to the hippocampus as to the tumor. Such a high radiation dose thus might be responsible for the decline in intellectual ability. Therefore, to avoid radiation injury to these areas, stereotactic radiosurgery must be planned for focal radiation therapy. (K.H.)

The role of growth retardation in lasting effects of neonatal dexamethasone treatment on hippocampal synaptic function.

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Yu-Chen Wang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone (DEX, a synthetic glucocorticoid, is commonly used to prevent or lessen the morbidity of chronic lung disease in preterm infants. However, evidence is now increasing that this clinical practice negatively affects somatic growth and may result in long-lasting neurodevelopmental deficits. We therefore hypothesized that supporting normal somatic growth may overcome the lasting adverse effects of neonatal DEX treatment on hippocampal function. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To test this hypothesis, we developed a rat model using a schedule of tapering doses of DEX similar to that used in premature infants and examined whether the lasting influence of neonatal DEX treatment on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory performance are correlated with the deficits in somatic growth. We confirmed that neonatal DEX treatment switched the direction of synaptic plasticity in hippocampal CA1 region, favoring low-frequency stimulation- and group I metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist (S-3,5,-dihydroxyphenylglycine-induced long-term depression (LTD, and opposing the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP by high-frequency stimulation in the adolescent period. The effects of DEX on LTP and LTD were correlated with an increase in the autophosphorylation of Ca(2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II at threonine-286 and a decrease in the protein phosphatase 1 expression. Neonatal DEX treatment resulted in a disruption of memory retention subjected to object recognition task and passive avoidance learning. The adverse effects of neonatal DEX treatment on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory performance of the animals from litters culled to 4 pups were significantly less than those for the 8-pup litters. However, there was no significant difference in maternal care between groups. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrate that growth retardation plays a crucial role in DEX-induced long-lasting influence of

Local Equilibrium and Retardation Revisited.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Scott K; Vesselinov, Velimir V

2018-01-01

In modeling solute transport with mobile-immobile mass transfer (MIMT), it is common to use an advection-dispersion equation (ADE) with a retardation factor, or retarded ADE. This is commonly referred to as making the local equilibrium assumption (LEA). Assuming local equilibrium, Eulerian textbook treatments derive the retarded ADE, ostensibly exactly. However, other authors have presented rigorous mathematical derivations of the dispersive effect of MIMT, applicable even in the case of arbitrarily fast mass transfer. We resolve the apparent contradiction between these seemingly exact derivations by adopting a Lagrangian point of view. We show that local equilibrium constrains the expected time immobile, whereas the retarded ADE actually embeds a stronger, nonphysical, constraint: that all particles spend the same amount of every time increment immobile. Eulerian derivations of the retarded ADE thus silently commit the gambler's fallacy, leading them to ignore dispersion due to mass transfer that is correctly modeled by other approaches. We then present a particle tracking simulation illustrating how poor an approximation the retarded ADE may be, even when mobile and immobile plumes are continually near local equilibrium. We note that classic "LEA" (actually, retarded ADE validity) criteria test for insignificance of MIMT-driven dispersion relative to hydrodynamic dispersion, rather than for local equilibrium. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

A role for suppressed skeletal muscle thermogenesis in pathways from weight fluctuations to the insulin resistance syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulloo, A G

2005-08-01

An impressive body of epidemiological evidence suggests that a history of large perturbations in body weight earlier in life, independently of excess weight, is a risk factor for later development of insulin-related complications, namely central obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Such an increased risk has been reported in men and women who in young adulthood experienced weight fluctuations that involved weight recovery after weight loss caused by disease, famine or voluntary 'yoyo' dieting, and is particularly strong when the weight fluctuations occurred much earlier in life and are characterized by catch-up growth after foetal and/or neonatal growth retardation. As the phase of weight recovery/catch-up growth is associated with both hyperinsulinaemia and an accelerated rate for recovering fat mass (i.e. catch-up fat), the questions arise as to whether, why and how processes that regulate catch-up fat might predispose to hyperinsulinaemia and to insulin-related diseases. In addressing these issues, this paper first reviews evidence for the existence of an adipose-specific control of thermogenesis, whose suppression contributes to the phenomenon of catch-up fat during weight recovery/catch-up growth. It subsequently concentrates upon recent findings suggesting that: (i) such suppression of thermogenesis directed at catch-up fat is accompanied by a redistribution of glucose from skeletal muscle to white adipose tissue, and (ii) substrate cycling between de novo lipogenesis and lipid oxidation can operate as a thermogenic effector in skeletal muscle in response to signalling interactions between leptin and insulin - two key 'adiposity' hormones implicated in the peripheral control of substrate metabolism. These new findings are integrated into the proposal that, in its 'evolutionary adaptive' role to spare glucose for rapid rebuilding of the fat stores, suppressed thermogenesis in skeletal muscle - via inhibition of substrate cycling between de novo

Opioid-dependent growth of glial cultures: Suppression of astrocyte DNA synthesis by met-enkephalin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stiene-Martin, A.; Hauser, K.F.

1990-01-01

The action of met-enkephalin on the growth of astrocytes in mixed-glial cultures was examined. Primary, mixed-glial cultures were isolated from 1 day-old mouse cerebral hemispheres and continuously treated with either basal growth media, 1 μM met-enkephalin, 1 μM met-enkephalin plus the opioid antagonist naloxone, or naloxone alone. Absolute numbers of neural cells were counted in unstained preparations, while combined [ 3 H]-thymidine autoradiography and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) immunocytochemistry was performed to identify specific changes in astrocytes. When compared to control and naloxone treated cultures, met-enkephalin caused a significant decrease in both total cell numbers, and in [ 3 H]-thymidine incorporation by GFAP-positive cells with flat morphology. These results indicate that met-enkephalin suppresses astrocyte growth in culture

Opioid-dependent growth of glial cultures: Suppression of astrocyte DNA synthesis by met-enkephalin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stiene-Martin, A.; Hauser, K.F. (Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington (USA))

1990-01-01

The action of met-enkephalin on the growth of astrocytes in mixed-glial cultures was examined. Primary, mixed-glial cultures were isolated from 1 day-old mouse cerebral hemispheres and continuously treated with either basal growth media, 1 {mu}M met-enkephalin, 1 {mu}M met-enkephalin plus the opioid antagonist naloxone, or naloxone alone. Absolute numbers of neural cells were counted in unstained preparations, while combined ({sup 3}H)-thymidine autoradiography and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) immunocytochemistry was performed to identify specific changes in astrocytes. When compared to control and naloxone treated cultures, met-enkephalin caused a significant decrease in both total cell numbers, and in ({sup 3}H)-thymidine incorporation by GFAP-positive cells with flat morphology. These results indicate that met-enkephalin suppresses astrocyte growth in culture.

Nitrogen, potassium and plant growth retardant effects on oil content and quality of cotton seed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alkassas, A. R.

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this field experiment was to investigate the effect of nitrogen, potassium and a plant growth retardant (PGR on seed yield and protein and oil content of an Egyptian cotton cultivar (Gossypium barbadense Giza 86. Treatments consisted of: soil application of N (95 and 143 kg N ha-1 in the form ammonium nitrate, foliar application of potassium (0, 319, 638 or 957 g K ha-1 as potassium sulfate and foliar application of mepiquat chloride (MC (0 and 48 + 24 g active ingredient ha-1 on seed, protein and oil yields and oil properties of Egyptian cotton cultivar “Giza 86” (Gossypium barbadense. After applying the higher N-rate, foliar application of potassium and plant growth retardant MC significantly increased seed yield and the content of seed protein and oil, seed oil refractive index, unsaponifiable matter and total unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic. In contrast, oil acid and saponification value as well as total saturated fatty acids were decreased by foliar application of potassium and MC. The seed oil content was decreased with soil application of N.El objetivo de los experimentos de campo fue investigar el efecto del nitrogeno, potasio y retardantes del crecimiento de plantas sobre el contenido en proteínas y aceite de una semilla de algodón cultivada en Egipto (Gossypium barbadense Giza 86. Los tratamientos consistieron en la aplicación en suelo de N (95 and 143 kg N ha-1 en forma de nitrato amónico, aplicación foliar de K (0, 319, 638 or 957 g K ha-1 como sulfato potásico y aplicación foliar de cloruro de m mepiquat (MC (0 and 48 + 24 g de ingrediente activo ha-1 sobre un cultivar de algodón «Giza 86» (Gossypium barbadense. La aplicación de la cantidad más elevada de N, unida a la aplicación de potasio y del retardador MC, aumentó significativamente el rendimiento en semilla, así como el contenido en proteinas y en aceite. Respecto al aceite, aumentó el índice de refracción, la fracci

Cystatin E/M Suppresses Tumor Cell Growth through Cytoplasmic Retention of NF-κB

Science.gov (United States)

Soh, Hendrick; Venkatesan, Natarajan; Veena, Mysore S.; Ravichandran, Sandhiya; Zinabadi, Alborz; Basak, Saroj K.; Parvatiyar, Kislay; Srivastava, Meera; Liang, Li-Jung; Gjertson, David W.; Torres, Jorge Z.; Moatamed, Neda A.

2016-01-01

We and others have shown that the cystatin E/M gene is inactivated in primary human tumors, pointing to its role as a tumor suppressor gene. However, the molecular mechanism of tumor suppression is not yet understood. Using plasmid-directed cystatin E/M gene overexpression, a lentivirus-mediated tetracycline-inducible vector system, and human papillomavirus 16 (HPV 16) E6 and E7 gene-immortalized normal human epidermal keratinocytes, we demonstrated intracellular and non-cell-autonomous apoptotic growth inhibition of tumor cell lines and that growth inhibition is associated with cytoplasmic retention of NF-κB. We further demonstrated decreased phosphorylation of IκB kinase (IKKβ) and IκBα in the presence of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), confirming the role of cystatin E/M in the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Growth suppression of nude mouse xenograft tumors carrying a tetracycline-inducible vector system was observed with the addition of doxycycline in drinking water, confirming that the cystatin E/M gene is a tumor suppressor gene. Finally, immunohistochemical analyses of cervical carcinoma in situ and primary tumors have shown a statistically significant inverse relationship between the expression of cystatin E/M and cathepsin L and a direct relationship between the loss of cystatin E/M expression and nuclear expression of NF-κB. We therefore propose that the cystatin E/M suppressor gene plays an important role in the regulation of NF-κB. PMID:27090639

Thermally activated growth of lath martensite in Fe–Cr–Ni–Al stainless steel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villa, Matteo; Hansen, Mikkel Fougt; Pantleon, Karen

2015-01-01

The austenite to martensite transformation in a semi-austenitic stainless steel containing 17 wt-%Cr, 7 wt-%Ni and 1 wt-%Al was investigated with vibrating sample magnetometry and electron backscatter diffraction. Magnetometry demonstrated that, within experimental accuracy, martensite formation...... can be suppressed on fast cooling to 77 K as well as on subsequent fast heating to 373 K. Surprisingly, martensite formation was observed during moderate heating from 77 K, instead. Electron backscatter diffraction demonstrated that the morphology of martensite is lath type. The kinetics...... of the transformation is interpreted in terms of athermal nucleation of lath martensite followed by thermally activated growth. It is anticipated that substantial autocatalytic martensite formation occurs during thermally activated growth. The observation of a retardation of the transformation followed by a new...

Biocontrol traits of plant growth suppressive arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi against root rot in tomato caused by Pythium aphanidermatum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, John; Graham, James H.; Cubero, Jaime

2012-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi known to cause plant growth depressions in tomato were examined for their biocontrol effects against root rot caused by Pythium aphanidermatum. The main hypothesis was that plant growth suppressive AM fungi would elicit a defence response in the host plant reduci...

The Methanol Extract of Angelica sinensis Induces Cell Apoptosis and Suppresses Tumor Growth in Human Malignant Brain Tumors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Ling Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM is a highly vascularized and invasive neoplasm. The methanol extract of Angelica sinensis (AS-M is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat several diseases, such as gastric mucosal damage, hepatic injury, menopausal symptoms, and chronic glomerulonephritis. AS-M also displays potency in suppressing the growth of malignant brain tumor cells. The growth suppression of malignant brain tumor cells by AS-M results from cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. AS-M upregulates expression of cyclin kinase inhibitors, including p16, to decrease the phosphorylation of Rb proteins, resulting in arrest at the G0-G1 phase. The expression of the p53 protein is increased by AS-M and correlates with activation of apoptosis-associated proteins. Therefore, the apoptosis of cancer cells induced by AS-M may be triggered through the p53 pathway. In in vivo studies, AS-M not only suppresses the growth of human malignant brain tumors but also significantly prolongs patient survival. In addition, AS-M has potent anticancer effects involving cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and antiangiogenesis. The in vitro and in vivo anticancer effects of AS-M indicate that this extract warrants further investigation and potential development as a new antibrain tumor agent, providing new hope for the chemotherapy of malignant brain cancer.

Suppression of Growth by Multiplicative White Noise in a Parametric Resonant System

Science.gov (United States)

Ishihara, Masamichi

2015-02-01

The growth of the amplitude in a Mathieu-like equation with multiplicative white noise is studied. To obtain an approximate analytical expression for the exponent at the extremum on parametric resonance regions, a time-interval width is introduced. To determine the exponents numerically, the stochastic differential equations are solved by a symplectic numerical method. The Mathieu-like equation contains a parameter α determined by the intensity of noise and the strength of the coupling between the variable and noise; without loss of generality, only non-negative α can be considered. The exponent is shown to decrease with α, reach a minimum and increase after that. The minimum exponent is obtained analytically and numerically. As a function of α, the minimum at α≠0, occurs on the parametric resonance regions of α=0. This minimum indicates suppression of growth by multiplicative white noise.

Impaired genome maintenance suppresses the growth hormone--insulin-like growth factor 1 axis in mice with Cockayne syndrome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingrid van der Pluijm

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Cockayne syndrome (CS is a photosensitive, DNA repair disorder associated with progeria that is caused by a defect in the transcription-coupled repair subpathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER. Here, complete inactivation of NER in Csb(m/m/Xpa(-/- mutants causes a phenotype that reliably mimics the human progeroid CS syndrome. Newborn Csb(m/m/Xpa(-/- mice display attenuated growth, progressive neurological dysfunction, retinal degeneration, cachexia, kyphosis, and die before weaning. Mouse liver transcriptome analysis and several physiological endpoints revealed systemic suppression of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH/IGF1 somatotroph axis and oxidative metabolism, increased antioxidant responses, and hypoglycemia together with hepatic glycogen and fat accumulation. Broad genome-wide parallels between Csb(m/m/Xpa(-/- and naturally aged mouse liver transcriptomes suggested that these changes are intrinsic to natural ageing and the DNA repair-deficient mice. Importantly, wild-type mice exposed to a low dose of chronic genotoxic stress recapitulated this response, thereby pointing to a novel link between genome instability and the age-related decline of the somatotroph axis.

Generic conditions for suppressing the coherent synchrotron radiation induced emittance growth in a two-dipole achromat

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Yi; Cui, Xiaohao; Huang, Xiyang; Xu, Gang

2014-06-01

The effect of the coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) becomes evident, and leads to increased beam energy spread and transverse emittance dilution, as both the emittance and bunch length of the electron beams are continuously pushed down in present and forthcoming high-brightness light sources and linear colliders. Suppressing this effect is important to preserve the expected machine performance. Methods of the R-matrix analysis and the Courant-Snyder formalism analysis have been proposed to evaluate and to suppress the emittance growth due to CSR in achromatic cells. In this paper a few important modifications are made on these two methods, which enable us to prove that these two methods are equivalent to each other. With the modified analysis, we obtain explicit and generic conditions of cancelling the CSR-driven emittance excitation in a single achromat consisting of two dipoles of arbitrary bending angles. In spite of the fact that the analysis constrains itself in a linear regime, based on the assumption that CSR-induced particle energy deviation is proportional to both θ and ρ1/3, with θ being the bending angle and ρ the bending radius, it is demonstrated through ELEGANT simulations that the conditions derived from this analysis are still effective in suppressing the emittance growth when a more detailed one-dimensional CSR model is considered. In addition, it illustrates that the emittance growth can be reduced to a lower level with the proposed conditions than with the other two approaches, such as matching the beam envelope to the CSR kick and setting the cell-to-cell betatron phase advance to an appropriate value.

Potential Utility of Melatonin in Preeclampsia, Intrauterine Fetal Growth Retardation, and Perinatal Asphyxia.

Science.gov (United States)

Marseglia, Lucia; D'Angelo, Gabriella; Manti, Sara; Reiter, Russel J; Gitto, Eloisa

2016-08-01

Reactive oxygen species play an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases during gestation and the perinatal period. During pregnancy, increased oxygen demand augments the rate of production of free radicals. Oxidative stress is involved in pregnancy disorders including preeclampsia and intrauterine fetal growth retardation (IUGR). Moreover, increased levels of oxidative stress and reduced antioxidative capacities may contribute to the pathogenesis of perinatal asphyxia. Melatonin, an efficient antioxidant agent, diffuses through biological membranes easily and exerts pleiotropic actions on every cell and appears to be essential for successful gestation. This narrative review summarizes current knowledge concerning the role of melatonin in reducing complications during human pregnancy and in the perinatal period. Melatonin levels are altered in women with abnormally functioning placentae during preeclampsia and IUGR. Short-term melatonin therapy is highly effective and safe in reducing complications during pregnancy and in the perinatal period. Because melatonin has been shown to be safe for both mother and fetus, it could be an attractive therapy in pregnancy and is considered a promising neuroprotective agent in perinatal asphyxia. We believe that the use of melatonin treatment during the late fetal and early neonatal period might result in a wide range of health benefits, improved quality of life, and may help limit complications during the critical periods prior to, and shortly after, delivery. © The Author(s) 2015.

Suppression of PCD-related genes affects salt tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahieldin, Ahmed; Alqarni, Dhafer A M; Atef, Ahmed; Gadalla, Nour O; Al-matary, Mohammed; Edris, Sherif; Al-Kordy, Magdy A; Makki, Rania M; Al-Doss, Abdullah A; Sabir, Jamal S M; Mutwakil, Mohammed H Z; El-Domyati, Fotouh M

2016-01-01

This work aims at examining a natural exciting phenomenon suggesting that suppression of genes inducing programmed cell death (PCD) might confer tolerance against abiotic stresses in plants. PCD-related genes were induced in tobacco under oxalic acid (OA) treatment (20 mM), and plant cells were characterized to confirm the incidence of PCD. The results indicated that PCD was triggered 24 h after the exposure to OA. Then, RNAs were extracted from tobacco cells 0, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h after treatment for deep sequencing. RNA-Seq analyses were done with a special emphasis to clusters whose PCD-related genes were upregulated after 2 h of OA exposure. Accordingly, 23 tobacco PCD-related genes were knocked down via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), whereas our results indicated the influence of five of them on inducing or suppressing PCD. Knockout T-DNA insertion mutants of these five genes in Arabidopsis were tested under salt stress (0, 100, 150, and 200 mM NaCl), and the results indicated that a mutant of an antiapoptotic gene, namely Bax Inhibitor-1 (BI-1), whose VIGS induced PCD in tobacco, was salt sensitive, while a mutant of an apoptotic gene, namely mildew resistance locus O (Mlo), whose VIGS suppressed PCD, was salt tolerant as compared to the WT (Col) control. These data support our hypothesis that retarding PCD-inducing genes can result in higher levels of salt tolerance, while retarding PCD-suppressing genes can result in lower levels of salt tolerance in plants. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Extract of Cordyceps militaris inhibits angiogenesis and suppresses tumor growth of human malignant melanoma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruma, I Made Winarsa; Putranto, Endy Widya; Kondo, Eisaku; Watanabe, Risayo; Saito, Ken; Inoue, Yusuke; Yamamoto, Ken-Ichi; Nakata, Susumu; Kaihata, Masaji; Murata, Hitoshi; Sakaguchi, Masakiyo

2014-07-01

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor development and metastasis. Among several angiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF) is important for tumor-derived angiogenesis and commonly overexpressed in solid tumors. Thus, many antitumor strategies targeting VEGF have been developed to inhibit cancer angiogenesis, offering insights into the successful treatment of solid cancers. However, there are a number of issues such as harmful effects on normal vascularity in clinical trials. Taking this into consideration, we employed Cordyceps militaris as an antitumor approach due to its biological safety in vivo. The herbal medicinal mushroom Cordyceps militaris has been reported to show potential anticancer properties including anti-angiogenic capacity; however, its concrete properties have yet to be fully demonstrated. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the biological role of Cordyceps militaris extract in tumor cells, especially in regulating angiogenesis and tumor growth of a human malignant melanoma cell line. We demonstrated that Cordyceps militaris extract remarkably suppressed tumor growth via induction of apoptotic cell death in culture that links to the abrogation of VEGF production in melanoma cells. This was followed by mitigation of Akt1 and GSK-3β activation, while p38α phosphorylation levels were increased. Extract treatment in mouse model xenografted with human melanoma cells resulted in a dramatic antitumor effect with down-regulation of VEGF expression. The results suggest that suppression of tumor growth by Cordyceps militaris extract is, at least, mediated by its anti-angiogenicity and apoptosis induction capacities. Cordyceps militaris extract may be a potent antitumor herbal drug for solid tumors.

WNT10B functional dualism: beta-catenin/Tcf-dependent growth promotion or independent suppression with deregulated expression in cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshikawa, Hirohide; Matsubara, Kenichi; Zhou, Xiaoling; Okamura, Shu; Kubo, Takahiko; Murase, Yaeko; Shikauchi, Yuko; Esteller, Manel; Herman, James G; Wei Wang, Xin; Harris, Curtis C

2007-11-01

We found aberrant DNA methylation of the WNT10B promoter region in 46% of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 15% of colon cancer samples. Three of 10 HCC and one of two colon cancer cell lines demonstrated low or no expression, and 5-aza-2'deoxycytidine reactivated WNT10B expression with the induction of demethylation, indicating that WNT10B is silenced by DNA methylation in some cancers, whereas WNT10B expression is up-regulated in seven of the 10 HCC cell lines and a colon cancer cell line. These results indicate that WNT10B can be deregulated by either overexpression or silencing in cancer. We found that WNT10B up-regulated beta-catenin/Tcf activity. However, WNT10B-overexpressing cells demonstrated a reduced growth rate and anchorage-independent growth that is independent of the beta-catenin/Tcf activation, because mutant beta-catenin-transduced cells did not suppress growth, and dominant-negative hTcf-4 failed to alleviate the growth suppression by WNT10B. Although WNT10B expression alone inhibits cell growth, it acts synergistically with the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) to stimulate cell growth. WNT10B is bifunctional, one function of which is involved in beta-catenin/Tcf activation, and the other function is related to the down-regulation of cell growth through a different mechanism. We suggest that FGF switches WNT10B from a negative to a positive cell growth regulator.

Hyaluronan suppresses prostate tumor cell proliferation through diminished expression of N-cadherin and aberrant growth factor receptor signaling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bharadwaj, Alamelu G.; Goodrich, Nathaniel P.; McAtee, Caitlin O.; Haferbier, Katie; Oakley, Gregory G.; Wahl, James K.; Simpson, Melanie A.

2011-01-01

Hyaluronan (HA) production has been functionally implicated in prostate tumorigenesis and metastasis. We previously used prostate tumor cells overexpressing the HA synthesizing enzyme HAS3 or the clinically relevant hyaluronidase Hyal1 to show that excess HA production suppresses tumor growth, while HA turnover accelerates spontaneous metastasis from the prostate. Here, we examined pathways responsible for effects of HAS3 and Hyal1 on tumor cell phenotype. Detailed characterization of cell cycle progression revealed that expression of Hyal1 accelerated cell cycle re-entry following synchronization, whereas HAS3 alone delayed entry. Hyal1 expressing cells exhibited a significant reduction in their ability to sustain ERK phosphorylation upon stimulation by growth factors, and in their expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21. In contrast, HAS3 expressing cells showed prolonged ERK phosphorylation and increased expression of both p21 and p27, in asynchronous and synchronized cultures. Changes in cell cycle regulatory proteins were accompanied by HA-induced suppression of N-cadherin, while E-cadherin expression and β-catenin expression and distribution remained unchanged. Our results are consistent with a model in which excess HA synthesis suppresses cell proliferation by promoting homotypic E-cadherin mediated cell-cell adhesion, consequently signaling to elevate cell cycle inhibitor expression and suppress G1- to S-phase transition.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester suppresses melanoma tumor growth by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/XIAP pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Pramanik, Kartick C; Kudugunti, Shashi K; Fofaria, Neel M; Moridani, Majid Y; Srivastava, Sanjay K

2013-09-01

Melanoma is highly metastatic and resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs. Our previous studies have demonstrated that caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) suppresses the growth of melanoma cells and induces reactive oxygen species generation. However, the exact mechanism of the growth suppressive effects of CAPE was not clear. Here, we determined the potential mechanism of CAPE against melanoma in vivo and in vitro. Administration of 10 mg/kg/day CAPE substantially suppressed the growth of B16F0 tumor xenografts in C57BL/6 mice. Tumors from CAPE-treated mice showed reduced phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, AKT, mammalian target of rapamycin and protein level of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and enhanced the cleavage of caspase-3 and poly (ADP ribose) polymerase. In order to confirm the in vivo observations, melanoma cells were treated with CAPE. CAPE treatment suppressed the activating phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase at Tyr 458, phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 at Ser 241, mammalian target of rapamycin at Ser 2448 and AKT at Ser 473 in B16F0 and SK-MEL-28 cells in a concentration and time-dependent study. Furthermore, the expression of XIAP, survivin and BCL-2 was downregulated by CAPE treatment in both cell lines. Significant apoptosis was observed by CAPE treatment as indicated by cleavage of caspase-3 and poly (ADP ribose) polymerase. AKT kinase activity was inhibited by CAPE in a concentration-dependent manner. CAPE treatment increased the nuclear translocation of XIAP, indicating increased apoptosis in melanoma cells. To confirm the involvement of reactive oxygen species in the inhibition of AKT/XIAP pathway, cells were treated with antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) prior to CAPE treatment. Our results indicate that NAC blocked CAPE-mediated AKT/XIAP inhibition and protected the cells from apoptosis. Because AKT regulates XIAP, their interaction was examined by immunoprecipitation studies. Our results show that CAPE

POLYAMIDE 6 WITH A FLAME RETARDANT ENCAPSULATED BY POLYAMIDE 66: FLAME RETARDATION, THERMO-DECOMPOSITION AND THE POTENTIAL MECHANISM

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Wei-cheng Xiong; Li Chen; Bin Zhao; De-yi Wang; Yu-zhong Wang

2012-01-01

A novel encapsulated flame retardant containing phosphorus-nitrogen (MSMM-Al-P) was prepared by encapsulating with polyamide 66 (PA66-MSMM-Al-P) for the flame retardation of polyamide 6 (PA6).The structure and thermal properties of PA66-MSMM-Al-P were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis.The flammability of PA6 containing' flame retardants (MSMMAl-P and PA66-MSMM-Al-P) was investigated by the limiting oxygen index test,vertical burning test and cone calorimeter.The flame retardancy and cone calorimetric analyses suggested a synergistic effect between PA66 and MSMM-Al-P in the flame-retardant PA6.Thermal stability of the flame-retardant PA6 was also investigated.

Influence of gamma-irradiation, growth retardants and coatings on the shelf life of winter guava fruits (Psidium guajava L.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, S.K.; Joshua, Jean E.; Bisen; Abhav

2010-01-01

Experiment was conducted to study the effect of gamma irradiation, growth retardants and coatings (coconut oil, mustard oil and liquid paraffin) on shelf life of winter guava fruits during storage. The results revealed that the superiority of coconut oil coating over other post harvest treatments. Physiological loss in weight (7.1%), marketable fruits retained over control (86.7%), total soluble solid (16.1%), ascorbic acid (195 mg/100 g pulp) and total sugar (10%) of fruit were positively influenced by coconut oil coating up to 12 days of storage. The treatment was found significantly effective in increasing the post harvest life of fruits for 12 days over control without adversely affecting the fruit quality. Coconut oil coating gave highest consumer acceptability while, maintaining sufficient level of total soluble solids and sugar content in fruits. (author)

miR-409-3p suppresses breast cancer cell growth and invasion by targeting Akt1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Guoqiang [Department of Breast Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan 250012 (China); Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, 661 Second Huanghe Street, Binzhou 256603 (China); Liu, Zengyan [Department of Hematology, Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, 661 Second Huanghe Street, Binzhou 256603 (China); Xu, Hao [Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029 (China); Yang, Qifeng, E-mail: qifengy_sdu1@163.com [Department of Breast Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan 250012 (China)

2016-01-08

Altered levels and functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) are correlated with carcinogenesis. While miR-409-3p has been shown to play important roles in several cancer types, its function in the context of breast cancer (BC) remains unknown. In this study, miR-409-3p was significantly downregulated in BC tissues and cell lines, compared with the corresponding control counterparts. Overexpression of miR-409-3p inhibited BC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Notably, miR-409-3p induced downregulation of Akt1 protein through binding to its 3′ untranslated region (UTR). Conversely, restoring Akt1 expression rescued the suppressive effects of miR-409-3p. Our data collectively indicate that miR-409-3p functions as a tumor suppressor in BC through downregulating Akt1, supporting the targeting of the novel miR-409-3p/Akt1 axis as a potentially effective therapeutic approach for BC. - Highlights: • miR-409-3p inhibits proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells. • miR-409-3p suppresses tumor growth in nude mice. • Akt1 is a direct downstream target of miR-409-3p. • Ectopic expression of Akt1 reverses the effects of miR-409-3p on cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

Growth status of children in well-baby outpatient clinics and related factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Çelik, Sercan Bulut; Şahin, Figen; Beyazova, Ufuk; Can, Hüseyin

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to determine the state of growth during follow-up of healthy children and the factors affecting growth. The patient cards of the infants who were born in 2002 and followed up in the well-baby outpatient clinic in Gazi University, Medical Faculty regularly for at least 18 months were examined retrospectively. Their sociodemographic properties including age, education level, occupation of the parents, if the mother was working, caretakers and gender, gestational week, birth weight, birth height and mode of nutrition (breastmilk, formula, cow's milk, period of feeding, etc.) and growth of the babies (month, percentile) were recorded. Number of siblings and ages of the siblings were also recorded and the children with and without growth problems were compared in terms of these properties. It was found that 290 (39.3%) of 739 children who were followed up continued to grow up in the percentile in which they started (normal growth), 188 (25.4%) lost 2 or more percentiles in any month (growth retardation) and 261 (35.3%) lost less than 2 percentiles (decelerated growth). Deceleration/retardation in growth was observed most commonly in the 9(th) month. Deceleration in growth was found in the 6(th) month in 23.6% of the group with deceleration in growth, in the 9(th) month in 50.2%, in the 12(th) month in 15.8% and in the 18(th) month in 3.9%. Growth retardation was found in the 6(th) month in 35.8% of the group with growth retardation, in the 9(th) month in 38.0% and in the 18(th) month in 4.3%. It was found that receiving formula and presence of infection were the main risk factors in terms of deceleration of growth and unemployed mother, the lenght of the total time of breastfeeding and presence of infection were the main risk factors in terms of growth retardation. This study shows the importance of follow-up of growth of children in outpatient clinics for healthy children. It was found that detailed examination and recording of non

CDK2 and mTOR are direct molecular targets of isoangustone A in the suppression of human prostate cancer cell growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eunjung; Son, Joe Eun; Byun, Sanguine; Lee, Seung Joon; Kim, Yeong A [WCU Biomodulation Major, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Liu, Kangdong [The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, 801 16th Avenue NE, Austin, MN 55912 (United States); Kim, Jiyoung [WCU Biomodulation Major, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Soon Sung; Park, Jung Han Yoon [Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Natural Science, Hallym University, Chuncheon, 200-702 (Korea, Republic of); Dong, Zigang [The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, 801 16th Avenue NE, Austin, MN 55912 (United States); Lee, Ki Won, E-mail: kiwon@snu.ac.kr [WCU Biomodulation Major, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon 443-270 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyong Joo, E-mail: leehyjo@snu.ac.kr [WCU Biomodulation Major, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon 443-270 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-01

Licorice extract which is used as a natural sweetener has been shown to possess inhibitory effects against prostate cancer, but the mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. Here, we report a compound, isoangustone A (IAA) in licorice that potently suppresses the growth of aggressive prostate cancer and sought to clarify its mechanism of action. We analyzed its inhibitory effects on the growth of PTEN-deleted human prostate cancer cells, in vitro and in vivo. Administration of IAA significantly attenuated the growth of prostate cancer cell cultures and xenograft tumors. These effects were found to be attributable to inhibition of the G1/S phase cell cycle transition and the accumulation of p27{sup kip1}. The elevated p27{sup kip1} expression levels were concurrent with the decrease of its phosphorylation at threonine 187 through suppression of CDK2 kinase activity and the reduced phosphorylation of Akt at Serine 473 by diminishing the kinase activity of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Further analysis using recombinant proteins and immunoprecipitated cell lysates determined that IAA exerts suppressive effects against CDK2 and mTOR kinase activity by direct binding with both proteins. These findings suggested that the licorice compound IAA is a potent molecular inhibitor of CDK2 and mTOR, with strong implications for the treatment of prostate cancer. Thus, licorice-derived extracts with high IAA content warrant further clinical investigation for nutritional sources for prostate cancer patients. - Highlights: • Isoangustone A suppresses growth of PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells. • Administration of isoangustone A inhibits tumor growth in mice. • Treatment of isoangustone A induces cell cycle arrest and accumulation of p27{sup kip1}. • Isoangustone A inhibits CDK2 and mTOR activity. • Isoangustone A directly binds with CDK2 and mTOR complex in prostate cancer cells.

Growth-suppressing and algicidal properties of an extract from Arundo donax, an invasive riparian plant, against Prymnesium parvum, an invasive harmful alga

Science.gov (United States)

Patino, Reynaldo; Rashel, Rakib H.; Rubio, Amede; Longing, Scott

2018-01-01

This study examined the ability of acidic and neutral/alkaline fractions of a methanolic extract from giant reed (Arundo donax) and of two of its constituents, gramine and skatole, to inhibit growth of the ichthyotoxic golden alga (Prymnesium parvum) in batch culture. For this study, growth suppression was defined as inhibition of maximum cell density, algicidal activity as early occurrence of negative growth, and algistatic activity as lack of net growth. The acidic fraction did not affect algal growth. The neutral/alkaline fraction showed growth-suppressing and algicidal activities but no signs of algistatic activity – namely, cells in cultures surviving a partial-algicidal exposure concentration (causing transient negative growth) were later able to initiate positive growth but at higher concentrations, algicidal activity was full and irreversible. Gramine suppressed growth more effectively than skatole and at the highest concentration tested, gramine also showed partial-algicidal and algistatic activity. While the partial-algicidal activities of the neutral/alkaline fraction and of gramine were short-lived (≤6 days) and thus may share similar mechanisms, algistatic activity was unique to gramine and persisted for >3 weeks. Given gramine’s reported concentration in the neutral/alkaline fraction, its corresponding level of algicidal activity is much lower than the fraction’s suggesting the latter contains additional potent algicides. Inhibition of maximum cell density by all test compounds was associated with reductions in exponential growth rate, and in the case of the neutral/alkaline fraction and gramine also reductions in early (pre-exponential) growth. These results indicate that giant reed is a potential source of natural products to control golden alga blooms. Giant reed is an invasive species in North America, thus also providing incentive for research into strategies to couple management efforts for both species.

Study of the evolution of the placenta and fetal pancreas in the pathophysiology of growth retardation intrauterine due to restricted maternal diet

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Marilza Vieira Cunha Rudge

1999-03-01

Full Text Available CONTEXT: Intrauterine growth retard (IUGR continues to be a significant perinatology problem at the end of this century. The nature of the etiologic agent, the time when the attack occurred during pregnancy and its duration affect the type of IUGR. OBJECTIVE: To study the evolution of fetal pancreas and placenta between the 18th and 21st day of pregnancy in rats submitted to maternal protein-calorie restriction. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial on laboratory animal. SAMPLE: Forty-one normoglycemic pregnant Wistar rats. INTERVENTION: Rats were divided into six experimental groups according to their access to food and date of cesarean section (18th or 21st day: control with free access to food; diet restricted to 25% introduced on 1st day of pregnancy; and diet restricted to 25% after the 3rd day of pregnancy. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Newborn weight, placenta weight, histopathological study (morphological histochemistry RESULTS: Maternal protein-calorie malnutrition caused intrauterine growth retard (IUGR after the 18th day of pregnancy. Dietary restriction did not interfere with the morphology of the fetal pancreas and the immunohistochemical study of the placenta showed that glycogen stores were decreased between the 18th and 21st day in the control group and in a diet restricted to 25% from the first day of pregnancy. Dietary restriction after the 3rd day of pregnancy led to low placental glycogen concentrations on the 18th day and disappearance on the 21st day. CONCLUSION: The pathophysiology of IUGR due to maternal protein-calorie restriction in rats is related to lower placental weight and low placental glycogen stores.

Mental Retardation; Its Social Context and Social Consequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Farber, Bernard

Concerned with mental retardation as a social product, the following topics are discussed: mental retardation as a social phenomenon, the concept of the retarded as surplus population, labeling and incompetence in relation to life chances, mental retardation as deviance and as incompetence, and findings on the prevalence of retardation in the…

AUTISTIC FEATURES IN CHILDREN WITH MENTAL RETARDATION

Science.gov (United States)

Kar, Nilamadhab; Khanna, Rakesh; Kar, Gopal Chandra

1997-01-01

Most of the autistic disorder patients are also mentally retarded and many mentally retarded persons exhibit autistic symptoms. By using a standard instrument (Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Rating Scale) the autistic features of the mentally retarded children were studied. The study also examined the influence of age, sex and level of mental retardation on the occurrence of autistic symptoms. Children who came for consultation to child psychiatric unit were compared with those at a school for children with mental retardation receiving stimulation. Male children from child psychiatric unit had significantly higher scores than those from the school. Social and language impairment could be reliably identified and grouped. It was possible to diagnose the syndrome of autism in children with mental retardation in a significant number (9.6%)as compared to that was possible only clinically (1.9%). More number of children with severe/ profound mental retardation could be diagnosed as autistic. The autistic syndrome in children with mental retardation can be picked up more effectively by the use of structured instrument. PMID:21584097

Halofuginone suppresses growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in a mouse xenograft model.

Science.gov (United States)

Koohestani, Faezeh; Qiang, Wenan; MacNeill, Amy L; Druschitz, Stacy A; Serna, Vanida A; Adur, Malavika; Kurita, Takeshi; Nowak, Romana A

2016-07-01

Does halofuginone (HF) inhibit the growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in a mouse xenograft model? HF suppresses the growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in a mouse xenograft model through inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors of the female reproductive tract. HF can suppress the growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in vitro. The mouse xenograft model reflects the characteristics of human leiomyomas. Primary leiomyoma smooth muscle cells from eight patients were xenografted under the renal capsule of adult, ovariectomized NOD-scid IL2Rγ(null) mice (NSG). Mice were treated with two different doses of HF or vehicle for 4 weeks with six to eight mice per group. Mouse body weight measurements and immunohistochemical analysis of body organs were carried out to assess the safety of HF treatment. Xenografted tumors were measured and analyzed for cellular and molecular changes induced by HF. Ovarian steroid hormone receptors were evaluated for possible modulation by HF. Treatment of mice carrying human UL xenografts with HF at 0.25 or 0.50 mg/kg body weight for 4 weeks resulted in a 35-40% (P leiomyoma cells in an in vivo model, HF was administered to mice whose tolerance and metabolism of the drug may differ from that in humans. Also, the longer term effects of HF treatment are yet unclear. The results of this study showing the effectiveness of HF in reducing UL tumor growth by interfering with the main cellular processes regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis are in agreement with previous studies on the effects of HF on other fibrotic diseases. HF can be considered as a candidate for reducing the size of leiomyomas, particularly prior to surgery. This project was funded by NIH PO1HD057877 and R01 HD064402. Authors report no competing interests. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights

Exosomes serve as nanoparticles to suppress tumor growth and angiogenesis in gastric cancer by delivering hepatocyte growth factor siRNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Haiyang; Wang, Yi; Bai, Ming; Wang, Junyi; Zhu, Kegan; Liu, Rui; Ge, Shaohua; Li, JiaLu; Ning, Tao; Deng, Ting; Fan, Qian; Li, Hongli; Sun, Wu; Ying, Guoguang; Ba, Yi

2018-03-01

Exosomes derived from cells have been found to mediate signal transduction between cells and to act as efficient carriers to deliver drugs and small RNA. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is known to promote the growth of both cancer cells and vascular cells, and the HGF-cMET pathway is a potential clinical target. Here, we characterized the inhibitory effect of HGF siRNA on tumor growth and angiogenesis in gastric cancer. In addition, we showed that HGF siRNA packed in exosomes can be transported into cancer cells, where it dramatically downregulates HGF expression. A cell co-culture model was used to show that exosomes loaded with HGF siRNA suppress proliferation and migration of both cancer cells and vascular cells. Moreover, exosomes were able to transfer HGF siRNA in vivo, decreasing the growth rates of tumors and blood vessels. The results of our study demonstrate that exosomes have potential for use in targeted cancer therapy by delivering siRNA. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

Growth hormone treatment in cartilage-hair hypoplasia: effects on growth and the immune system.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bocca, G.; Weemaes, C.M.R.; Burgt, C.J.A.M. van der; Otten, B.J.

2004-01-01

Cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by metaphyseal chondrodysplasia with severe growth retardation and impaired immunity. We studied the effects of growth hormone treatment on growth parameters and the immune system in four children with CHH. The

Celecoxib suppresses fibroblast growth factor-2 expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma PANC-1 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing; Luo, Miaosha; Wang, Yan; Shang, Boxin; Dong, Lei

2016-09-01

The inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 has been reported to suppress growth and induce apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells. Nevertheless, the precise biological mechanism of how celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, regulates the growth and invasion of pancreatic tumors is not completely understood. It has been shown that fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and its receptor levels correlate with the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that the antitumor activity of celecoxib in PDAC may be exerted through modulation of FGF-2 function. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of celecoxib on the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of the PANC-1 cell line. Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to examine the expression of FGF-2, FGFR-2, ERK1/2 and MMPs. In the present study, FGF-2 and FGFR-2 were expressed in PANC-1 cells and FGF-2 exerted a stimulatory effect on phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) expression. Celecoxib treatment suppressed FGF-2 and FGFR-2 expression and decreased MMP-2, MMP-9 and p-ERK expression in the PANC-1 cells. Furthermore, celecoxib treatment caused the resistance of PANC-1 cells to FGF-2 induced proliferation, migration and invasion ability, as well as the increase in their apoptotic rate. Our data provide evidence that targeting FGF-2 with celecoxib may be used as an effective treatment in PDAC.

Efecto del retardo prenatal de crecimiento y la subnutrición postnatal en el crecimiento craneofacial / Craneofacial effect of prenatal growth retardation and postnatal undernutrition in craniofacial growth

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María Eugenia Luna

2016-03-01

Full Text Available El objetivo fue analizar en animales con retardo prenatal de crecimiento (RPC el efecto de la subnutrición proteico-calórica lactacional y postlactacional sobre la morfología craneofacial, particularizando en el crecimiento de los componentes funcionales neural y facial. Ratas Wistar fueron divididas en los grupos: Control, RPC (inducido por ligamiento parcial de ambas arterias uterinas el día 15 de gestación y Sham-operado (con igual técnica quirúrgica que RPC aunque sin ligamiento de las arterias. A su vez, el grupo RPC se dividió en: (a crías lactantes de madres con nutrición normal y a partir del destete alimentadas ad-libitum y (b crías lactantes de madres con restricción alimentaria del 25% y a partir del destete alimentadas con el 50% de lo consumido por un animal control. Se tomaron radiografías a las edades 1, 21, 42, 63 y 84 y se midieron longitud, ancho y altura de los componentes neural y facial. Se calcularon los índices volumétricos neural y facial y morfométrico neurofacial. Se aplicaron ANOVA y pruebas post-hoc y se calcularon diferencias porcentuales entre medias. Los resultados permitieron concluir que el estrés primario ocurrido durante la vida intrauterina resulta crítico en lo inmediato y en la vida postnatal, ya que aun mediando normonutrición postnatal el retardo de crecimiento perdura. Además, cuando al estrés prenatal le continúa restricción nutricional postnatal los efectos adversos son aditivos provocando retardo del crecimiento aún mayor. Finalmente, mientras que el componente neural es más resistente a las deficiencias nutricionales, el facial presenta mayor plasticidad, hecho que se evidencia en cambios de forma. Palabras clave: crecimiento craneofacial; desnutrición pre y postnatal; craneometría funcional    The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of protein-calorie malnutrition during lactation and post-lactation on craniofacial morphology in intrauterine growth-retarded (IUGR

Oncogenic roles of TOPK and MELK, and effective growth suppression by small molecular inhibitors in kidney cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Taigo; Inoue, Hiroyuki; Imoto, Seiya; Tamada, Yoshinori; Miyamoto, Takashi; Matsuo, Yo; Nakamura, Yusuke; Park, Jae-Hyun

2016-04-05

T-lymphokine-activated killer cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK) and maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) have been reported to play critical roles in cancer cell proliferation and maintenance of stemness. In this study, we investigated possible roles of TOPK and MELK in kidney cancer cells and found their growth promotive effect as well as some feedback mechanism between these two molecules. Interestingly, the blockade of either of these two kinases effectively caused downregulation of forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) activity which is known as an oncogenic transcriptional factor in various types of cancer cells. Small molecular compound inhibitors against TOPK (OTS514) and MELK (OTS167) effectively suppressed the kidney cancer cell growth, and the combination of these two compounds additively worked and showed the very strong growth suppressive effect on kidney cancer cells. Collectively, our results suggest that both TOPK and MELK are promising molecular targets for kidney cancer treatment and that dual blockade of OTS514 and OTS167 may bring additive anti-tumor effects with low risk of side effects.

Oral Supplementation with a Special Additive of Retinyl Palmitate and Alpha Tocopherol Reduces Growth Retardation in Young Pancreatic Duct Ligated Pigs Used as a Model for Children Suffering from Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

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Anne Mößeler

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI is a disease of diverse aetiology—e.g., majority of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF show PEI congenitally. Malnutrition and malabsorption of nutrients impair growth and nutritional status. As reduced fat digestion leads to a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins the supplementation is standard, but absorption is a critical point in PEI-patients. The pancreatic duct ligated (PL pig is an established model for PEI in humans and has been proven to be a suitable model to compare different vitamin additives for supplementation. In a former study, PEI caused distinct growth retardation in young piglets, but did not affect growth in older ones. Our study hypothesised that this age-dependent effect is caused by exhausted body reserves of fat-soluble vitamins and, therefore, extra supply reduces growth retardation. PEI was induced by PL at the age of seven (PL-7 or 16 weeks (PL-16. Controls (C underwent a sham surgery. Some PL-7 pigs (PL-7 + Vit were fed a special vitamin additive. PEI reduced the mean final body weight (kg at 26 weeks of age significantly with lower effect in PL-16-pigs (C:117; PL-7:49.5; PL-7 + Vit:77.1; PL-16:96.4. Extra vitamin supply resulted in an increased growth and normalised serum concentration of alpha-tocopherol, underlining the importance of special supplementation in PEI-patients.

Glucocorticoid-induced effects on the growth plate and the IGF system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smink, Jeske Johanna

2003-01-01

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs. The use of these potent drugs, however, often results in side-effects, such as growth retardation in children. For already many years, this GC-induced growth retardation is suggested to involve impaired action of

The measurement of retardation in depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Dantchev, N; Widlöcher, D J

1998-01-01

The description of clinical features helps to distinguish between depressive illness and nondepressive psychic pain and enables the clinician to decide whether prescription of an antidepressant is beneficial. Psychomotor retardation is probably a central feature of depression, and this review discusses the methods available for measuring it. The Salpêtrière Retardation Rating Scale (SRRS) specifically measures psychomotor retardation; the scale and applications are described. Means of measuring motor and speech activity and an experimental approach for understanding the process underlying psychomotor retardation are reviewed. Comparison of the SRRS and other rating scale scores demonstrates that retardation is related to depression severity and therapeutic change and is a good criterion for prediction of therapeutic effect. The SRRS has been used to show that selective antidepressants target specific clinical dimensions of depression depending on the patient subgroup treated. Measures of motor and speech activity are sensitive to therapeutic response. Choice Reaction Time and Simple Reaction Time tasks are particularly suited for examining psychomotor retardation because they test the decision process while avoiding motivation and attention interference. Psychomotor retardation is a constant and probably central feature of depression. Means available for measuring it can be used to assess the effects of antidepressants on specific clinical dimensions.

Synergistic Effect of Nanosilica Aerogel with Phosphorus Flame Retardants on Improving Flame Retardancy and Leaching Resistance of Wood

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Xiaodan Zhu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nanosilica (Nano-SiO2 sol fabricated by a sol-gel process was introduced into wood modification with phosphorus flame retardants to improve the flame retardancy and leaching resistance of wood. The obtained materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, cone calorimetric (CONE, and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR. The residual rate of flame retardants before and after leaching was determinated by a leaching resistance. The results showed that the phosphorus flame retardants and SiO2 sol could reside in the poplar wood and are widely distributed in the vessels, pits, wood timber, and the spaces between wood cells of poplar substrate. TGA and CONE results indicated that the introduction of nano-SiO2 aerogel with phosphorus flame retardants had a significantly synergistic effect on improving the flame retardancy and inhibiting the release of smoke and toxic gases. In addition, the leaching resistance test, combined with infrared analysis and EDS analysis, confirmed that the phosphorus flame retardants were able to be fixed by SiO2 aerogel in the wood.

Androgen Receptor-Mediated Growth Suppression of HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR Prostate Epithelial Cells.

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Young-Chae Kim

Full Text Available The androgen receptor (AR mediates the developmental, physiologic, and pathologic effects of androgens including 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT. However, the mechanisms whereby AR regulates growth suppression and differentiation of luminal epithelial cells in the prostate gland and proliferation of malignant versions of these cells are not well understood, though they are central to prostate development, homeostasis, and neoplasia. Here, we identify androgen-responsive genes that restrain cell cycle progression and proliferation of human prostate epithelial cell lines (HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR, and we investigate the mechanisms through which AR regulates their expression. DHT inhibited proliferation of HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR, and cell cycle analysis revealed a prolonged G1 interval. In the cell cycle, the G1/S-phase transition is initiated by the activity of cyclin D and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK complexes, which relieve growth suppression. In HPr-1AR, cyclin D1/2 and CDK4/6 mRNAs were androgen-repressed, whereas CDK inhibitor, CDKN1A, mRNA was androgen-induced. The regulation of these transcripts was AR-dependent, and involved multiple mechanisms. Similar AR-mediated down-regulation of CDK4/6 mRNAs and up-regulation of CDKN1A mRNA occurred in PC3-Lenti-AR. Further, CDK4/6 overexpression suppressed DHT-inhibited cell cycle progression and proliferation of HPr-1AR and PC3-Lenti-AR, whereas CDKN1A overexpression induced cell cycle arrest. We therefore propose that AR-mediated growth suppression of HPr-1AR involves cyclin D1 mRNA decay, transcriptional repression of cyclin D2 and CDK4/6, and transcriptional activation of CDKN1A, which serve to decrease CDK4/6 activity. AR-mediated inhibition of PC3-Lenti-AR proliferation occurs through a similar mechanism, albeit without down-regulation of cyclin D. Our findings provide insight into AR-mediated regulation of prostate epithelial cell proliferation.

Suppressed eye growth following diffuser removal from myopic birds is not due to increased dopamine release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, I.; Boelen, M.; Megaw, P.; Miethke, P.

2001-01-01

Full text: Myopia can be induced in developing chickens by fitting a diffuser over the eye. If the diffuser is removed, the restoration of normal visual input results in rapid suppression of eye growth, with ultimate restoration of normal vision. We have investigated whether the suppression of eye growth after the removal of a diffuser from a myopic eye results from an increased rate of release of dopamine from the retina. Chickens were maintained on a 12:12 light-dark cycle, and were fitted with a diffuser from day 7 to day 21. After removal of the diffuser, the rate of dopamine release was then followed by measuring the kinetics of accumulation of DOPAC in the vitreous during the light phase. The rate of scleral glycosaminoglycan synthesis (SGS) was followed by measuring the rate of incorporation of 35 S-sulphate into scleral buttons incubated in vitro. At the end of the period of development of form-deprivation myopia,dopamine release rates were very low in the myopic eyes compared to those in the contralateral control eyes. In contrast, SGS rates were higher in the sclera from myopic eyes. After removal of the diffusers, the rate of SGS declined rapidly to below that in the control eyes within 72h. In contrast, dopamine release rates remained low for up to 10 days after removal of the occluders. These results show that there is a correlation between reduced dopamine release and increased SGS during the development of myopia, but that there is not a symmetrical relationship during the suppression of SGS following occluder removal. These results therefore suggest that dopamine is not a crucial signalling molecule in the visually mediated control of eye growth. Copyright (2001) Australian Neuroscience Society

Growth of high-density ZnO nanorods on wood with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Lizhuo; Tu, Kunkun; Guan, Hao; Wang, Xiaoqing

2017-06-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays were successfully assembled on the wood surface in situ via a two-step process consisting of formation of ZnO seeds and subsequent crystal growth under hydrothermal conditions at a low temperature. The morphology and crystalline structure of the formed ZnO nanorods were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Highly dense and uniform arrays of ZnO nanorods with well-defined hexagonal facets were generated on the wood surface by tuning the concentration of the ZnO growth solution during the hydrothermal treatment. Accelerated weathering tests indicated that the assembled ZnO nanorod arrays were highly protective against UV radiation and greatly enhanced the photostability of the coated wood. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanorod-coated wood can withstand continuous exposure to flame with only minor smoldering in contrast with the pristine wood catching fire easily and burning rapidly. Moreover, when further modified with low-surface-energy stearic acid, the ZnO nanorod decorated wood surface can be transformed into a superhydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle (CA) of ∼154°. Such ZnO nanorod-modified woods with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency offer an interesting alternative to conventional wood preservation strategies, highlighting their potential applications in some novel wood products.

Can earthworms survive fire retardants?

Science.gov (United States)

Beyer, W.N.; Olson, A.

1996-01-01

Most common fire retardants are foams or are similar to common agricultural fertilizers, such as ammonium sulfate and ammonium phosphate. Although fire retardants are widely applied to soils, we lack basic information about their toxicities to soil organisms. We measured the toxicity of five fire retardants (Firetrol LCG-R, Firetrol GTS-R, Silv-Ex Foam Concentrate, Phos-chek D-75, and Phos-chek WD-881) to earthworms using the pesticide toxicity test developed for earthworms by the European Economic Community. None was lethal at 1,000 ppm in the soil, which was suggested as a relatively high exposure under normal applications. We concluded that the fire retardants tested are relatively nontoxic to soil organisms compared with other environmental chemicals and that they probably do not reduce earthworm populations when applied under usual firefighting conditions.

Fire-retardant decorative inks for aircraft interiors

Science.gov (United States)

Kourtides, D. A.; Nir, Z.; Mikroyannidis, J. A.

1985-01-01

Commercial and experimental fire retardants were screened as potential fire retardants for acrylic printing inks used on aircraft interior sandwich panels. The fire retardants are selected according to their physical properties and their thermostabilities. A criterion for selecting a more stable fire retardant is established. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are used to determine thermostabilities. Results show that the fire retardant formulations are more thermally stable than the acrylic ink control. It is determined that an ink formulation containing a brominated phenol and carboxy-terminated butadiene acrylonitrile which has been modified with a brominated polymeric additive (BPA), yields the highest limiting oxygen index (LOI) of all the compounds tested. All of the fire-retardant formulations have a higher oxygen index than the baseline acrylic ink.

Differentiation of retarded integrals and the divergence theorem for retarded functions with discontinuities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooperstock, F.I.; Lim, P.H.

1986-01-01

Theorems expressing the time derivatives of retarded volume and surface integrals are presented as well as the Gauss divergence theorem for retarded functions with discontinuities. These theorems greatly facilitate the analysis of gravitational radiation from the motion of disjoint matter distributions in general relativity and could find useful application in other branches of physics

Growth suppression by transforming growth factor beta 1 of human small-cell lung cancer cell lines is associated with expression of the type II receptor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, P; Damstrup, L; Rygaard, K

1994-01-01

was observed in two cell lines expressing only type III receptor and in TGF-beta-r negative cell lines. In two cell lines expressing all three receptor types, growth suppression was accompanied by morphological changes. To evaluate the possible involvement of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) in mediating...

MELATONIN-INDUCED SUPPRESSION OF PC12 CELL GROWTH IS MEDIATED BY ITS GI COUPLED TRANSMEMBRANE RECEPTORS. (R826248)

Science.gov (United States)

The effects of pertussis toxin, an uncoupler of Gi protein from adenylate cyclase, and luzindole, a competitive inhibitor of melatonin receptor binding, were examined for their ability to inhibit melatonin-induced suppression of PC12 cell growth. Both agents inhibited the mela...

Effusanin E suppresses nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell growth by inhibiting NF-κB and COX-2 signaling.

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Mingzhu Zhuang

Full Text Available Rabdosia serra is well known for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities, but no information has been available for the active compounds derived from this plant in inhibiting human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC cell growth. In this study, we isolated and purified a natural diterpenoid from Rabdosia serra and identified its chemical structure as effusanin E and elucidated its underlying mechanism of action in inhibiting NPC cell growth. Effusanin E significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in NPC cells. Effusanin E also induced the cleavage of PARP, caspase-3 and -9 proteins and inhibited the nuclear translocation of p65 NF-κB proteins. Moreover, effusanin E abrogated the binding of NF-κB to the COX-2 promoter, thereby inhibiting the expression and promoter activity of COX-2. Pretreatment with a COX-2 or NF-κB-selective inhibitor (celecoxib or ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate had an additive effect on the effusanin E-mediated inhibition of proliferation, while pretreatment with an activator of NF-κB/COX-2 (lipopolysaccharides abrogated the effusanin E-mediated inhibition of proliferation. Effusanin E also significantly suppressed tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model without obvious toxicity, furthermore, the expression of p50 NF-κB and COX-2 were down-regulated in the tumors of nude mice. These data suggest that effusanin E suppresses p50/p65 proteins to down-regulate COX-2 expression, thereby inhibiting NPC cell growth. Our findings provide new insights into exploring effusanin E as a potential therapeutic compound for the treatment of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The Right Brain: Surviving Retardation

Science.gov (United States)

Science News, 1977

1977-01-01

Describes two studies of brain hemisphere development which indicate children retarded in the functions of one hemisphere may not be retarded in the functions of the second hemisphere. Suggests that the left hemisphere functions may inhibit some right hemisphere functions. (SL)

CT findings of mentally retarded patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikami, Akihiro; Watanabe, Hiroshi

1984-01-01

Cranial CT findings were compared according to the age group in 192 mentally retarded patients aged from 15 to 59 years and in 132 control subjects. Enlargement of the ventricles, cisterns or fissures was judged. The incidence of ''enlargement'' was higher, irrespective of age, in mentally retarded group than in the control group. When the mentally retarded patients were divided into the group with pathologic symptoms and the group without them, the incidence of ''enlargement'' was higher in the former group than in the control group, but there was no significant difference between the latter group and the control group. There was no consistent relationship between the degree of mental retardation and the incidence of ''enlargement''. Many of the mentally retarded patients with pathologic symptoms tended to have a wide range of enlargement, while many of the patients without them had narrowed lateral ventricle. (Namekawa, K.)

Effectiveness of Flame Retardants in TufFoam.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abelow, Alexis Elizabeth [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Nissen, April [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Massey, Lee Taylor [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Whinnery, LeRoy L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-12-01

An investigation of polyurethane foam filled with known flame retardant fillers including hydroxides, melamine, phosphate-containing compounds, and melamine phosphates was carried out to produce a low-cost material with high flame retardant efficiency. The impact of flame retardant fillers on the physical properties such a s composite foam density, glass transition temperature, storage modulus, and thermal expansion of composite foams was investigated with the goal of synthesizing a robust rigid foam with excellent flame retardant properties.

Nutrition and growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forbes, G.B.

1977-07-01

Longitudinal growth data on children who developed obesity during childhood reveal a distinct tendency for height gain to accelerate coincident with or after the onset of excessive weight gain. The magnitude of the relative height increment is related to the degree of overweight. Overnutrition accelerates growth, just as undernutrition retards it.

Combining fisetin and ionizing radiation suppresses the growth of mammalian colorectal cancers in xenograft tumor models.

Science.gov (United States)

Leu, Jyh-Der; Wang, Bo-Shen; Chiu, Shu-Jun; Chang, Chun-Yuan; Chen, Chien-Chih; Chen, Fu-Du; Avirmed, Shiirevnyamba; Lee, Yi-Jang

2016-12-01

Fisetin (3,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone), which belongs to the flavonoid group of polyphenols and is found in a wide range of plants, has been reported to exhibit a number of biological activities in human cancer cells, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, anti-invasive and antiproliferative effects. Although previous in vitro studies have shown that fisetin treatment increases the apoptotic rate and enhances the radiosensitivity of human colorectal cancer cells, the in vivo effects of fisetin on tumor growth remain unclear. In the present study a murine xenograft tumor model was employed to investigate the therapeutic effects of fisetin in combination with radiation on CT-26 colon cancer cells and human HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. This revealed that intratumoral injection of fisetin significantly suppressed the growth of CT-26 tumors compared with the untreated control group, but had little effect on the growth of HCT116 tumors. However, fisetin in combination with 2-Gy radiation enhanced tumor suppressor activity in murine colon and human colorectal xenograft tumors, as compared with 2-Gy fractionated radiation administered alone for 5 days and fisetin alone. Interestingly, fisetin downregulated the expression of the oncoprotein securin in a p53-independent manner. However, securin-null HCT116 tumors showed only moderate sensitivity to fisetin treatment, and the combination of fisetin and radiation did not significantly suppress securin-null HCT116 tumor growth compared with normal HCT116 tumors. Therefore, the role of securin in mediating the effect of fisetin on colorectal cancer growth warrants further investigation. In conclusion, the results of the current study provide important preclinical data for evaluating the efficacy of fisetin and radiation combination treatment as an adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for human colorectal cancers.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 levels in children with Beta-thalassemia minor

OpenAIRE

Mehran Karimi; Hamdollah Karamifar; Nargrs Sobhani

2008-01-01

Objective: Growth retardation in children with b-thalassemia major is multifactorial. Some etiologies described for this condition are hemochromatosis, disturbed growth hormone (GH) / insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis, undernutrition and hypermetabolism. It has also been proven that growth retardation is present in b-thalassemia major children despite regular transfusion and chelation. Our aim was to evaluate the level of IGF-1 in b-thalassemia minor subjects and compare it with that in he...

Tumor-specific RNA interference targeting Pokemon suppresses tumor growth and induces apoptosis in prostate cancer.

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Li, Yining; Xu, Shuxiong; Wang, Xiangwei; Shi, Hua; Sun, Zhaolin; Yang, Zhao

2013-02-01

To explore the exact mechanism of Pokemon in prostate cancer. Pokemon is a member of the POK family of transcriptional repressors. Its main function is suppression of the p14ARF (alternate reading frame) tumor suppressor gene. Although Pokemon expression has been found to be increased in various types of lymphoma, the exact mechanism of the gene in prostate cancer is not clear. In the present study, prostate cancer cells were transfected with the specific short hairpin ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression vector targeting Pokemon. The expression of Pokemon messenger RNA and its protein was detected by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. The cell growth and cell apoptosis were also examined using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay and flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that specific RNA interference (RNAi) could decrease the expression levels of Pokemon gene messenger RNA and protein in prostate cancer cells. In addition, that specific RNAi significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and increased the apoptotic rate. In vivo experiments showed that specific RNAi inhibited the tumorigenicity of prostate cancer cells and significantly suppressed tumor growth. Therefore, an RNAi-targeted Pokemon gene strategy could be a potential approach to prostate cancer therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

People with Mental Retardation Are Dying, Legally.

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Keyes, Denis; And Others

1997-01-01

Criticizes the institution of the death penalty for convicted criminals with mental retardation. Examples are given of cases in which juries were not told of the defendant's mental retardation before sentencing, and a list of defendants with mental retardation that have been executed since 1976 is provided. (CR)

Delayed Growth Suppression and Radioresistance Induced by Long-Term Continuous Gamma Irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, Hiroo; Furukawa, Chiharu; Chang, Young-Chae; Ogata, Hiromitsu; Magae, Junji

2017-08-01

Biological response to ionizing radiation depends not only on the type of radiation and dose, but also on the duration and dose rate of treatment. For a given radiation dose, the biological response may differ based on duration and dose rate. We studied the properties of two human cell lines, M059K glioma and U2OS osteosarcoma, continuously exposed to γ rays for long time periods of more than five months. Growth inhibition in both cell lines was dependent on total dose when exposed to acute radiation over several minutes, whereas prolonged growth inhibition was dependent on dose rate after continuous irradiation over several months. The minimum dose rate for growth inhibition was 53.6 mGy/h. Cell cycle analysis showed G 1 phase accumulation in cell populations continuously exposed to γ rays, and G 2 phase accumulation in cells acutely exposed to high-dose-rate γ rays. Cells continuously exposed to γ rays continued to exhibit delayed growth suppression even after one month in an environment of background radiation, and maintained a high-level expression of c-Jun and its phosphorylation forms, as well as resistance to apoptosis induced by staurosporine and chemotherapeutic agents. These delayed effects were not observed in cells acutely exposed to 5 Gy of radiation. These results suggest that optimization of the irradiation schedule is crucial for risk estimation, protection and therapeutic utilization of ionizing radiation.

Invasive plant suppresses the growth of native tree seedlings by disrupting belowground mutualisms.

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Kristina A Stinson

2006-05-01

Full Text Available The impact of exotic species on native organisms is widely acknowledged, but poorly understood. Very few studies have empirically investigated how invading plants may alter delicate ecological interactions among resident species in the invaded range. We present novel evidence that antifungal phytochemistry of the invasive plant, Alliaria petiolata, a European invader of North American forests, suppresses native plant growth by disrupting mutualistic associations between native canopy tree seedlings and belowground arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Our results elucidate an indirect mechanism by which invasive plants can impact native flora, and may help explain how this plant successfully invades relatively undisturbed forest habitat.

Treatment Combining X-Irradiation and a Ribonucleoside Anticancer Drug, TAS106, Effectively Suppresses the Growth of Tumor Cells Transplanted in Mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasui, Hironobu; Inanami, Osamu; Asanuma, Taketoshi; Iizuka, Daisuke; Nakajima, Takayuki; Kon, Yasuhiro; Matsuda, Akira; Kuwabara, Mikinori

2007-01-01

Purpose: To examine the in vivo antitumor efficacy of X-irradiation combined with administration of a ribonucleoside anticancer drug, 1-(3-C-ethynyl-β-D-ribo-pentofuranosyl)cytosine (TAS106, ECyd), to tumor cell-transplanted mice. Methods and Materials: Colon26 murine rectum adenocarcinoma cells and MKN45 human gastric adenocarcinoma cells were inoculated into the footpad in BALB/c mice and severe combined immunodeficient mice, respectively. They were treated with a relatively low dose of X-irradiation (2 Gy) and low amounts of TAS106 (0.1 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg). The tumor growth was monitored by measuring the tumor volume from Day 5 to Day 16 for Colon26 and from Day 7 to Day 20 for MKN45. Histologic analyses for proliferative and apoptotic cells in the tumors were performed using Ki-67 immunohistochemical and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling staining. The expression of survivin, a key molecule related to tumor survival, was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical analysis. Results: When X-irradiation and TAS106 treatment were combined, significant inhibition of tumor growth was observed in both types of tumors compared with mice treated with X-irradiation or TAS106 alone. Marked inhibition of tumor growth was observed in half of the mice that received the combined treatment three times at 2-day intervals. Parallel to these phenomena, the suppression of survivin expression and appearance of Ki-67-negative and apoptotic cells were observed. Conclusions: X-irradiation and TAS106 effectively suppress tumor growth in mice. The inhibition of survivin expression by TAS106 is thought to mainly contribute to the suppression of the tumor growth

Radiation and mental retardation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pochin, E.E.

1988-01-01

A brief article discusses mental retardation in children who had been exposed to ionizing radiation in utero. The time of greatest sensitivity is between the 8th and 15th week after conception and the time of lesser sensitivity between the 16th and 25th weeks. An examination of the thresholds for exposure indicate that severe mental retardation would not result from any present environmental exposures of the public. (U.K.)

Leptin administration affects growth and skeletal development in a rat intrauterine growth restriction model: preliminary study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-El Dadon, Shimrit; Shahar, Ron; Katalan, Vered; Monsonego-Ornan, Efrat; Reifen, Ram

2011-09-01

Skeletal abnormalities are one of the hallmarks of growth delay during gestation. The aim of this study was to determine changes induced by leptin in skeletal growth and development in a rat model of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanisms. Intrauterine growth retardation was induced prepartum and the effects of leptin to mothers prenatally or to offspring postnatally were studied. Radii were harvested and tested mechanically and structurally. Tibias were evaluated for growth-plate morphometry. On day 40 postpartum, total bone length and mineral density and tibial growth-plate width and numbers of cells within its zones of offspring treated with leptin were significantly greater than in the control group. Postnatal leptin administration in an IUGR model improves the structural properties and elongation rate of bone. These findings could pave the way to preventing some phenotypic presentations of IUGR. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CASE REPORT OF A MENTALLY RETARDED CHILD

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Vasilka GALEVSKA

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Mental retardation is a complex individual and social problem. According to WHO, around 1-3 % of world population are mentally retarded people and the percentage between school children is around 2 %.The development of a mentally retarded child depends on factors related to the disability itself, all the limitations and characteristics which results from that. But, physical, psychical, educational and social development of a mentally retarded child, also, depend on other conditions, such as the family and the wider environment, their reactions, attitudes, awareness and sensitivity for special needs of the child, as well as their preparedness and possibilities to respond.At the same time, it is necessary that the mentally retarded child is detected and diagnosed in time, as well as the early start of an adequate treatment.

CD147 silencing inhibits tumor growth by suppressing glucose transport in melanoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Juan; Gao, Tianyuan; Jiang, Minghao; Wu, Lisha; Zeng, Weiqi; Zhao, Shuang; Peng, Cong; Chen, Xiang

2016-10-04

Melanoma is a very malignant disease and there are still no effective treatments. CD147 participates in the carcinogenesis of multiple human cancers and GLUT-1, as a glucose transporter, is associated with tumor growth. However, the function of CD147 and GLUT-1 in melanoma have not been completely understood. Thus, in this study we investigated the expression of CD147 and GLUT-1 in melanoma tissue, which were overexpressed compared with that in nevus tissue. In addition, CD147 and GLUT-1 were co-localized in the cytoplasm of human melanoma A375 cells. Immunoprecipitation proved that CD147 interacted with GLUT-1 at D105-199. Silencing CD147 by specific siRNA could downregulate GLUT-1 level via inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling and decrease glucose uptake in A375 cells. In vivo experiments also supported that CD147 knockdown suppressed the tumor growth in melanoma subcutaneous mice model, observed by micro PET/CT. Our results could help validate CD147 as a new therapeutic target for treating melanoma.

NADE (p75NTR-associated cell death executor) suppresses cellular growth in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Xiangjun; Xie, Dong; Roth, Wilfried; Reed, John; Koeffler, H Phillip

2003-06-01

NADE, a p75NTR (low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75) -associated cell death executor, was initially cloned from a human ovarian granulosa cell cDNA library, as an unknown protein with the name, pHGR74. It was reported to mediate nerve growth factor-induced apoptosis. We independently isolated human NADE (pHGR74) from breast cancer cell lines. Expression of NADE in various human cancer cell lines, and human and murine tissues was examined. NADE was highly expressed in human endocrine-related organs and embryotic murine tissues. Forced expression of NADE in CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells had little effect on the growth of the cells in vitro, while it dramatically suppressed cellular growth in vivo. We used the yeast two-hybrid system to search for NADE binding protein. Dynactin was identified as a candidate. The p75NTR was not found in this assay and did not co-immunoprecipitate with human NADE. Furthermore, the cells stably transfected with NADE did not respond to NGF or TNF. Thus, human and murine NADE appear to have different functions.

Intrauterine radiation exposures and mental retardation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.W.

1988-01-01

Small head size and mental retardation have been known as effects of intrauterine exposure to ionizing radiation since the 1920s. In the 1950s, studies of Japanese atomic-bomb survivors revealed that at 4-17 wk of gestation, the greater the dose, the smaller the brain (and head size), and that beginning at 0.5 Gy (50 rad) in Hiroshima, mental retardation increased in frequency with increasing dose. No other excess of birth defects was observed. Otake and Schull (1984) pointed out that the period of susceptibility to mental retardation coincided with that for proliferation and migration of neuronal elements from near the cerebral ventricles to the cortex. Mental retardation could be the result of interference with this process. Their analysis indicated that exposures at 8-15 wk to 0.01-0.02 Gy (1-2 rad) doubled the frequency of severe mental retardation. This estimate was based on small numbers of mentally retarded atomic-bomb survivors. Although nuclear accidents have occurred recently, new cases will hopefully be too rare to provide further information about the risk of mental retardation. It may be possible, however, to learn about lesser impairment. New psychometric tests may be helpful in detecting subtle deficits in intelligence or neurodevelopmental function. One such test is PEERAMID, which is being used in schools to identify learning disabilities due, for example, to deficits in attention, short- or long-term memory, or in sequencing information. This and other tests could be applied in evaluating survivors of intrauterine exposure to various doses of ionizing radiation. The results could change our understanding of the safety of low-dose exposures

Retardo mental Mental retardation

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Marcio M. Vasconcelos

2004-04-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Esta revisão aborda as recentes descobertas da neurobiologia do retardo mental, enfatizando os novos recursos da citogenética, das técnicas moleculares e da neurorradiologia para esclarecer o diagnóstico. FONTES DE DADOS: O autor pesquisou o banco de dados MEDLINE da National Library of Medicine utilizando as palavras-chave "mental retardation", "developmental disability", "child" e "adolescent" em diferentes combinações, abrangendo o período de janeiro de 2000 a outubro de 2003. Também foram utilizados os bancos de dados das revistas científicas Pediatrics e New England Journal of Medicine através da palavra-chave "mental retardation". No total, o autor consultou cerca de 1.500 títulos de artigos e 500 resumos, e teve acesso direto a 150 artigos completos pertinentes. Quando oportuno, algumas referências dos artigos consultados também foram consideradas. O site Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man foi utilizado como fonte de informações em genética clínica. SÍNTESE DOS DADOS: Em outubro de 2003, o total de síndromes genéticas associadas a retardo mental chegou a 1.149. Considerando-se o conjunto das causas genéticas ou ambientais e congênitas ou adquiridas de retardo mental, a avaliação diagnóstica atual é capaz de esclarecer a etiologia em 50 a 70% dos casos. CONCLUSÕES: O autor sugere uma avaliação diagnóstica do retardo mental em etapas lógicas, visando ao uso racional dos dispendiosos recursos da citogenética, biologia molecular e neuroimagem.OBJECTIVE: This paper describes recent advances in the neurobiology of mental retardation, emphasizing new diagnostic resources provided by cytogenetics, molecular testing, and neuroimaging. SOURCES OF DATA: MEDLINE (January 2000 through October 2003, using the following key words: mental retardation, developmental disability, child, and adolescent. Search of the Pediatrics and New England Journal of Medicine websites using the key word mental retardation. The

Insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion at birth in intrauterine growth retarded infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Setia, Sajita; Sridhar, M G; Bhat, Vishnu; Chaturvedula, Lata; Vinayagamoorti, R; John, Mathew

2006-06-01

To study insulin sensitivity, secretion and relation of insulin levels with birth weight and ponderal index in intrauterine growth retarded (IUGR) infants at birth. We studied 30 IUGR and 30 healthy newborns born at term by vaginal delivery in Jipmer, Pondicherry, India. Cord blood was collected at the time of delivery for measurement of plasma glucose and insulin. When compared with healthy newborns, IUGR newborns had lower plasma glucose levels (mean 2.3+/-0.98 versus 4.1+/-0.51 mmol/L, p<0.001); lower plasma insulin levels (mean 4.5+/-2.64 versus 11.03+/-1.68 microU/L, p<0.001); higher insulin sensitivity calculated using G/I ratio (mean 11.6+/-5.1 versus 6.7+/-0.31, p<0.001), HOMA IS (mean 5.5+/-6.0 versus 0.53+/-0.15, p<0.001), and QUICKI (mean 0.47+/-0.12 versus 0.34+/-0.02, p<0.001); and decreased pancreatic beta-cell function test measured as I/G (mean 0.10+/-0.037 versus 0.15+/-0.006, p<0.001). A positive correlation was identified between insulin levels and birth weight in both the healthy control group (r2 = 0.17, p = 0.024) and IUGR group (r2 = 0.13, p = 0.048). However correlation of insulin levels with ponderal index was much more confident in both healthy control (r2 = 0.90, p<0.001) and IUGR groups (r2 = 0.28, p = 0.003). Insulin status correlated both with birth weight and ponderal index more confidently in control group than in IUGR group. At birth, IUGR infants are hypoglycaemic, hypoinsulinaemic and display increased insulin sensitivity and decreased pancreatic beta-cell function. Insulin levels correlate with ponderal index much more confidently than with birth weight.

Intrauterine growth retardation in Iowa communities with herbicide-contaminated drinking water supplies

Science.gov (United States)

Munger, R.; Isacson, P.; Hu, S.; Burns, T.; Hanson, J.; Lynch, C.F.; Cherryholmes, K.; Van Dorpe, P.; Hausler, W.J.

1997-01-01

In a statewide survey of 856 Iowa municipal drinking water supplies in 1986-1987 the Rathbun rural water system was found to contain elevated levels of triazine herbicides. Rates of low birth weight, prematurity, and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in live singleton births during the period 1984-1990 by women living in 13 communities served by the Rathbun water system were compared to other communities of similar size in the same Iowa counties. The Rathbun communities had a greater risk of IUGR than southern Iowa communities with other surface sources of drinking water (relative risk = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.3, 2.7). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that levels of the herbicides atrazine, metolachlor, and cyanazine were each significant predictors of community IUGR rates in southern Iowa after controlling for several potentially confounding factors including maternal smoking and socioeconomic variables. The association with IUGR was strongest for atrazine, but all three herbicides were intercorrelated and the independent contributions of each to IUGR risk could not be determined. We conclude that communities in southern Iowa with drinking water supplies contaminated with herbicides have elevated rates of IUGR compared to neighboring communities with different water supplies. Because of the limitations of the ecologic design of this study, including aggregate rather than individual measures of exposure and limited ability to control for confounding factors related to source of drinking water and risk of IUGR, a strong causal relationship between any specific water contaminant and risk of IUGR cannot yet be inferred. The association between the water supplied to the Rathbun communities and the increased risk of IUGR should be considered a preliminary finding that needs to be verified by more detailed epidemiologic studies.

Intermittent hypoxia suppression of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I in the neonatal rat liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Charles; Ahmad, Taimur; Valencia, Gloria B; Aranda, Jacob V; Xu, Jiliu; Beharry, Kay D

2018-03-08

Extremely low gestational age neonates with chronic lung disease requiring oxygen therapy frequently experience fluctuations in arterial oxygen saturation or intermittent hypoxia (IH). These infants are at risk for multi-organ developmental delay, reduced growth, and short stature. The growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) system, an important hormonal regulator of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, promotes neonatal growth and development. We tested the hypothesis that increasing episodes of IH delay neonatal growth by influencing the GH/IGF-I axis. Newborn rats were exposed to 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 hypoxic episodes (12% O 2 ) during hyperoxia (50% O 2 ) from P0-P7, P0-P14 (IH), or allowed to recover from P7-P21 or P14-P21 (IHR) in room air (RA). RA littermates at P7, P14, and P21 served as RA controls; and groups exposed to hyperoxia only (50% O 2 ) served as zero IH controls. Histopathology of the liver; hepatic levels of GH, GHBP, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, and leptin; and immunoreactivities of GH, GHR, IGF-I and IGF-IR were determined. Pathological findings of the liver, including cellular swelling, steatosis, necrosis and focal sinusoid congestion were seen in IH, and were particularly severe in the P7 animals. Hepatic GH levels were significantly suppressed in the IH groups exposed to 6-12 hypoxic episodes per day and were not normalized during IHR. Deficits in the GH levels were associated with reduced body length and increase body weight during IHR suggesting increased adiposity and catchup fat. Catchup fat was also associated with elevations in GHBP, IGF-I, leptin. IH significantly impairs hepatic GH/IGF-1 signaling during the first few weeks of life, which is likely responsible for hepatic GH resistance, increased body fat, and hepatic steatosis. These hormonal perturbations may contribute to long-term organ and body growth impairment, and metabolic dysfunction in preterm infants experiencing frequent IH and/or apneic episodes. Copyright © 2018

Flame Retardant Polyamide Fibres: The Challenge of Minimising Flame Retardant Additive Contents with Added Nanoclays

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Richard Horrocks

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This work shows that halogen-free, flame retarded polyamide 6 (PA6, fabrics may be produced in which component fibres still have acceptable tensile properties and low levels (preferably ≤10 wt % of additives by incorporating a nanoclay along with two types of flame retardant formulations. The latter include (i aluminium diethyl phosphinate (AlPi at 10 wt %, known to work principally in the vapour phase and (ii ammonium sulphamate (AS/dipentaerythritol (DP system present at 2.5 and 1 wt % respectively, believed to be condense phase active. The nanoclay chosen is an organically modified montmorillonite clay, Cloisite 25A. The effect of each additive system is analysed in terms of its ability to maximise both filament tensile properties relative to 100% PA6 and flame retardant behaviour of knitted fabrics in a vertical orientation. None of the AlPi-containing formulations achieved self-extinguishability, although the presence of nanoclay promoted lower burning and melt dripping rates. The AS/DP-containing formulations with total flame retardant levels of 5.5 wt % or less showed far superior properties and with nanoclay, showed fabric extinction times ≤ 39 s and reduced melt dripping. The tensile and flammability results, supported by thermogravimetric analysis, have been interpreted in terms of the mechanism of action of each flame retardant/nanoclay type.

U1 Adaptor Oligonucleotides Targeting BCL2 and GRM1 Suppress Growth of Human Melanoma Xenografts In Vivo

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Rafal Goraczniak

2013-01-01

Full Text Available U1 Adaptor is a recently discovered oligonucleotide-based gene-silencing technology with a unique mechanism of action that targets nuclear pre-mRNA processing. U1 Adaptors have two distinct functional domains, both of which must be present on the same oligonucleotide to exert their gene-silencing function. Here, we present the first in vivo use of U1 Adaptors by targeting two different human genes implicated in melanomagenesis, B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2 and metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (GRM1, in a human melanoma cell xenograft mouse model system. Using a newly developed dendrimer delivery system, anti-BCL2 U1 Adaptors were very potent and suppressed tumor growth at doses as low as 34 µg/kg with twice weekly intravenous (iv administration. Anti-GRM1 U1 Adaptors suppressed tumor xenograft growth with similar potency. Mechanism of action was demonstrated by showing target gene suppression in tumors and by observing that negative control U1 Adaptors with just one functional domain show no tumor suppression activity. The anti-BCL2 and anti-GRM1 treatments were equally effective against cell lines harboring either wild-type or a mutant V600E B-RAF allele, the most common mutation in melanoma. Treatment of normal immune-competent mice (C57BL6 indicated no organ toxicity or immune stimulation. These proof-of-concept studies represent an in-depth (over 800 mice in ~108 treatment groups validation that U1 Adaptors are a highly potent gene-silencing therapeutic and open the way for their further development to treat other human diseases.

Flame-retardant carbon nanotube films

Science.gov (United States)

Janas, Dawid; Rdest, Monika; Koziol, Krzysztof K. K.

2017-07-01

We have demonstrated fire-retardancy properties of a polymer matrix-free CNT film for the first time. As compared with classical fire-retardant materials such as Kevlar, Twaron or Nomex, the CNT film showed a spectrum of advantages. The material is lightweight, flexible and well-adherent to even the most complicated shapes. The results have showed that by using CNTs for fire-retardancy we can extend the operational time almost two-fold, what makes CNTs a much better protection than the solutions employed nowadays. We believe that among other great properties of CNT, their macroscopic assemblies such as CNT films show significant potential for becoming a fire protective coating, which exhibits high performance in not sustaining fire.

Inhibition of Calcium-Activated Chloride Channel ANO1/TMEM16A Suppresses Tumor Growth and Invasion in Human Lung Cancer.

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Linghan Jia

Full Text Available Lung cancer or pulmonary carcinoma is primarily derived from epithelial cells that are thin and line on the alveolar surfaces of the lung for gas exchange. ANO1/TMEM16A, initially identified from airway epithelial cells, is a member of Ca2+-activated Cl- channels (CaCCs that function to regulate epithelial secretion and cell volume for maintenance of ion and tissue homeostasis. ANO1/TMEM16A has recently been shown to be highly expressed in several epithelium originated carcinomas. However, the role of ANO1 in lung cancer remains unknown. In this study, we show that inhibition of calcium-activated chloride channel ANO1/TMEM16A suppresses tumor growth and invasion in human lung cancer. ANO1 is upregulated in different human lung cancer cell lines. Knocking-down ANO1 by small hairpin RNAs inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of GLC82 and NCI-H520 cancel cells evaluated by CCK-8, would-healing, transwell and 3D soft agar assays. ANO1 protein is overexpressed in 77.3% cases of human lung adenocarcinoma tissues detected by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the tumor growth in nude mice implanted with GLC82 cells was significantly suppressed by ANO1 silencing. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that ANO1 overexpression contributes to tumor growth and invasion of lung cancer; and suppressing ANO1 overexpression may have therapeutic potential in lung cancer therapy.

Exaggerated root respiration accounts for growth retardation in a starchless mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Brauner, Katrin; Hörmiller, Imke; Nägele, Thomas; Heyer, Arnd G

2014-07-01

The knock-out mutation of plastidial phosphoglucomutase (pgm) causes a starchless phenotype in Arabidopsis thaliana, and results in a severe growth reduction of plants cultivated under diurnal conditions. It has been speculated that high soluble sugar levels accumulating during the light phase in leaf mesophyll might cause a reduction of photosynthetic activity or that shortage of reduced carbon during the night is the reason for the slow biomass gain of pgm. Separate simultaneous measurements of leaf net photosynthesis and root respiration demonstrate that photosynthetic activity per unit fresh weight is not reduced in pgm, whereas root respiration is strongly elevated. Comparison with a mutant defective in the dominating vacuolar invertase (AtβFruct4) revealed that high sucrose concentration in the cytosol, but not in the vacuole, of leaf cells is responsible for elevated assimilate transport to the root. Increased sugar supply to the root, as observed in pgm mutants, forces substantial respiratory losses. Because root respiration accounts for 80% of total plant respiration under long-day conditions, this gives rise to retarded biomass formation. In contrast, reduced vacuolar invertase activity leads to reduced net photosynthesis in the shoot and lowered root respiration, and affords an increased root/shoot ratio. The results demonstrate that roots have very limited capacity for carbon storage but exert rigid control of supply for their maintenance metabolism. © 2014 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Recessive VARS2 mutation underlies a novel syndrome with epilepsy, mental retardation, short stature, growth hormone deficiency, and hypogonadism

KAUST Repository

Alsemari, Abdulaziz

2017-11-14

Most mitochondrial and cytoplasmic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are encoded by nuclear genes. Syndromic disorders resulting from mutation of aaRSs genes display significant phenotypic heterogeneity. We expand aaRSs-related phenotypes through characterization of the clinical and molecular basis of a novel autosomal-recessive syndrome manifesting severe mental retardation, ataxia, speech impairment, epilepsy, short stature, microcephaly, hypogonadism, and growth hormone deficiency.A G>A variant in exon 29 of VARS2 (c.3650G>A) (NM_006295) was identified in the index case. This homozygous variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing and segregated with disease in the family studied. The c.3650G>A change results in alteration of arginine to histidine at residue 1217 (R1217H) of the mature protein and is predicted to be pathogenic.These findings contribute to a growing list of aaRSs disorders, broadens the spectrum of phenotypes attributable to VARS2 mutations, and provides new insight into genotype-phenotype correlations among the mitochondrial synthetase genes.

Recessive VARS2 mutation underlies a novel syndrome with epilepsy, mental retardation, short stature, growth hormone deficiency, and hypogonadism

KAUST Repository

Alsemari, Abdulaziz; Al-Younes, Banan; Goljan, Ewa; Jaroudi, Dyala; BinHumaid, Faisal; Meyer, Brian F.; Arold, Stefan T.; Monies, Dorota

2017-01-01

Most mitochondrial and cytoplasmic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are encoded by nuclear genes. Syndromic disorders resulting from mutation of aaRSs genes display significant phenotypic heterogeneity. We expand aaRSs-related phenotypes through characterization of the clinical and molecular basis of a novel autosomal-recessive syndrome manifesting severe mental retardation, ataxia, speech impairment, epilepsy, short stature, microcephaly, hypogonadism, and growth hormone deficiency.A G>A variant in exon 29 of VARS2 (c.3650G>A) (NM_006295) was identified in the index case. This homozygous variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing and segregated with disease in the family studied. The c.3650G>A change results in alteration of arginine to histidine at residue 1217 (R1217H) of the mature protein and is predicted to be pathogenic.These findings contribute to a growing list of aaRSs disorders, broadens the spectrum of phenotypes attributable to VARS2 mutations, and provides new insight into genotype-phenotype correlations among the mitochondrial synthetase genes.

Growth hormone deficiency in cleft lip and palate patients

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Shahin AbdollahiFakhim

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Failure to thrive (FTT is relatively common among cleft patients, most commonly attributed to feeding problems during the first months of life. Close association between midline clefts and pituitary gland abnormalities prompted us to determine the frequency of growth hormone deficiency in cleft patients, which is easily treated. Methods: Any cleft patient with FTT was studied and when the patient’s height was under the 3rd percentile of normal, growth hormone was checked after clonidine administration. Growth hormone was checked before and 30, 60 and 90 minutes after clonidine use. Results: Of 670 patients with cleft lip or palate, 31 patients (4% had some kind of growth retardation according to weight, height or head circumstance. Eighteen patients were under the 3rd percentile of normal height. Growth hormone deficiency was detected in 8 patients out of 18 patients and overall frequency of growth hormone deficiency among cleft patients with growth retardation was 25.8% (8 out of 31. Seven patients of 8 were male whereas one was female and half of the patients were syndromic. Conclusion: Cleft patients have many problems with normal feeding and all kind of support should be provided to achieve near-normal feeding and they should be monitored for normal growth. Any patient with growth retardation, especially height decrease, should be assessed for growth hormone deficiency.

Mental Retardation and Parenting Stress

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Eleni Siamaga

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Backround: The presence, upbringing and looking after of a mentally retarded child in the family, can become a threat to the mental health of its parents and is the main predisposing factor of stress for the parents.Aim: The purpose of this systematic review is (a to document the contemporary research bibliography related to the stress of parents with mentally retarded children, (b to aggregate the factors and secondary parameters based on the contemporary research related to the influence of the (child’s mental retardation on the parents and (c to show an intercultural aspect regarding the presence of stress to parents with mentally retarded children.Methods: Systematic review of research articles published in scientific journals included in the international academic databases HEAL-LING, SAGE, ELSEVIER, WILSON, SCIENCEDIRECT, MEDLINE, PUBMED, PsycINFO, Cochrane, EMBASE, SCIRUS and CINAHL having as search criteria and key words the terms («parental stress and mental retardation» [MeSH], «parenting stress and persons with special needs» [MeSH], «mental retardation and family problems» [MeSH], «stress and parents» [MeSH], «parenting and stress» [MeSH], «mental delay and parents» [MeSH], «developmental disabilities and family stress» [MeSH], «intellectual handicap and parenting» [MeSH], «maternal stress and child with disabilities» [MeSH].Discussion: The review has proven that all forms of mental retardation have an important -from a statistic point of viewimpacton the parents’ mental health. Anxiety, stress and depression are common symptoms mentioned by the parents.Additionally, there are individual variables such as the husband-wife relationship, the parents’ approach to their child’s disability, the parental strategies used in order to cope with the daily life of the child’s disability and the behavioural problems of their child, all of which contribute to the increase of the level of parental stress

Mental Retardation, Poverty and Community Based Rehabilitation

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Einar Helander

2009-10-01

Full Text Available A person with moderate mental retardation would, in a western country, be "diagnosed" early on in life. Consequently, such a child is likely to be sent for special education. Given the high level of job requirements, such a person is unlikely to be employed in the open market later in life. Mental retardation is one of the most frequent disabilities in most studies, mental retardation is found in about three percent of the population. Persons even with mild mental retardation have very large difficulties finding employment and are for this reason often deprived of opportunities for suitable and productive income generation this is why most stay poor. But disability does not only cause poverty poverty itself causes disability. This study follows an analysis, based on a review of the Swedish programme for mental retardation during the period 1930-2000. It is concluded that in Sweden a very large proportion of mild and moderate mental retardation has been eliminated though the combination of poverty alleviation with a community-based rehabilitation programme. For these situations a pro-active programme analysing and meeting the needs of the target groups should be useful as a means to achieve poverty alleviation.

Mangiferin, a novel nuclear factor kappa B-inducing kinase inhibitor, suppresses metastasis and tumor growth in a mouse metastatic melanoma model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeda, Tomoya; Tsubaki, Masanobu; Sakamoto, Kotaro; Ichimura, Eri; Enomoto, Aya; Suzuki, Yuri [Division of Pharmacotherapy, Kinki University School of Pharmacy, Kowakae, Higashi-, Osaka (Japan); Itoh, Tatsuki [Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Kinki University School of Agriculture, Nara, Nara (Japan); Imano, Motohiro [Department of Surgery, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka (Japan); Tanabe, Genzoh; Muraoka, Osamu [Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kinki University, Kowakae, Higashi-, Osaka (Japan); Matsuda, Hideaki [Department of Natural Drugs Resources, Kinki University School of Pharmacy, Kowakae, Higashi-, Osaka (Japan); Satou, Takao [Department of Pathology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osakasayama, Osaka (Japan); Nishida, Shozo, E-mail: nishida@phar.kindai.ac.jp [Division of Pharmacotherapy, Kinki University School of Pharmacy, Kowakae, Higashi-, Osaka (Japan)

2016-09-01

Advanced metastatic melanoma, one of the most aggressive malignancies, is currently without reliable therapy. Therefore, new therapies are urgently needed. Mangiferin is a naturally occurring glucosylxanthone and exerts many beneficial biological activities. However, the effect of mangiferin on metastasis and tumor growth of metastatic melanoma remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effect of mangiferin on metastasis and tumor growth in a mouse metastatic melanoma model. We found that mangiferin inhibited spontaneous metastasis and tumor growth. Furthermore, mangiferin suppressed the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and expression of phosphorylated NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK), inhibitor of kappa B kinase (IKK), and inhibitor of kappa B (IκB) and increases the expression of IκB protein in vivo. In addition, we found that mangiferin inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and very late antigens (VLAs) in vivo. Mangiferin treatment also increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved Poly ADP ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1), p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), p53, and phosphorylated p53 proteins, and decreased the expression of Survivin and Bcl-associated X (Bcl-xL) proteins in vivo. These results indicate that mangiferin selectivity suppresses the NF-κB pathway via inhibition of NIK activation, thereby inhibiting metastasis and tumor growth. Importantly, the number of reported NIK selective inhibitors is limited. Taken together, our data suggest that mangiferin may be a potential therapeutic agent with a new mechanism of targeting NIK for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. - Highlights: • Mangiferin prolongs survival in mice by inhibiting metastasis and tumor growth • Mangiferin selectivity suppresses the NF-κB pathway via inhibition of NIK activation • Mangiferin regulates the expression of MMPs, VLAs, and apoptosis regulatory proteins.

Retarding effect of prior-overloading on stress corrosion cracking of cold rolled 316L SS in simulated PWR water environment

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Junjie; Lu, Zhanpeng; Xiao, Qian; Ru, Xiangkun; Ma, Jiarong; Shoji, Tetsuo

2017-12-01

The effect of prior single tensile overloading on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of cold rolled 316L in a simulated PWR water environment at 310 °C was investigated. SCC growth retardation by overloading was observed in cold rolled 316L specimens in both the T-L and L-T orientations. The stretch zone observed on the fracture surfaces of the overloaded specimens affected SCC propagation. The compressive residual stress induced by overloading process reduced the effective driving force of SCC propagation. The negative dK/da effect ahead of the crack tip likely contributes to the retardation of SCC growth. The duration of overloading is dependent on water chemistry and the local stress conditions.

Nematode suppression and growth stimulation in corn plants (Zea mays L.) irrigated with domestic effluent.

Science.gov (United States)

Barros, Kenia Kelly; do Nascimento, Clístenes Williams Araújo; Florencio, Lourdinha

2012-01-01

Treated wastewater has great potential for agricultural use due to its concentrations of nutrients and organic matter, which are capable of improving soil characteristics. Additionally, effluents can induce suppression of plant diseases caused by soil pathogens. This study evaluates the effect of irrigation with effluent in a UASB reactor on maize (Zea mays L.) development and on suppression of the diseases caused by nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne. Twelve lysimeters of 1 m(3) each were arranged in a completely randomized design, with four treatments and three replicates. The following treatments were used: T1 (W+I), irrigation with water and infestation with nematodes; T2 (W+I+NPK), irrigation with water, infestation with nematodes and fertilization with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K); T3 (E+I), irrigation with effluent and infestation with nematodes; and T4 (E+I+P), irrigation with effluent, infestation with nematodes and fertilization with phosphorus. The plants irrigated with the effluent plus the phosphorus fertilizer had better growth and productivity and were more resistant to the disease symptoms caused by the nematodes. The suppression levels may have been due to the higher levels of Zn and NO(3)(-) found in the leaf tissue of the plants irrigated with the effluent and phosphorus fertilizer.

Resveratrol suppresses growth of cancer stem-like cells by inhibiting fatty acid synthase.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Puspa R; Okuda, Hiroshi; Watabe, Misako; Pai, Sudha K; Liu, Wen; Kobayashi, Aya; Xing, Fei; Fukuda, Koji; Hirota, Shigeru; Sugai, Tamotsu; Wakabayashi, Go; Koeda, Keisuke; Kashiwaba, Masahiro; Suzuki, Kazuyuki; Chiba, Toshimi; Endo, Masaki; Fujioka, Tomoaki; Tanji, Susumu; Mo, Yin-Yuan; Cao, Deliang; Wilber, Andrew C; Watabe, Kounosuke

2011-11-01

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic compound and has been shown to exhibit cardio-protective as well as anti-neoplastic effects on various types of cancers. However, the exact mechanism of its anti-tumor effect is not clearly defined. Resveratrol has been shown to have strong hypolipidemic effect on normal adipocytes and as hyper-lipogenesis is a hallmark of cancer cell physiology, the effect of resveratrol on lipid synthesis in cancer stem-like cells (CD24(-)/CD44(+)/ESA(+)) that were isolated from both ER+ and ER- breast cancer cell lines was examined. The authors found that resveratrol significantly reduced the cell viability and mammosphere formation followed by inducing apoptosis in cancer stem-like cells. This inhibitory effect of resveratrol is accompanied by a significant reduction in lipid synthesis which is caused by the down-regulation of the fatty acid synthase (FAS) gene followed by up-regulation of pro-apoptotic genes, DAPK2 and BNIP3. The activation of apoptotic pathway in the cancer stem-like cells was suppressed by TOFA and by Fumonisin B1, suggesting that resveratrol-induced apoptosis is indeed through the modulation of FAS-mediated cell survival signaling. Importantly, resveratrol was able to significantly suppress the growth of cancer stem-like cells in an animal model of xenograft without showing apparental toxicity. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that resveratrol is capable of inducing apoptosis in the cancer stem-like cells through suppression of lipogenesis by modulating FAS expression, which highlights a novel mechanism of anti-tumor effect of resveratrol.

Evaluation of Inheritance Pattern in Mentally Retarded Children

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F Behnaz

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Mental retardation is one of the most important problems of general health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate inheritance pattern of mentally retarded patients in Yazd city. Methods: In a descriptive cross- sectional study, all medical records and pedigrees of 320 mentally retarded children whose parents had referred for genetic consultation to the Welfare center of Yazd city were reviewed. Results: Of the total, 62.8% of the parents had consanguineous marriage. Mean inbreeding coefficient of offsprings was 0.0713 in third degree related parents versus 0.0156 in non-related parents. Mental retardation was seen in 43.4% of first– degree relatives of children (6.6% of parents and 36.8% of siblings, respectively. Frequency of mental retardation did not differ significantly in both sexes. Pedigree showed inheritance pattern in 43.4% of patients (autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant and x-linked inheritance pattern were seen in 33.75%, 6.9% and 2.8%, respectively, while 37% of patients had no definite inheritance pattern. Abnormal karyotype were seen in 19.4% of patients, 28 of whom(8.75% of all patients had Down syndrome. The prevalence of autosomal recessive inheritance in patients with consanguineous marriages and non family marriages was 62.8 % and 10%, respectively (P=0. 002. Conclusion: Since multiple cases of mental retardation were seen in families and rate of consanguineous marriage was more in parents of mentally retarded children, genetic counseling in consanguinity marriages and families of mentally retarded children can prevent incidence of mental retardation in these families.

CONDITIONS FOR CSR MICROBUNCHING GAIN SUPPRESSION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Cheng Ying [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Douglas, David R. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Li, Rui [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Tennant, Christopher D. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); di Mitri, Simone [Elettra–Sincrotrone Trieste, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy

2016-05-01

The coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) of a high brightness electron beam traversing a series of dipoles, such as transport arcs, may result in phase space degradation. On one hand, the CSR can perturb electron transverse motion in dispersive regions along the beamline, causing emittance growth. On the other hand, the CSR effect on the longitudinal beam dynamics could result in microbunching gain enhancement. For transport arcs, several schemes have been proposed* to suppress the CSR-induced emittance growth. Similarly, several scenarios have been introduced** to suppress CSR-induced microbunching gain, which however mostly aim for linac-based machines. In this paper we try to provide sufficient conditions for suppression of CSR-induced microbunching gain along a transport arc, analogous to*. Several example lattices are presented, with the relevant microbunching analyses carried out by our semi-analytical Vlasov solver***. The simulation results show that lattices satisfying the proposed conditions indeed have microbunching gain suppressed. We expect this analysis can shed light on lattice design approach that could suppress the CSR-induced microbunching gain.

A longitudinal study of growth and development among prenatally exposed atomic-bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otake, Masanori; Fujikoshi, Yasunori; Schull, W.J.; Izumi, Shizue.

1994-05-01

Growth retardation due to A-bomb exposure has been evaluated for 455 individuals with nine repeated measurements of stature at age 10-18 yr using growth curve analysis and either two covariates, Dosimetry System 1986 (DS86) uterine absorbed dose and postovulatory age (weeks), or three covariates, DS86 uterine dose, DS86 uterine dose squared, and postovulatory age. Of the several comparisons made by city, sex, DS86 dose, and postovulatory age, the largest significant difference was found. However, on the basis of a linear-quadratic (L-Q) dose response, no significant difference was found. A highly significant growth retardation due to DS86 uterine absorbed dose was observed for all trimesters combined and for the first and second trimesters. In the first trimester, all parameter estimates based on a linear (L) or L-Q dose-response relationship were negative in relation to DS86 uterine absorbed dose. The parameter estimates in the second trimester were negative for a constant term and positive for an L or L-Q term. Radiation-related growth retardation at age 10-18 yr is clearly evident. The dose effect in the third trimester was not significant with either the L or the L-Q model. A growth analysis, based on an L dose-response relationship, was made for 704 and 838 children with four repeated measurements of stature from ages 10-13 and 15-18 yr, respectively. The retardation effect is clearly evident at age 10-13 and continues at age 15-18. Growth retardation in age 10-13 was highly significant for all trimesters combined but suggestive only for the first trimester. The group age 15-18 revealed a highly significant growth retardation for both the first and second trimesters. The relationship between birth weights and repeated measurements of stature in adolescence was discussed on the basis of the results obtained by a growth curve analysis. (J.P.N.)

Epigenetics of hypoxic pulmonary arterial hypertension following intrauterine growth retardation rat: epigenetics in PAH following IUGR

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Xu Xue-Feng

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Accumulating evidence reveals that intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR can cause varying degrees of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH later in life. Moreover, epigenetics plays an important role in the fetal origin of adult disease. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of epigenetics in the development of PAH following IUGR. Methods The IUGR rats were established by maternal undernutrition during pregnancy. Pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (PVEC were isolated from the rat lungs by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS. We investigated epigenetic regulation of the endothelin-1 (ET-1 gene in PVEC of 1-day and 6-week IUGR rats, and response of IUGR rats to hypoxia. Results The maternal nutrient restriction increased the histone acetylation and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α binding levels in the ET-1 gene promoter of PVEC in IUGR newborn rats, and continued up to 6 weeks after birth. These epigenetic changes could result in an IUGR rat being highly sensitive to hypoxia later in life, causing more significant PAH or pulmonary vascular remodeling. Conclusions These findings suggest that epigenetics is closely associated with the development of hypoxic PAH following IUGR, further providing a new insight for improved prevention and treatment of IUGR-related PAH.

Dietary Tributyrin Supplementation Attenuates Insulin Resistance and Abnormal Lipid Metabolism in Suckling Piglets with Intrauterine Growth Retardation

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jintian; Dong, Li; Xu, Wen; Bai, Kaiwen; Lu, Changhui; Wu, Yanan; Huang, Qiang; Zhang, Lili; Wang, Tian

2015-01-01

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with insulin resistance and lipid disorder. Tributyrin (TB), a pro-drug of butyrate, can attenuate dysfunctions in body metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effects of TB supplementation on insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in neonatal piglets with IUGR. Eight neonatal piglets with normal birth weight (NBW) and 16 neonatal piglets with IUGR were selected, weaned on the 7th day, and fed basic milk diets (NBW and IUGR groups) or basic milk diets supplemented with 0.1% tributyrin (IT group, IUGR piglets) until day 21 (n = 8). Relative parameters for lipid metabolism and mRNA expression were measured. Piglets with IUGR showed higher (P insulin in the serum, higher (P insulin, HOMA-IR, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the serum, and the concentrations of TG and NEFA in the liver, and increased (P insulin signal transduction pathway and hepatic lipogenic pathway (including transcription factors and nuclear factors) was significantly (P insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism in IUGR piglets by increasing enzyme activities and upregulating mRNA expression, leading to an early improvement in the metabolic efficiency of IUGR piglets. PMID:26317832

Genetic markers for inherited thrombophilia are associated with fetal growth retardation in the population of Central Russia.

Science.gov (United States)

Reshetnikov, Evgeny; Zarudskaya, Oksana; Polonikov, Alexey; Bushueva, Olga; Orlova, Valentina; Krikun, Evgeny; Dvornyk, Volodymyr; Churnosov, Mikhail

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to examine the role of hereditary thrombophilia in the development of fetal growth retardation (FGR) in the population of Central Russia. The case-control study sample included 497 women in the third trimester of pregnancy recruited during 2009-2013. The participants were enrolled into two groups: patients with FGR (n = 250) and controls without FGR (n = 247). The participants were genotyped for four genetic markers of hereditary thrombophilia: factor V Leiden (G > A FV, rs6025), prothrombin (G > A FII, rs1799963), factor VII (G > A FVII, rs6046), and fibrinogen (G > A FI, rs1800790). The genetic factors for an increased risk of FGR were allele G of rs6046 (odds ratio [OR] = 2.34) and genotype GG of rs6046 (OR = 2.64), whereas genotype GA of rs6046 had the protective value (OR = 0.42). A combination of alleles G of rs1799963, A of rs6046, and G of rs1800790 (OR = 0.31) reduces the risk of FGR. Polymorphism rs6046 of the FVII gene is associated with the development of FGR. © 2017 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Nanocellular foam with solid flame retardant

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Liang; Kelly-Rowley, Anne M.; Bunker, Shana P.; Costeux, Stephane

2017-11-21

Prepare nanofoam by (a) providing an aqueous solution of a flame retardant dissolved in an aqueous solvent, wherein the flame retardant is a solid at 23.degree. C. and 101 kiloPascals pressure when in neat form; (b) providing a fluid polymer composition selected from a solution of polymer dissolved in a water-miscible solvent or a latex of polymer particles in a continuous aqueous phase; (c) mixing the aqueous solution of flame retardant with the fluid polymer composition to form a mixture; (d) removing water and, if present, solvent from the mixture to produce a polymeric composition having less than 74 weight-percent flame retardant based on total polymeric composition weight; (e) compound the polymeric composition with a matrix polymer to form a matrix polymer composition; and (f) foam the matrix polymer composition into nanofoam having a porosity of at least 60 percent.

Orthognathic surgery for mentally retarded patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Becking, A. G.; Tuinzing, D. B.

1991-01-01

The surgical treatment of mentally retarded children for esthetic reasons is discussed. In mentally retarded adults a facial deformity can give rise to functional problems; in some cases a facial deformity can stigmatize the mental state. In selected cases orthognathic surgery may offer a solution

Targeted Deletion of Autophagy Genes Atg5 or Atg7 in the Chondrocytes Promotes Caspase-Dependent Cell Death and Leads to Mild Growth Retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Vuppalapati, Karuna K; Bouderlique, Thibault; Newton, Phillip T; Kaminskyy, Vitaliy O; Wehtje, Henrik; Ohlsson, Claes; Zhivotovsky, Boris; Chagin, Andrei S

2015-12-01

Longitudinal bone growth takes place in epiphyseal growth plates located in the ends of long bones. The growth plate consists of chondrocytes traversing from the undifferentiated (resting zone) to the terminally differentiated (hypertrophic zone) stage. Autophagy is an intracellular catabolic process of lysosome-dependent recycling of intracellular organelles and protein complexes. Autophagy is activated during nutritionally depleted or hypoxic conditions in order to facilitate cell survival. Chondrocytes in the middle of the growth plate are hypoxic and nutritionally depleted owing to the avascular nature of the growth plate. Accordingly, autophagy may facilitate their survival. To explore the role of autophagy in chondrocyte survival and constitutional bone growth, we generated mice with cartilage-specific ablation of either Atg5 (Atg5cKO) or Atg7 (Atg7cKO) by crossing Atg5 or Atg7 floxed mice with cartilage-specific collagen type 2 promoter-driven Cre. Both Atg5cKO and Atg7cKO mice showed growth retardation associated with enhanced chondrocyte cell death and decreased cell proliferation. Similarly, inhibition of autophagy by Bafilomycin A1 (Baf) or 3-methyladenine (3MA) promoted cell death in cultured slices of human growth plate tissue. To delineate the underlying mechanisms we employed ex vivo cultures of mouse metatarsal bones and RCJ3.IC5.18 rat chondrogenic cell line. Baf or 3MA impaired metatarsal bone growth associated with processing of caspase-3 and massive cell death. Similarly, treatment of RCJ3.IC5.18 chondrogenic cells by Baf also showed massive cell death and caspase-3 cleavage. This was associated with activation of caspase-9 and cytochrome C release. Altogether, our data suggest that autophagy is important for chondrocyte survival, and inhibition of this process leads to stunted growth and caspase-dependent death of chondrocytes. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Factor VIII levels and the risk of pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, pregnancy related hypertension and severe intrauterine growth retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Witsenburg, C P J; Rosendaal, F R; Middeldorp, J M; Van der Meer, F J M; Scherjon, S A

2005-01-01

Recently, acquired as well as genetic prothrombotic factors are associated with thrombotic events. These factors have also been related to conditions of uteroplacental insufficiency such as pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome and severe intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The aim of this study was to determine whether elevated factor VIII levels are associated with uteroplacental insufficiency, in particular pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome or pregnancy-induced hypertension and intrauterine growth retardation. Plasma samples of 75 women with a history of pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, pregnancy induced hypertension or intrauterine growth restriction were tested for factor VIII:C (FVIII:C) levels at a minimum of 10 weeks post-partum. Laboratory results were compared to factor VIII:C levels found in a healthy control group of 272 women. Mean factor VIII:C levels were similar at 123 IU/dl in both the patient group and the controls. In a logistic regression model, after adjusting for age and blood group, no effect of factor VIII:C levels on the risk of pregnancy complications was observed, with the exception of IUGR with (OR 2.9, CI 1.0-8.7) or without hypertension (OR 2.0, CI 0.7-6.4). If the elevated level of factor VIII would be the sole factor responsible for the increased risk observed, one would expect to find an effect of blood group on risk as well (blood group being an important determinant of FVIII:C). While no such effect could be shown a causal relationship between elevated levels of factor VIII and conditions of uteroplacental insufficiency such as pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, pregnancy-induced hypertension and IUGR is not very likely.

Political Philosophy and the Mentally Retarded.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanovich, Keith E.

The effects of Social Darwinism, eugenics, and contemporary political conservatism on the status of advocacy efforts for the mentally retarded are reviewed. Provided are historical sketches of Social Darwinism, which viewed the retarded as members of an inferior race, and eugenics, which argued for sterilization of the "genetically…

The Mentally Retarded Offender and Corrections.

Science.gov (United States)

Santamour, Miles; West, Bernadette

The booklet provides an overview of the issues involved in correctional rehabilitation for the mentally retarded offender. Reviewed are clinical and legal definitions of criminal behavior and retardation, and discussed are such issues as law enforcement and court proceedings problems, pros and cons of special facilities, labeling, normalization,…

Preparation of Flame Retardant Modified with Titanate for Asphalt Binder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Improving the compatibility between flame retardant and asphalt is a difficult task due to the complex nature of the materials. This study explores a low dosage compound flame retardant and seeks to improve the compatibility between flame retardants and asphalt. An orthogonal experiment was designed taking magnesium hydroxide, ammonium polyphosphate, and melamine as factors. The oil absorption and activation index were tested to determine the effect of titanate on the flame retardant additive. The pavement performance test was conducted to evaluate the effect of the flame retardant additive. Oxygen index test was conducted to confirm the effect of flame retardant on flame ability of asphalt binder. The results of this study showed that the new composite flame retardant is more effective in improving the compatibility between flame retardant and asphalt and reducing the limiting oxygen index of asphalt binder tested in this study.

Systemic depletion of L-cyst(e)ine with cyst(e)inase increases reactive oxygen species and suppresses tumor growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Cramer, Shira L; Saha, Achinto; Liu, Jinyun; Tadi, Surendar; Tiziani, Stefano; Yan, Wupeng; Triplett, Kendra; Lamb, Candice; Alters, Susan E; Rowlinson, Scott; Zhang, Yan Jessie; Keating, Michael J; Huang, Peng; DiGiovanni, John; Georgiou, George; Stone, Everett

2017-01-01

Cancer cells experience higher oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species (ROS) than do non-malignant cells because of genetic alterations and abnormal growth; as a result, maintenance of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) is essential for their survival and proliferation. Under conditions of elevated ROS, endogenous L-cysteine (L-Cys) production is insufficient for GSH synthesis. This necessitates uptake of L-Cys that is predominantly in its disulfide form, L-cystine (CSSC), via the xCT(-) transporter. We show that administration of an engineered and pharmacologically optimized human cyst(e)inase enzyme mediates sustained depletion of the extracellular L-Cys and CSSC pool in mice and non-human primates. Treatment with this enzyme selectively causes cell cycle arrest and death in cancer cells due to depletion of intracellular GSH and ensuing elevated ROS; yet this treatment results in no apparent toxicities in mice even after months of continuous treatment. Cyst(e)inase suppressed the growth of prostate carcinoma allografts, reduced tumor growth in both prostate and breast cancer xenografts and doubled the median survival time of TCL1-Tg:p53 -/- mice, which develop disease resembling human chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It was observed that enzyme-mediated depletion of the serum L-Cys and CSSC pool suppresses the growth of multiple tumors, yet is very well tolerated for prolonged periods, suggesting that cyst(e)inase represents a safe and effective therapeutic modality for inactivating antioxidant cellular responses in a wide range of malignancies.

Flame Retardants Used in Flexible Polyurethane Foam

Science.gov (United States)

The partnership project on flame retardants in furniture seeks to update the health and environmental profiles of flame-retardant chemicals that meet fire safety standards for upholstered consumer products with polyurethane foam

SLEEP DISORDERS IN MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. A. Kelmanson

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the study of the association between sleep disturbances and mental retardation in children. Attention is paid to the instant connection between sleep neurophysiology and intellectual progress, as well as between sleep disorders and the pathogenesis of mental retardation in children. The data on characteristic forms of sleep disturbances, including bed-time resistance, frequent night awakenings, parasomnias, abnormal sleep structure, and notably reduced REM-sleep proportion are provided. The potential role of abnormal melatonin production in the origins of sleep disturbances in children with mental retardation is discussed. Certain approaches to pharmacological and non-pharmacological corrections of sleep disorders are outlined.

Poppers: more evidence of suppressed immunity.

Science.gov (United States)

James, J S

1999-08-20

Evidence from studies in mice shows that exposure to isobutyl nitrite suppresses the immune system. This immune suppression allows for bacterial growth in the lungs and livers of infected mice and can inhibit the ability of mediastinal lymph nodes to respond to antigen-specific stimulation. The mechanism for immune suppression may be a reduction in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell populations in the mediastinal lymph nodes following pulmonary infection with Listeria monocytogenes.

Noncitizen: Plight of the Mentally Retarded

Science.gov (United States)

Skarnulis, Ed

1974-01-01

Mentally retarded citizens have been denied their human and civil rights, not only by the public, but by professionals--including social workers. The author claims that most programs for the mentally retarded are, at best, dehumanizing. Professionals have an ethical obligation to refuse to refer children to such programs. (Author)

Development of highly fire-retardant irradiated polyolefin cables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ueno, Keiji; Inui, Toshifumi; Uda, Ikujiro (Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., Osaka (Japan))

1982-12-01

In recent years, motors, automobiles, heaters, etc., have been made into light weight and compact form in view of labour-saving and energy-saving. For this purpose, the wires for the electrical appliances used for these equipment are required to reduce insulation thickness and to improve heat resistance. On the other hand, the requirement for fire-retardant property has become severer than before from the viewpoint of safety. As an insulation for the wires which meets such requirement, the polyolefin cross-linked by irradiation was investigated, and the heat-resistant, highly fire-retardant, polyolefin-insulated wires have been developed, which have passed vertical combustion test (VW-1) and have the insulation thickness of 0.4 mm (voltage rating 300V) and UL standard 125 deg C and 150 deg C grades. Fire-retardant polyolefin resin is normally obtained by adding halogen series flame retarders. The selection of flame retarders requires the investigation on high thermal stability, high flame retardation, no impedance to cross-linking, and good dispersion into polymers. The evaluation of heat resistance performed on two points, thermal aging and thermal deformation. The use of oxidation inhibitors is indispensable to improve the anti-thermal aging capability, but it is important to balance the requirements well by combining oxidation inhibitors, considering thermal deformation, colouring and discolouration. By comparative test with silicone rubber, cross-linked polyethylene and cross-linked PVC-insulated wires, the characteristics of highly fire-retardant wires, insulated with polyethylene cross-linked by irradiation, are described about the fire retardation, thermal deformation, thermal aging resistance, electrical characteristics and oil resistance.

The flame retardants tetrabromobisphenol A and tetrabromobisphenol A-bisallylether suppress the induction of interleukin-2 receptor α chain (CD25) in murine splenocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pullen, Sabine; Boecker, Ronald; Tiegs, Gisa

2003-01-01

Polybrominated flame retardants (PBF) are frequently used additives in electronical equipment. They are ubiquitous environmental contaminants which bioaccumulate with several health effects for humans and the environment. This study investigated immunotoxic effects of the PBF tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBP A), tetrabromobisphenol A-bisallylether (TBBP A-AE), tetrabromobisphenol A-bis-(2,3-dibromopropyl-ether) (TBBP A-PE), decabromodiphenylether (DBDE), and 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP) in vitro. The structurally related polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77) and dioxins mediate their immunotoxicity via the Ah-receptor gene complex. A highly relevant function of the Ah receptor, the induction of CYP 1A1 in hepatocytes of C57BL/6 mice by the established inducers 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) and PCB77 was compared to the effect of PBF by measurement of ethoxyresorufin-o-deethylase (EROD) activity. The PBF did not show any induction of CYP 1A1, while EROD activity of hepatocytes exposed to MC and PCB77 was induced 10.8- and 8.7-fold, respectively. To investigate immunotoxic effects of the flame retardants, splenocytes of C57BL/6 mice were incubated with subtoxic doses of the flame retardants and PCB77 and activated by concanavalin A (Con A). The flame retardants TBBP A and TBBP A-AE significantly inhibited the expression of interleukin-2 receptor α chain (CD25) in contrast to TBBP A-PE, DBDE, TBP, and PCB77 as shown by immunohistochemistry and quantitative analysis by laser scanning cytometry. None of the substances had any effect on the Con A-induced production of cytokines. Hence, TBBP A and TBBP A-AE may act as immunotoxic compounds by specifically inhibiting the expression of CD25

Pentastatin-1, a collagen IV derived 20-mer peptide, suppresses tumor growth in a small cell lung cancer xenograft model.

Science.gov (United States)

Koskimaki, Jacob E; Karagiannis, Emmanouil D; Tang, Benjamin C; Hammers, Hans; Watkins, D Neil; Pili, Roberto; Popel, Aleksander S

2010-02-01

Angiogenesis is the formation of neovasculature from a pre-existing vascular network. Progression of solid tumors including lung cancer is angiogenesis-dependent. We previously introduced a bioinformatics-based methodology to identify endogenous anti-angiogenic peptide sequences, and validated these predictions in vitro in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation and migration assays. One family of peptides with high activity is derived from the alpha-fibrils of type IV collagen. Based on the results from the in vitro screening, we have evaluated the ability of a 20 amino acid peptide derived from the alpha5 fibril of type IV collagen, pentastatin-1, to suppress vessel growth in an angioreactor-based directed in vivo angiogenesis assay (DIVAA). In addition, pentastatin-1 suppressed tumor growth with intraperitoneal peptide administration in a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) xenograft model in nude mice using the NCI-H82 human cancer cell line. Pentastatin-1 decreased the invasion of vessels into angioreactors in vivo in a dose dependent manner. The peptide also decreased the rate of tumor growth and microvascular density in vivo in a small cell lung cancer xenograft model. The peptide treatment significantly decreased the invasion of microvessels in angioreactors and the rate of tumor growth in the xenograft model, indicating potential treatment for angiogenesis-dependent disease, and for translational development as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer.

Pentastatin-1, a collagen IV derived 20-mer peptide, suppresses tumor growth in a small cell lung cancer xenograft model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koskimaki, Jacob E; Karagiannis, Emmanouil D; Tang, Benjamin C; Hammers, Hans; Watkins, D Neil; Pili, Roberto; Popel, Aleksander S

2010-01-01

Angiogenesis is the formation of neovasculature from a pre-existing vascular network. Progression of solid tumors including lung cancer is angiogenesis-dependent. We previously introduced a bioinformatics-based methodology to identify endogenous anti-angiogenic peptide sequences, and validated these predictions in vitro in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation and migration assays. One family of peptides with high activity is derived from the α-fibrils of type IV collagen. Based on the results from the in vitro screening, we have evaluated the ability of a 20 amino acid peptide derived from the α5 fibril of type IV collagen, pentastatin-1, to suppress vessel growth in an angioreactor-based directed in vivo angiogenesis assay (DIVAA). In addition, pentastatin-1 suppressed tumor growth with intraperitoneal peptide administration in a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) xenograft model in nude mice using the NCI-H82 human cancer cell line. Pentastatin-1 decreased the invasion of vessels into angioreactors in vivo in a dose dependent manner. The peptide also decreased the rate of tumor growth and microvascular density in vivo in a small cell lung cancer xenograft model. The peptide treatment significantly decreased the invasion of microvessels in angioreactors and the rate of tumor growth in the xenograft model, indicating potential treatment for angiogenesis-dependent disease, and for translational development as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester induced cell cycle arrest and growth inhibition in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells via regulation of Skp2, p53, p21Cip1 and p27Kip1

OpenAIRE

Lin, Hui-Ping; Lin, Ching-Yu; Huo, Chieh; Hsiao, Ping-Hsuan; Su, Liang-Cheng; Jiang, Shih Sheng; Chan, Tzu-Min; Chang, Chung-Ho; Chen, Li-Tzong; Kung, Hsing-Jien; Wang, Horng-Dar; Chuu, Chih-Pin

2015-01-01

Prostate cancer (PCa) patients receiving the androgen ablation therapy ultimately develop recurrent castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) within 1?3 years. Treatment with caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) suppressed cell survival and proliferation via induction of G1 or G2/M cell cycle arrest in LNCaP 104-R1, DU-145, 22Rv1, and C4?2 CRPC cells. CAPE treatment also inhibited soft agar colony formation and retarded nude mice xenograft growth of LNCaP 104-R1 cells. We identified that CAP...

CXCL12 chemokine expression suppresses human pancreatic cancer growth and metastasis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ishan Roy

Full Text Available Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an unsolved health problem with nearly 75% of patients diagnosed with advanced disease and an overall 5-year survival rate near 5%. Despite the strong link between mortality and malignancy, the mechanisms behind pancreatic cancer dissemination and metastasis are poorly understood. Correlative pathological and cell culture analyses suggest the chemokine receptor CXCR4 plays a biological role in pancreatic cancer progression. In vivo roles for the CXCR4 ligand CXCL12 in pancreatic cancer malignancy were investigated. CXCR4 and CXCR7 were consistently expressed in normal and cancerous pancreatic ductal epithelium, established cell lines, and patient-derived primary cancer cells. Relative to healthy exocrine ducts, CXCL12 expression was pathologically repressed in pancreatic cancer tissue specimens and patient-derived cell lines. To test the functional consequences of CXCL12 silencing, pancreatic cancer cell lines stably expressingthe chemokine were engineered. Consistent with a role for CXCL12 as a tumor suppressor, cells producing the chemokine wereincreasingly adherent and migration deficient in vitro and poorly metastatic in vivo, compared to control cells. Further, CXCL12 reintroduction significantly reduced tumor growth in vitro, with significantly smaller tumors in vivo, leading to a pronounced survival advantage in a preclinical model. Together, these data demonstrate a functional tumor suppressive role for the normal expression of CXCL12 in pancreatic ducts, regulating both tumor growth andcellulardissemination to metastatic sites.

Growth of high-density ZnO nanorods on wood with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kong, Lizhuo; Tu, Kunkun; Guan, Hao [Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091 (China); Wang, Xiaoqing, E-mail: wangxq@caf.ac.cn [Research Institute of Forestry New Technology, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091 (China); Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091 (China)

2017-06-15

Highlights: • ZnO nanorod arrays were deposited on the wood surface via a hydrothermal process. • The assembled ZnO nanorod arrays greatly enhanced the photostability of wood. • The treated wood can sustain direct exposure to flame with only minor smoldering. • The ZnO-coated wood modified with stearic acid showed a superhydrophobic surface. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays were successfully assembled on the wood surface in situ via a two-step process consisting of formation of ZnO seeds and subsequent crystal growth under hydrothermal conditions at a low temperature. The morphology and crystalline structure of the formed ZnO nanorods were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Highly dense and uniform arrays of ZnO nanorods with well-defined hexagonal facets were generated on the wood surface by tuning the concentration of the ZnO growth solution during the hydrothermal treatment. Accelerated weathering tests indicated that the assembled ZnO nanorod arrays were highly protective against UV radiation and greatly enhanced the photostability of the coated wood. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanorod-coated wood can withstand continuous exposure to flame with only minor smoldering in contrast with the pristine wood catching fire easily and burning rapidly. Moreover, when further modified with low-surface-energy stearic acid, the ZnO nanorod decorated wood surface can be transformed into a superhydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle (CA) of ∼154°. Such ZnO nanorod-modified woods with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency offer an interesting alternative to conventional wood preservation strategies, highlighting their potential applications in some novel wood products.

Growth of high-density ZnO nanorods on wood with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, Lizhuo; Tu, Kunkun; Guan, Hao; Wang, Xiaoqing

2017-01-01

Highlights: • ZnO nanorod arrays were deposited on the wood surface via a hydrothermal process. • The assembled ZnO nanorod arrays greatly enhanced the photostability of wood. • The treated wood can sustain direct exposure to flame with only minor smoldering. • The ZnO-coated wood modified with stearic acid showed a superhydrophobic surface. - Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays were successfully assembled on the wood surface in situ via a two-step process consisting of formation of ZnO seeds and subsequent crystal growth under hydrothermal conditions at a low temperature. The morphology and crystalline structure of the formed ZnO nanorods were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Highly dense and uniform arrays of ZnO nanorods with well-defined hexagonal facets were generated on the wood surface by tuning the concentration of the ZnO growth solution during the hydrothermal treatment. Accelerated weathering tests indicated that the assembled ZnO nanorod arrays were highly protective against UV radiation and greatly enhanced the photostability of the coated wood. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanorod-coated wood can withstand continuous exposure to flame with only minor smoldering in contrast with the pristine wood catching fire easily and burning rapidly. Moreover, when further modified with low-surface-energy stearic acid, the ZnO nanorod decorated wood surface can be transformed into a superhydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle (CA) of ∼154°. Such ZnO nanorod-modified woods with enhanced photostability, flame retardancy and water repellency offer an interesting alternative to conventional wood preservation strategies, highlighting their potential applications in some novel wood products.

Report of a consultants meeting on causes and consequences of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in populations from developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its Headquarters in Vienna convened a consultants meeting from 9-13 December, 2002, to provide the Agency current insights into the application of nuclear and isotopic techniques as tool to support studies aimed at assessing the causes of Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR). The consultants were: Dr. B. Caballero, Dr. D. Labadarios, Dr. G. Carroli, Dr. L.S. Bakketeig and Dr. P.T.V Nair. Representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. G. Glugston and Dr. S. Khanum, were present as observers during the initial part of the meeting. Given the Consultants' areas of expertise and the topics covered in the discussions, the scope of the Meeting was modified to 'The application of isotopic and nuclear techniques to address the problem of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in populations from developing countries'. The objectives of the meeting were to: (i) Evaluate the overall scope of a new co-ordinated research project (CRP) and suggest options for specific areas of research within that scope; (ii) Examine the applicability of nuclear and isotope based techniques in researches related to practical approaches for monitoring maternal weight and weight gain during pregnancy (e.g. body composition and energy balance assessment); (iii) Establish harmonised methods and criteria for appropriate weight gain and foetal growth charts for pregnant women in developing countries; (iv) Suggest approaches to assess the effectiveness of nutrition interventions aimed at reducing IUGR and its consequences. This meeting benefited from the broad areas of experience of scientists from both developed and developing countries. Their expertise in the use of isotopes and nuclear techniques, and in studies on human nutrition, epidemiology, IUGR, Low birth weight and undernutrition provided the advocacy and approaches to fellow in the application of nuclear and isotopic techniques as part of maternal malnutrition and IUGR studies

METHOD OF SUPPRESSING GASTROINTESTINAL UREASE ACTIVITY

Science.gov (United States)

Visek, W.J.

1963-04-23

This patent shows a method of increasing the growth rate of chicks. Certain diacyl substituted ureas such as alloxan, murexide, and barbituric acid are added to their feed, thereby suppressing gastrointestinal urease activity and thus promoting growth. (AEC)

Insulin-like growth factors in embryonic and fetal growth and skeletal development (Review).

Science.gov (United States)

Agrogiannis, Georgios D; Sifakis, Stavros; Patsouris, Efstratios S; Konstantinidou, Anastasia E

2014-08-01

The insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-I and -II have a predominant role in fetal growth and development. IGFs are involved in the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of fetal cells in vitro and the IGF serum concentration has been shown to be closely correlated with fetal growth and length. IGF transcripts and peptides have been detected in almost every fetal tissue from as early in development as pre‑implantation to the final maturation stage. Furthermore, IGFs have been demonstrated to be involved in limb morphogenesis. However, although ablation of Igf genes in mice resulted in growth retardation and delay in skeletal maturation, no impact on outgrowth and patterning of embryonic limbs was observed. Additionally, various molecular defects in the Igf1 and Igf1r genes in humans have been associated with severe intrauterine growth retardation and impaired skeletal maturation, but not with truncated limbs or severe skeletal dysplasia. The conflicting data between in vitro and in vivo observations with regard to bone morphogenesis suggests that IGFs may not be the sole trophic factors involved in fetal skeletal growth and that redundant mechanisms may exist in chondro- and osteogenesis. Further investigation is required in order to elucidate the functions of IGFs in skeletal development.

Effect of parathyroidectomy on bone growth and composition in the young rat

Science.gov (United States)

Keil, L. C.; Prinz, J. A.; Evans, J. W.

1974-01-01

In an effort to determine the influence of the parathyroids on bone growth and composition, 28-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were sacrificed 28, 56, and 84 days after parathyroidectomy or sham parathyroidectomy. Body growth as well as femur growth were retarded following parathyroidectomy. Hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia occurred in all parathyroidectomized rats; no alterations in plasma magnesium levels were noted. Femur magnesium was increased by 22-30% in the parathyroidectomized rats whereas femur calcium remained unchanged. Bone phosphorus was increased 56 and 84 days following parathyroidectomy. Results of this study indicate that parathyroidectomy retards growth while increasing bone magnesium and phosphorus content.

Delayed puberty caused by hyperthyroidism in ram lambs is not a result of suppression in body growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrasekhar, Y; D'Occhio, M J; Setchell, B P

1986-03-01

Over a period of 8 weeks ram lambs (16 weeks old) were made hyperthyroidal (serum thyroxine approximately equal to 150 ng/ml, compared with control approximately equal to 48 ng/ml) by daily subcutaneous injections of thyroxine or maintained at a constant body weight by restriction of the feed intake. Hyperthyroidal and restricted-intake lambs remained at a constant body weight during the period of treatment whilst control rams gained body weight. Testicular growth was normal in restricted-intake lambs but was suppressed in hyperthyroidal animals. Hyperthyroidism, but not feed restriction, was also associated with decrease in LH pulse frequency (1.3 +/- 0.3/12 h compared with controls 4.8 +/- 0.9/12 h. Hyperthyroidal lambs showed normal LH responses to exogenous LHRH. After cessation of treatment testicular growth continued to be suppressed for up to 16 weeks in previously hyperthyroidic rams; thereafter testes began to increase in size but at 30 weeks after treatment were still smaller than those of control rams. It is concluded that elevated thyroxine concentrations directly influence sexual maturation in ram lambs through actions at hypothalamic and/or higher brain centres which control LH secretion. Transient hyperthyroidism during sexual maturation may cause permanent impairment of sexual development.

Dual inhibition of Wnt and Yes-associated protein signaling retards the growth of triple-negative breast cancer in both mesenchymal and epithelial states.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulaiman, Andrew; McGarry, Sarah; Li, Li; Jia, Deyong; Ooi, Sarah; Addison, Christina; Dimitroulakos, Jim; Arnaout, Angel; Nessim, Carolyn; Yao, Zemin; Ji, Guang; Song, Haiyan; Gadde, Suresh; Li, Xuguang; Wang, Lisheng

2018-04-01

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most refractory subtype of breast cancer to current treatments, accounts disproportionately for the majority of breast cancer-related deaths. This is largely due to cancer plasticity and the development of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Recently, distinct yet interconvertible mesenchymal-like and epithelial-like states have been revealed in breast CSCs. Thus, strategies capable of simultaneously inhibiting bulk and CSC populations in both mesenchymal and epithelial states have yet to be developed. Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo/YAP pathways are crucial in tumorigenesis, but importantly also possess tumor suppressor functions in certain contexts. One possibility is that TNBC cells in epithelial or mesenchymal state may differently affect Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo/YAP signaling and CSC phenotypes. In this report, we found that YAP signaling and CD44 high /CD24 -/low CSCs were upregulated while Wnt/β-catenin signaling and ALDH+ CSCs were downregulated in mesenchymal-like TNBC cells, and vice versa in their epithelial-like counterparts. Dual knockdown of YAP and Wnt/β-catenin, but neither alone, was required for effective suppression of both CD44 high /CD24 -/low and ALDH+ CSC populations in mesenchymal and epithelial TNBC cells. These observations were confirmed with cultured tumor fragments prepared from patients with TNBC after treatment with Wnt inhibitor ICG-001 and YAP inhibitor simvastatin. In addition, a clinical database showed that decreased gene expression of Wnt and YAP was positively correlated with decreased ALDH and CD44 expression in patients' samples while increased patient survival. Furthermore, tumor growth of TNBC cells in either epithelial or mesenchymal state was retarded, and both CD44 high /CD24 -/low and ALDH+ CSC subpopulations were diminished in a human xenograft model after dual administration of ICG-001 and simvastatin. Tumorigenicity was also hampered after secondary transplantation. These data suggest a new

Anxious-retarded depression: relation to family history of depression

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Winter, Remco F. P.; Zwinderman, Koos H.; Goekoop, Jaap G.

2004-01-01

Anxious-retarded depression is a two-dimensionally defined subcategory of depression based on high scores for both anxiety and retardation. The anxious-retarded subcategory is related to melancholia as defined by DSM-IV. Patients with this diagnosis exhibit elevated plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP)

Development of flame retardant, radiation resistant insulating materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hagiwara, M.

1984-01-01

On the cables used for nuclear power stations, in particular those ranked as IE class, flame retardation test, simulated LOCA environment test, radiation resistance test and so on are imposed. The results of the evaluation of performance by these tests largely depend on the insulating materials mainly made of polymers. Ethylene propylene copolymer rubber has been widely used as cable insulator because of its electrical characteristics, workability, economy and relatively good radiation resistance, but it is combustible, therefore, in the practical use, it is necessary to make it fire resistant. The author et al. have advanced the research on the molecular design of new fire retarding materials, and successfully developed acenaphthylene bromide condensate, which is not only fire resistant but also effective for improving radiation resistance. The condition of flame retardant, radiation resistant auxiliary agents is explained, and there are additive type and reaction type in fire retarding materials. The synthesis of acenaphthylene bromide condensate and its effect of giving flame retardant and radiation resistant properties are reported. The characteristics of the cables insulated with the flame retardant ethylene propylene rubber containing acenaphthylene bromide condensate were tested, and the results are shown. (Kako, I.).

BMP suppresses PTEN expression via RAS/ERK signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Stayce E; Carethers, John M

2007-08-01

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), a member of the transforming growth factor beta family, classically utilizes the SMAD signaling pathway for its growth suppressive effects,and loss of this signaling cascade may accelerate cell growth. In the colon cancer predisposition syndrome Juvenile Polyposis, as well as in the late progression stages of nonsyndromic colorectal cancers, SMAD4 function is typically abrogated. Here, we utilized the SMAD4-null SW480 colon cancer cell line to examine BMPs effect on a potential target gene, PTEN, and how its expression might be regulated. Initial treatment of the SMAD4-null cells with BMP resulted in mild growth suppression, but with prolonged exposure to BMP, the cells become growth stimulatory, which coincided with observed decreases in transcription and translation of PTEN, and with corresponding increases in phospho-AKT protein levels. BMP-induced PTEN suppression was mediated via the RAS/ERK pathway, as pharmacologic inhibition of RAS/ERK, or interference with protein function in the cytosol by DN-RAS prevented BMP-induced growth promotion and changes in PTEN levels, as did treatment with noggin, a BMP ligand inhibitor. Thus, BMP downregulates PTEN via RAS/ERK in a SMAD4-null environment that contributes to cell growth, and constitutes a SMAD4-independent but BMP-responsive signaling pathway.

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ Inhibits Transformed Growth of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells through Selective Suppression of Snail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rashmi Choudhary

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Work from our laboratory and others has demonstrated that activation of the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ inhibits transformed growth of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC cell lines in vitro and in vivo. We have demonstrated that activation of PPARγ promotes epithelial differentiation of NSCLC by increasing expression of E-cadherin, as well as inhibiting expression of COX-2 and nuclear factor-κB. The Snail family of transcription factors, which includes Snail (Snail1, Slug (Snail2, and ZEB1, is an important regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, as well as cell survival. The goal of this study was to determine whether the biological responses to rosiglitazone, a member of the thiazolidinedione family of PPARγ activators, are mediated through the regulation of Snail family members. Our results indicate that, in two independent NSCLC cell lines, rosiglitazone specifically decreased expression of Snail, with no significant effect on either Slug or ZEB1. Suppression of Snail using short hairpin RNA silencing mimicked the effects of PPARγ activation, in inhibiting anchorage-independent growth, promoting acinar formation in three-dimensional culture, and inhibiting invasiveness. This was associated with the increased expression of E-cadherin and decreased expression of COX-2 and matrix metaloproteinases. Conversely, overexpression of Snail blocked the biological responses to rosiglitazone, increasing anchorage-independent growth, invasiveness, and promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The suppression of Snail expression by rosiglitazone seemed to be independent of GSK-3 signaling but was rather mediated through suppression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity. These findings suggest that selective regulation of Snail may be critical in mediating the antitumorigenic effects of PPARγ activators.

Type I collagen gene suppresses tumor growth and invasion of malignant human glioma cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miyata Teruo

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Invasion is a hallmark of a malignant tumor, such as a glioma, and the progression is followed by the interaction of tumor cells with an extracellular matrix (ECM. This study examined the role of type I collagen in the invasion of the malignant human glioma cell line T98G by the introduction of the human collagen type I α1 (HCOL1A1 gene. Results The cells overexpressing HCOL1A1 were in a cluster, whereas the control cells were scattered. Overexpression of HCOL1A1 significantly suppressed the motility and invasion of the tumor cells. The glioma cell growth was markedly inhibited in vitro and in vivo by the overexpression of HCOL1A1; in particular, tumorigenicity completely regressed in nude mice. Furthermore, the HCOL1A1 gene induced apoptosis in glioma cells. Conclusion These results indicate that HCOL1A1 have a suppressive biological function in glioma progression and that the introduction of HCOL1A1 provides the basis of a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of malignant human glioma.

BCL2-BH4 antagonist BDA-366 suppresses human myeloma growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Jiusheng; Park, Dongkyoo; Wang, Mengchang; Nooka, Ajay; Deng, Qiaoya; Matulis, Shannon; Kaufman, Jonathan; Lonial, Sagar; Boise, Lawrence H; Galipeau, Jacques; Deng, Xingming

2016-05-10

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous plasma cell malignancy and remains incurable. B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) protein correlates with the survival and the drug resistance of myeloma cells. BH3 mimetics have been developed to disrupt the binding between BCL2 and its pro-apoptotic BCL2 family partners for the treatment of MM, but with limited therapeutic efficacy. We recently identified a small molecule BDA-366 as a BCL2 BH4 domain antagonist, converting it from an anti-apoptotic into a pro-apoptotic molecule. In this study, we demonstrated that BDA-366 induces robust apoptosis in MM cell lines and primary MM cells by inducing BCL2 conformational change. Delivery of BDA-366 substantially suppressed the growth of human MM xenografts in NOD-scid/IL2Rγnull mice, without significant cytotoxic effects on normal hematopoietic cells or body weight. Thus, BDA-366 functions as a novel BH4-based BCL2 inhibitor and offers an entirely new tool for MM therapy.

Managing ethically questionable parental requests: growth suppression and manipulation of puberty.

Science.gov (United States)

Isaacs, David; Tobin, Bernadette; Hamblin, Julie; Slaytor, Emma; Donaghue, Kim C; Munns, Craig; Kilham, Henry A

2011-09-01

Doctors sometimes struggle with ethically challenging requests for treatment from children's parents. For instance, we have recently had two requests by parents of children, a girl and a boy, each with a severe developmental disability, for hormonal therapy to suppress growth and puberty: the girl's parents requested, in addition, hysterectomy and mastectomy. We propose a reliable approach to assessing the ethical and legal aspects of these and other requests for 'non-therapeutic' treatment of a minor who lacks the capacity to give informed consent. We argue that a doctor should first assess whether the request is one that he or she can, in conscience, accede to, and then, if it is, seek the authorisation of a court. We outline considerations relevant to the doctor's assessment of both the ethical issues and to the need for court authorisation. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2011 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Haploinsufficiency of KDM6A is associated with severe psychomotor retardation, global growth restriction, seizures and cleft palate.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindgren, Amelia M; Hoyos, Tatiana; Talkowski, Michael E; Hanscom, Carrie; Blumenthal, Ian; Chiang, Colby; Ernst, Carl; Pereira, Shahrin; Ordulu, Zehra; Clericuzio, Carol; Drautz, Joanne M; Rosenfeld, Jill A; Shaffer, Lisa G; Velsher, Lea; Pynn, Tania; Vermeesch, Joris; Harris, David J; Gusella, James F; Liao, Eric C; Morton, Cynthia C

2013-05-01

We describe a female subject (DGAP100) with a 46,X,t(X;5)(p11.3;q35.3)inv(5)(q35.3q35.1)dn, severe psychomotor retardation with hypotonia, global postnatal growth restriction, microcephaly, globally reduced cerebral volume, seizures, facial dysmorphia and cleft palate. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and whole-genome sequencing demonstrated that the X chromosome breakpoint disrupts KDM6A in the second intron. No genes were directly disrupted on chromosome 5. KDM6A is a histone 3 lysine 27 demethylase and a histone 3 lysine 4 methyltransferase. Expression of KDM6A is significantly reduced in DGAP100 lymphoblastoid cells compared to control samples. We identified nine additional cases with neurodevelopmental delay and various other features consistent with the DGAP100 phenotype with copy number variation encompassing KDM6A from microarray databases. We evaluated haploinsufficiency of kdm6a in a zebrafish model. kdm6a is expressed in the pharyngeal arches and ethmoid plate of the developing zebrafish, while a kdm6a morpholino knockdown exhibited craniofacial defects. We conclude KDM6A dosage regulation is associated with severe and diverse structural defects and developmental abnormalities.

Influence of prohexadione-calcium, trinexapac-ethyl and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ethyl (TNE) and hexaconazole (HX) on lodging and gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis pathway of rice cultivar, Hwayeongbyeo. It was observed that these novel synthetic growth retardants suppressed lodging of rice under field conditions through ...

Caring for children with mental retardation: The experiences of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Caring for children with mental retardation at home requires great patience and understanding. Mothers often experience difficulties adjusting to the fact that their children are mentally retarded and that it cannot be cured. This study investigated the experiences of mothers caring for children with mental retardation.

Growth responses of young Douglas-fir and tanoak 11 years after various levels of hardwood removal and understory suppression in southwestern Oregon, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, T.B.; Tappeiner, John C.

1997-01-01

At two sites in southwestern Oregon, height, diameter, and crown width of young Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and sprout-origin tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) were measured 1–11 years after reducing the density of a 2-year-old tanoak stand to 0%, 25%, 50%, and 100% of its initial cover. Some plots also included suppression of understory vegetation. Tanoak cover developed linearly with time, with steepness of the growth trajectory increasing at a diminishing rate with increasing percentage of initial tanoak cover. Fifth-year cover of understory vegetation declined linearly with increasing percentage of initial tanoak cover (R2 = 0.29). Survival of Douglas-fir (96–100%) differed little among initial abundances of tanoak, while growth trajectories for its size became increasingly exponential with decreasing percentage of initial tanoak cover. Eleventh-year heights of Douglas-fir were similar for 0%, 25%, and 50% of initial tanoak cover; however, diameter increased linearly with decreasing percentage of initial tanoak cover (R2 = 0.73), and the slope of the relationship steepened with understory suppression. Our results indicate that young stands exhibiting a wide range of stand compositions and productivities can be established by early manipulations of tanoak and understory abundance. Complete removal of tanoak plus understory suppression are necessary to maximize Douglas-fir growth, while productive, mixed stands can be achieved by removing 50% or more of tanoak cover.

Multi-functional carbon microspheres with double shell layers for flame retardant poly (ethylene terephthalate)

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Xue, Baoxia; Niu, Mei; Yang, Yongzhen; Bai, Jie; Song, Yinghao; Peng, Yun; Liu, Xuguang

2018-03-01

Carbon microspheres (CMSs) as a core material had been coated by two capsule walls: an inorganic material of magnesium hydroxide (MH) as inner shell layer and an organic material of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as outer shell layer. MH coating CMSs (MCMSs) were fabricated by liquid phase deposition method, then grafted 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) to obtain the Si-MCMSs. Microencapsulated Si-MCMSs (PMCMSs) was prepared by in situ polymerization method. Morphology structure, dispersion, flame retardant and other properties of PMCMSs have been investigated. A series of PET blends were prepared by melt compounding. The results showed that MH and PET as two layers were coated on CMSs surface with the optimal thickness of about 70 nm. The PMCMSs owned better dispersion in PET matrix. Compared with MCMSs/PET composites, the mechanical property of PMCMSs/PET composites had significantly increased because of the strong interface binding force between PMCMSs and PET matrix. Moreover, PMCMSs was proved to be an effective flame retardant. For PMCMSs/PET with 2 wt% PMCMSs, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value increased from 21.0% (pristine PET) to 27.2%, and the peak heat release rate (pk-HRR) decreased from 513.22 kW/m2 to 352.14 kW/m2. The decreased smoke production rate (SPR) and total smoke production (TSP) values demonstrated PMCMSs suppressed the smoke production. The increased Fire performance index (FPI) value illustrated PMCMSs significantly reduced the fire risk of PET. Overall, the two capsular walls endowed the PMCMSs/PET composites with good mechanical and flame-retardant properties.

SH003 suppresses breast cancer growth by accumulating p62 in autolysosomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Youn Kyung; Cho, Sung-Gook; Choi, Yu-Jeong; Yun, Yee Jin; Lee, Kang Min; Lee, Kangwook; Yoo, Hye-Hyun; Shin, Yong Cheol; Ko, Seong-Gyu

2017-10-24

Drug markets revisits herbal medicines, as historical usages address their therapeutic efficacies with less adverse effects. Moreover, herbal medicines save both cost and time in development. SH003, a modified version of traditional herbal medicine extracted from Astragalus membranaceus (Am), Angelica gigas (Ag), and Trichosanthes Kirilowii Maximowicz (Tk) with 1:1:1 ratio (w/w) has been revealed to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis on highly metastatic breast cancer cells, both in vivo and in vitro with no toxicity. Meanwhile, autophagy is imperative for maintenance cellular homeostasis, thereby playing critical roles in cancer progression. Inhibition of autophagy by pharmacological agents induces apoptotic cell death in cancer cells, resulting in cancer treatment. In this study, we demonstrate that SH003-induced autophagy via inhibiting STAT3 and mTOR results in an induction of lysosomal p62/SQSTM1 accumulation-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and attenuates tumor growth. SH003 induced autophagosome and autolysosome formation by inhibiting activation of STAT3- and mTOR-mediated signaling pathways. However, SH003 blocked autophagy-mediated p62/SQSTM1 degradation through reducing of lysosomal proteases, Cathepsins, resulting in accumulation of p62/SQSTM1 in the lysosome. The accumulation of p62/SQSTM1 caused the increase of ROS, which resulted in the induction of apoptotic cell death. Therefore, we conclude that SH003 suppresses breast cancer growth by inducing autophagy. In addition, SH003-induced p62/SQSTM1 could function as an important mediator for ROS generation-dependent cell death suggesting that SH003 may be useful for treating breast cancer.

Halogenated flame retardants in the Great Lakes environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Venier, Marta; Salamova, Amina; Hites, Ronald A

2015-07-21

Flame retardants are widely used industrial chemicals that are added to polymers, such as polyurethane foam, to prevent them from rapidly burning if exposed to a small flame or a smoldering cigarette. Flame retardants, especially brominated flame retardants, are added to many polymeric products at percent levels and are present in most upholstered furniture and mattresses. Most of these chemicals are so-called "additive" flame retardants and are not chemically bound to the polymer; thus, they migrate from the polymeric materials into the environment and into people. As a result, some of these chemicals have become widespread pollutants, which is a concern given their possible adverse health effects. Perhaps because of their environmental ubiquity, the most heavily used group of brominated flame retardants, the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), was withdrawn from production and use during the 2004-2013 period. This led to an increasing demand for other flame retardants, including other brominated aromatics and organophosphate esters. Although little is known about the use or production volumes of these newer flame retardants, it is evident that some of these chemicals are also becoming pervasive in the environment and in humans. In this Account, we describe our research on the occurrence of halogenated and organophosphate flame retardants in the environment, with a specific focus on the Great Lakes region. This Account starts with a short introduction to the first generation of brominated flame retardants, the polybrominated biphenyls, and then presents our measurements of their replacement, the PBDEs. We summarize our data on PBDE levels in babies, bald eagles, and in air. Once these compounds came off the market, we began to measure several of the newer flame retardants in air collected on the shores of the Great Lakes once every 12 days. These new measurements focus on a tetrabrominated benzoate, a tetrabrominated phthalate, a hexabrominated diphenoxyethane

Genetic analysis of ectopic growth suppression during planar growth of integuments mediated by the Arabidopsis AGC protein kinase UNICORN

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Enugutti Balaji

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The coordination of growth within a tissue layer is of critical importance for tissue morphogenesis. For example, cells within the epidermis undergo stereotypic cell divisions that are oriented along the plane of the layer (planar growth, thereby propagating the layered epidermal structure. Little is known about the developmental control that regulates such planar growth in plants. Recent evidence suggested that the Arabidopsis AGC VIII protein kinase UNICORN (UCN maintains planar growth by suppressing the formation of ectopic multicellular protrusions in several floral tissues including integuments. In the current model UCN controls this process during integument development by directly interacting with the ABERRANT TESTA SHAPE (ATS protein, a member of the KANADI (KAN family of transcription factors, thereby repressing its activity. Here we report on the further characterization of the UCN mechanism. Results Phenotypic analysis of flowers of ucn-1 plants impaired in floral homeotic gene activity revealed that any of the four floral whorls could produce organs carrying ucn-1 protrusions. The ectopic outgrowths of ucn integuments did not accumulate detectable signals of the auxin and cytokinin reporters DR5rev::GFP and ARR5::GUS, respectively. Furthermore, wild-type and ucn-1 seedlings showed similarly strong callus formation upon in vitro culture on callus-inducing medium. We also show that ovules of ucn-1 plants carrying the dominant ats allele sk21-D exhibited more pronounced protrusion formation. Finally ovules of ucn-1 ett-1 double mutants and ucn-1 ett-1 arf4-1 triple mutants displayed an additive phenotype. Conclusions These data deepen the molecular insight into the UCN-mediated control of planar growth during integument development. The presented evidence indicates that UCN downstream signaling does not involve the control of auxin or cytokinin homeostasis. The results also reveal that UCN interacts with ATS

Genetic analysis of ectopic growth suppression during planar growth of integuments mediated by the Arabidopsis AGC protein kinase UNICORN.

Science.gov (United States)

Enugutti, Balaji; Schneitz, Kay

2013-01-02

The coordination of growth within a tissue layer is of critical importance for tissue morphogenesis. For example, cells within the epidermis undergo stereotypic cell divisions that are oriented along the plane of the layer (planar growth), thereby propagating the layered epidermal structure. Little is known about the developmental control that regulates such planar growth in plants. Recent evidence suggested that the Arabidopsis AGC VIII protein kinase UNICORN (UCN) maintains planar growth by suppressing the formation of ectopic multicellular protrusions in several floral tissues including integuments. In the current model UCN controls this process during integument development by directly interacting with the ABERRANT TESTA SHAPE (ATS) protein, a member of the KANADI (KAN) family of transcription factors, thereby repressing its activity. Here we report on the further characterization of the UCN mechanism. Phenotypic analysis of flowers of ucn-1 plants impaired in floral homeotic gene activity revealed that any of the four floral whorls could produce organs carrying ucn-1 protrusions. The ectopic outgrowths of ucn integuments did not accumulate detectable signals of the auxin and cytokinin reporters DR5rev::GFP and ARR5::GUS, respectively. Furthermore, wild-type and ucn-1 seedlings showed similarly strong callus formation upon in vitro culture on callus-inducing medium. We also show that ovules of ucn-1 plants carrying the dominant ats allele sk21-D exhibited more pronounced protrusion formation. Finally ovules of ucn-1 ett-1 double mutants and ucn-1 ett-1 arf4-1 triple mutants displayed an additive phenotype. These data deepen the molecular insight into the UCN-mediated control of planar growth during integument development. The presented evidence indicates that UCN downstream signaling does not involve the control of auxin or cytokinin homeostasis. The results also reveal that UCN interacts with ATS independently of an ATS/ETT complex required for integument

Sustained Attention of Adults with Mental Retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomporowski, Phillip D.; Allison, Pamela

1988-01-01

The sustained attention of 23 young adults with mild mental retardation and nonretarded subjects was assessed. Findings suggested that the sustained attention of the retarded differs from that of the nonretarded on those vigilance tasks that place demands on memory abilities. (Author/DB)

Suppression of discharge breakdown of polyethylene insulation during electron beam irradiation to power cable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, T.; Hosoi, F.; Kasai, N.; Hagiwara, M.

1981-01-01

In an attempt to apply the electron beam process to the crosslinking procedure for polyethylene insulation of high tension power cables, the suppression of discharge breakdown during irradiation has been investigated in the presence of crosslinking agents. Alkylamines of strong basicity and secondary or tertiary alcoholamines were found to be effective additives to suppress the discharge breakdown. The retardation of crosslinking by amines was minimized by reducing the amount of an amine and adding an alcohol instead. Polyethylene compounds contaning crosslinking agents, amines and alcohols which gave properties suitable for insulating a cable were obtained. The feasibility of these results are ascertained by irradiating cable specimens of a 22 kV class. (author)

Fire-Retardant, Self-Extinguishing Inorganic/Polymer Composite Memory Foams.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Soumyajyoti; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan; Kumaraswamy, Guruswamy

2017-12-27

Polymeric foams used in furniture and automotive and aircraft seating applications rely on the incorporation of environmentally hazardous fire-retardant additives to meet fire safety norms. This has occasioned significant interest in novel approaches to the elimination of fire-retardant additives. Foams based on polymer nanocomposites or based on fire-retardant coatings show compromised mechanical performance and require additional processing steps. Here, we demonstrate a one-step preparation of a fire-retardant ice-templated inorganic/polymer hybrid that does not incorporate fire-retardant additives. The hybrid foams exhibit excellent mechanical properties. They are elastic to large compressional strain, despite the high inorganic content. They also exhibit tunable mechanical recovery, including viscoelastic "memory". These hybrid foams are prepared using ice-templating that relies on a green solvent, water, as a porogen. Because these foams are predominantly comprised of inorganic components, they exhibit exceptional fire retardance in torch burn tests and are self-extinguishing. After being subjected to a flame, the foam retains its porous structure and does not drip or collapse. In micro-combustion calorimetry, the hybrid foams show a peak heat release rate that is only 25% that of a commercial fire-retardant polyurethanes. Finally, we demonstrate that we can use ice-templating to prepare hybrid foams with different inorganic colloids, including cheap commercial materials. We also demonstrate that ice-templating is amenable to scale up, without loss of mechanical performance or fire-retardant properties.

BDE-47 causes developmental retardation with down-regulated expression profiles of ecdysteroid signaling pathway-involved nuclear receptor (NR) genes in the copepod Tigriopus japonicus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Dae-Sik; Han, Jeonghoon; Won, Eun-Ji; Kim, Duck-Hyun; Jeong, Chang-Bum [Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Un-Ki [Marine Ecological Risk Assessment Center, West Sea Fisheries Research Institute, National Fisheries Research & Development Institute, Incheon 46083 (Korea, Republic of); Zhou, Bingsheng [State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072 (China); Choe, Joonho [Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae-Seong, E-mail: jslee2@skku.edu [Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • The developmental rate was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) in response to BDE-47. • Expression profiles of nearly all NR genes were the highest at naupliar stages 5–6. • USP, HR96, and FTZ-F1 genes showed significant sex differences (P < 0.05) over different developmental stages. • NR gene expression patterns showed significant decreases (P<0.05) in response to BDE-47. • BDE-47 leads to molting and metamorphosis retardation and suppresses transcription of NR genes. - Abstract: 2,2′,4,4′-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) in marine environments. Despite its adverse effects (e.g. developmental retardation) in ecdysozoa, the effects of BDE-47 on transcription of ecdysteroid signaling pathway-involved-nuclear receptor (NR) genes and metamorphosis-related genes have not been examined in copepods. To examine the deleterious effect of BDE-47 on copepod molting and metamorphosis, BDE-47 was exposed to the harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus japonicus, followed by monitoring developmental retardation and transcriptional alteration of NR genes. The developmental rate was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) in response to BDE-47 and the agricultural insecticide gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane. Conversely, the ecdysteroid agonist ponasterone A (PoA) led to decreased molting and metamorphosis time (P < 0.05) from the nauplius stage to the adult stage. In particular, expression profiles of all NR genes were the highest at naupliar stages 5–6 except for SVP, FTZ-F1, and HR96 genes. Nuclear receptor USP, HR96, and FTZ-F1 genes also showed significant sex differences (P < 0.05) in gene expression levels over different developmental stages, indicating that these genes may be involved in vitellogenesis. NR gene expression patterns showed significant decreases (P < 0.05) in response to BDE-47 exposure, implying that molting and metamorphosis retardation is likely associated with NR gene expression. In summary, BDE-47

BDE-47 causes developmental retardation with down-regulated expression profiles of ecdysteroid signaling pathway-involved nuclear receptor (NR) genes in the copepod Tigriopus japonicus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Dae-Sik; Han, Jeonghoon; Won, Eun-Ji; Kim, Duck-Hyun; Jeong, Chang-Bum; Hwang, Un-Ki; Zhou, Bingsheng; Choe, Joonho; Lee, Jae-Seong

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The developmental rate was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) in response to BDE-47. • Expression profiles of nearly all NR genes were the highest at naupliar stages 5–6. • USP, HR96, and FTZ-F1 genes showed significant sex differences (P < 0.05) over different developmental stages. • NR gene expression patterns showed significant decreases (P<0.05) in response to BDE-47. • BDE-47 leads to molting and metamorphosis retardation and suppresses transcription of NR genes. - Abstract: 2,2′,4,4′-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) in marine environments. Despite its adverse effects (e.g. developmental retardation) in ecdysozoa, the effects of BDE-47 on transcription of ecdysteroid signaling pathway-involved-nuclear receptor (NR) genes and metamorphosis-related genes have not been examined in copepods. To examine the deleterious effect of BDE-47 on copepod molting and metamorphosis, BDE-47 was exposed to the harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus japonicus, followed by monitoring developmental retardation and transcriptional alteration of NR genes. The developmental rate was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) in response to BDE-47 and the agricultural insecticide gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane. Conversely, the ecdysteroid agonist ponasterone A (PoA) led to decreased molting and metamorphosis time (P < 0.05) from the nauplius stage to the adult stage. In particular, expression profiles of all NR genes were the highest at naupliar stages 5–6 except for SVP, FTZ-F1, and HR96 genes. Nuclear receptor USP, HR96, and FTZ-F1 genes also showed significant sex differences (P < 0.05) in gene expression levels over different developmental stages, indicating that these genes may be involved in vitellogenesis. NR gene expression patterns showed significant decreases (P < 0.05) in response to BDE-47 exposure, implying that molting and metamorphosis retardation is likely associated with NR gene expression. In summary, BDE-47

Growth charts for children with Ellis-van Creveld syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Verbeek (Sabine); P.H.C. Eilers (Paul); K.A. Lawrence (Karen); R.C.M. Hennekam (Raoul); F.G. Versteegh (Florens)

2011-01-01

textabstractEllis-van Creveld (EvC) syndrome is a congenital malformation syndrome with marked growth retardation. In this study, specific growth charts for EvC patients were derived to allow better follow-up of growth and earlier detection of growth patterns unusual for EvC. With the use of 235

Growth charts for children with Ellis-van Creveld syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verbeek, Sabine; Eilers, Paul H. C.; Lawrence, Kate; Hennekam, Raoul C. M.; Versteegh, Florens G. A.

2011-01-01

Ellis-van Creveld (EvC) syndrome is a congenital malformation syndrome with marked growth retardation. In this study, specific growth charts for EvC patients were derived to allow better follow-up of growth and earlier detection of growth patterns unusual for EvC. With the use of 235 observations of

Analysis of the microbial growth in 60Co γ-irradiated foods by calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furuta, Masakazu; Hayashi, Toshio; Hamasaki, Koji; Wirkner, Sandra; Constantinoiu, Elena; Takahashi, Katsutada

2002-01-01

Using a heat conduction calorimeter equipped with 24 sample units the heat evolutions from growing 60 Co γ-irradiated bioburden of black pepper seeds and frozen beef were detected in the form of growth thermograms. 60 Co γ-irradiation affected the growth pattern in which a dose-dependent reduction of the growth rate constant was observed together with the retardation in growth, indicating a combination of bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects. We successfully determined the minimal inactivation doses for the two food samples using the relationship between the irradiation dose and the retardation in growth t α , or the growth rate constant μ obtained from the growth thermograms. These results strongly suggested the possibility of calorimetry as measure of predictive microbiology in food irradiation. (author)

Analysis of the microbial growth in 60Co gamma-irradiated foods by calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furuta, M.; Hamasaki, K.; Wirkner, S.; Constantinoiu, E.; Takahashi, K.; Hayashi, T.

2002-01-01

Using a heat conduction calorimeter equipped with 24 sample units the heat evolutions from growing 60Co gamma-irradiated bioburden of black pepper seeds and frozen beef were detected in the form of growth thermograms. 60Co gamma-irradiation affected the growth pattern in which a dose-dependent reduction of the growth rate constant was observed together with the retardation in growth, indicating a combination of bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects. We successfully determined the minimal inactivation doses for the two food samples using the relationship between the irradiation dose and the retardation in growth talpha, or the growth rate constant mu obtained from the growth thermograms. These results strongly suggested the possibility of calorimetry as a measure of predictive microbiology in food irradiation

Plant Growth Promotion and Suppression of Bacterial Leaf Blight in Rice by Inoculated Bacteria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumera Yasmin

Full Text Available The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of rice rhizosphere associated antagonistic bacteria for growth promotion and disease suppression of bacterial leaf blight (BLB. A total of 811 rhizospheric bacteria were isolated and screened against 3 prevalent strains of BLB pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo of which five antagonistic bacteria, i.e., Pseudomonas spp. E227, E233, Rh323, Serratia sp. Rh269 and Bacillus sp. Rh219 showed antagonistic potential (zone of inhibition 1-19 mm. Production of siderophores was found to be the common biocontrol determinant and all the strains solubilized inorganic phosphate (82-116 μg mL-1 and produced indole acetic acid (0.48-1.85 mg L-1 in vitro. All antagonistic bacteria were non-pathogenic to rice, and their co-inoculation significantly improved plant health in terms of reduced diseased leaf area (80%, improved shoot length (31%, root length (41% and plant dry weight (60% as compared to infected control plants. Furthermore, under pathogen pressure, bacterial inoculation resulted in increased activity of defense related enzymes including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenol oxidase, along with 86% increase in peroxidase and 53% increase in catalase enzyme activities in plants inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. Rh323 as well as co-inoculated plants. Bacterial strains showed good colonization potential in the rice rhizosphere up to 21 days after seed inoculation. Application of bacterial consortia in the field resulted in an increase of 31% in grain yield and 10% in straw yield over non-inoculated plots. Although, yield increase was statistically non-significant but was accomplished with overall saving of 20% chemical fertilizers. The study showed that Pseudomonas sp. Rh323 can be used to develop dual-purpose inoculum which can serve not only to suppress BLB but also to promote plant growth in rice.

Perceptual-Motor Attributes of Mentally Retarded Youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Cratty, Bryant J.

To evaluate six perceptual-motor attributes of trainable and educable mentally retarded children, a battery of tests was constructed which included body perception, gross agility, balance, locomotor ability, throwing, and tracking; 83 retarded subjects provided reliability data, and their scores, with those of 120 additional subjects, provided…

Growth Kinetics and Modeling of Direct Oxynitride Growth with NO-O2 Gas Mixtures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Everist, Sarah; Nelson, Jerry; Sharangpani, Rahul; Smith, Paul Martin; Tay, Sing-Pin; Thakur, Randhir

1999-05-03

We have modeled growth kinetics of oxynitrides grown in NO-O₂ gas mixtures from first principles using modified Deal-Grove equations. Retardation of oxygen diffusion through the nitrided dielectric was assumed to be the dominant growth-limiting step. The model was validated against experimentally obtained curves with good agreement. Excellent uniformity, which exceeded expected walues, was observed.

Suppression of emittance growth caused by mechanical vibrations of magnetic elements in presence of beam-beam effects in the SSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedev, V.A.; Parkhomchuk, V.V.; Shil'tsev, V.D.; Skrinskij, A.N.

1991-01-01

A ground motion produces shifts of storage ring quadrupoles. It strongly influences on the beam behaviour in large proton (anti)proton colliders due to the closed orbit distortion and due to the transverse emittance growth. Calculations of both effects are presented in this paper. An active feedback system is useful for the emittance growth suppression. It is shown that in this case the main parameter which determines the emittance growth is the betatron tune spread due to the beam-beam effects. A simple analytical model is considered which results are in good coincidence with computer simulations. All calculations are adapted to the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). 13 refs.; 9 figs.; 3 tabs

Pokemon siRNA Delivery Mediated by RGD-Modified HBV Core Protein Suppressed the Growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Jing; Liu, Xiaoping; Jia, Jianbo; Wu, Jinsheng; Wu, Ning; Chen, Jun; Fang, Fang

2015-10-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a deadly human malignant tumor that is among the most common cancers in the world, especially in Asia. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been well established as a high risk factor for hepatic malignance. Studies have shown that Pokemon is a master oncogene for HCC growth, suggesting it as an ideal therapeutic target. However, efficient delivery system is still lacking for Pokemon targeting treatment. In this study, we used core proteins of HBV, which is modified with RGD peptides, to construct a biomimetic vector for the delivery of Pokemon siRNAs (namely, RGD-HBc-Pokemon siRNA). Quantitative PCR and Western blot assays revealed that RGD-HBc-Pokemon siRNA possessed the highest efficiency of Pokemon suppression in HCC cells. In vitro experiments further indicated that RGD-HBc-Pokemon-siRNA exerted a higher tumor suppressor activity on HCC cell lines, evidenced by reduced proliferation and attenuated invasiveness, than Pokemon-siRNA or RGD-HBc alone. Finally, animal studies demonstrated that RGD-HBc-Pokemon siRNA suppressed the growth of HCC xenografts in mice by a greater extent than Pokemon-siRNA or RGD-HBc alone. Based on the above results, Pokemon siRNA delivery mediated by RGD-modified HBV core protein was shown to be an effective strategy of HCC gene therapy.

Ganoderma lucidum suppresses growth of breast cancer cells through the inhibition of Akt/NF-kappaB signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jiahua; Slivova, Veronika; Harvey, Kevin; Valachovicova, Tatiana; Sliva, Daniel

2004-01-01

Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi, Lingzhi) is a popular Asian mushroom that has been used for more than 2 millennia for the general promotion of health and was therefore called the "Mushroom of Immortality." Ganoderma lucidum was also used in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent or treat a variety of diseases, including cancer. We previously demonstrated that Ganoderma lucidum suppresses the invasive behavior of breast cancer cells by inhibiting the transcription factor NF-kappaB. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the inhibitory effects of Ganoderma lucidum on the growth of highly invasive and metastatic breast cancer cells has not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that Ganoderma lucidum inhibits proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells by downregulating Akt/NF-kappaB signaling. Ganoderma lucidum suppresses phosphorylation of Akt on Ser473 and downregulates the expression of Akt, which results in the inhibition of NF-kappaB activity in MDA-MB-231 cells. The biological effect of Ganoderma lucidum was demonstrated by cell cycle arrest at G0/G1, which was the result of the downregulation of expression of NF-kappaB-regulated cyclin D1, followed by the inhibition of cdk4. Our results suggest that Ganoderma lucidum inhibits the growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells by modulating Akt/NF-kappaB signaling and could have potential therapeutic use for the treatment of breast cancer.

Growth and endocrine disorders secondary to cranial irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rappaport, R; Brauner, R

1989-06-01

External cranial radiation for the treatment of malignant diseases has become a frequent cause of growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The timing of occurrence and the frequency of GHD were related to the hypothalamic-pituitary radiation dose. Frequency varied from 50% in leukemia (2400 cGy) to 75% in face and neck tumors or medulloblastoma (2500-4500 cGy) and up to 100% in optic glioma (greater than 4500 cGy). The significantly more severe growth deficit in patients with GHD given higher radiation doses suggests different levels of residual GH secretion according to radiation dosage. The minimum harmful radiation dose is probably close to 1800-2000 cGy. Our data show that stimulation tests remain a useful means of defining GHD and predicting growth. A fair agreement between GH secretion and growth was found in most cases, regardless of the radiation dose. The only exception was a group of leukemic children (2400 cGy) who achieved normal prepubertal growth despite a low GH response. The 24-h spontaneous plasma GH profiles and IGF-I measurements may add information if growth is retarded despite a normal GH response. We showed that growth retardation occurring after some schedules of total body irradiation was not due to GH deficiency but rather to radiation-induced skeletal lesions. Early or true precocious puberty, generally associated with GHD, was another cause of height loss. As the role of GH deficiency in the final height reduction was demonstrated in all groups of patients after cranial radiation, we suggest that hGH therapy should be considered in any child with proven GH deficiency and significant growth retardation after such radiation. 77 references.

Growth profiles of 34 patients with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimojima, Keiko; Yamamoto, Toshiyuki

2012-03-01

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) encompasses multiple congenital anomalies and mental retardation and is caused by partial deletions in the short arm of chromosome 4. Prenatal-onset growth deficiency is one of the WHS characteristics. Assessing and recording growth profiles of patients with WHS were the aims of this study. Anonymous questionnaire surveys were conducted with cooperation of a WHS peer-support group in Japan, and data from 34 WHS patients (12 males and 22 females; age, 1-23 years) were retrospectively collected. Height, weight, and head circumference (occipitofrontal head circumference) were measured and plotted on the standard growth charts of healthy Japanese children. Results indicated that most WHS patients showed growth retardation under the 3rd percentile since the first year of life and extremely poor body-weight gain after pubertal age. These findings are characteristic of WHS patients. The assessed growth patterns in this study could help monitoring and documentation of growth of WHS patients.

Effect of tensile overloads on fatigue crack growth of high strength steel wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haag, J.; Reguly, A.; Strohaecker, T.R.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • A proof load process may be an option to increase the fatigue life of flexible pipelines. • There is possibility to produce plastic deformation at crack tip of tensile armor wires. • Controlled overloads provide effective crack growth retardation. • Crack growth retardation is also evident at higher stress ratios. - Abstract: Fatigue of the tensile armor wires is the main failure mode of flexible risers. Techniques to increase the life of these components are required to improve the processes safety on oil exploration. This work evaluates the crack growth retardation of high strength steel wires used in flexible pipelines. Fracture toughness tests were performed to establish the level of stress intensity factor wherein the wires present significant plastic deformation at the crack tip. The effect of tensile overload on fatigue behavior was assessed by fatigue crack growth testing under constant ΔK control and different overload ratios with two different load ratios. The outcomes show that the application of controlled overloads provides crack retardation and increases the fatigue life of the wires more than 31%. This behavior is also evident at stress ratio of 0.5, in spite of the crack closure effect being minimized by increasing the applied mean stress

Differences in xylogenesis between dominant and suppressed trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shushan; Li, Xiaoxia; Rossi, Sergio; Wang, Lily; Li, Wei; Liang, Eryuan; Leavitt, Steven W

2018-05-01

Most dendroecological studies focus on dominant trees, but little is known about the growing season of trees belonging to different size classes and their sensitivity to biotic factors. The objective of this study was to compare the dynamics of xylem formation between dominant and suppressed trees of Abies fabri of similar age growing in the Gongga Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau, and to identify the association between xylem growth and climate. The timing and duration of xylogenesis in histological sections were investigated weekly during the 2013-2015 growing seasons. Our investigation found that timing and duration of xylogenesis varied with canopy position and its associated tree size. Xylogenesis started 6-14 days earlier, and ended 5-11 days later in dominant trees than in suppressed trees, resulting in a significantly longer growing season. Dominant trees also exhibited higher temperature sensitivity of tracheid production rate than suppressed trees. The observed differences in xylogenesis among trees suggested that competition affects tree growth by reducing the growing period in suppressed trees. Representative climate-growth relationships should involve trees of all size classes when evaluating the effects of the environment on forest dynamics. © 2018 Botanical Society of America.

Fire retardant polyisocyanurate foam

Science.gov (United States)

Riccitiello, S. R.; Parker, J. A.

1972-01-01

Fire retardant properties of low density polymer foam are increased. Foam has pendant nitrile groups which form thermally-stable heterocyclic structures at temperature below degradation temperature of urethane linkages.

Conjugated docosahexaenoic acid suppresses KPL-1 human breast cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo: potential mechanisms of action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsujita-Kyutoku, Miki; Ogawa, Yutaka; Tsubura, Airo; Yuri, Takashi; Danbara, Naoyuki; Senzaki, Hideto; Kiyozuka, Yasuhiko; Uehara, Norihisa; Takada, Hideho; Hada, Takahiko; Miyazawa, Teruo

2004-01-01

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of conjugated docosahexaenoic acid (CDHA) on cell growth, cell cycle progression, mode of cell death, and expression of cell cycle regulatory and/or apoptosis-related proteins in KPL-1 human breast cancer cell line. This effect of CDHA was compared with that of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). KPL-1 cell growth was assessed by colorimetric 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay; cell cycle progression and mode of cell death were examined by flow cytometry; and levels of expression of p53, p21 Cip1/Waf1 , cyclin D 1 , Bax, and Bcl-2 proteins were examined by Western blotting analysis. In vivo tumor growth was examined by injecting KPL-1 cells subcutaneously into the area of the right thoracic mammary fat pad of female athymic mice fed a CDHA diet. CDHA inhibited KPL-1 cells more effectively than did DHA (50% inhibitory concentration for 72 hours: 97 μmol/l and 270 μmol/l, respectively). With both CDHA and DHA growth inhibition was due to apoptosis, as indicated by the appearance of a sub-G 1 fraction. The apoptosis cascade involved downregulation of Bcl-2 protein; Bax expression was unchanged. Cell cycle progression was due to G 0 /G 1 arrest, which involved increased expression of p53 and p21 Cip1/Waf1 , and decreased expression of cyclin D 1 . CDHA modulated cell cycle regulatory proteins and apoptosis-related proteins in a manner similar to that of parent DHA. In the athymic mouse system 1.0% dietary CDHA, but not 0.2%, significantly suppressed growth of KPL-1 tumor cells; CDHA tended to decrease regional lymph node metastasis in a dose dependent manner. CDHA inhibited growth of KPL-1 human breast cancer cells in vitro more effectively than did DHA. The mechanisms of action involved modulation of apoptosis cascade and cell cycle progression. Dietary CDHA at 1.0% suppressed KPL-1 cell growth in the athymic mouse system

Referential first mention in narratives by mildly mentally retarded adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kernan, K T; Sabsay, S

1987-01-01

Referential first mentions in narrative reports of a short film by 40 mildly mentally retarded adults and 20 nonretarded adults were compared. The mentally retarded sample included equal numbers of male and female, and black and white speakers. The mentally retarded speakers made significantly fewer first mentions and significantly more errors in the form of the first mentions than did nonretarded speakers. A pattern of better performance by black males than by other mentally retarded speakers was found. It is suggested that task difficulty and incomplete mastery of the use of definite and indefinite forms for encoding old and new information, rather than some global type of egocentrism, accounted for the poorer performance by mentally retarded speakers.

Styrene maleic acid-encapsulated RL71 micelles suppress tumor growth in a murine xenograft model of triple negative breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Martey, Orleans; Nimick, Mhairi; Taurin, Sebastien; Sundararajan, Vignesh; Greish, Khaled; Rosengren, Rhonda J

2017-01-01

Patients with triple negative breast cancer have a poor prognosis due in part to the lack of targeted therapies. In the search for novel drugs, our laboratory has developed a second-generation curcumin derivative, 3,5-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene)-1-methylpiperidine-4-one (RL71), that exhibits potent in vitro cytotoxicity. To improve the clinical potential of this drug, we have encapsulated it in styrene maleic acid (SMA) micelles. SMA-RL71 showed improved biodistribution, and drug accumulation in the tumor increased 16-fold compared to control. SMA-RL71 (10 mg/kg, intravenously, two times a week for 2 weeks) also significantly suppressed tumor growth compared to control in a xenograft model of triple negative breast cancer. Free RL71 was unable to alter tumor growth. Tumors from SMA-RL71-treated mice showed a decrease in angiogenesis and an increase in apoptosis. The drug treatment also modulated various cell signaling proteins including the epidermal growth factor receptor, with the mechanisms for tumor suppression consistent with previous work with RL71 in vitro. The nanoformulation was also nontoxic as shown by normal levels of plasma markers for liver and kidney injury following weekly administration of SMA-RL71 (10 mg/kg) for 90 days. Thus, we report clinical potential following encapsulation of a novel curcumin derivative, RL71, in SMA micelles.

Procedure for growing Bi4Ge3O12 bismuth germanate single crystals with suppressed growth defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zikmund, J.; Blazek, K.; Jarolimek, O.; Horak, J.

1991-01-01

The method developed allows high-quality scintillator material to be grown reproducibly by the Czochralski method. The crystals attain diameters up to 80 mm and lengths up to 200 mm. The growth is performed on instruments equipped with devices for continuous measurement of weight increments of the growing crystals with a precision better than 10 mg. The growth parameters are controlled with a computer and based on actual data. The crystals are grown using an axial temperature gradient within the range of 25 to 35 degC/cm and a constant drawing rate within the range of 0.5 to 1.2 mm/h. An interface shape suitable for the suppression of defect development is achieved through a combination of the weight increment and rotation of the crystal. (M.D.)

Moral reasoning of Piagetian-matched retarded and nonretarded children and adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, J V

1983-09-01

The moral reasoning of four IQ/etiology groups was investigated: 19 organically abnormal moderately retarded, 19 organically abnormal mildly retarded, 19 mildly retarded due to psychosocial disadvantage, and 19 nonretarded individuals. In each group 12 Ss were preoperational and seven concrete operational. Moral reasoning was assessed by an instrument using moral dilemmas based on Kohlberg's procedures. The Slosson Intelligence Test was used to determine the IQs and mental ages of each S. Piagetian stage was determined with the standard conservation of number tasks. The findings indicated no overall significant differences between the mildly retarded and the nonretarded Ss or between the mildly retarded and the moderately retarded Ss, but differences were found between the moderately retarded and the nonretarded Ss. A significant interaction was found between the two independent variables, IQ/etiology and cognitive level. The results were discussed as supporting Zigler's development position and as damaging to Kohlberg's position.

Corticóide inalatório: efeitos no crescimento e na supressão adrenal Inhaled corticosteroids: effects on growth and adrenal suppression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisete E. Arend

2005-08-01

international scientific journals. There is considerable controversy regarding the side effects of inhaled corticosteroids. In 21 studies evaluating the effect that inhaled corticosteroids have on growth, a statistically significant reduction (growth retarded by 1-1.5 cm was observed within the first year of treatment with Beclomethasone or Budesonide inhalers. However, in studies of longer duration, no significant difference was found between final adult height and adult height of the parents. However, in ten studies of the use of inhaled corticosteroids and their effect on adrenal suppression, hypoglycemia and arrested development (no height or weight gains, as well as changes in morning serum levels and 24-h urinary levels of cortisol, were reported, especially when high doses of inhaled corticosteroids were used. Inhaled corticosteroids can reduce growth during the first year of use but do not affect adult height. However, further long-term studies are needed in order to determine the full impact of inhaled corticosteroids on final adult height. Height measures are a means of evaluating the safety and efficacy of the use of inhaled corticosteroids in children. Tests that evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and adrenal insufficiency should be correlated with clinical symptoms and side effects.

Suppression of elongation and growth of tomato seedlings by auxin biosynthesis inhibitors and modeling of the growth and environmental response.

Science.gov (United States)

Higashide, Tadahisa; Narukawa, Megumi; Shimada, Yukihisa; Soeno, Kazuo

2014-04-02

To develop a growth inhibitor, the effects of auxin inhibitors were investigated. Application of 30 μM L-α-aminooxy-β-phenylpropionic acid (AOPP) or (S)-methyl 2-((1,3-dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)oxy)-3-phenylpropanoate (KOK1101), decreased the endogenous IAA levels in tomato seedlings at 8 days after sowing. Then, 10-1200 μM AOPP or KOK1101 were sprayed on the leaves and stem of 2-3 leaf stage tomato plants grown under a range of environmental conditions. We predicted plant growth and environmental response using a model based on the observed suppression of leaf enlargement. Spraying AOPP or KOK1101 decreased stem length and leaf area. Concentration-dependent inhibitions and dose response curves were observed. Although the effects of the inhibitors on dry weight varied according to the environmental conditions, the net assimilation rate was not influenced by the inhibitors. Accordingly, the observed decrease in dry weight caused by the inhibitors may result from decreased leaf area. Validation of the model based on observed data independent of the dataset showed good correlations between the observed and predicted values of dry weight and leaf area index.

Dissipation and enantioselective degradation of plant growth retardants paclobutrazol and uniconazole in open field, greenhouse, and laboratory soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chengwang; Sun, Jianqiang; Zhang, Anping; Liu, Weiping

2013-01-15

Greenhouses are increasingly important in human food supply. Pesticides used in greenhouses play important roles in horticulture; however, little is known about their behavior in greenhouse environments. This work investigates the dissipation and enantioselctive degradation of plant growth retardants including paclobutrazol and uniconazole in soils under three conditions (i.e., open field, greenhouse, and laboratory). The dissipation and enantioselective degradation of paclobutrazol and uniconazole in greenhouse were different from those in open field; they were more persistent in greenhouse than in open field soil. Leaching produced by rainfall is responsible for the difference in dissipation. Thus, local environmental impacts may occur more easily inside greenhouses, while groundwater may be more contaminated in open field. Spike concentrations of 5, 10, and 20 times the concentrations of native residues were tested for the enantioselective dissipation of the two pesticides; the most potent enantioselective degradation of paclobutrazol and uniconazole occurred at the 10 times that of the native residues in the greenhouse environments and at 20 times native residues in open field environments. The higher soil activity in greenhouses than in open fields was thought to be responsible for such a difference. The environmental risk and regulation of paclobutrazol and uniconazole should be considered at the enantiomeric level.

Suppression of tumor growth and angiogenesis by a specific antagonist of the cell-surface expressed nucleolin.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damien Destouches

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Emerging evidences suggest that nucleolin expressed on the cell surface is implicated in growth of tumor cells and angiogenesis. Nucleolin is one of the major proteins of the nucleolus, but it is also expressed on the cell surface where is serves as a binding protein for variety of ligands implicated in cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, mitogenesis and angiogenesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By using a specific antagonist that binds the C-terminal tail of nucleolin, the HB-19 pseudopeptide, here we show that the growth of tumor cells and angiogenesis are suppressed in various in vitro and in vivo experimental models. HB-19 inhibited colony formation in soft agar of tumor cell lines, impaired migration of endothelial cells and formation of capillary-like structures in collagen gel, and reduced blood vessel branching in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane. In athymic nude mice, HB-19 treatment markedly suppressed the progression of established human breast tumor cell xenografts in nude mice, and in some cases eliminated measurable tumors while displaying no toxicity to normal tissue. This potent antitumoral effect is attributed to the direct inhibitory action of HB-19 on both tumor and endothelial cells by blocking and down regulating surface nucleolin, but without any apparent effect on nucleolar nucleolin. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results illustrate the dual inhibitory action of HB-19 on the tumor development and the neovascularization process, thus validating the cell-surface expressed nucleolin as a strategic target for an effective cancer drug. Consequently, the HB-19 pseudopeptide provides a unique candidate to consider for innovative cancer therapy.

Body Awareness in Children with Mental Retardation

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Johan; Dedroog, Inge

2009-01-01

The body awareness of 124 toddlers with mental retardation and of 124 children developing normally matched to them on age and gender was examined. Twenty-nine of the children with mental retardation were diagnosed as Down syndrome (DS). The "Pointing and Naming" Test of Berges and Lezine [Berges, J., & Lezine, I. (1978). "Test d'imitation de…

Flame retardancy and thermal properties of epoxy acrylate resin/alpha-zirconium phosphate nanocomposites used for UV-curing flame retardant films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xing Weiyi; Jie Ganxin; Song Lei; Wang Xin; Lv Xiaoqi; Hu Yuan

2011-01-01

This paper reported the UV-curing flame retardant film, which consisted of epoxy acrylate resin (EA) used as an oligomer, tri(acryloyloxyethyl) phosphate (TAEP) and triglycidyl isocyanurate acrylate (TGICA) used as flame retardant (FR). The flame retardancy and thermal properties of films were reinforced by using alpha-zirconium phosphate (α-Zr (HPO 4 ) 2 H 2 O, α-ZrP). The morphology of nanocomposite film was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the organophilic α-ZrP (OZrP) layers were dispersed well in epoxy acrylate resin. Microscale Combustion Calorimeter (MCC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermogravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry (TGA-IR) were used to characterize the flame retardant property and thermal stability. It was found that the incorporation of TAEP and TGICA can reduce the flammability of EA. Moreover, further reductions were observed due to the addition of OZrP. The char residue for systems with or without OZrP was also explored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Achievement report for fiscal 2000 on investigations and researches on promotion of utilization of waste energies that can deal with environmental load suppression; 2000 nendo kankyo fuka yokusei taio haikibutsu energy riyo sokushin chosa kenkyu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

This paper describes the achievements in fiscal 2000 in investigating generation mechanisms and suppression of dioxins from refuse incinerators, and in investigating non-bromine flame retardant materials (having a possibility of generating hazardous material such as bromine-based dioxin during combustion). To produce poly-chlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs)/PC dibenzo furans (PCDFs) (dioxins, but not containing Co-PCB) in a small fluidized bed combustor for simulated refuse derived fuel (RDF), both of chlorine source and hydrocarbon are required. If the primary combustion furnace temperature is high and the air excess rate is low, the concentration of the dioxins increase. In addition, since oxygen shortage in temporal and spatial locals or excessive concentration zone of unburned hydrocarbons imposes great effect, promotion of turbulence mixing is important. In producing dioxins, vaporization from dust due to interference with the combustion gas, and copper and iron catalysts have great effect, whereas SOx in the combustion gas has suppression effect. Flame retardant materials can provide specific flame retardation effect to particular plastics in a temperature zone slightly lower than the combustion temperature. The paper also describes development of new flame retardant materials. (NEDO)

[Clinical features of strabismus in psychomotor retardation].

Science.gov (United States)

Arias-Cabello, Belina; Arroyo-Yllanes, María Estela; Pérez-Pérez, José Fernando; Fonte-Vázquez, Anselmo

2016-01-01

In psychomotor retardation there is an abnormal development of mental, sensory and motor skills associated with ocular manifestations. There are biological and psychosocial risk factors that predispose an individual to neurological damage. From 50% to 80% of patients with strabismus retardation have special features that differentiate it from the rest of strabismus in healthy patients. To determine the most common type of strabismus in patients with psychomotor retardation and their clinical features. Patients with psychomotor retardation and strabismus were included. An ophthalmological examination was performed, as well as an evaluation of the characteristics of strabismus, including perinatal and post-natal history. Esotropia was the most frequent squint with 65.3%, followed by exotropia with 32.7%. The variability in the squint magnitude was 60% in both types, and 6 patients had dissociated vertical deviation. Most of the patients started to present strabismus since they were born. The most frequent perinatal risk factors were threatened miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, foetal distress, and hypoxia. Esotropia is the most common type of strabismus in psychomotor retardation. The variability of squint magnitude is a characteristic in these patients. The moderate variability is the most frequent in both esotropia and exotropia. The most common refractive error is hyperopic astigmatism in esotropia and the myopic kind in exotropia. Copyright © 2015 Academia Mexicana de Cirugía A.C. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Dual knockdown of N-ras and epiregulin synergistically suppressed the growth of human hepatoma cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Meng; He, Hong-wei; Sun, Huan-xing; Ren, Kai-huan [Department of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100050 (China); Shao, Rong-guang, E-mail: shaor@bbn.cn [Department of Oncology, Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100050 (China)

2009-09-18

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major challenge because of its resistance to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Multi-targeted therapy might be a new option for HCC treatment. Our previous study showed that N-ras gene was activated in HCC and was inhibited by RNA interference. In the present study, we investigated the alternation of gene expression by microarray in N-Ras-siRNA-treated HepG2 cells. The results revealed that the EREG gene, encoding epiregulin, was dramatically up-regulated in response to silence of N-ras. We speculated that the up-regulation of epiregulin was involved in the compensatory mechanism of N-ras knockdown for cell growth. Therefore, we evaluated whether dual silence of N-ras and epiregulin display a greater suppression of cell growth. The results confirmed that dual knockdown of N-ras and epiregulin synergistically inhibited cell growth. Our results also showed that dual knockdown of N-ras and epiregulin significantly induced cell arrest at G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, Western blot assay showed that dual knockdown of N-ras and epiregulin markedly reduced the phosphorylations of ERK1/2, Akt and Rb, and inhibited the expression of cyclin D1. Our findings imply that multi-targeted silence of oncogenes might be an effective treatment for HCC.

Adeno-associated virus-mediated doxycycline-regulatable TRAIL expression suppresses growth of human breast carcinoma in nude mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Liu; Weilun, Zhang; Minghong, Jiang; Yaxi, Zhang; Shilian, Liu; Yanxin, Liu; Dexian, Zheng

2012-01-01

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) functions as a cytokine to selectively kill various cancer cells without toxicity to most normal cells. Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential use of recombinant soluble TRAIL as a cancer therapeutic agent. We have showed previous administration of a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector expressing soluble TRAIL results in an efficient suppression of human tumor growth in nude mice. In the present study, we introduced Tet-On gene expression system into the rAAV vector to control the soluble TRAIL expression and evaluate the efficiency of the system in cancer gene therapy. Controllability of the Tet-On system was determined by luciferase activity assay, and Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. The breast cancer xenograft animal model was established and recombinant virus was administrated through tail vein injection to evaluate the tumoricidal activity. The expression of soluble TRAIL could be strictly controlled by the Tet-On system in both normal and cancer cells. Transduction of human cancer cell lines with rAAV-TRE-TRAIL&rAAV-Tet-On under the presence of inducer doxycycline resulted in a considerable cell death by apoptosis. Intravenous injection of the recombinant virus efficiently suppressed the growth of human breast carcinoma in nude mice when activated by doxycycline. These data suggest that rAAV-mediated soluble TRAIL expression under the control of the Tet-On system is a promising strategy for breast cancer therapy

Psychiatric Illness in Mentally Retarded Adolescents: Clinical Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Masi, Gabriele

1998-01-01

Describes the clinical features of the most important psychiatric disorders in mentally retarded adolescents: mood disorders, psychotic disorders, severe behavioral disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and attention-deficit The impact of mental retardation on personality development is confirmed by the high psychopathological…

The Van Hiele geometry thinking levels of mild mental retardation students

Science.gov (United States)

Shomad, Z. A.; Kusmayadi, T. A.; Riyadi

2017-12-01

This research is to investigate the level of mild mental retardation geometry students thinking. This research focuses on the geometry thinking level based on Van Hiele theory. This study uses qualitative methods with case study strategy. Data obtained from observation and tests result. The subjects are 12 mental retardation students. The result show that ability of mild mental retardation students with each other is different but have same level of level thinking geometry. The geometry thinking level of mental retardation students was identified in level 1 of the Van Hiele theory. Based on the level thinking geometry of mental retardation students simplify geometry thinking teachers in selecting appropriate learning methods, choose the materials in accordance with ability, and can modify the material following the geometry thinking level of mental retardation students.

Retarded Boson–Fermion interaction in atomic systems

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

WINTEC

The retardation effect arises from the finite speed of light, and the fact that a virtual photon is always in transit. By separating the center of mass motion, a wave equa- tion that looks like the effective equation for only one spin-1/2 fermion is derived in §3. The retardation ef- fect can now be calculated to all orders. Separation ...

Nonstatic one-boson-exchange potential with retardation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obinata, Toshio; Wada, Masanobu

1975-01-01

A one-boson-exchange potential (OBEP) with retardation represented in coordinate space is proposed, that produces a good fit to the experimental data such as the nuclear phase shifts, the deuteron properties and two-nucleon low-energy parameters. In addition to the scalar sigma 0 and Δ mesons, the well-established π, eta, ω and rho mesons have been exchanged in our OBEP. In the core region the hard core, Gaussian soft core and velocity-dependent core potentials are adopted. The characteristics of the retardation are discussed in detail as compared with those given in momentum space calculations. The OBEP's with and without retardation reproduce essentially the same phase shifts in spite of very different potential shapes, in particular in the central-to-tensor ratio. (auth.)

Growth curves for Laron syndrome.

OpenAIRE

Laron, Z; Lilos, P; Klinger, B

1993-01-01

Growth curves for children with Laron syndrome were constructed on the basis of repeated measurements made throughout infancy, childhood, and puberty in 24 (10 boys, 14 girls) of the 41 patients with this syndrome investigated in our clinic. Growth retardation was already noted at birth, the birth length ranging from 42 to 46 cm in the 12/20 available measurements. The postnatal growth curves deviated sharply from the normal from infancy on. Both sexes showed no clear pubertal spurt. Girls co...

Piagetian Object Permanence in Severely Mentally Retarded Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Brekke, Beverly; And Others

The measurability of sensorimotor development in 60 severely retarded, institutionalized adults was studied, using the Piagetian concept of object permanence in a delayed recall paradigm that involved special apparatus. Results suggested, among other things, that severely retarded, institutionalized adults learn most efficiently when trained with…

The HLJ1-targeting drug screening identified Chinese herb andrographolide that can suppress tumour growth and invasion in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Yi-Hua; Yu, Sung-Liang; Chen, Hsuan-Yu; Wang, Chi-Chung; Chen, Huei-Wen; Chen, Jeremy J W

2013-05-01

HLJ1 is a novel tumour suppressor and is a potential druggable target for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this report, using a promoter-containing enhancer region as the HLJ1-targeting drug-screening platform, we identified several herbal compounds from a Chinese herbal bank with the capacity to enhance HLJ1 promoter activity and suppress tumour growth and invasion of NSCLC. Among the herbal drugs identified, the andrographolide (from Andrographis paniculata [Burm. f.] Nees.) most significantly induced HLJ1 expression and suppressed tumorigenesis both in vitro and in vivo. The andrographolide upregulates HLJ1 via JunB activation, which modulates AP-2α binding at the MMP-2 promoter and represses the expression of MMP-2. In addition, silencing of HLJ1 partially reverses the inhibition of cancer-cell invasion by andrographolide. Microarray transcriptomic analysis was performed to comprehensively depict the andrographolide-regulated signalling pathways. We showed that andrographolide can affect 939 genes (analysis of variance, false discovery rate andrographolide on anticancer invasion and proliferation. In conclusion, the HLJ1-targeting drug-screening platform is useful for screening of novel anticancer compounds. Using this platform, we identified andrographolide is a promising new anticancer agent that could suppress tumour growth and invasion in NSCLC.

125I-human epidermal growth factor specific binding to placentas and fetal membranes from varoius pregnancy states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, G.E.; Siddiqi, T.A.; Rao, Ch. V.; Carman, F.R.

1988-01-01

Specific binding of 125 I-human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) to homogenates of term human placentas and fetal membranes from normal and appropriate for gestational age (N = 20), intrauterine growth retarded (N = 9), twin (N = 11), White class A/B diabetic (N = 12), and large for gestational age (N = 13) pregnancies was measured. In all pregnancy states, placentas bound approximately four times more 125 I-hEGF than did fetal membranes (P 125 I-hEGF binding to fetal membranes from the various pregnancy states (P 125 I-hEGF specific binding to placentas from intrauterine growth retarded or twin pregnancies was significantly greater compared with placentas from normal and appropriate for gestational age pregnancies (P 125 I-hEGF specific binding did not differ between placentas from intrauterine growth retarded or twin pregnancies (P 125 I-hEGF binding did not vary with fetal sex, maternal race, placental weight, or gestational age between 37 to 42 weeks (P 125 I-hEGF binding increased with increasing infant weight when appropriate for gestational age and large for gestational age infants were included (P<0.05, r = 0.38, N = 32) but not for intrauterine growth retarded, appropriate for gestational age, or large for gestational age infants alone. (author)

Fears of institutionalized mentally retarded adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Sternlicht, M

1979-01-01

The patterns of fears of institutionalized mentally retarded adults were studied in a sample of i2 moderately retarded men and women between the ages of 21-49. The direct questioning method was employed. Two interviews were held, two weeks apart; the first interview elicited the Ss' fears, while the second concerned the fears of their friends. A total of 146 responses were obtained, and these were categorized according to the types of fears: supernatural-natural events, animals, physical injury, psychological stress, egocentric responses, and no fears. The Ss displayed a higher percentage of fears in the preoperational stage than in the concrete operational stage. In a comparison of male to female fears, only one category, that of fears of animals, reached significance. The study suggested that the same developmental trend of fears that appears in normal children appears in the retarded as well, and these fears follow Piaget's level of cognitive development, proceeding from egocentric perceptions of causality to realistic cause and effect thinking.

The difficulties of teacher in teaching geometry for mental retardation students

Science.gov (United States)

Shomad, Z. A.; Kusmayadi, T. A.; Riyadi

2018-03-01

The purpose of this research is to find out the problems faced by teachers in teaching materials on mental retardation students. It focused on the difficulties faced by the teacher in teaching geometry. A qualitative method with field study approach used in this study. The subjects in this research are the teacher and mild mental retardation students. There are six teachers and six students involve as the subject which is chosen by purposive sampling. The data of this research is the observation and interview against teachers and mental retardation students. The data was analyzed qualitatively with Miles and Huberman steps. The results of this research show that mental retardation students have less attention to the materials, less special books or learning media props, difficult in the set the students, and the difficulty in choosing the material that suits the student needs and the condition of mental retardation students. There's not much pay attention to the children with special need, particularly mental retardation student. Thus, this study can help analyze the difficulties teachers so that learning math for mental retardation students more optimal.

Dysmorphology and mental retardation: molecular cytogenetic studies in dysmorphic mentally retarded patients.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buggenhout, G.J.C.M. van; Ravenswaaij-Arts, C.M.A. van; Mieloo, H.; Syrrou, M.; Hamel, B.C.J.; Brunner, H.G.; Fryns, J.P.

2001-01-01

In an institutionalised population of 471 mentally retarded adult residents (436 males and 35 females), 18 patients (16 males and 2 females) with dysmorphic features were selected to perform FISH studies by using subtelomeric probes to discover cryptic terminal deletions or duplications,

Crusted piloleiomyoma with mental retardation: A rare association

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamboj Sangeeta

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Piloleiomyoma is an uncommon benign smooth muscle neoplasm arising from arrector pili muscle. It is clinically defined by the presence of solitary or multiple reddish brown, dome-shaped, smooth papules or nodules, ranging in size from a few millimeters to a centimeter. The patients are otherwise healthy; but mental retardation developing in some patients with multiple Piloleiomyomas has been emerging as an intriguing matter for analysis by the scientists. In this case report, a mentally retarded patient with Piloleiomyoma is described, who, besides the characteristic smooth and dome-shaped lesions on the anterolateral aspect of the dorsum of the right foot, had developed crusting on one of the largest lesions. The histopathological features were consistent with Piloleiomyoma. The occurrence of Piloleiomyoma in a mentally retarded child and its unusual crusted nature has been rarely reported. The association between Piloleiomyoma and mental retardation is further stressed in this case report.

Flame Retardant Effect of Nano Fillers on Polydimethylsiloxane Composites.

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Jagdale, Pravin; Salimpour, Samera; Islam, Md Hujjatul; Cuttica, Fabio; Hernandez, Francisco C Robles; Tagliaferro, Alberto; Frache, Alberto

2018-02-01

Polydimethylsiloxane has exceptional fire retardancy characteristics, which make it a popular polymer in flame retardancy applications. Flame retardancy of polydimethylsiloxane with different nano fillers was studied. Polydimethylsiloxane composite fire property varies because of the shape, size, density, and chemical nature of nano fillers. In house made carbon and bismuth oxide nano fillers were used in polydimethylsiloxane composite. Carbon from biochar (carbonised bamboo) and a carbon by-product (carbon soot) were selected. For comparative study of nano fillers, standard commercial multiwall carbon nano tubes (functionalised, graphitised and pristine) as nano fillers were selected. Nano fillers in polydimethylsiloxane positively affects their fire retardant properties such as total smoke release, peak heat release rate, and time to ignition. Charring and surface ceramization are the main reasons for such improvement. Nano fillers in polydimethylsiloxane may affect the thermal mobility of polymer chains, which can directly affect the time to ignition. The study concludes that the addition of pristine multiwall carbon nano tubes and bismuth oxide nano particles as filler in polydimethylsiloxane composite improves the fire retardant property.

Autism and Mental Retardation of Young Children in China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

XIN ZHANG; CHENG-YE JI

2005-01-01

Objective To understand the prevalence and rehabilitation status of autism and mental retardation in China. Methods Screening test and clinical assessment were conducted for the diagnosis of autism and mental retardation. The assessment included investigation of the histories of medical conditions and development of these two disorders, utilization and needs for the rehabilitation service, and related intellectual and behavioral appraisal. Results Among the 7345 children investigated, the prevalence of autism disorder was 1.10 cases per 1000 children aged 2-6 years (95% CI=0.34 to 2.54), and the prevalence of mental retardation was 10.76 cases per 1000 children (95% CI=8.40 to 13.12). All the children suffering from autistic disorder were intellectually disabled, whereas 31.0% of the non-autism mental retardates had other disabilities. The medical conditions prior to birth and perinatal period were important potential factors for autism. Half of the autistic children and 84% of the children with non-autism mental retardation had never received any rehabilitative service. Conclusions The prevalence of autistic disorder in children aged 2-6 years in Tianjin is rather high. It is urgent to improve the status of the autistic and intelligently disabled young children in China. In order to upgrade the level of early diagnostic and improve the intervention to autism and mental retardation, public awareness and training courses should be heightened.

Iconic Memory Deficit of Mildly Mentally Retarded Individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hornstein, Henry A.; Mosley, James L.

1987-01-01

Ten mildly retarded young adult males and nonretarded subjects matched for chronological age or mental age were required to recognize both verbal and nonverbal stimuli presented tachistoscopically. Results of a backward visual masking paradigm varying stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) indicated the retarded subjects performed poorer at the longest…

Down-Regulation by Resveratrol of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor-Stimulated Osteoprotegerin Synthesis through Suppression of Akt in Osteoblasts

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Gen Kuroyanagi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available It is firmly established that resveratrol, a natural food compound abundantly found in grape skins and red wine, has beneficial properties for human health. In the present study, we investigated the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2 on osteoprotegerin (OPG synthesis in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells and whether resveratrol affects the OPG synthesis. FGF-2 stimulated both the OPG release and the expression of OPG mRNA. Resveratrol significantly suppressed the FGF-2-stimulated OPG release and the mRNA levels of OPG. SRT1720, an activator of SIRT1, reduced the FGF-2-induced OPG release and the OPG mRNA expression. PD98059, an inhibitor of upstream kinase activating p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP kinase, had little effect on the FGF-2-stimulated OPG release. On the other hand, SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 MAP kinase, SP600125, an inhibitor of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK, and Akt inhibitor suppressed the OPG release induced by FGF-2. Resveratrol failed to affect the FGF-2-induced phosphorylation of p44/p42 MAP kinase, p38 MAP kinase or SAPK/JNK. The phosphorylation of Akt induced by FGF-2 was significantly suppressed by resveratrol or SRT1720. These findings strongly suggest that resveratrol down-regulates FGF-2-stimulated OPG synthesis through the suppression of the Akt pathway in osteoblasts and that the inhibitory effect of resveratrol is mediated at least in part by SIRT1 activation.

Aryl Polyphosphonates: Useful Halogen-Free Flame Retardants for Polymers

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Li Chen

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Aryl polyphosphonates (ArPPN have been demonstrated to function in wide applications as flame retardants for different polymer materials, including thermosets, polycarbonate, polyesters and polyamides, particularly due to their satisfactory thermal stability compared to aliphatic flame retardants, and to their desirable flow behavior observed during the processing of polymeric materials. This paper provides a brief overview of the main developments in ArPPN and their derivatives for flame-retarding polymeric materials, primarily based on the authors’ research work and the literature published over the last two decades. The synthetic chemistry of these compounds is discussed along with their thermal stabilities and flame-retardant properties. The possible mechanisms of ArPPN and their derivatives containing hetero elements, which exhibit a synergistic effect with phosphorus, are also discussed.

Microcephaly, mental retardation and chromosomal aberrations in a girl following radiation therapy during late fetal life

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gustavson, K H; Jagell, S; Blomquist, H K; Nordenson, I [Umeaa Univ. (Sweden)

1981-01-01

A human foetus was heavily irradiated in the thirtieth to the thirty-third week due to carcinoma of the uterine cervix of the mother. Irradiation after 20 weeks of pregnancy is thought not to produce severe abnormalities. However, the child showed microcephaly, mental retardation, stunted growth, microphthalmus, retinal degeneration, cataract and defective dentition. Cytogenetically the frequencies of both chromatid and chromosome breaks were increased.

Microcephaly, mental retardation and chromosomal aberrations in a girl following radiation therapy during late fetal life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustavson, K.-H.; Jagell, S.; Blomquist, H.K.; Nordenson, I.

1981-01-01

A human foetus was heavily irradiated in the thirtieth to the thirty-third week due to carcinoma of the uterine cervix of the mother. Irradiation after 20 weeks of pregnancy is thought not to produce severe abnormalities. However, the child showed microcephaly, mental retardation, stunted growth, microphthalmus, retinal degeneration, cataract and defective dentition. Cytogenetically the frequencies of both chromatid and chromosome breaks were increased. (Auth.)

Synergistic effect of obesity and lipid ingestion in suppressing the growth hormone response to exercise in children.

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Oliver, Stacy R; Hingorani, Sunita R; Rosa, Jaime S; Zaldivar, Frank P; Galassetti, Pietro R

2012-07-01

Diet plays an important role in modulating exercise responses, including activation of the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) axis. Obesity and fat ingestion were separately shown to reduce exercise GH responses, but their combined effect, especially important in children, has not been studied. We therefore measured the GH response to exercise [30-min intermittent cycling, ten 2-min bouts at ~80% maximal aerobic capacity (Vo(2max)), separated by 1-min rest], started 45 min after ingestion of a high-fat meal (HFM) in 16 healthy [controls; body mass index percentile (BMI%ile) 51 ± 7], and 19 obese (Ob, BMI%ile 97 ± 0.4) children. Samples were drawn at baseline (premeal), and at start, peak, and 30 min postexercise. In the Ob group, a marked ~75% suppression of the GH response (ng/ml) to exercise was observed (2.4 ± 0.6 vs. 10.6 ± 2.1, P fasting conditions. Our data indicate that the reduction in the GH response to exercise, already present in obese children vs. healthy controls, is considerably amplified by ingestion of fat nutrients shortly before exercise, implying a potentially downstream negative impact on growth factor homeostasis and long-term modulation of physiological growth.

Nonretarded and Mentally Retarded Children's Control over Syntax Structures.

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McLeavey, Breda C.; And Others

1982-01-01

Ten nonretarded preschoolers and 10 mildly mentally retarded children (mean age 8 years) were compared for control over various syntactic structures. The retarded children evidenced difficulties similar to those of younger nonretarded children. (Author/SB)

Tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.5 is upregulated in intrauterine growth retardation rats with exaggerated pulmonary hypertension

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L.C. Fu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR is associated with the development of adult-onset diseases, including pulmonary hypertension. However, the underlying mechanism of the early nutritional insult that results in pulmonary vascular dysfunction later in life is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the role of tyrosine phosphorylation of voltage-gated potassium channel 1.5 (Kv1.5 in this prenatal event that results in exaggerated adult vascular dysfunction. A rat model of chronic hypoxia (2 weeks of hypoxia at 12 weeks old following IUGR was used to investigate the physiological and structural effect of intrauterine malnutrition on the pulmonary artery by evaluating pulmonary artery systolic pressure and vascular diameter in male rats. Kv1.5 expression and tyrosine phosphorylation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs were determined. We found that IUGR increased mean pulmonary artery pressure and resulted in thicker pulmonary artery smooth muscle layer in 14-week-old rats after 2 weeks of hypoxia, while no difference was observed in normoxia groups. In the PASMCs of IUGR-hypoxia rats, Kv1.5 mRNA and protein expression decreased while that of tyrosine-phosphorylated Kv1.5 significantly increased. These results demonstrate that IUGR leads to exaggerated chronic hypoxia pulmonary arterial hypertension (CH-PAH in association with decreased Kv1.5 expression in PASMCs. This phenomenon may be mediated by increased tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.5 in PASMCs and it provides new insight into the prevention and treatment of IUGR-related CH-PAH.

Effect of Folic Acid Supplementation on Renal Phenotype and Epigenotype in Early Weanling Intrauterine Growth Retarded Rats

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Xiaori He

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: The objective of this study was to examine the responses of p53 promoter methylation involved in kidney structure and function of early weaning intrauterine growth retarded (IUGR rats to dietary folic acid supplementation. Method: Sprague-Dawley rats were fed isocaloric diets containing either 21% protein diet (normal feed or 10% protein diet throughout pregnancy and normal feed during lactation. After weaning, Offspring were then fed onto normal feed and normal feed supplemented with 5 mg folic acid/kg feed for a month, this produced 4 dietary groups (maternal diet/ weanling diet: Con, Folic, IUGR and IUGR+Folic. Renal function, renal structure, p53 promoter methylation and protein expression of offspring rats were measured at postnatal 2 months and 3 months. Results: Glomerular volume, blood urea nitrogen, 24 hours urine protein were significantly elevated in IUGR rats compared with Con rats but were decreased by dietary folic acid supplementation. p53 protein expression in IUGR rats were significantly higher than that in Con rats, and p53 promoter methylation status in IUGR rats was reduced significantly compared with Con rats. However, the changes in p53 gene expression and DNA methylation status of IUGR rats were reversed by dietary folic acid supplementation. Conclusions: Our study showed for the first time that folic acid supplementation during early period of life could reverse the abnormality in renal p53 methylation status and protein expression, glomerular volume and renal function of IUGR rats offspring.

Flame retardant tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propylphosphate (TDCPP toxicity is attenuated by N-acetylcysteine in human kidney cells

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David W. Killilea

Full Text Available Prolonged exposure to the flame retardants found in many household products and building materials is associated with adverse developmental, reproductive, and carcinogenic consequences. While these compounds have been studied in numerous epidemiological and animal models, less is known about the effects of flame retardant exposure on cell function. This study evaluated the toxicity of the commonly used fire retardant tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propylphosphate (TDCPP in cell line derived from the kidney, a major tissue target of organohalogen toxicity. TDCPP inhibited cell growth at lower concentrations (IC50 27 μM, while cell viability and toxicity were affected at higher concentrations (IC50 171 μM and 168 μM, respectively. TDCPP inhibited protein synthesis and caused cell cycle arrest, but only at higher concentrations. Additionally, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC reduced cell toxicity in cells treated with TDCPP, suggesting that exposure to TDCPP increased oxidative stress in the cells. In summary, these data show that low concentrations of TDCPP result in cytostasis in a kidney cell line, whereas higher concentrations induce cell toxicity. Furthermore, TDCPP toxicity can be attenuated by NAC, suggesting that antioxidants may be effective countermeasures to some organohalogen exposures. Keywords: flame retardant, cytostasis, cell toxicity, antioxidant, cell cycle

Flame retardancy mechanisms of bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) in combination with zinc borate in bisphenol A polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene blends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawlowski, Kristin H.; Schartel, Bernhard; Fichera, Mario A.; Jaeger, Christian

2010-01-01

Bisphenol A polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) with and without bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BDP) and 5 wt.% zinc borate (Znb) were investigated. The pyrolysis was studied by thermogravimetry (TG), TG-FTIR and NMR, the fire behaviour with a cone calorimeter applying different heat fluxes, LOI and UL 94. Fire residues were examined with NMR. BDP affects the decomposition of PC/ABS and acts as a flame retardant in the gas and condensed phases. The addition of Znb results in an additional hydrolysis of PC. The fire behaviour is similar to PC/ABS, aside from a slightly increased LOI and a reduced peak heat release rate, both caused by borates improving the barrier properties of the char. In PC/ABS + BDP + Znb, the addition of Znb yields a borate network and amorphous phosphates. Znb also reacts with BDP to form alpha-zinc phosphate and borophosphates that suppress the original flame retardancy mechanisms of BDP. The inorganic-organic residue formed provides more effective flame retardancy, in particular at low irradiation in the cone calorimeter, and a clear synergy in LOI, whereas for more developed fires BDP + Znb become less effective than BDP in PC/ABS with respect to the total heat evolved.

Burst-suppression pattern in the electroencephalogram of newborns and infants. Its clinical expression

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Cervantes Blanco Jorge Mauricio

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Burst-suppression pattern in the electroencephalogram (EEG is associated with severe brain damage and has a bad prognosis in 85% of the cases. Objectives. To identify the prevalence of the EEG burst-suppression pattern (BSP in fullterm newborns and infants, determine its etiol- ogy, clinical features and course. Methods. A retrospective study was conducted. Between January 2008 and December 2012, 4,891 EEGs were reviewed. The EEGs of newborns and infants (< 3 months of age with BSP were selected. Results. 11 cases identified with burst suppression pattern. The overall prevalence of which was 3.5%; 8.1% among the newborns and 1.2% among infants. Seizures were the main reason for doing an EEG in the newborn period in 7 patients and after day 28 in three. The clinical manifestations were abnormal level of consciousness (n=8, hypotonia (n=2, and spasticity (n=6. The main causes were hypoxic ischemic injury, stroke and kernicterus. There were two cases of early infantile epileptic encephalopathy. Two patients died before the third month of age; 8 survived an average of 13 months. All had epilepsy, neurologic retardation and disability. Two patients had persistent EEG burst-suppression pattern; 1 and 3 months after the neonatal period respectively; 7 had focal spikes and an asymmetric pattern. Conclusions. Electroencephalographic burst-suppression pat- tern predicts a severe neurologic injury in fullterm newborns and infants.

EBP1 suppresses growth, migration, and invasion of thyroid cancer cells through upregulating RASAL expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hongyan; Li, Zhenjie; Li, Liujuan; Peng, Haiying; Zhang, Zhijun

2015-11-01

Ebp1, a protein identified by its interactions with the ErbB3 receptor, has been characterized as a negative regulator of cancers. RAS GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP), RASAL1, was recently identified as a major tumor suppressor in thyroid cancer. In this study, we examined EBP1 expression in papillary and follicular thyroid cancer cells. We found that compared with normal thyroid cells, TPC1, WRO, and FTC133 thyroid tumor cells exhibited lower EBP1 expression at messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels. We then investigated the effects of forced EBP1 expression on growth, migration, and invasiveness of thyroid tumor cells. By using MTT and Boyden chamber assays, we showed that EBP1 overexpression dramatically reduced growth rate, migration, and invasiveness of K1 and FTC133 thyroid tumor cells. Furthermore, we explored the molecular mechanism underlying the effects of EBP1 on the cells by disclosing the correlation of EBP1 and RASAL1 expression. RASAL expression was elevated in thyroid tumor cells overexpressing EBP1. Knockdown RASAL by transduction of RASAL1 shRNA lentiviral particles markedly reduced RASAL levels with restoration of EBP1, and RASAL1 knockdown abrogated the effects of forced EBP1 expression on cell growth, migration, and invasiveness of thyroid tumor cells. These findings suggest that Ebp1 suppressed thyroid cancer cell lines by upregulating RASRAL expression.

Adeno-associated virus-mediated doxycycline-regulatable TRAIL expression suppresses growth of human breast carcinoma in nude mice

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Zheng Liu

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL functions as a cytokine to selectively kill various cancer cells without toxicity to most normal cells. Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential use of recombinant soluble TRAIL as a cancer therapeutic agent. We have showed previous administration of a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV vector expressing soluble TRAIL results in an efficient suppression of human tumor growth in nude mice. In the present study, we introduced Tet-On gene expression system into the rAAV vector to control the soluble TRAIL expression and evaluate the efficiency of the system in cancer gene therapy. Methods Controllability of the Tet-On system was determined by luciferase activity assay, and Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. The breast cancer xenograft animal model was established and recombinant virus was administrated through tail vein injection to evaluate the tumoricidal activity. Results The expression of soluble TRAIL could be strictly controlled by the Tet-On system in both normal and cancer cells. Transduction of human cancer cell lines with rAAV-TRE-TRAIL&rAAV-Tet-On under the presence of inducer doxycycline resulted in a considerable cell death by apoptosis. Intravenous injection of the recombinant virus efficiently suppressed the growth of human breast carcinoma in nude mice when activated by doxycycline. Conclusion These data suggest that rAAV-mediated soluble TRAIL expression under the control of the Tet-On system is a promising strategy for breast cancer therapy.

3-bromopyruvate and sodium citrate target glycolysis, suppress survivin, and induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in gastric cancer cells and inhibit gastric orthotopic transplantation tumor growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ting-An; Zhang, Xiao-Dong; Guo, Xing-Yu; Xian, Shu-Lin; Lu, Yun-Fei

2016-03-01

Glycolysis is the primary method utilized by cancer cells to produce the energy (adenosine triphosphate, ATP) required for cell proliferation. Therefore, inhibition of glycolysis may inhibit tumor growth. We previously found that both 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) and sodium citrate (SCT) can inhibit glycolysis in vitro; however, the underlying inhibitory mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we used a human gastric cancer cell line (SGC-7901) and an orthotopic transplantation tumor model in nude mice to explore the specific mechanisms of 3-BrPA and SCT. We found that both 3-BrPA and SCT effectively suppressed cancer cell proliferation, arrested the cell cycle, induced apoptosis, and decreased the production of lactate and ATP. 3-BrPA significantly reduced the glycolytic enzyme hexokinase activity, while SCT selectively inhibited phosphofructokinase-1 activity. Furthermore, 3-BrPA and SCT upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase-3) and downregulated the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and survivin). Finally, our animal model of gastric cancer indicated that intraperitoneal injection of 3-BrPA and SCT suppressed orthotopic transplantation tumor growth and induced tumor apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that 3-BrPA and SCT selectively suppress glycolytic enzymes, decrease ATP production, induce mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, downregulate survivin, and inhibit tumor growth. Moreover, an intraperitoneal injection is an effective form of administration of 3-BrPA and SCT.

A single α-cobalt hydroxide/sodium alginate bilayer layer-by-layer assembly for conferring flame retardancy to flexible polyurethane foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mu, Xiaowei [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Yuan, Bihe [School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070 (China); Pan, Ying; Feng, Xiaming; Duan, Lijin [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Zong, Ruowen, E-mail: zongrw@ustc.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Hu, Yuan, E-mail: yuanhu@ustc.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China)

2017-04-15

A layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly coating composed of α-cobalt hydroxide (α-Co(OH){sub 2}) and sodium alginate (SA) is deposited on flexible polyurethane (FPU) foam to reduce its flammability. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are employed to prove the LBL assembly process. It is obvious from SEM results that a uniform and rough coating is deposited on FPU foam compared with that of untreated one. The peak intensity of methylene of SA in FITR spectra and typical (003) diffraction peak of α-Co(OH){sub 2} nanosheets at 11.0° in XRD patterns increases gradually with increment of bilayer number. Combustion behavior and toxicity suppression property of samples are characterized by cone calorimeter (under an irradiance of 35 kW m{sup −2}) and Thermogravimetry/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The one and two bilayers (BL) coating on FPU foam can achieve excellent flame retardancy. Compared with untreated sample, the peak heat release rate of the coated FPU foam containing only one BL coating is reduced by 58.7%. The content of gaseous toxic substances during pyrolysis of FPU foam deposited with a single bilayer coating, such as CO and NCO-containing compounds, are reduced by 20.0% and 9.2%, respectively. Besides, the flame retardant mechanism of the coated FPU foam is also revealed. - Highlights: • The α-Co(OH){sub 2} nanosheets are firstly employed in LBL assembly. • A single α-cobalt hydroxide/sodium alginate bilayer LBL assembly for conferring excellent flame retardancy to FPU foam. • The flame retardant mechanism of LBL assembly FPU foam is displayed.

Epidemiology of Mental Retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Heber, Rick

Prevalence data on mental retardation is presented including international estimates on general prevalence, age directions, geographical variations within the United States, racial and ethnic variations, economic class distributions, family variations, and population distribution in institutions. Statistics are also provided in areas of specific…

Evaluation of Suppressiveness of Soils Exhibiting Soil-Borne Disease Suppression after Long-Term Application of Organic Amendments by the Co-cultivation Method of Pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum and Indigenous Soil Microorganisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitsuboshi, Masahiro; Kioka, Yuuzou; Noguchi, Katsunori; Asakawa, Susumu

2018-03-29

Preventive measures against soil-borne diseases need to be implemented before cultivation because very few countermeasures are available after the development of diseases. Some soils suppress soil-borne diseases despite the presence of a high population density of pathogens. If the suppressiveness of soil against soil-borne diseases may be predicted and diagnosed for crop fields, it may be possible to reduce the labor and cost associated with excessive disinfection practices. We herein evaluated the suppressiveness of soils in fields with the long-term application of organic amendments by examining the growth of pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum co-cultivated with indigenous soil microorganisms on agar plates. Soils treated with coffee residue compost or rapeseed meal showed suppressiveness against spinach wilt disease by F. oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae or spinach wilt and lettuce root rot diseases by F. oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae and F. oxysporum f. sp. lactucae, respectively, and the growth of pathogenic Fusarium spp. on agar plates was suppressed when co-cultured with microorganisms in a suspension from these soils before crop cultivation. These results indicate the potential of the growth degree of pathogenic F. oxysporum estimated by this method as a diagnostic indicator of the suppressiveness of soil associated with the inhabiting microorganisms. A correlation was found between the incidence of spinach wilt disease in spinach and the growth degree of F. oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae by this co-cultivation method, indicating that suppressiveness induced by organic amendment applications against F. oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae is evaluable by this method. The co-cultivation method may be useful for predicting and diagnosing suppressiveness against soil-borne diseases.

Fire-retardant-treated strandboard : properties and fire performance

Science.gov (United States)

Jerrold Winandy; Qingwen Wang; Robert H. White

2008-01-01

This study evaluated a series of single-layer, randomly oriented strandboard panels made with one resin type, a single resin loading level, and four fire-retardant-treatment levels. The fire retardant (FR) evaluated was a pH-buffered combination of boric acid and organic phosphate. Siberian larch strands were separated into five batches. One batch of strands served as...

Psychomotor Retardation in untreated depressed elderly

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Lieve Lia Beheydt

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Psychomotor retardation (PR is one of the core features in depression according to 17 DSM V1, but also aging in itself causes cognitive and psychomotor slowing. This is the first study 18 investigating psychomotor retardation in relation to cognitive functioning and to the concomitant 19 effect of depression and aging in a geriatric population ruling out contending effects of psychotropic 20 medication. Methods: A group of 28 non-demented depressed elderly is compared to a matched 21 control group of 20 healthy elderly. All participants underwent a test battery containing clinical 22 depression measures, cognitive measures of processing speed, executive function and memory, 23 clinical ratings of psychomotor retardation and objective computerized fine motor skill-tests. 24 Statistical analysis consisted of a General Linear Method (GLM multivariate analysis of variance to 25 compare the clinical, cognitive and psychomotor outcomes of the two groups. Results: Patients 26 performed worse on all clinical, cognitive and psychomotor retardation measures. Both groups 27 showed an effect of cognitive load on fine motor function but the influence was significantly larger 28 for patients than for healthy elderly except for the initiation time. Limitations: due to the restrictive 29 inclusion criteria, only a relatively limited sample size could be obtained. Conclusion: With a 30 medication free sample, an additive effect of depression and aging on cognition and PR in geriatric 31 patients was found,. As this effect was independent of demand of effort (by varying the cognitive 32 load, it was apparently not a motivational slowing effect of depression.

Characteristics of Those Persons with Mental Retardation Registered with the Mental Retardation Division.

Science.gov (United States)

Cocks, Errol; Ng, Pin Chee

1983-01-01

The paper discusses an analysis of a computerized data bank on the mentally retarded population in Victoria, Australia. Prevalence rates, severity of handicap, age, sex, and residence type are reviewed and implications for community vocational and residential services for adults are noted. (CL)

Intrauterine growth retarded progeny of pregnant sows fed high protein:low carbohydrate diet is related to metabolic energy deficit.

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Cornelia C Metges

Full Text Available High and low protein diets fed to pregnant adolescent sows led to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR. To explore underlying mechanisms, sow plasma metabolite and hormone concentrations were analyzed during different pregnancy stages and correlated with litter weight (LW at birth, sow body weight and back fat thickness. Sows were fed diets with low (6.5%, LP, adequate (12.1%, AP, and high (30%, HP protein levels, made isoenergetic by adjusted carbohydrate content. At -5, 24, 66, and 108 days post coitum (dpc fasted blood was collected. At 92 dpc, diurnal metabolic profiles were determined. Fasted serum urea and plasma glucagon were higher due to the HP diet. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC, %HDLC and cortisol were reduced in HP compared with AP sows. Lowest concentrations were observed for serum urea and protein, plasma insulin-like growth factor-I, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and progesterone in LP compared with AP and HP sows. Fasted plasma glucose, insulin and leptin concentrations were unchanged. Diurnal metabolic profiles showed lower glucose in HP sows whereas non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA concentrations were higher in HP compared with AP and LP sows. In HP and LP sows, urea concentrations were 300% and 60% of AP sows, respectively. Plasma total cholesterol was higher in LP than in AP and HP sows. In AP sows, LW correlated positively with insulin and insulin/glucose and negatively with glucagon/insulin at 66 dpc, whereas in HP sows LW associated positively with NEFA. In conclusion, IUGR in sows fed high protein:low carbohydrate diet was probably due to glucose and energy deficit whereas in sows with low protein:high carbohydrate diet it was possibly a response to a deficit of indispensable amino acids which impaired lipoprotein metabolism and favored maternal lipid disposal.

IGF-1R signaling in chondrocytes modulates growth plate development by interacting with the PTHrP/Ihh pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yongmei; Cheng, Zhiqiang; Elalieh, Hashem Z; Nakamura, Eiichiro; Nguyen, Minh-Thanh; Mackem, Susan; Clemens, Thomas L; Bikle, Daniel D; Chang, Wenhan

2011-07-01

Systemic derangements and perinatal death of generalized insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) knockout mice preclude definitive assessment of IGF-1R actions in growth-plate (GP) chondrocytes. We generated cartilage-specific Igf1r knockout ((Cart) Igf1r(-/-)) mice to investigate local control of chondrocyte differentiation in the GP by this receptor. These mice died shortly after birth and showed disorganized chondrocyte columns, delayed ossification and vascular invasion, decreased cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and increased expression of parathyroid hormone-related protein (Pthrp) RNA and protein in their GPs. The increased Pthrp expression in the knockout GPs likely was due to an increase in gene transcription, as determined by the increased activity of a LacZ reporter that was inserted downstream of the endogenous PTHrP promoter and bred into the knockout mice. To circumvent the early death of (Cart) Igf1r(-/-) mice and investigate the role of IGF-1R during postnatal growth, we made tamoxifen (Tam)-inducible, cartilage-specific Igf1r knockout ((TamCart) Igf1r(-/-)) mice. At 2 weeks of age and 7 to 8 days after Tam injection, the (TamCart) Igf1r(-/-) mice showed growth retardation with a disorganized GP, reduced chondrocyte proliferation, decreased type 2 collagen and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh) expression, but increased expression of PTHrP. Consistent with in vivo observations, in vitro knockout of the Igf1r gene by adenoviral expression of Cre recombinase suppressed cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and increased Pthrp expression. Our data indicate that the IGF-1R in chondrocytes controls cell growth, survival, and differentiation in embryonic and postnatal GPs in part by suppression of Pthrp expression. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

38 CFR 4.127 - Mental retardation and personality disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... AFFAIRS SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES Disability Ratings Mental Disorders § 4.127 Mental retardation and personality disorders. Mental retardation and personality disorders are not diseases or injuries... from them may not be service-connected. However, disability resulting from a mental disorder that is...

STRUCTURE OF BODY DEFORMATIES AMONG PERSONS WITH MENTAL RETARDATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blagoja GESHOSKI

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to assess body structure deformities among people with mental retardation.Knowing the structure of people with mental retardation’s physical deformities is the starting basis of a quality program for preventive and corrective work. Also, it is a starting point in the process of special education and rehabilitation in regards to their removal and mitigation.The structure of the physical deformities among persons with mental retardation were analyzed in terms of age and degree of mental retardation in relation to everyday life activities.The inquiry covered 170 respondents with mental retardation in both sexes. All respondents were placed in an institution for treatment of persons with severe and profound mental retardation (Special Institute Deep River. On the basis of two criteria, participants are divided into groups. The first criterion forestablishing a group of level of mental retardation: Group I - severe mental retardation (TMR and Group II - profound mental retardation (DMR. A second criterion for establishing the age group of respondents: Group I - age 18 years; Group II- Age 19 - 30 years and Group III - over 31 years. The structure of the physical deformities was analyzed in terms of age and degree of mental retardation in relation to activities in everyday life.For the purposes of the planned research , an integral protocol is established for the evaluation of physical deformities among persons with disabilities, including: an application form for general information about the respondents, a questionnaire to assess somatic status, and a clinical sheet and test activities in everyday life (Test ASZH, Rusk, 1971. All data obtained by the research are expressed quantitatively and treated with the following statistical methods and procedures: number of repetitions, frequency and percentages, measure of central tendency, the arithmetic mean and standard deviation, χ2 and Fisher Exact - test

Effects of growth retardants and fumigations with ozone and sulfur dioxide on growth and flowering of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cathey, H.M.; Heggestad, H.E.

1973-01-01

Eight cultivars of poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., were evaluated for sensitivity to ..cap alpha..-cyclopropyl-..cap alpha.. (4-methoxyphenyl)-5-pyrimidine methanol (ancymidol) and protection from ozone and sulfur dioxide injury afforded by applications of ancymidol and (2-chloroethyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride (chlormequat). Foliar sprays of ancymidol were at least 80 to 500 times and the soil drench 1000 times more active than chlormequat in retarding stem elongation. The diam of the bracts was reduced, but branching increased more on plants treated with ancymidol than on untreated plants. The cv. Annette Hegg (AH) was more sensitive to ozone fumigations than was Eckespoint C-1' (C-1). Sulfur dioxide also caused more injury to AH than to C-1. Ancymidol and chlormequat reduced visible injury induced by ozone and sulfur dioxide.

Growth, physiology and flowering of chrysanthemum var. Punch as ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Growth retardants have been proven to prevent excessive stem elongation and reduce internode length in plants by inhibiting the effect of cell division and enlargement of cell in plants. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of concentrations of daminozide and maleic hydrazide on growth, physiology and flowering of ...

Developmental exposure to a brominated flame retardant: An assessment of effects on physiology, growth, and reproduction in a songbird, the zebra finch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eng, Margaret L.; Williams, Tony D.; Elliott, John E.

2013-01-01

Mixtures of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used as additive flame retardants, and BDE-99 is one of the most predominant congeners found in the environment. BDE-99 has been reported in avian samples worldwide, yet knowledge of its toxicity to birds is minimal. We assessed the short- and long-term effects of nestling exposure to environmentally relevant levels of BDE-99 in a model passerine, the zebra finch. Early exposure to BDE-99 did not affect hematocrit, oxidative stress, or thyroid hormones in either the juvenile or adult stages, and there were no effects on chick growth or survival. BDE-99 exposure caused a dose-dependent delay in timing of reproduction, but there were no other effects on reproductive success. In zebra finches, endpoints related to reproductive behavior appear to be the most sensitive to BDE-99. However, passerines overall appear to be less sensitive than birds of prey or mammals to PBDE exposure. -- Highlights: •We exposed zebra finches nestlings to BDE-99 and raised them to sexual maturity. •Found no effects on physiology, chick growth, survival, or reproductive success. •As BDE-99 dose increased, laying interval increased. •Passerine birds possibly less sensitive to BDE-99 than mammals or other bird species. -- Nestling exposure to BDE-99 affects timing of breeding in zebra finches, but overall passerines appear to be less sensitive to PBDEs than mammals or other bird species

Enhancement of anticancer effect of interferon-γ gene transfer against interferon-γ-resistant tumor by depletion of tumor-associated macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiyota, Tsuyoshi; Takahashi, Yuki; Watcharanurak, Kanitta; Nishikawa, Makiya; Ohara, Saori; Ando, Mitsuru; Watanabe, Yoshihiko; Takakura, Yoshinobu

2014-05-05

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) negatively affect the therapeutic effects of anticancer agents. To examine the role of TAMs in interferon (IFN)-γ gene therapy, we selected two types of solid tumors, which varied in the number of TAMs, and investigated the effects of IFN-γ gene transfer on tumor growth. Many TAMs were detected in the solid tumors of murine adenocarcinoma colon-26 cells, whereas few TAMs were detected in murine melanoma B16-BL6 cells. IFN-γ gene transfer hardly suppressed the growth of colon-26 tumors, whereas it was effective in suppressing the growth of B16-BL6 tumors. The antiproliferative effects of IFN-γ on cultured colon-26 cells were similar to those on cultured B16-BL6 cells. To evaluate the role of TAMs, we injected clodronate liposomes (CLs) modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to functionally deplete TAMs in tumor-bearing mice. Repeated injections of PEG-CLs significantly retarded the growth of colon-26 tumors and combination with IFN-γ gene transfer further inhibited the growth. In contrast, PEG-CLs hardly retarded the growth of B16-BL6 tumors. These results clearly indicate that TAM depletion is effective in enhancing the therapeutic effect of IFN-γ in TAM-repleted and IFN-γ-resistant tumors.

Sex between persons with 'mental retardation': an ethical evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spiecker, B.; Steutel, J.W.

2002-01-01

Is sex between people with "mental retardation" morally permissible and, if at all, under what conditions? This paper tries to answer this question, but only with regard to sex between biologically mature individuals with mild or moderate mental retardation. First, the concepts of "sexual activity"

Trace element analysis of hair of mentally retarded children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhandari, H.P.S.; Lal, G.; Sidhu, N.P.S.; Mittal, V.K.; Sahota, H.S.

1987-01-01

Unlike previously reported, Zn and Se levels were found to be the same in the hair of mentally retarded children and controls. Non-essential toxic Ag concentration was low whereas that of Hg, Au and Sc rather high in mentally retarded children. (author) 4 refs

Opposing Post-transcriptional Control of InR by FMRP and LIN-28 Adjusts Stem Cell-Based Tissue Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arthur Luhur

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: Although the intrinsic mechanisms that control whether stem cells divide symmetrically or asymmetrically underlie tissue growth and homeostasis, they remain poorly defined. We report that the RNA-binding protein fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP limits the symmetric division, and resulting expansion, of the stem cell population during adaptive intestinal growth in Drosophila. The elevated insulin sensitivity that FMRP-deficient progenitor cells display contributes to their accelerated expansion, which is suppressed by the depletion of insulin-signaling components. This FMRP activity is mediated solely via a second conserved RNA-binding protein, LIN-28, known to boost insulin signaling in stem cells. Via LIN-28, FMRP controls progenitor cell behavior by post-transcriptionally repressing the level of insulin receptor (InR. This study identifies the stem cell-based mechanism by which FMRP controls tissue adaptation, and it raises the possibility that defective adaptive growth underlies the accelerated growth, gastrointestinal, and other symptoms that affect fragile X syndrome patients. : Luhur et al. report that FMRP acts via LIN-28 in progenitor cells to dampen the adaptive expansion of intestinal tissue in the fruit fly, raising the possibility that defective LIN28-mediated adaptive growth underlies some of the symptoms that affect fragile X syndrome patients. Keywords: FMRP, fmr1, LIN-28, insulin receptor, IIS, adaptive growth, tissue resizing, intestinal stem cell, insulin sensitivity

Psychometric properties of ADHD rating scales among children with mental retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Michael L; Fee, Virginia E; Jones, Christie J

2004-01-01

The validity of hyperactivity rating scales in children with mental retardation was evaluated. Forty-eight children with mental retardation were rated by parents, teachers and teaching assistants on rating scales measuring Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as part of a related investigation. In addition, direct observations were conducted using the Abikoff Classroom Observation Code. The concurrent validity of each scale was examined. Scales completed by both teachers and teaching assistants were found to provide valid information for the assessment of ADHD in mentally retarded children. Results provided the best support for the ABC-C in the assessment of ADHD in mentally retarded children.

Improving free play skills of severely retarded children.

Science.gov (United States)

Wehman, P; Marchant, J A

1978-02-01

Severely and profoundly retarded children are usually deficient in play skills. Since play facilitates socialization, language, and motor development, it is a vitally improtant skill to acquire. This pilot study examined the effects of a behavioral training program on the autistic, independent, and social types of play of four severely and profoundly retarded children. The training program involved the use of instructions, modeling, physical guidance, and verbal reinforcement. Results indicated that a marked increase in independent and social play occurred with the introduction of the training program with all four children. Occupational therapists can play an increasingly important role in helping educators formulate relevant educational programs for severely retarded children, particularly in the areas of play and motor skill development.

Role of nitric oxide in cadmium-induced stress on growth, photosynthetic components and yield of Brassica napus L.

Science.gov (United States)

Jhanji, Shalini; Setia, R C; Kaur, Navjyot; Kaur, Parminder; Setia, Neelam

2012-11-01

Experiments were carried out to study the effect of cadmium (Cd) and exogenous nitric oxide (NO) on growth, photosynthetic attributes, yield components and structural features of Brassica napus L. (cv. GSL 1). Cadmium in the growth medium at different levels (1, 2 and 4 Mm) retarded plant growth viz. shoot (27%) and root (51%) length as compared to control. The accumulation of total dry matter and its partitioning to different plant parts was also reduced by 31% due to Cd toxicity. Photosynthetic parameters viz., leaf area plant(-1) (51%), total Chl (27%), Chl a / Chl b ratio (22%) and Hill reaction activity of chloroplasts (42%) were greatly reduced in Cd-treated plants. Cd treatments adversely affected various yield parameters viz., number of branches (23) and siliquae plant(-1) (246), seed number siliqua(-1) (10.3), 1000-seed weight (2.30g) and seed yield plant(-1) (7.09g). Different Cd treatments also suppressed the differentiation of various tissues like vessels in the root with a maximum inhibition caused by 4mM Cd. Exogenous application of nitric oxide (NO) improved the various morpho-physiological and photosynthetic parameters in control as well as Cd-treated plants.

Modeling and prediction of retardance in citric acid coated ferrofluid using artificial neural network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Jing-Fung; Sheu, Jer-Jia

2016-01-01

Citric acid coated (citrate-stabilized) magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) magnetic nanoparticles have been conducted and applied in the biomedical fields. Using Taguchi-based measured retardances as the training data, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for the prediction of retardance in citric acid (CA) coated ferrofluid (FF). According to the ANN simulation results in the training stage, the correlation coefficient between predicted retardances and measured retardances was found to be as high as 0.9999998. Based on the well-trained ANN model, the predicted retardance at excellent program from Taguchi method showed less error of 2.17% compared with a multiple regression (MR) analysis of statistical significance. Meanwhile, the parameter analysis at excellent program by the ANN model had the guiding significance to find out a possible program for the maximum retardance. It was concluded that the proposed ANN model had high ability for the prediction of retardance in CA coated FF. - Highlights: • The feedforward ANN is applied for modeling of retardance in CA coated FFs. • ANN can predict the retardance at excellent program with acceptable error to MR. • The proposed ANN has high ability for the prediction of retardance.

The RRP Project: investigating radionuclide retardation in the host rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, W.R.; Frieg, B.; Ota, K.; Bossart, P.

1996-01-01

The Radionuclide Retardation Project (RRP), which is a joint Nagra/PNC (Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp.) project, has two components: the first (the Excavation Project, EP) looks at the behaviour of radionuclides which are so strongly retarded in the experimental shear zone that they cannot pass through the zones in experimentally reasonable times. In order to determine where radionuclide retardation has occurred in the pore space, as well as the flowpath geometry in the shear zone, the entire injection zone has to be excavated and taken back to the laboratory for analysis of the sites of retardation of the radionuclides. This approach has the advantage of allowing a detailed 3D description of the experimental shear zone. The aim of the second component of the project (Connected Porosities, CP) is to examine the fate of those radionuclides which diffuse out of the main water-conducting features in the shear zone and into the pore spaces of the rock matrix, where they become trapped. This represents a potentially significant retardation mechanism in a repository host rock. (author) 8 figs., refs

Brominated flame retardants: occurrence, dietary intake and risk assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winter-Sorkina R de; Bakker MI; Wolterink G; Zeijlmaker MJ; SIR

2006-01-01

Brominated flame retardants have entered the human food chain. For the time being the occurrence of these chemicals in Dutch food does not pose a human health risk. However, this might easily change at increasing contents of flame retardants in Dutch food. The monitoring of brominated flame

Survivin inhibitor YM155 suppresses gastric cancer xenograft growth in mice without affecting normal tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Xiao Jiao; Lin, Jia Cheng; Ding, Yan Fei; Zhu, Liming; Ye, Jing; Tu, Shui Ping

2016-02-09

Survivin overexpression is associated with poor prognosis of human gastric cancer, and is a target for gastric cancer therapy. YM155 is originally identified as a specific inhibitor of survivin. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of YM155 on human gastric cancer. Our results showed that YM155 treatment significantly inhibited cell proliferation, reduced colony formation and induced apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Accordingly, YM155 treatment significantly decreased survivin expression without affecting XIAP expression and increased the cleavage of apoptosis-associated proteins caspase 3, 7, 8, 9. YM155 significantly inhibited sphere formation of gastric cancer cells, suppressed expansion and growth of the formed spheres (cancer stem cell-like cells, CSCs) and downregulated the protein levels of β-catenin, c-Myc, Cyclin D1 and CD44 in gastric cancer cells. YM155 infusion at 5 mg/kg/day for 7 days markedly inhibited growth of gastric cancer xenograft in a nude mouse model. Immunohistochemistry staining and Western Blot showed that YM155 treatment inhibited expression of survivin and CD44, induced apoptosis and reduced CD44+ CSCs in xenograft tumor tissues in vivo. No obvious pathological changes were observed in organs (e.g. heart, liver, lung and kidney) in YM155-treated mice. Our results demonstrated that YM155 inhibits cell proliferation, induces cell apoptosis, reduces cancer stem cell expansion, and inhibits xenograft tumor growth in gastric cancer cells. Our results elucidate a new mechanism by which YM155 inhibits gastric cancer growth by inhibition of CSCs. YM155 may be a promising agent for gastric cancer treatment.

Support Functionalization To Retard Ostwald Ripening in Copper Methanol Synthesis Catalysts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Berg, Roy; Parmentier, Tanja E.; Elkjaer, Christian F.; Gommes, Cedric J.; Sehested, Jens; Helveg, Stig; de Jongh, Petra E.; de Jong, Krijn P.

A main reason for catalyst deactivation in supported catalysts for methanol synthesis is copper particle growth. We have functionalized the support surface in order to suppress the formation and/or transport of mobile copper species and thereby catalyst deactivation. A Stober silica support was

Depth-resolved phase retardation measurements for laser-assisted non-ablative cartilage reshaping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Youn, Jong-In [Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, University of California, Irvine, CA 92612 (United States); Vargas, Gracie [Center for Bioengineering, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555 (United States); Wong, Brian J F [Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, University of California, Irvine, CA 92612 (United States); Milner, Thomas E [Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States)

2005-05-07

Since polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is emerging as a new technique for determining phase retardation in biological materials, we measured phase retardation changes in cartilage during local laser heating for application to laser-assisted cartilage reshaping. Thermally-induced changes in phase retardation of nasal septal cartilage following Nd:YAG laser irradiation were investigated using a PS-OCT system. A PS-OCT system and infrared imaging radiometer were used to record, respectively, depth-resolved images of the Stokes parameters of light backscattered from ex vivo porcine nasal septal cartilage and radiometric temperature changes following laser irradiation. PS-OCT images of cartilage were recorded before (control), during and after laser irradiation. From the measured Stokes parameters (I, Q, U and V), an estimate of the relative phase retardation between two orthogonal polarizations was computed to determine birefringence in cartilage. Phase retardation images of light backscattered from cartilage show significant changes in retardation following laser irradiation. To investigate the origin of retardation changes in response to local heat generation, we differentiated two possible mechanisms: dehydration and thermal denaturation. PS-OCT images of cartilage were recorded after dehydration in glycerol and thermal denaturation in heated physiological saline. In our experiments, observed retardation changes in cartilage are primarily due to dehydration. Since dehydration is a principal source for retardation changes in cartilage over the range of heating profiles investigated, our studies suggest that the use of PS-OCT as a feedback control methodology for non-ablative cartilage reshaping requires further investigation.

Depth-resolved phase retardation measurements for laser-assisted non-ablative cartilage reshaping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youn, Jong-In; Vargas, Gracie; Wong, Brian J F; Milner, Thomas E

2005-01-01

Since polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is emerging as a new technique for determining phase retardation in biological materials, we measured phase retardation changes in cartilage during local laser heating for application to laser-assisted cartilage reshaping. Thermally-induced changes in phase retardation of nasal septal cartilage following Nd:YAG laser irradiation were investigated using a PS-OCT system. A PS-OCT system and infrared imaging radiometer were used to record, respectively, depth-resolved images of the Stokes parameters of light backscattered from ex vivo porcine nasal septal cartilage and radiometric temperature changes following laser irradiation. PS-OCT images of cartilage were recorded before (control), during and after laser irradiation. From the measured Stokes parameters (I, Q, U and V), an estimate of the relative phase retardation between two orthogonal polarizations was computed to determine birefringence in cartilage. Phase retardation images of light backscattered from cartilage show significant changes in retardation following laser irradiation. To investigate the origin of retardation changes in response to local heat generation, we differentiated two possible mechanisms: dehydration and thermal denaturation. PS-OCT images of cartilage were recorded after dehydration in glycerol and thermal denaturation in heated physiological saline. In our experiments, observed retardation changes in cartilage are primarily due to dehydration. Since dehydration is a principal source for retardation changes in cartilage over the range of heating profiles investigated, our studies suggest that the use of PS-OCT as a feedback control methodology for non-ablative cartilage reshaping requires further investigation

[Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrom during pregnancy: prevalence of main symptoms and relationship with Pregnancy Induced-Hypertension and Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation].

Science.gov (United States)

Calaora-Tournadre, D; Ragot, S; Meurice, J C; Pourrat, O; D'Halluin, G; Magnin, G; Pierre, F

2006-04-01

To investigate the frequency of main symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrom (OSAS) and their relationship with Pregnancy Induced-Hypertension (PIH) as well as Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IGR) as suggested by recent studies. Four hundred (and) thirty-eight enquiry forms completed during post-partum period were analysed, after exclusion of multiple pregnancies. Collected data were demographic characteristics, obstetrical events, sleep disorders during last trimester, screening of snoring and vigilance troubles with an Epworth score. Forty-five percentages of the patients reported to have habitual snoring during pregnancy. Among these, 85% were non-snorers before pregnancy. Daytime somnolence concerned 84,5% of the population with an Epworth score significatively increased (P<0,0001). The prevalence of PIH was found to be 4,5%, with two apparently independent risk factors: the body mass index (OR=1,1) and an association between snoring and increased vigilance trouble (OR=2,6). No statistical difference was found concerning IGR. SAS symptoms are frequent during pregnancy and snoring appears to be linked with PIH. However, polysomnographic data are not yet sufficient to explain pathophysiological mechanisms and find relevant diagnostic markers during pregnancy.

Bone density and body composition in chronic renal failure: effects of growth hormone treatment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Sluis, I. M.; Boot, A. M.; Nauta, J.; Hop, W. C.; de Jong, M. C.; Lilien, M. R.; Groothoff, J. W.; van Wijk, A. E.; Pols, H. A.; Hokken-Koelega, A. C.; de Muinck Keizer-Schrama, S. M.

2000-01-01

Metabolic bone disease and growth retardation are common complications of chronic renal failure (CRF). We evaluated bone mineral density (BMD), bone metabolism, body composition and growth in children with CRF, and the effect of growth hormone treatment (GHRx) on these variables. Thirty-three

Labeling, Rehearsal, and Short-Term Memory in Retarded Children

Science.gov (United States)

Hagen, John W.; And Others

1974-01-01

A short-term memory task was used to explore the effects of verbal labeling and rehearsal on serial-position recall in mildly retarded 9-to 11-year-old children. Results support the view that verbal skills affect recall in mildly retarded children similarly to normal children. (Author/SDH)

Vitamin B12–dependent taurine synthesis regulates growth and bone mass

Science.gov (United States)

Roman-Garcia, Pablo; Quiros-Gonzalez, Isabel; Mottram, Lynda; Lieben, Liesbet; Sharan, Kunal; Wangwiwatsin, Arporn; Tubio, Jose; Lewis, Kirsty; Wilkinson, Debbie; Santhanam, Balaji; Sarper, Nazan; Clare, Simon; Vassiliou, George S.; Velagapudi, Vidya R.; Dougan, Gordon; Yadav, Vijay K.

2014-01-01

Both maternal and offspring-derived factors contribute to lifelong growth and bone mass accrual, although the specific role of maternal deficiencies in the growth and bone mass of offspring is poorly understood. In the present study, we have shown that vitamin B12 (B12) deficiency in a murine genetic model results in severe postweaning growth retardation and osteoporosis, and the severity and time of onset of this phenotype in the offspring depends on the maternal genotype. Using integrated physiological and metabolomic analysis, we determined that B12 deficiency in the offspring decreases liver taurine production and associates with abrogation of a growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH/IGF1) axis. Taurine increased GH-dependent IGF1 synthesis in the liver, which subsequently enhanced osteoblast function, and in B12-deficient offspring, oral administration of taurine rescued their growth retardation and osteoporosis phenotypes. These results identify B12 as an essential vitamin that positively regulates postweaning growth and bone formation through taurine synthesis and suggests potential therapies to increase bone mass. PMID:24911144

Deletion of SHP-2 in mesenchymal stem cells causes growth retardation, limb and chest deformity, and calvarial defects in mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip E. Lapinski

2013-11-01

In mice, induced global disruption of the Ptpn11 gene, which encodes the SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase, results in severe skeletal abnormalities. To understand the extent to which skeletal abnormalities can be attributed to perturbation of SHP-2 function in bone-forming osteoblasts and chondrocytes, we generated mice in which disruption of Ptpn11 is restricted to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs and their progeny, which include both cell types. MSC-lineage-specific SHP-2 knockout (MSC SHP-2 KO mice exhibited postnatal growth retardation, limb and chest deformity, and calvarial defects. These skeletal abnormalities were associated with an absence of mature osteoblasts and massive chondrodysplasia with a vast increase in the number of terminally differentiated hypertrophic chondrocytes in affected bones. Activation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs and protein kinase B (PKB; also known as AKT was impaired in bone-forming cells of MSC SHP-2 KO mice, which provides an explanation for the skeletal defects that developed. These findings reveal a cell-autonomous role for SHP-2 in bone-forming cells in mice in the regulation of skeletal development. The results add to our understanding of the pathophysiology of skeletal abnormalities observed in humans with germline mutations in the PTPN11 gene (e.g. Noonan syndrome and LEOPARD syndrome.

Critical importance of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway for Trypanosoma cruzi growth in the mammalian host cell cytoplasm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Muneaki; Morales, Jorge; Fukai, Yoshihisa; Suzuki, Shigeo; Takamiya, Shinzaburo; Tsubouchi, Akiko; Inoue, Syou; Inoue, Masayuki; Kita, Kiyoshi; Harada, Shigeharu; Tanaka, Akiko; Aoki, Takashi; Nara, Takeshi

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We established Trypanosoma cruzi lacking the gene for carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II. ► Disruption of the cpsII gene significantly reduced the growth of epimastigotes. ► In particular, the CPSII-null mutant severely retarded intracellular growth. ► The de novo pyrimidine pathway is critical for the parasite growth in the host cell. -- Abstract: The intracellular parasitic protist Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease in Latin America. In general, pyrimidine nucleotides are supplied by both de novo biosynthesis and salvage pathways. While epimastigotes—an insect form—possess both activities, amastigotes—an intracellular replicating form of T. cruzi—are unable to mediate the uptake of pyrimidine. However, the requirement of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis for parasite growth and survival has not yet been elucidated. Carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase II (CPSII) is the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the de novo biosynthetic pathway, and increased CPSII activity is associated with the rapid proliferation of tumor cells. In the present study, we showed that disruption of the T. cruzicpsII gene significantly reduced parasite growth. In particular, the growth of amastigotes lacking the cpsII gene was severely suppressed. Thus, the de novo pyrimidine pathway is important for proliferation of T. cruzi in the host cell cytoplasm and represents a promising target for chemotherapy against Chagas disease.

Cognitive Representation of Motion in Individuals with Mental Retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Conners, Frances A.; Wyatt, Beverly S.; Dulaney, Cynthia L.

1998-01-01

Fifteen adolescents with and 15 without mental retardation were compared on their tendency to show the representational momentum effect when viewing a stimulus array that implied motion. Participants with mental retardation showed the representational momentum effects as did the others, although the magnitude of the memory shift was smaller.…

Short-Term Memory for Movement Duration in Mentally Retarded and Nonretarded Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Digby; Grundy, Stephen B.

1984-01-01

Both retarded and nonretarded adults (N=26) failed to benefit from opportunities to mentally rehearse their criterion movement over the retention interval, suggesting that strategic differences between the groups cannot explain the poorer performances of the retarded Ss. The retarded Ss appeared to have problems remembering the sensory…

Engineered Resistant-Starch (ERS) Diet Shapes Colon Microbiota Profile in Parallel with the Retardation of Tumor Growth in In Vitro and In Vivo Pancreatic Cancer Models

Science.gov (United States)

Panebianco, Concetta; Adamberg, Kaarel; Adamberg, Signe; Saracino, Chiara; Jaagura, Madis; Kolk, Kaia; Di Chio, Anna Grazia; Graziano, Paolo; Vilu, Raivo; Pazienza, Valerio

2017-01-01

Background/aims: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is ranked as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite recent advances in treatment options, a modest impact on the outcome of the disease is observed so far. We have previously demonstrated that short-term fasting cycles have the potential to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy against PC. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an engineered resistant-starch (ERS) mimicking diet on the growth of cancer cell lines in vitro, on the composition of fecal microbiota, and on tumor growth in an in vivo pancreatic cancer mouse xenograft model. Materials and Methods: BxPC-3, MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells were cultured in the control, and in the ERS-mimicking diet culturing condition, to evaluate tumor growth and proliferation pathways. Pancreatic cancer xenograft mice were subjected to an ERS diet to assess tumor volume and weight as compared to mice fed with a control diet. The composition and activity of fecal microbiota were further analyzed in growth experiments by isothermal microcalorimetry. Results: Pancreatic cancer cells cultured in an ERS diet-mimicking medium showed decreased levels of phospho-ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase proteins) and phospho-mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) levels, as compared to those cultured in standard medium. Consistently, xenograft pancreatic cancer mice subjected to an ERS diet displayed significant retardation in tumor growth. In in vitro growth experiments, the fecal microbial cultures from mice fed with an ERS diet showed enhanced growth on residual substrates, higher production of formate and lactate, and decreased amounts of propionate, compared to fecal microbiota from mice fed with the control diet. Conclusion: A positive effect of the ERS diet on composition and metabolism of mouse fecal microbiota shown in vitro is associated with the decrease of tumor progression in the in vivo PC xenograft mouse model. These results suggest that

Plant responses to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loon, L.C. van

2007-01-01

Non-pathogenic soilborne microorganisms can promote plant growth, as well as suppress diseases. Plant growth promotion is taken to result from improved nutrient acquisition or hormonal stimulation. Disease suppression can occur through microbial antagonism or induction of resistance in the plant.

Determination of Retardation Effects in the High Tc Cuprates from Sharvin Contact Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deutscher, G.

1995-01-01

It is well known that retardation effects are essential to allow the attractive part of the electron-electron interaction (for instance, phonon mediated) to overcome the Coulomb repulsion. In new superconductors such as the cuprates for which the interaction is a priori unknown, it is therefore essential to determine the retarded and non retarded parts of the interaction. We show how this can be achieved by an analysis of Sharvin contact measurements between a noble metal tip and a cuprate. It turns out that both the retarded and non retarded parts are large, the former being however larger than the later

Retardadores de crescimento na produção de plantas floridas envasadas de açafrão-da-cochinchina Growth retardants on production of flowering potted thai tulip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Christina Rossini Pinto

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A introdução de novos produtos na floricultura brasileira é importante para o crescimento do setor. O açafrão-da-cochinchina (Curcuma alismatifolia possui inflorescência e folhagem altamente decorativas e grande potencial para produção como florífera envasada, com o auxílio de retardadores de crescimento, usados na produção de plantas compactas e atrativas. Avaliou-se o efeito de retardadores de crescimento na produção de açafrão-da-cochinchina `Pink', de 3/12/2004 a 28/4/2005, sob ambiente protegido, em Holambra (SP. Instalou-se experimento em blocos casualizados com três repetições e onze tratamentos: controle, paclobutrazol (20; 25; 30 e 35 mg i.a./vaso, via substrato, duas, três e cinco pulverizações de daminozide na concentração de 2,125 g L-1 e duas, três e cinco pulverizações de solução de daminozide (1,275 g L-1 mais chlormequat (0,2 g L-1. O propágulo foi plantado em vaso plástico (1,0 L com substrato comercial e fertirrigado diariamente. Paclobutrazol (35 mg i.a./vaso reduziu significativamente a altura da parte aérea e da folhagem e o comprimento da haste floral, sem alterar o comprimento da inflorescência e atrasar o ciclo de produção. Entretanto, as plantas não ficaram suficientemente compactas para atender às exigências de qualidade do mercado. Os demais retardadores estudados não afetaram significativamente a altura da folhagem e o comprimento da haste floral comparado ao controle.The introduction of new products is important for the growth of Brazilian floriculture industry. The thai tulip (Curcuma alismatifolia has a highly attractive inflorescence and foliage, and great prospect as a flowering potted plant with the aid of growth retardants, which are used to produce compact plants. The effect of growth retardants on `Pink' thai tulip production was evaluated under controlled growing conditions at Holambra, SP. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with three replications and

Evaluation of auditory sensory memory of mentally retarded and nonretarded persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, E M; Meyer, P A

1981-07-01

Performance of mentally retarded and nonretarded persons was compared in two experiments designed to identify processes of auditory sensory memory. In one study backward masking of pure tones occurred for a group of retarded adolescents; however, no differences in masking functions were obtained for the retarded group and control groups of equal CA and MA. In the second study a gap-detection task was used as an apparent index of echoic trace durability. Since retarded persons were hypothesized to have a less durable echoic trace, the unique prediction was made that they would outperform control subjects on the task. The retarded group was significantly more accurate and exhibited a lower threshold than did the nonretarded, CA-matched control group. The applicability of these tasks for investigations of mental development was noted, and suggestions were made concerning improvements and extensions of the present research. A theoretical model was proposed to incorporate te current pattern of results.

Suppression of cancer growth in mice by adeno-associated virus vector-mediated IFN-beta expression driven by hTERT promoter.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Ling Feng; Wang, Yi Gang; Xiao, Tian; Zhang, Kang Jiang; Li, Gong Chu; Gu, Jin Fa; Chu, Liang; Tang, Wen Hao; Tan, Wen-Song; Liu, Xin Yuan

2009-12-28

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has rapidly become a promising gene delivery vehicle for its excellent advantages of non-immunogenic, low pathogenicity and long-term gene expression in vivo. However, a major obstacle in development of effective AAV vector is the lack of tissue specificity, which caused low efficiency of AAV transfer to target cells. The application of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter is a prior targeting strategy for AAV in cancer gene therapy as hTERT activity is transcriptionally upregulated in most cancer cells. In the present work, we investigated whether AAV-mediated human interferon beta (IFN-beta) gene driven by hTERT promoter could specifically express in tumor cells and suppress tumor cell growth. Our data demonstrated that hTERT promoter-driven IFN-beta expression was the tumor-specific, decreased the cell viability of tumor cells but not normal cells, and induced tumor cell apoptosis via activation of caspase pathway and release of cytochrome c. AAV-mediated IFN-beta expression driven by hTERT promoter significantly suppressed the growth of colorectal cancer and lung cancer xenograft in mice and resulted in tumor cells death in vivo. These data suggested that AAVs in combination with hTERT-mediated IFN-beta expression could exert potential antitumor activity and provide a novel targeting approach to clinical gene therapy of varieties of cancers.

Neurotoxicity of brominated flame retardants

Science.gov (United States)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been commonly used as commercial flame retardants in a variety of products including plastics and textiles. Despite their decreasing usage worldwide, congeners continue to accumulate in the environment, including soil, dust, food, anima...

Computerized tomography and head growth curve infantile macrocephaly with normal psychomotor development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eda, Isematsu; Kitahara, Tadashi; Takashima, Sachio; Takeshita, Kenzo

1982-01-01

Macrocephaly was defined as a head measuring larger than 98th percentile. We have evaluated CT findings and head growth curves in 25 infants with large heads. Ten (40%) of 25 infants with large heads were normal developmentally and neurologically. Five (20%) of those were mentally retarded. The other 10 infants (40%) included hydrocephalus (4 cases), malformation syndrome (3 cases), brain tumor (1 case), metabolic disorder (1 case) and degenerative disorder (1 case). Their head growth curves were typed as (I), (II) and (III): Type (I) (excessive head growth curve to 2 SDs above normal); Type (II) (head growth curve gradually approached to 2 SDs above normal); Type (III) (head growth curve parallel to 2 SDs above normal). Ten of macrocephaly with normal psychomotor development were studied clinically and radiologically in details. They were all male. CT pictures of those showed normal or various abnormal findings: ventricular dilatations, wide frontal and temporal subdural spaces, wide interhemispheric fissures, wide cerebral sulci, and large sylvian fissures. CT findings in 2 of those, which because normal after repeated CT examinations, resembled benign subdural collection. CT findings in one of those were external hydrocephalus. Head growth curves were obtained from 8 of those. Six cases revealed type (II) and two cases did type (III). The remaining 2 cases could not be followed up. We consider that CT findings of infants showed macrocephaly with normal psychomotor development reveals normal or various abnormal (ventricular dilatations, benign subdural collection, external hydrocephalus) and their head growth curves are not at least excessive. Infants with mental retardation showed similar CT findings and head growth curves as those with normal psychomotor development. It was difficult to distinguish normal from mentally retarded infants by either CT findings or head growth curves. (author)

Gleditsia Saponin C Induces A549 Cell Apoptosis via Caspase-Dependent Cascade and Suppresses Tumor Growth on Xenografts Tumor Animal Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ye Cheng

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Saponins are natural compounds and possess the most promising anti-cancer function. Here, a saponin gleditsia saponin C (GSC, extracted from gleditsiae fructus abnormalis, could induce apoptosis of lung tumor cell line A549 via caspase dependent cascade and this effect could be prevented by the caspase inhibitors. In addition, GSC induced cell death companied with an increase ratio of Bax:Bcl-2 and inhibition of ERK and Akt signaling pathways. Meanwhile, GSC suppressed TNFα inducing NF-κB activation and increased the susceptibility of lung cancer cell to TNFα induced apoptosis. Furthermore, on mouse xenograft model, GSC significantly suppressed tumor growth and induced cancer cell apoptosis, which validated the anti-tumor effect of GSC. Based on these results, GSC might be a promising drug candidate of anti-lung cancer for its potential clinical applications.

'Obligate' anaerobic Salmonella strain YB1 suppresses liver tumor growth and metastasis in nude mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chang-Xian; Yu, Bin; Shi, Lei; Geng, Wei; Lin, Qiu-Bin; Ling, Chang-Chun; Yang, Mei; Ng, Kevin T P; Huang, Jian-Dong; Man, Kwan

2017-01-01

The antitumor properties of bacteria have been demonstrated over the past decades. However, the efficacy is limited and unclear. Furthermore, systemic infection remains a serious concern in bacteria treatment. In this study, the effect of YB1, a rationally designed 'obligate' anaerobic Salmonella typhimurium strain, on liver tumor growth and metastasis in a nude mouse orthotopic liver tumor model was investigated. The orthotopic liver tumor model was established in nude mice using the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line MHCC-97L. Two weeks after orthotopic liver tumor implantation, YB1, SL7207 and saline were respectively administered through the tail vein of the mice. Longitudinal monitoring of tumor growth and metastasis was performed using Xenogen IVIS, and direct measurements of tumor volume were taken 3 weeks after treatment. In vitro , MHCC-97L and PLC cells were incubated with YB1 or SL7207 under anaerobic conditions. YB1 was observed to invade tumor cells and induce tumor cell apoptosis and death. The results revealed that all mice in the YB1 group were alive 3 weeks after YB1 injection while all mice in the SL7207 group died within 11 days of the SL7207 injection. The body weight decreased by ~9% on day 1 after YB1 injection and but subsequently recovered. Liver tumor growth and metastases were significantly inhibited following YB1 treatment. By contrast to the control group, a large number of Gr1-positive cells were detected on days 1 to 21 following YB1 treatment. Furthermore, YB1 also effectively invaded tumor cells and induced tumor cell apoptosis and death. In conclusion, YB1 suppressed liver tumor growth and metastasis in a nude mice liver tumor model. The potential mechanism may be through enhancing innate immune response and inducing tumor cell apoptosis and cell death.

[Behavioral disorders and substance abuse in adolescents with mental retardation].

Science.gov (United States)

Papachristou, Ec; Anagnostopoulos, Dk

2014-01-01

The percentage of people with mental retardation in the general population is estimated at about 2.3%, with adolescence (15-20 years) constituting the development period during which a peak in rates of mental retardation is observed. The increased prevalence of adolescence may be explained from the fact that the specified requirements of the school initially, and society later, inevitably lead to comparative evaluation of the teen with mental retardation in relation to peers, thus making mental retardation more apparent. Adolescents with mental retardation face a number of physical and psychological needs which are not often distinguishable and as a consequence undergo the deterioration of their already burdened quality of life. In particular, mental health problems occur 3 to 4 times more often in adolescents with mental retardation compared with adolescents of the general population. This review presents the most recent epidemiological findings regarding the correlation between behavioral disorders, substance use and the possible comorbidity in adolescents with intellectual disability, both at community level and residential care level. Epidemiological data indicate that behavioral disorders are among the most common types of psychopathology in mentally retarded adolescents with the severity and symptoms varying depending on the personal characteristics of each adolescent. Regarding substance use, the available data show that the rates of substance use (alcohol, smoking, illicit drugs) are lower in this specific population group but the differences over the last years tend to be eliminated. Finally, according to the few surveys that were examined referring to the comorbidity of behavioral disorders and substance use in adolescents with intellectual disability, the results were contradictory. Specifically, while behavioral disorders continued to be one of the most common types of psychopathology, the related substances disorders indicated lower rates compared to

Acid-base synergistic flame retardant wood pulp paper with high thermal stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ning; Liu, Yuansen; Xu, Changan; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Qi

2017-12-15

Acid-catalytic degradation caused by acid source flame retardants is the main reason for a decline in thermal stability of flame-retarded lignocellulosic materials. In the present research, a guanidine phosphate (GP)/borax (BX) flame retardant system based on acid-base synergistic interaction was designed and used in wood pulp paper (WPP) to solve this problem. Results showed that the treated WPP obtained good flame retardancy with a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 35.7%. As a basic flame retardant, borax could chemically combine with the acids released by guanidine phosphate, thus decreasing the acidity of the system in the initial heating stage. In this way, acid-catalytic degradation is greatly retarded on the lignocelluloses to improve thermal stability (the temperature of maximum degradation peak from 286°C to 314°C). Meanwhile, borax was also advantageous to form a denser and firmer condensed phase through reinforcement of the acid-base reaction product, borophosphates, allowing it to provide a protective barrier with higher quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adoptive and Birth Family Adjustment to Rearing Retarded Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Glidden, Laraine Masters; Bush, Beverly A.

The study identified 81 families who adopted children with mental retardation or at risk for mental retardation, and compared them with 61 matched families with similar birth children. For birth families, the initial diagnosis was a time of crisis, with high depression scores, while scores at follow-up (an average of 5.3 years later) indicated no…

Life cycle assessment of flame retardants in an electronics application

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jonkers, Niels; Krop, Hildo; van Ewijk, Harry; Leonards, Pim E.G.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Flame retardants are added to plastics and textiles to save lives. However, certain brominated flame retardants (BFRs) form an environmental hazard and should be replaced by less harmful alternatives. In the recently completed European research project ENFIRO, we examined which alternatives

Are Patents used to Suppress Useful Technology?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Howells, John

2006-01-01

of innovation, other than in the trivial sense of excluding third parties from the right to develop the technology covered by the patent? There are many references to this possibility in the management, economic and legal literatures, but two highly-cited papers stand out for grounding their claims of corporate......This article examines the evidence behind claims that innovation is hindered or blocked (termed technology suppression) by corporations' use of patents. In other words, are there ways in which the exploitation of the exclusive development right of the patent can be shown to retard the process...... and the difference between economic monopoly and an exclusive right. It is argued here that what is at issue in this work is the proper function of the patent institution. It is shown early in this paper that the understanding of the patent institution as a system of development prospects makes better sense...

Nature of dynamical suppressions in the generalized Veneziano model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odorico, R.

1976-05-01

It is shown by explicit numerical calculations that of a class of coupling suppressions existing in the generalized Veneziano model, which have been recently used to interpret the psi data and other related phenomena, only a part can be attributed to the exponential growth with energy of the number of levels in the model. The remaining suppressions have a more direct dual origin

Thin-Film Composite Pressure Retarded Osmosis Membranes for Sustainable Power Generation from Salinity Gradients

KAUST Repository

Yip, Ngai Yin

2011-05-15

Pressure retarded osmosis has the potential to produce renewable energy from natural salinity gradients. This work presents the fabrication of thin-film composite membranes customized for high performance in pressure retarded osmosis. We also present the development of a theoretical model to predict the water flux in pressure retarded osmosis, from which we can predict the power density that can be achieved by a membrane. The model is the first to incorporate external concentration polarization, a performance limiting phenomenon that becomes significant for high-performance membranes. The fabricated membranes consist of a selective polyamide layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer made by phase separation. The highly porous support layer (structural parameter S = 349 μm), which minimizes internal concentration polarization, allows the transport properties of the active layer to be customized to enhance PRO performance. It is shown that a hand-cast membrane that balances permeability and selectivity (A = 5.81 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, B = 0.88 L m-2 h-1) is projected to achieve the highest potential peak power density of 10.0 W/m2 for a river water feed solution and seawater draw solution. The outstanding performance of this membrane is attributed to the high water permeability of the active layer, coupled with a moderate salt permeability and the ability of the support layer to suppress the undesirable accumulation of leaked salt in the porous support. Membranes with greater selectivity (i.e., lower salt permeability, B = 0.16 L m-2 h-1) suffered from a lower water permeability (A = 1.74 L m-2 h-1 bar-1) and would yield a lower peak power density of 6.1 W/m2, while membranes with a higher permeability and lower selectivity (A = 7.55 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, B = 5.45 L m-2 h-1) performed poorly due to severe reverse salt permeation, resulting in a similar projected peak power density of 6.1 W/m2. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Abscopal suppression of bone marrow erythropoiesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werts, E.D.; Johnson, M.J.; DeGowin, R.L.

1978-01-01

Abscopal responses of hemopoietic tissue, which we noted in preliminary studies of mice receiving partial-body irradiation, led us to clarify these effects. In studies reported here, one hind leg of CF-1 female mice received 1000, 5000, or 10,000 rad of x radiation. We found a persistent shift from medullary to splenic erythropoiesis preventing anemia in mice receiving 5000 or 10,000 rad. Splenectomy prior to 5000-rad irradiation resulted in anemia, which was not ameliorated by exposure to intermittent hypoxia. Despite evidence for increased levels of erythropoietin in the animals, namely, a reticulocytosis and increased erythrocyte radioiron incorporation, both 59 Fe uptake and erythroblast counts in shielded marrow remained below normal. We found 50 to 90% suppression of the growth of marrow stromal colonies (MSC) from bone marrow aspirates of the shielded and irradiated femoral marrow at 1 month and at least 20% depression of MSC at 1 year, with each dose. We conclude that: (i) high doses of x radiation to one leg of mice caused prolonged suppression of medullary erythropoiesis with splenic compensation to prevent anemia; (ii) splenectomy, anemia, and hypoxia prevented the severe abscopal depression of medullary erythropoiesis; and (iii) suppressed medullary erythropoiesis with decreased growth of MSC suggested a change in the hemopoietic microenvironment of the bone marrow

Sorption-capacity limited retardation of radionuclides transport in water-saturated packing materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pescatore, C.; Sullivan, T.

1984-01-01

Radionuclides breakthrough times as calculated through constant retardation factors obtained in dilute solutions are non-conservative. The constant retardation approach regards the solid as having infinite sorption capacity throughout the solid. However, as the solid become locally saturated, such as in the proximity of the waste form-packing materials interface, it will exhibit no retardation properties, and transport will take place as if the radionuclides were locally non-reactive. The magnitude of the effect of finite sorption capacity of the packing materials on radionuclide transport is discussed with reference to high-level waste package performance. An example based on literature sorption data indicated that the breakthrough time may be overpredicted by orders of magnitude using a constant retardation factor as compared to using the entire sorption isotherm to obtain a concentration-dependent retardation factor. 8 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

Sorption-capacity limited retardation of radionuclides transport in water-saturated packing materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pescatore, C.; Sullivan, T.

1984-01-01

Radionuclides breakthrough times as calculated through constant retardation factors obtained in dilute solutions are non-conservative. The constant retardation approach regards the solid as having infinite sorption capacity throughout the solid. However, as the solid becomes locally saturated, such as in the proximity of the waste form-packing materials interface, it will exhibit no retardation properties, and transport will take place as if the radionuclides were locally non-reactive. The magnitude of the effect of finite sorption capacity of the packing materials on radionuclide transport is discussed with reference to high-level waste package performance. An example based on literature sorption data indicates that the breakthrough time may be overpredicted by orders of magnitude using a constant retardation factor as compared to using the entire sorption isotherm to obtain a concentration-dependent retardation factor. 8 references, 3 figures, 3 tables

The self-esteem and anxiety of children with and without mentally retarded siblings.

Science.gov (United States)

Saban, Fatma; Arıkan, Duygu

2013-11-01

The study was carried out with the aim of determining the factors affecting and to evaluate anxiety situations and self-esteem of children with and without mentally retarded siblings. The sampling included 227 healthy children: 108 of them have mental retarded sibling and 119 of them do not have mental retarded sibling. The context of this study consisted of 15-18 year of age healthy children with mentally retarded siblings and 15-18 year of aged healthy children having at least one sibling between the dates February 15(st) and June 26(st) 2010. Personal Information Form, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Trait Anxiety Scale were used. It was found out that trait anxiety of 17-18 aged of children with mental retarded sibling (47.04 ± 7.3) was higher than that of the children without mental retarded siblings (44.05 ± 11.23) (P self-esteem of children with mentally retarded sibling was not affected from the handicap of their siblings (P > 0.05). Trait anxiety score averages of children with mentally retarded sibling and experience some difficulties due to his or her siblings's handicap (47.00 ± 7.76) were found higher than those of those of the children without any problem with the environment (42.61 ± 7.48) (P self-esteem in both groups were not significant different, score of trait anxiety for children with mentally disabled siblings was higher in comparison. It was concluded that anxiety of children with and without mentally retarded siblings increased as self-esteem of these children decreased.

Flame retardants: Dust - and not food - might be the risk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, J.; Ballesteros-Gomez, A.M.; Leslie, H.A.; Brandsma, S.H.; Leonards, P.E.G.

2016-01-01

Flame retardants (FRs) are used to delay ignition of materials such as furniture and electric and electronic instruments. Many FRs are persistent and end up in the environment. Environmental studies on flame retardants (FRs) took off in the late 1990s. Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) appeared

Prepubertal exposure to arsenic(III) suppresses circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) delaying sexual maturation in female rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Reilly, Michael P; Saca, James C; Hamilton, Alina; Solano, Rene F; Rivera, Jesse R; Whitehouse-Innis, Wendy; Parsons, Jason G; Dearth, Robert K

2014-04-01

Arsenic (As) is a prevalent environmental toxin readily accessible for human consumption and has been identified as an endocrine disruptor. However, it is not known what impact As has on female sexual maturation. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effects of prepubertal exposure on mammary gland development and pubertal onset in female rats. Results showed that prepubertal exposure to 10 mg/kg of arsenite (As(III)) delayed vaginal opening (VO) and prepubertal mammary gland maturation. We determined that As accumulates in the liver, disrupts hepatocyte function and suppresses serum levels of the puberty related hormone insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in prepubertal animals. Overall, this is the first study to show that prepubertal exposure to As(III) acts peripherally to suppress circulating levels of IGF-1 resulting in delayed sexual maturation. Furthermore, this study identifies a critical window of increased susceptibility to As(III) that may have a lasting impact on female reproductive function. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cantharidin Inhibits the Growth of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells by Suppressing Autophagy and Inducing Apoptosis in Vitro and in Vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-chang Li

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Cantharidin, a type of terpenoid secreted by the blister beetle Mylabris phalerata (Pallas, has attracted great attention in cancer therapy because of its potential anti-cancer activities. Here, we report the effects on apoptosis and autophagy in human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC cell lines after treatment with cantharidin and attempt to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells were treated with cantharidin and cell proliferation was examined using CCK-8 and clone formation assays. The expression of apoptosis- and autophagy-associated proteins was detected by western blotting. Cells were infected with lentivirus carrying the Beclin-1 gene, and MDA-MB-231-beclin1 (MB231-Bec and MDA-MB-468-beclin-1(MB468-Bec cells stably expressing Beclin-1 were established. Autophagic vacuoles in cells were observed with LC3 staining using fluorescence microscopy, and apoptotic cells were detected via flow cytometry. Tumor growth was assessed by subcutaneous inoculation of TNBC cells into BALB/c nude mice. Results: Cantharidin inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells, and induced cell apoptosis. Cantharidin additionally inhibited the conversion of LC3 I to LC3 II and autophagosome formation by suppressing the expression of Beclin-1. Furthermore, overexpression of Beclin-1 in TNBC cells attenuated the cytotoxicity of cantharidin. In vivo, cantharidin inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 xenografts in nude mice by suppressing autophagy and inducing apoptosis, and Beclin-1 overexpression in TNBC cells reduced the efficacy of cantharidin. Conclusions: Cantharidin inhibits autophagy by suppressing Beclin-1 expression and inducing apoptosis of TNBC cells in vitro and in vivo, thereby representing a potential strategy for the treatment of TNBC.

Kaempferol suppresses bladder cancer tumor growth by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Qiang; Song, Wenbin; Xu, Defeng; Ma, Yanmin; Li, Feng; Zeng, Jin; Zhu, Guodong; Wang, Xinyang; Chang, Luke S; He, Dalin; Li, Lei

2015-09-01

The effects of the flavonoid compound, kaempferol, which is an inhibitor of cancer cell proliferation and an inducer of cell apoptosis have been shown in various cancers, including lung, pancreatic, and ovarian, but its effect has never been studied in bladder cancer. Here, we investigated the effects of kaempferol on bladder cancer using multiple in vitro cell lines and in vivo mice studies. The MTT assay results on various bladder cancer cell lines showed that kaempferol enhanced bladder cancer cell cytotoxicity. In contrast, when analyzed by the flow cytometric analysis, DNA ladder experiment, and TUNEL assay, kaempferol significantly was shown to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. These in vitro results were confirmed in in vivo mice studies using subcutaneous xenografted mouse models. Consistent with the in vitro results, we found that treating mice with kaempferol significant suppression in tumor growth compared to the control group mice. Tumor tissue staining results showed decreased expressions of the growth related markers, yet increased expressions in apoptosis markers in the kaempferol treated group mice tissues compared to the control group mice. In addition, our in vitro and in vivo data showed kaempferol can also inhibit bladder cancer invasion and metastasis. Further mechanism dissection studies showed that significant down-regulation of the c-Met/p38 signaling pathway is responsible for the kaempferol mediated cell proliferation inhibition. All these findings suggest kaempferol might be an effective and novel chemotherapeutic drug to apply for the future therapeutic agent to combat bladder cancer. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Combination of Bifunctional Alkylating Agent and Arsenic Trioxide Synergistically Suppresses the Growth of Drug-Resistant Tumor Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pei-Chih Lee

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Drug resistance is a crucial factor in the failure of cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we explored the effect of combining alkylating agents and arsenic trioxide (ATO on the suppression of tumor cells with inherited or acquired resistance to therapeutic agents. Our results showed that combining ATO and a synthetic derivative of 3a-aza-cyclopenta[a]indenes (BO-1012, a bifunctional alkylating agent causing DNA interstrand cross-links, was more effective in killing human cancer cell lines (H460, H1299, and PC3 than combining ATO and melphalan or thiotepa. We further demonstrated that the combination treatment of H460 cells with BO-1012 and ATO resulted in severe G2/M arrest and apoptosis. In a xenograft mouse model, the combination treatment with BO-1012 and ATO synergistically reduced tumor volumes in nude mice inoculated with H460 cells. Similarly, the combination of BO-1012 and ATO effectively reduced the growth of cisplatin-resistant NTUB1/P human bladder carcinoma cells. Furthermore, the repair of BO-1012-induced DNA interstrand cross-links was significantly inhibited by ATO, and consequently, γH2AX was remarkably increased and formed nuclear foci in H460 cells treated with this drug combination. In addition, Rad51 was activated by translocating and forming foci in nuclei on treatment with BO-1012, whereas its activation was significantly suppressed by ATO. We further revealed that ATO might mediate through the suppression of AKT activity to inactivate Rad51. Taken together, the present study reveals that a combination of bifunctional alkylating agents and ATO may be a rational strategy for treating cancers with inherited or acquired drug resistance.

Fire-retardant foams

Science.gov (United States)

Gagliani, J.

1978-01-01

Family of polyimide resins are being developed as foams with exceptional fire-retardant properties. Foams are potentially useful for seat cushions in aircraft and ground vehicles and for applications such as home furnishings and building-construction materials. Basic formulations can be modified with reinforcing fibers or fillers to produce celular materials for variety of applications. By selecting reactants, polymer structure can be modified to give foams with properties ranging from high resiliency and flexibility to brittleness and rigidity.

Improved model of the retardance in citric acid coated ferrofluids using stepwise regression

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, J. F.; Qiu, X. R.

2017-06-01

Citric acid (CA) coated Fe3O4 ferrofluids (FFs) have been conducted for biomedical application. The magneto-optical retardance of CA coated FFs was measured by a Stokes polarimeter. Optimization and multiple regression of retardance in FFs were executed by Taguchi method and Microsoft Excel previously, and the F value of regression model was large enough. However, the model executed by Excel was not systematic. Instead we adopted the stepwise regression to model the retardance of CA coated FFs. From the results of stepwise regression by MATLAB, the developed model had highly predictable ability owing to F of 2.55897e+7 and correlation coefficient of one. The average absolute error of predicted retardances to measured retardances was just 0.0044%. Using the genetic algorithm (GA) in MATLAB, the optimized parametric combination was determined as [4.709 0.12 39.998 70.006] corresponding to the pH of suspension, molar ratio of CA to Fe3O4, CA volume, and coating temperature. The maximum retardance was found as 31.712°, close to that obtained by evolutionary solver in Excel and a relative error of -0.013%. Above all, the stepwise regression method was successfully used to model the retardance of CA coated FFs, and the maximum global retardance was determined by the use of GA.

Flame retardancy and thermal behavior of intumescent flame-retardant EVA composites with an efficient triazine-based charring agent

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Bo; Ma, Wen; Wu, Xiao; Qian, Lijun; Jiang, Shan

2018-04-01

Intumescent flame retardant (IFR) EVA composites were prepared based on a hyperbranched triazine charring-foaming agent (HTCFA) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP). The synergistic effect of HTCFA and APP on the flame retardancy and thermal behavior of the composites were investigated through flammability tests, cone calorimeter measurements, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) including evolved gas analysis (TG-IR) and residue analysis (Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), x-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)). The flammability test results showed HTCFA/APP (1/3) system presented the best synergistic effect in flame-retardant EVA composites with the highest LOI value and UL-94 V-0 rating. As for cone calorimeter results, IFR changed the combustion behavior of EVA and resulted in remarkable decrease of flammability and smoke product. TGA results showed the synergistic effect between APP and HTCFA could strengthen the char-forming ability of composites. TG-IR results indicated the melt viscosities and gas release with increasing temperature were well-correlated for EVA/IFR composite. The residue analysis results from SEM, LRS, FT-IR and XPS revealed IFR promoted forming more compact graphitic char layer, connected by rich P–O–C and P–N structures.

Gitelman syndrome combined with complete growth hormone deficiency

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Se Ra Min

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Gitelman syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary salt-losing tubulopathy, that manifests as hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, hypomagnesemia, and hypocalciuria. It is caused by mutations in the solute carrier family 12(sodium/chloride transporters, member 3 (SLC12A3 gene encoding the thiazide-sensitive sodium chloride cotransporter channel (NCCT in the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney. It is associated with muscle weakness, cramps, tetany, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and growth retardation. The incidence of growth retardation, the exact cause of which is unknown, is lower than that of Bartter syndrome. Herein, we discuss the case of an overweight 12.9-year-old girl of short stature presenting with hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis. The patient, on the basis of detection of a heterozygous mutation in the SLC12A3 gene and poor growth hormone (GH responses in two provocative tests, was diagnosed with Gitelman syndrome combined with complete GH deficiency. GH treatment accompanied by magnesium oxide and potassium replacement was associated with a good clinical response.

Environment-friendly, flame retardant thermoplastic elastomer-magnesium hydroxide composites

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Hao; Chen, Kunfeng; Li, Xiaonan; Ao, Man; Guo, Xinwen; Xue, Dongfeng

Halogen-free and environment-friendly magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) was synthesized to enhance the flame retardant properties of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). When the Mg(OH)2 content was optimized to 35wt.%, the TPE-Mg(OH)2 composites exhibited the best flame retardant properties. The results showed that there was a delay of ignition time of the samples containing Mg(OH)2; compared with the samples without Mg(OH)2, the heat release rate and total heat release decrease by 31.4% and 35.6%, while total smoke production and mass loss rate reduce by 56% and 34.2%, respectively. This work opens a door to manufacture fire-resistant polymer-based composites with environmental-friendly flame retardant additives by controllable crystallization and chemical strategies.

Moral and cognitive development in retarded and nonretarded children.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, J J; Achenbach, T M

1975-07-01

Subjects were 30 cultural-familially retarded and 30 nonretarded children matched for MA within 3 MA levels. The subjects were administered measures of moral judgement and cognitive operations hypothesized by Kohlberg to constitute necessary but not sufficient conditions for attainment of specific moral stages. Moral and cognitive performance improved with MA, but there were no differences between the MA-matched retarded and nonretarded children. Moral judgement related more strongly to MA then to any of the specific cognitive operations tested. The findings failed to support Kohlberg and Gilligan's (1971) hypothesis that the moral judgment of older individuals should be more advanced than that of younger individuals matched for cognitive level, but they were in accord with Zigler's (1969) "developmental" concept of cultural-familial retardation.

Flame Retardant Multilayered Coatings on Acrylic Fabrics Prepared by One-Step Deposition of Chitosan/Montmorillonite Complexes

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Federico Carosio

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Multilayered coatings deposited using the layer-by-layer (LbL assembly technique have attracted great interest in recent years as a sustainable and efficient solution for conferring flame retardant properties to fabrics. The unique structure and interaction established upon the coating assembly are the key factors for successful flame retardant properties. In this study we aimed at the deposition of multilayered coatings comprising chitosan and montmorillonite with a LbL-like structure and interactions by the simple processing of compacted chitosan/montmorillonite complexes obtained by the direct mixing of an oppositely charged solution/suspension. Upon drying, the prepared complex yielded a continuous coating characterized by a brick-and-mortar multi-layered structure, in which oriented clay nanoplatelets were held together by a continuous chitosan matrix. When deposited on acrylic fabrics these coatings were able to suppress the melt-dripping phenomenon, and at 10 and 20% add-ons achieved self-extinguishing behavior within a few seconds after ignition. Cone calorimetry testing revealed an increase in time to ignition (up to +46% and considerable reductions of the rates at which heat is released (up to −62 and −49% for peak of heat release rate and total heat release, respectively. A reduction in the total smoke release (up to −49% was also observed.

Styrene maleic acid-encapsulated RL71 micelles suppress tumor growth in a murine xenograft model of triple negative breast cancer

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Martey O

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Orleans Martey,1 Mhairi Nimick,1 Sebastien Taurin,1 Vignesh Sundararajan,1 Khaled Greish,2 Rhonda J Rosengren1 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; 2Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain Abstract: Patients with triple negative breast cancer have a poor prognosis due in part to the lack of targeted therapies. In the search for novel drugs, our laboratory has developed a second-generation curcumin derivative, 3,5-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene-1-methylpiperidine-4-one (RL71, that exhibits potent in vitro cytotoxicity. To improve the clinical potential of this drug, we have encapsulated it in styrene maleic acid (SMA micelles. SMA-RL71 showed improved biodistribution, and drug accumulation in the tumor increased 16-fold compared to control. SMA-RL71 (10 mg/kg, intravenously, two times a week for 2 weeks also significantly suppressed tumor growth compared to control in a xenograft model of triple negative breast cancer. Free RL71 was unable to alter tumor growth. Tumors from SMA-RL71-treated mice showed a decrease in angiogenesis and an increase in apoptosis. The drug treatment also modulated various cell signaling proteins including the epidermal growth factor receptor, with the mechanisms for tumor suppression consistent with previous work with RL71 in vitro. The nanoformulation was also nontoxic as shown by normal levels of plasma markers for liver and kidney injury following weekly administration of SMA-RL71 (10 mg/kg for 90 days. Thus, we report clinical potential following encapsulation of a novel curcumin derivative, RL71, in SMA micelles. Keywords: curcumin derivatives, nanomedicine, EGFR, biodistribution

The Effect of Retardation on the Spontaneous Breaking of Chiral Symmetry in GCM

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YANG Sheng-Dong; ZHAI Chen-Yang; ZHOU Zhi-Ning; YANG Ze-Sen

2001-01-01

An effective Hamiltonian including current-current coupling from the global color symmetry model is -R2 2derived.Retardation effects are introduced by the factor ( R/ ) e ,instead of δ (r) in the correlation kernel,from which the retardation gap equation with α-α coupling in the 3po vacuum is obtained,qq condensations of different retardation parameters R with or without the α-α term are calculated.The results show the effects of retardation,and indicate that the typical value of R is about 2 fm-1 at reasonable value of qq condensation.And while taking typical value 1 fm-1 of R,the condensation 1/3 is about 13% larger than that with no retardation effect.With the α-αterms,the condensation (qq) 1/3 is about 17%o larger than that without it for all values of the parameter R.This shows that the retardation effects and the α-α terms are important for further studying in the Iow-energy region.``

Intrauterine growth retardation and consequences for endocrine and cardiovascular diseases in adult life

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Rikke Bodin Beck; Chellakooty, Marla; Vielwerth, Signe

2003-01-01

Low birth weight has been associated with an increased incidence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and type 2 diabetes. Endocrine regulation of fetal growth by growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I is complex. Placental GH is detectable in maternal serum from the 8th to the 12...... postnatal growth, insulin resistance and consequently the risk of cardiovascular disease. Thus IGF-I may serve as a link between fetal growth and adult-onset disease.......Low birth weight has been associated with an increased incidence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and type 2 diabetes. Endocrine regulation of fetal growth by growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I is complex. Placental GH is detectable in maternal serum from the 8th to the 12th...

Melatonin suppresses thyroid cancer growth and overcomes radioresistance via inhibition of p65 phosphorylation and induction of ROS

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Zhen-Wei Zou

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine carcinoma with increasing incidence worldwide and anaplastic subtypes are frequently associated with cancer related death. Radioresistance of thyroid cancer often leads to therapy failure and cancer-related death. In this study, we found that melatonin showed potent suppressive roles on NF-κB signaling via inhibition of p65 phosphorylation and generated redox stress in thyroid cancer including the anaplastic subtypes. Our data showed that melatonin significantly decreased cell viability, suppressed cell migration and induced apoptosis in thyroid cancer cell lines in vitro and impaired tumor growth in the subcutaneous mouse model in vivo. By contrast, irradiation of thyroid cancer cells resulted in elevated level of phosphorylated p65, which could be reversed by cotreatment with melatonin. Consequently, melatonin synergized with irradiation to induce cytotoxicity to thyroid cancer, especially in the undifferentiated subgroups. Taken together, our results suggest that melatonin may exert anti-tumor activities against thyroid carcinoma by inhibition of p65 phosphorylation and induction of reactive oxygen species. Radio-sensitization by melatonin may have clinical benefits in thyroid cancer. Keywords: Melatonin, Thyroid cancer, Radioresistance, p65, Reactive oxygen species

Epilepsy and Comorbid Mental Retardation

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J Gordon Millichap

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Preventable and unpreventable causes of childhood-onset epilepsy associated with mental retardation were determined in 692 patients with epilepsy onset between 1977 and 1985 in a Nova Scotia population-based cohort studied in the Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.

Mental Retardation: Diagnosis and Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Poser, Charles M., Ed.

A collection of writings by 17 authors, the text includes the following discussions: general principles of diagnosis and management of mental retardation, neurologic evaluation of the infant and child, psychological evaluation, educational information, and treatment of pseudoretardation, communicative disorders, and metabolic and endocrine causes.…

Development of Halogen-free flame-retardant cable for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Nobuhisa; Morii, Akira; Fujimura, Shunichi

1992-01-01

Conventional flame-retardant cables release a large volume of corrosive and toxic gases as well as smoke while combusted. Cables covered with halogen-free flame-retardant material, containing no halogen in it, have been developed to reduce generation of such gases and smoke, and have already been used in telecommunication service, subway and shipboard applications. However, for cables for nuclear power plant, covering materials should also have radiation resistance and other properties, including long-term physical stability. We have developed halogen-free flame-retardant cables for BWR nuclear power plant with sufficient flame retardancy radiation resistance and environmental resistance including steam-exposure resistance all of which are in accordance with Japanese specifications for BWR nuclear cables and have such characteristics as low corrosiveness, low toxicity and low smoke emission. (author)

Development of halogen-free flame-retardant cable for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Nobuhisa; Morii, Akira; Fujimura, Shunichi

1991-01-01

Conventional flame-retardant cables release a large amount of corrosive and toxic gases and also smoke during combustion on fire. Cables covered with halogen-free flame-retardant material, containing no halogen in it, have been developed to reduce generation of such gases and smoke, and already used in telecommunication plant, subway and shipboard applications. In the case of nuclear power plant application, cable covering materials should also have radiation resistance and other properties including long-term physical stability. We have developed halogen-free flame-retardant cables for nuclear power plant with sufficient flame retardancy, radiation resistance, and environmental resistance including steam-exposure resistance, all of which are in accordance with Japanese specifications for nuclear cables, and with characteristics as low corrosiveness, low toxicity, and low smoke evolution. (author)

Suppression of SOX18 by siRNA inhibits cell growth and invasion of breast cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jianxiang; Ma, Yanmei; Wang, Shoujun; Chen, Fu; Gu, Yuanting

2016-06-01

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women around the world, and its incidence and mortality rates are still rising. An increasing number of studies have reported that SOX18 plays an important role in various cancers. However, the role of SOX18 in breast cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the biological role and potential molecular mechanism of SOX18 in breast cancer. We found that the mRNA and protein expression levels of SOX18 were prevalently and significantly overexpressed in human breast cancer cell lines. Next, we performed loss-of-function experiments by transfection of two breast cancer cell lines, BT-474 and MCF-7, with SOX18 small interfering RNAs (siRNA). Results showed that SOX18 siRNA transfection significantly suppressed mRNA and protein expression of SOX18 in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, knockdown of SOX18 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, but promoted apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Importantly, several oncogenic proteins, including the Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA), platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB), Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), were markedly decreased by SOX18 siRNA. Taken together, the results of our study suggest that knockdown of SOX18 inhibits breast cancer cell growth and invasion, possibly by downregulating downstream oncogenic proteins, providing novel insights into the development of breast cancer therapy through targeting of SOX18.

A dendrite-suppressing composite ion conductor from aramid nanofibres.

Science.gov (United States)

Tung, Siu-On; Ho, Szushen; Yang, Ming; Zhang, Ruilin; Kotov, Nicholas A

2015-01-27

Dendrite growth threatens the safety of batteries by piercing the ion-transporting separators between the cathode and anode. Finding a dendrite-suppressing material that combines high modulus and high ionic conductance has long been considered a major technological and materials science challenge. Here we demonstrate that these properties can be attained in a composite made from Kevlar-derived aramid nanofibres assembled in a layer-by-layer manner with poly(ethylene oxide). Importantly, the porosity of the membranes is smaller than the growth area of the dendrites so that aramid nanofibres eliminate 'weak links' where the dendrites pierce the membranes. The aramid nanofibre network suppresses poly(ethylene oxide) crystallization detrimental for ion transport, giving a composite that exhibits high modulus, ionic conductivity, flexibility, ion flux rates and thermal stability. Successful suppression of hard copper dendrites by the composite ion conductor at extreme discharge conditions is demonstrated, thereby providing a new approach for the materials engineering of solid ion conductors.

Theories on Criminality and Mental Retardation Project CAMIO, Volume 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Haskins, Jimmy R.; Friel, Charles M.

This historical review of theories on criminality and mental retardation is part of Project CAMIO (Correctional Administration and the Mentally Incompetent Offender), a Texas study to determine the incidence of criminal incarceration of the mentally retarded (MR) and to identify laws, procedures, and practices which affect the prosecution and…

Decision Making in Leisure. Empowerment for People with Mental Retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bullock, Charles C.; Mahon, Michael J.

1992-01-01

People with mental retardation have been overlooked in recreation/leisure and decision making, which are integral to full community participation. They must be provided with leisure education and decision-making skills. The article describes the Decision Making in Leisure model, explaining its use with individuals with mental retardation. (SM)

The retinamide VNLG-152 inhibits f-AR/AR-V7 and MNK-eIF4E signaling pathways to suppress EMT and castration-resistant prostate cancer xenograft growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramamurthy, Vidya P; Ramalingam, Senthilmurugan; Gediya, Lalji K; Njar, Vincent C O

2018-03-01

VNLG-152 is a novel retinamide (NR) shown to suppress growth and progression of genetically diverse prostate cancer cells via inhibition of androgen receptor signaling and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) translational machinery. Herein, we report therapeutic effects of VNLG-152 on castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) growth and metastatic phenotype in a CRPC tumor xenograft model. Administration of VNLG-152 significantly and dose-dependently suppressed the growth of aggressive CWR22Rv1 tumors by 63.4% and 76.3% at 10 and 20 mg·kg -1 bw, respectively (P AR)/androgen receptor splice variant-7 (AR-V7), mitogen-activated protein kinase-interacting kinases 1 and 2 (MNK1/2), phosphorylated eIF4E and their associated target proteins, including prostate-specific antigen, cyclin D1 and Bcl-2, were strongly decreased in VNLG-152-treated tumors signifying inhibition of f-AR/AR-V7 and MNK-eIF4E signaling in VNLG-152-treated CWR22Rv1 tumors as observed in vitro. VNLG-152 also suppressed the epithelial to mesenchymal transition in CWR22Rv1 tumors as evidenced by repression of N-cadherin, β-catenin, claudin, Slug, Snail, Twist, vimentin and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) with upsurge in E-cadherin. These results highlight the promising use of VNLG-152 in CRPC therapy and justify its further development towards clinical trials. © 2018 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Autocatalytic caspase-3 driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter suppresses human ovarian carcinoma growth in vitro and in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yue; Xia, Zhijun; Shen, Keng; Zhai, Xingyue

2013-05-01

To construct recombinant adenoviruses AdHT-rev-casp3 and Ad-rev-casp3, which express autocatalysis caspase-3 driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter and cytomegalovirus promoter, respectively; and to investigate their antitumor effects on ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo. Cell viabilities were determined using the cell counting kit 8 and flow cytometry. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting assays were used to detect cellular apoptotic activities after treatments. Tumor growth and survival of mice bearing AO cells were studied. AdHT-rev-casp3 significantly suppressed the survival of AO cells in a dose-dependent modality with a viability rate of 60.45% ± 7.8% at an multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 70 and 42.18 ± 5.3% at an MOI of 100, which was somewhat lower than that of the AO cells treated with Ad-rev-casp3 (32.28% ± 5.3% and 21.84% ± 3.4%, respectively). In contrast, AdHT-rev-casp3 induced little human umbilical vein epithelial cell (HUVEC) death with a viability rate of 98.52% ± 6.9% at an MOI of 70, whereas Ad-rev-casp3 induced significant cell death in HUVEC with a viability rate of 27.14% ± 5.4%. Additionally, AdHT-rev-casp3 (MOI = 70) caused significant apoptosis in AO cells with an apoptotic rate of 25.97%, whereas it caused undetectable apoptosis in HUVECs with the rate of only 1.75%. Ad-rev-casp3 (MOI = 70) caused strong apoptosis in both AO and HUVECs, with the rate of 35.82% and 38.12%, respectively. AdHT-rev-casp3 caused markedly higher levels of active caspase-3, causing no detectable active caspase-3 expression in HUVECs. The tumor growth suppression rate of AdHT-rev-casp3 was 54.94%, significantly higher than that of phosphate-buffered saline at the end point of the study. AdHT-rev-casp3 significantly improved the survival of mice receiving intraperitoneal inoculation of AO cells with little liver damage, with the mean survival of 177 ± 12 days. AdHT-rev-casp3 causes effective apoptosis

BMP Suppresses PTEN Expression via RAS/ERK Signaling

OpenAIRE

Beck, Stayce E.; Carethers, John M.

2007-01-01

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), a member of the transforming growth factor β family, classically utilizes the SMAD signaling pathway for its growth suppressive effects, and loss of this signaling cascade may accelerate cell growth. In the colon cancer predisposition syndrome Juvenile Polyposis, as well as in the late progression stages of nonsyndromic colorectal cancers, SMAD4 function is typically abrogated. Here, we utilized the SMAD4-null SW480 colon cancer cell line to examine BMPs effe...

Values and Moral Foundations as a Basis for Attitude toward Mentally Retarded People in Students

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Олег Анатольевич Сычев

2018-12-01

Full Text Available An important factor of the successful integration of mentally retarded people is the readiness of the society to accept such people as equal members. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the attitude toward mentally retarded people depends on values and moral factors. The sample comprised 169 students of technical college and pedagogical university. The attitude toward mentally retarded people was measured using a modified version of Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory (MRAI-R by Antonak & Harth, values were tested using Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-R2 by Schwartz, and moral foundations were measured using Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ by Graham et al.. We elaborated modified Russian version of MRAI-R, showed its factor structure and good psychometric properties. The main moral factor of the attitude toward mentally retarded people was the importance of fairness: the higher it is the higher is the readiness to diminish the social distance with the mentally retarded. The importance of authority was associated with the low approval of inclusive education for the mentally retarded. The most important predictor of the attitude toward mentally retarded people was gender: girls demonstrated a more positive attitude towards the mentally retarded.

Dehydrins from wheat x Thinopyrum ponticum amphiploid increase salinity and drought tolerance under their own inducible promoters without growth retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Yu-Xiang; Qin, Fangyuan

2016-02-01

Dehydrins confer abiotic stress tolerance in seedlings, but few dehydrins have been studied by transgenic analysis under their own promoters in relation to abiotic stress tolerance. Also the inducible promoters for transgenic engineering are limited. In this study, we isolated from wheat three salt-induced YSK2 dehydrin genes and their promoters. The cDNA sequences were 711, 785, and 932 bp in length, encoding proteins containing 133, 166 and 231 amino acids, respectively, and were named TaDHN1, TaDHN2, and TaDHN3. TaDHN2 doesn't contain introns, while the other two genes each contain one. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis revealed all three dehydrin genes are substantially induced by ABA and NaCl, but only TaDHN2 is induced in seedlings by PEG and by cold (4 °C). Regulatory sequences upstream of the first translation codon (775, 1615 and 889 bp) of the three dehydrin genes were also cloned. Cis-element prediction indicated the presence of ABRE and other abiotic-stress-related elements. Histochemical analysis using GUS expression demonstrated that all three promoters were induced by ABA, cold or NaCl. Ectopic over-expression of TaDHN1 or TaDHN3 in Arabidopsis under their own inducible promoters enhanced NaCl- and drought-stress tolerance without growth retardation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparison of blood lead levels of mothers and cord blood in intrauterine growth retarded neonates and normal term neonates