Absence of binding of human salivary glycoprotein to human gingival fibroblast-like cells in vitro.

1996

The aim of this study was to determine whether human high molecular weight salivary glycoprotein binds in vitro to human gingival fibroblast-like cells. Primary monolayer cultures of 2 human gingival fibroblast-like cell lines were incubated with a high molecular weight fraction of salivary glycoprotein which expressed blood group A activity and glycoprotein-cell binding probed using an FITC-conjugated mouse monoclonal antibody to human blood group A antigen. Surface fluorescence of protein-treated cells was found to be no greater than that of untreated or serum-treated control cultures. As significant binding of salivary glycoprotein to gingival fibroblast-like cells does not occur in vitr…

Mitomycin C plus vindesine plus etoposide (MEV) versus mitomycin C plus vindesine plus cisplatin (MVP) in stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer: A phas…

1996

Purpose : To compare mitomycin C plus vindesine plus etoposide (MEV) vs. mitomycin C plus vindesine plus cisplatin (MVP) in the treatment of stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients and methods : 204 patients were entered in a phase III multicentre randomised trial from June 1990 to December 1994 and stratified according to the ECOG performance status (0-1 vs. 2). MVP was given in the following dosages : mitomycin C 8 mg/m 2 + vindesine 3 mg/m 2 + cisplatin 100 mg/m 2 i.v. day 1 and vindesine 3 mg/m 2 i.v. day 8 with cycles repeated every 4 weeks. MEV was given in the following dosages : mitomycin C 8 mg/m 2 + vindesine 3 mg/m 2 i.v. day I and etoposide 100 mg/m 2 i.v. days 1 to 3 with…

Conflicting shear sense indicators in shear zones; the problem of non-ideal sections

1996

Abstract Deflection of pre-existing planar structures such as foliations or veins by ductile shear zones is geometrically very similar to the curvature of newly developed shear zone-restricted foliations in zones that cut a rock with a random fabric. Sense of curvature of shear zone-restricted foliations can be used to determine shear sense, but the deflection of pre-existing planar structures is less reliable. Two examples are presented of shear zones in Australia where both types of structures seem to represent conflicting shear sense. This conflict can be attributed to a geometrical effect which causes deflection of older structures in an opposite direction to shear sense on outcrop surf…

Local symmetries of digital contours from their chain codes

1996

In this work symmetry is evaluated as a numeric feature for each point of a contour, using only the positions of a local vicinity of points. A measurement is defined, named as Local Symmetric Deficiency (LSD), so that the lower this quantity is, the higher the symmetry will be in the local region considered. This approach is very simple and it is based on a suitable manipulation of the chain code of the curve. Its computational cost is very low and it has the advantages of a parallel algorithm, since values for LSD can be computed for each point independently.

Turbulence and financial markets

1996

Selectivity tuning in pressurized-flow electrochromatography

1996

Abstract Pressurized-flow electrochromatography (PEC) is a developing separation technique in which both a pressure gradient and an electric field are applied across a packed capillary. In this work we present new results illustrating the principles and the potential of PEC. Home-made capillary columns with silica-based reversed phase packings were operated under PEC conditions separating low molecular weight analytes. Compared to the purely pressure-driven system enhanced selectivity for the charged analytes was observed. It is shown that the retention time of a retained cationic analyte in PEC can be calculated using the chromatographic capacity factor and the electrophoretic mobility of …

Dynamics of Glassy Polymer Melts in Confined Geometry: A Monte Carlo Simulation

1996

Dynamic properties of a dense polymer melt confined between two hard walls are investigated over a wide range of temperatures by dynamic Monte Carlo simulation. The temperature interval ranges from the ordinary liquid to the strongly supercooled melt. The influence of temperature, density and confinement on the polymer dynamics is studied by various mean-square displacements, structural relaxation functions and quantities derived from them (relaxation times, apparent diffusion coefficients, monomer relaxation rates), yielding the following results: The motion of the monomers and polymers close to the walls is enhanced in parallel, but reduced in perpendicular direction. This dynamic anisotr…

Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on enzyme activities and active methionine absorption in the small intestine of pregnant rats.

1996

The present study evaluates the effect of chronic alcohol intake on the intestinal transport of methionine during pregnancy. For this purpose, we have used an in vitro technique that allows measurement of the unidirectional influx of the amino acids across the brush-border membrane of the rat mid-jejunum, and the basolateral membrane enzyme Na+, K+-ATPase was also evaluated in the duodenum and jejunum. For chronic alcohol treatment, the rats were fed a liquid diet containing ethanol (36% of calories) or an isocaloric diet-(pair-fed control) for 5 weeks before and during pregnancy. Animals were killed at 21 days of gestation. Results from the kinetic analysis revealed that chronic ethanol tr…

Paradoxical heat sensation in patients with multiple sclerosis

1996

Temperature thresholds were determined in 16 patients with probable or definite multiple sclerosis, in six patients with possible but unconfirmed multiple sclerosis and in 34 healthy subjects, using the method of limits and the thermal sensory limen (TSL) of the MarStock technique. A significant proportion of the patients had thresholds outside the 2.5 SD range for normal subjects, both for warmth detection threshold and TSL. In addition, 10 patients with probable or definite multiple sclerosis and one patient with possible multiple sclerosis reported a paradoxical heat sensation, i.e. a sensation of warmth elicited by a cold stimulus. This illusion was almost exclusively observed with the …

Intubationsbedingungen nach Rocuronium und Succinylcholin

1996

OBJECTIVE Rocuronium is a new non-depolarising steroidal muscle relaxant with a short onset time. The present study was undertaken to compare intubating conditions as well as onset and clinical duration of a single dose of 0.6 mg/kg (2 x ED95) with a single dose of 1 mg/kg suxamethonium (3 x ED95). METHODS After obtaining informed consent and approval of the Ethics Committee, 40 adult patients (ASA I-III) participated in this study. After premedication with oxazepam, anaesthesia was induced with fentanyl and propofol and maintained with propofol, N2O and supplements of fentanyl as needed. Muscular relaxation was assessed by EMG recording of adductor pollicis muscle after supramaximal single…

Gasless laparoscopy with conventional surgical instruments

1996

The main advantages of gasless laparoscopy arise from the use of conventional laparotomy instruments (clamps, scissors and needle pushers). The operative time, for example, for hysterectomy procedures decreases to about 60% of the time taken hysterectomy for using conventional gas techniques. During cauterization, smoke escapes immediately through the open trocars and may even be suctioned using a conventional suction tube. As far as the nursing team is concerned, the equipment is familiar as they use the same instruments and the same sutures as in laparotomy. High respiration pressure, caused by the elevated abdominal pressure, as well as hypercapnia, are avoided. Therefore this procedure …

Sexual selection in a wolf spider: Male drumming activity, body size, and viability

1996

Females are often believed to actively choose highly ornamented males (males with extravagant morphological signals or intense sexual display), and ornaments should be honest signals of male viability. However, this belief is relying only on some pieces of empirical evidence from birds. Our study reports active female choice on sexual display that indicates male viability in spiders. We established trials in which we studied female choice in relation to male courtship drumming activity and body size. Females chose the most actively drumming males as mating partners, but the body size of the males did not seem to be selected. Male drumming activity turned out to be a good predictor of male v…

Release of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and fibronectin by alveolar macrophages in airway diseases

1996

Abstract Asthma and chronic bronchitis are associated with airway remodelling, and airway macrophages are present in bronchial inflammation. TGF-β and fibronectin released by alveolar macrophages possess a fibrogenic potency. The potential role of alveolar macrophages in airway remodelling was studied in asthma and chronic bronchitis by the release of TGF-β and fibronectin. Alveolar macrophages were isolated by bronchoalveolar lavage in 14 control subjects, 14 asthmatics and 14 chronic bronchitics. The spontaneous and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or concanavalin A (Con A)-induced release of TGF-β and fibronectin was measured by ELISA. Alveolar macrophages from chronic bronchitics spontaneously…

Anaerobic and sequential anaerobic-aerobic treatments of municipal landfill leachate at low temperatures

1996

Abstract Anaerobic treatment of municipal landfill leachate (COD 1–4 g l −1 , NH 4 -N c. 0.16 g l −1 ) was studied at 11 and 24°C by using laboratory-scale UASB and hybrid reactors. Aerobic post-treatment of the anaerobically treated leachate was also studied at 24°C using an activated-sludge process. In the 11°C reactors, a COD removal of up to 60–65% was obtained with 1.5-2 day HRT and 0.7-1.5 kg COD m −3 day −1 organic loading rates. At 24°C, a COD removal of up to 75% was achieved with a 10 h HRT. The highest organic loading rate applied was 10 kg COD m −3 day −1 at 24°C. Inorganic material accumulated in the reactor sludges at both temperatures. However, the specific methanogenic activ…

Influence of the amount of food ingested on mesolimbic dopaminergic system activity: a microdialysis study.

1996

Abstract The mesolimbic dopaminergic system (MDS) has been shown to be activated by ingestive behaviors, and it has been suggested that this activation may be related to the rewarding properties of foods. Because rats eat more when given a more palatable diet, this study was undertaken to determine the relationship between the amount of food ingested and DA release in the nucleus accumbens of freely moving rats. The extracellular levels of dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection on microdialysis samples from the nucleus accumbens. Each rat underwent three microdia…

An�sthesie zur endovaskul�ren Therapie aortaler Aneurysmen Verfahren und perioperative Risiken

1996

Die transvaskulare Plazierung endoluminaler Gefasprothesen mittels interventionell-radiologischer Methoden ist ein neues, minimal invasives Verfahren zur Therapie von Aortenaneurysmen. Wir analysierten retrospektiv die Praktikabilitat verschiedener Anasthesieverfahren, die pathophysiologischen Auswirkungen des Eingriffs und typische Risiken. Bei 19 Patienten mit Aneurysmen der infrarenalen (n=18) oder der thorakalen Aorta (n=1) wurden in 23 Eingriffen aortale Stentprothesen implantiert. Die Eingriffe erfolgten in Allgemeinanasthesie (AA: n=9), in Periduralanasthesie (PDA: n=8) oder Lokalanasthesie (LA: n=6) mit Analgosedierung. Trotz erhohten Uberwachungsaufwands in der Gruppe AA ergaben si…

Repeated transfer of small RNA virus populations leading to balanced fitness with infrequent stochastic drift

1996

The population dynamics of RNA viruses have an important influence on fitness variation and, in consequence, on the adaptative potential and virulence of this ubiquitous group of pathogens. Earlier work with vesicular stomatitis virus showed that large population transfers were reproducibly associated with fitness increases, whereas repeated transfers from plaque to plaque (genetic bottlenecks) lead to losses in fitness. We demonstrate here that repeated five-plaque to five-plaque passage series yield long-term fitness stability, except for occasional stochastic fitness jumps. Repeated five-plaque passages regularly alternating with two consecutive large population transmissions did not cau…

The coordinatization of affine planes by rings

1996

With every unitary free module of rank 2 there is naturally associated a generalized affine plane (e.g. the lines are just the cosets of all nonzero 1-generated submodules). Here we solve the converse problem by coordinatizing a given generalized affine plane which satisfies certain versions of Desargues' postulate.

Beeinflussung der Pharmakodynamik von Rocuronium durch Cimetidin

1996

Nach Gabe von Cimetidin kann die Wirkungszeit nichtdepolarisierender Muskelrelaxanzien verlangert sein. Wir untersuchten diesen Zusammenhang fur Rocuronium nach einer Einzeldosis von 400 mg Cimetidin intravenos im Vergleich mit einer Kontrollgruppe. Die Antwort des M. adductor pollicis nach Stimulation des N. ulnaris wurde elektromyographisch registriert. Die Anschlags- und Erholungszeiten sind in beiden Gruppen vergleichbar. Der fehlende Einflus von Cimetidin auf die neuromuskulare Blockade von Rocuronium konnte darauf hindeuten, das die Elimination von Rocuronium nicht nur in der Leber stattfindet. Eine mogliche direkte Beeinflussung der neuromuskularen Endplatte durch Cimetidin, wie sie …

Structural and dynamical investigation of gelation containing water-in-oil microemulsions

1996

The gelatin (Bloom 300)/water/AOT/n-heptane system has been investigated at fixed water/AOT molar ratioR (R=31.1) as a function of the gelatin content. Several experimental techniques (densitometry, refractometry, conductometry, rheology, dielectrometry, ultrasonics, hypersonics) have been used to investigate the role played by the gelatin molecule in the observed sol-gel transition above a critical gelatin content. The results appear consistent with the hypothesis of a rigid network of gelatin-water rods coated by surfactant molecules coexisting with gelatin-free AOT reversed micelles at the gelation point.

Identification of disulphide bonds in the refolding of bovine pancreatic RNase A

1996

Background: Comprehension of the rules that govern the folding process is still far from satisfactory, though it is nevertheless clear that all the information required to define the folding is encoded in the amino acid sequence. In proteins that contain disulphide bonds, folding is associated with disulphide bond formation. Protein species with different numbers of disulphides tend to accumulate during the process; these species can be trapped in a stable form, by quenching any remaining free SH groups, and then characterized in order to identify the disulphide bonds formed. Results The refolding pathway of reduced and denatured RNase A has been studied using mass spectrometric strategies …

Crack bifurcations in a strained lattice

1996

Dynamic crack propagation in a strained, granular, and brittle material is investigated by modeling the material as a lattice network of elastic beams. By tuning the strain and the ratio of axial to bending stiffness of the beams, a crack propagates either straight, or it branches, or it bifurcates. The crack tip velocity is calculated approximately for cracks that propagate straight. In a bifurcated crack the number of broken beams follows a scaling law. The shape of the branches is found to be the same as in recent experiments.

Scalp, earlobe and nasopharyngeal recordings of the median nerve somatosensory evoked P14 potential in coma and brain death

1996

Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were recorded in a total of 181 patients in coma and brain death. Special attention was paid to derivation of P14 (the positive potential occurring approximately 14 ms after median nerve stimulation) with different electrode montages, using midfrontal scalp (Fz), linked earlobe (A1/2), median nasopharyngeal (Pgz) and non-cephalic reference (NC) electrodes. The P14 amplitude (and, to a lesser extent, latency) were invariably lower in brain death than in coma. The potential was preserved in coma in all patients, but lost in brain death in 9.8% in Fz-NC and Pgz-NC recordings, in 23.2% in Fz-A1/2, and in 100% in Fz-Pgz. Thus, Fz-Pgz was the de…

Die Wirkung des Alters auf Anschlagszeit und Erholung nach Atracurium, Rocuronium und Vecuronium

1996

Bei alten Patienten kann die Wirkung von Muskelrelaxanzien verandert sein. Wir untersuchten diesen Zusammenhang an 108 Patienten dreier Altersgruppen, die randomisiert klinisch ubliche Intubationsdosen von Atracurium, Rocuronium und Vecuronium erhielten. Anschlagszeit und Erholung von der neuromuskularen Blockade wurden mit dem evozierten EMG des M. adductor pollicis nach Stimulation des N. ulnaris (Einzelreizung, 0,1 Hz) ermittelt. Die Anschlagszeiten sind in allen drei Altersgruppen vergleichbar, die Erholungszeiten bei den alten Patienten nach allen drei Relaxanzien verlangert. Die verlangerte Erholungszeit fur Rocuronium korreliert mit erhohten Werten der berechneten Kreatinin-Clearance…

Large clostridial cytotoxins — a family of glycosyltransferases modifying small GTP-binding proteins

1996

Some Clostridium species produce AB x -type protein cytotoxins of high molecular weight. These toxins constitute the group of large clostridial cytotoxins (LCTs), which have homologous protein sequences, exert glycosyltransferase activity and modify GTP-binding proteins of the Ras-superfamily. These characteristics render the LCTs valuable tools for developmental and cell biologists.

Pre-core mutants of hepatitis B virus in patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment after orthotopic liver transplantation.

1996

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a possible treatment for acute or chronic liver failure due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but reinfection of the graft can be a serious complication. The aim of this study was to monitor HBV markers, to analyse pre-core-/core-mutations as well as to identify the viral population causing reinfection after OLT, and to investigate the emergence or disappearance of these mutants in patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment. Fifty-four pre-and posttransplant serum samples of 17 patients were analysed. All patients underwent OLT for HBV-related liver disease and had HBV-DNA before and after OLT. Total DNA was extracted from all sera and a 240…

Be stars in open clusters. I. uvby $ ^{\bf \beta}$ photometry

1996

We present uvby β photometry for Be stars in eight open clusters and two OB associations. It is shown that Be stars occupy anomalous positions in the photometric diagrams, which can be explained in terms of the circumstellar continuum radiation contribution to the photometric indices. In the - M V plane Be stars appear redder than the non emission B stars, due to the additional reddening caused by the hydrogen free-bound and free-free recombination in the circumstellar envelope. In the c 0 - M V plane the earlier Be stars present lower c 0 values than absorption-line B stars, which is caused by emission in the Balmer discontinuity, while the later Be stars deviate towards higher c 0 values,…

Zum Einflu� der pr�isch�mischen Blutzuckerkonzentration auf H�modynamik und regionale Organdurchblutung w�hrend und nach kardiopulmonaler Reanimation…

1996

Gegenstand der vorliegenden Untersuchung im Schweinemodell ist der Einflus einer pra-ischamischen Normo-, Hyper- oder Hypoglykamie auf Hamodynamik, regionale Organdurchblutung und Reanimierbarkeit nach 3minuti-gem unbehandelten Herz-Kreislauf-Stillstand und anschliesender kardiopulmonalen Reanimation (CPR). Hypoglykamie (Blutzuckerkonzentration von 34±2 mg/dl) war bereits vor der Reanimation mit einer deutlichen Beeintrachtigung hamodynamischer Parameter assoziiert. Keines der hypoglykamischen Tiere konnte erfolgreich reanimiert werden, im Gegensatz zu den hyper- (Blutzucker 319±13 mg/dl) bzw. normoglykamischen Tieren, die keinen Unterschied hinsichtlich der Erfolgsrate der Reanimation aufw…

Multiple signal transduction pathways regulate clusterin (gp 80) gene expression in MDCK cells

1996

ABSTRACT Clusterin (gp 80, apolipoprotein J, TRPM-2) is a widely expressed multifunctional glycoprotein. Its demonstrated and proposed functions include the transport of lipids and membrane fragments, the inhibition of the cytolytic action of the terminal complement complex and the modulation of cell—cell interactions. The expression of the gene is enhanced during tissue injury and remodelling and by hormone-withdrawal-induced apoptosis of prostate and mammary cells. We show here that, in the kidney-derived epithelial cell line MDCK, clusterin mRNA is repressed by glucocorticoids and by progesterone. Treatment with epidermal growth factor also represses clusterin gene expression in MDCK cel…

Evidence for a selective and electroneutral K+/H+-exchange in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using plasma membrane vesicles

1996

The existence of a K+/H+ transport system in plasma membrane vesicles from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is demonstrated using fluorimetric monitoring of proton fluxes across vesicles (ACMA fluorescence quenching). Plasma membrane vesicles used for this study were obtained by a purification/reconstitution protocol based on differential and discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugations followed by an octylglucoside dilution/gel filtration procedure. This method produces a high percentage of tightly-sealed inside-out plasma membrane vesicles. In these vesicles, the K+/H+ transport system, which is able to catalyse both K+ influx and efflux, is mainly driven by the K+ transmembrane gradient and ca…

Glutathione, oxidative stress and aging

1996

The free radical theory of aging proposes that the impairment in physiological performance associated with aging is caused by the detrimental effects of oxygen free radicals. This is interesting because it provides us with a theoretical framework to understand aging and because it suggests a rationale for intervention, i.e., antioxidant administration. Thus, the study of antioxidant systems of the cell may be very important in gerontological studies. Glutathione is one of the main nonprotein antioxidants in the cell which, together with its related enzymes, constitute the “glutathione system.” The involvement of glutathione in aging has been known since the early seventies. Several studies …

The pattern of histone H4 acetylation on the X chromosome during spermatogenesis of the desert locustSchistocerca gregaria

1996

We have used antibodies directed against histone H4 acetylated at lysine residue 5, 8, 12, or 16 and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy to probe chromosomes from spermatogonia and spermatocytes of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. The autosomes showed bright overall fluorescence, indicative of high levels of H4 acetylation. In contrast, the X chromosome, which is facultatively heterochromatic during spermatogenesis of the locust, remained completely unstained in spermatogonia and secondary spermatocytes and showed only a small terminal fluorescent band in primary spermatocytes. This band probably corresponds to centromere-associated constitutive heterochromatin. Thus, underacety…

The first radical salt of the polyoxometalate cluster [P2W18O62]6⊖with bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (ET): ET11[P2W18O62] · 3H2O

1996

Enhancement of pulsed laser removal of metal oxides by electrochemical control

1996

Pulsed laser irradiation of oxidized metallic surfaces in an electrolytic cell under proper voltage conditions is demonstrated to be a promising new approach for effective removal of oxide films. Systematic measurements on simulated corrosion-product films by optical reflectance profile and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are used to study the physical mechanisms of this novel phenomenon, the physical conditions for its observation and its possible generality. It was observed that the utilization of a basic electrolyte solution and the imposition of a certain cathodic potential prior to laser irradiation is an essential requirement for a high removal efficiency. This new technique has …

The peculiarities of colour centre production in doped alkali halides

1996

The peculiarities of colour centre production and recombination in KBr, KI crystals doped with Tl, In are examined. The photostimulated dopant ion luminescence (PSL response) follows that of the F-centre production in the subnanosecond time range. It is concluded that the radiation defects in a doped crystal are spatially distributed in the near vicinity of the dopants. To a limited extent the photo- and thermostimulated defect recombination also takes place near the dopant.

Estimation of the frequency of self-reactive T cells in health and inflammatory diseases by limiting dilution analysis and single cell cloning.

1996

Autoreactive T cells have recently been detected not only in autoimmune diseases but also in healthy individuals, but their frequency is thought to be low. The aim of our study was to estimate the frequency of self-reactive T cells by using limiting dilution analyses of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Assessment of self-reactivity in this study was defined as T-cell proliferation to autologous non-T cells in the absence of foreign antigens. When culture conditions were optimized by adding interleukin 2, healthy individuals showed a frequency of self-reactive T cells ranging from 1/60 to 1/600. These results were confirmed by using unseparated peripheral blood leukocytes or Epstein-Barr virus …