Search results for " Stability"

Graphitic C3N4 for CO2 reduction: a photoactivity and stability study

Induction of CD36 and thrombospondin-1 in macrophages by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 and its relevance in the inflammatory process.

2012

Inflammation is part of a complex biological response of vascular tissue to pathogens or damaged cells. First inflammatory cells attempt to remove the injurious stimuli and this is followed by a healing process mediated principally by phagocytosis of senescent cells. Hypoxia and p38-MAPK are associated with inflammation, and hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has been detected in inflamed tissues. We aimed to analyse the role of p38-MAPK and HIF-1 in the transcriptional regulation of CD36, a class B scavenger receptor, and its ligand thrombospondin (TSP-1) in macrophages and to evaluate the involvement of this pathway in phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils. We have also assessed HIF-1α, p…

A new simple approach to evaluate pedogenic clay transformation in a Vertic Calcisol

2006

The aim of this study is to characterize the pedogenic clay minerals by using simple approach: Mixing mineralogical and geochemical findings. The fine clay fractions (< 0.1 μm) of a Vertic Cambisol profile were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Qualitative and quantitative mineralogical compositions of the clay mixture were determined. Moreover, chemical equilibria and thermodynamic stabilities of minerals (calcite, gypsum, kaolinite, smectites and illites) were studied using results of ionic activities obtained from total concentration of various aqueous species in water extracts from soil-saturated pastes. XRD ana…

Purification and characterization of the ?-β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from dromedary liver mitochondria

2001

Abstract d -β-Hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH) (EC 1.1.1.30), a membrane enzyme, has been purified to homogeneity from dromedary ( Camelus dromedarius ) liver mitochondria. Our new purification method consisted of the solubilization of mitochondrial membranes by Triton X 100 and purification of BDH by two steps: DEAE-Sephacel and Phenyl-Sepharose. The molecular mass of the enzyme subunit size was 67 kDa. The purified enzyme is recognized by anti rat liver mitochondrial BDH antibodies. Furthermore, BDH activity was absolutely dependent upon phospholipids. BDH is also characterized by specific enzymatic parameters: an optimum pH of approximately 8 for the oxidation reaction, and approximat…

β-Catenin Contributes to Lung Tumor Development Induced by EGFR Mutations

2014

Abstract The discovery of somatic mutations in EGFR and development of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have revolutionized treatment for lung cancer. However, resistance to TKIs emerges in almost all patients and currently no effective treatment is available. Here, we show that β-catenin is essential for development of EGFR-mutated lung cancers. β-Catenin was upregulated and activated in EGFR-mutated cells. Mutant EGFR preferentially bound to and tyrosine phosphorylated β-catenin, leading to an increase in β-catenin–mediated transactivation, particularly in cells harboring the gefitinib/erlotinib-resistant gatekeeper EGFR-T790M mutation. Pharmacologic inhibition of β-catenin suppresse…

Labeling and preliminary in vivo assessment of niobium-labeled radioactive species: A proof-of-concept study.

2016

Abstract The application of radionuclide-labeled biomolecules such as monoclonal antibodies or antibody fragments for imaging purposes is called immunoscintigraphy . More specifically, when the nuclides used are positron emitters, such as zirconium-89, the technique is referred to as immuno-PET . Currently, there is an urgent need for radionuclides with a half-life which correlates well with the biological kinetics of the biomolecules under question and which can be attached to the proteins by robust labeling chemistry. 90 Nb is a promising candidate for in vivo immuno-PET , due its half-life of 14.6h and low β + energy of E mean =0.35MeV per decay. 95 Nb on the other hand, is a convenient …

Intestinal epithelial HuR modulates distinct pathways of proliferation and apoptosis and attenuates small intestinal and colonic tumor development.

2014

Abstract HuR is a ubiquitous nucleocytoplasmic RNA-binding protein that exerts pleiotropic effects on cell growth and tumorigenesis. In this study, we explored the impact of conditional, tissue-specific genetic deletion of HuR on intestinal growth and tumorigenesis in mice. Mice lacking intestinal expression of HuR (Hur IKO mice) displayed reduced levels of cell proliferation in the small intestine and increased sensitivity to doxorubicin-induced acute intestinal injury, as evidenced by decreased villus height and a compensatory shift in proliferating cells. In the context of Apcmin/+ mice, a transgenic model of intestinal tumorigenesis, intestinal deletion of the HuR gene caused a three-fo…

Desferrioxamine as an appropriate chelator for 90Nb: Comparison of its complexation properties for M-Df-Octreotide (M=Nb, Fe, Ga, Zr)

2014

The niobium-90 radioisotope ((90)Nb) holds considerable promise for use in immuno-PET, due to its decay parameters (t½ = 14.6h, positron yield=53%, Eß(+)(mean) = 0.35 MeV and Eß(+)(max) = 1.5 MeV). In particular, (90)Nb appears well suited to detect in vivo the pharmacokinetics of large targeting vectors (50-150 kDa). In order to be useful for immuno-PET chelators are required to both stabilize the radionuclide in terms of coordination chemistry and to facilitate the covalent attachment to the targeting vector. Different chelators were evaluated for this purpose in terms of radiolabelling efficiency and stability of the radiolabelled Nb(V) complex and in order to determine the most suitable…

Physiological mechanisms regulating the expression of endothelial-type NO synthase

2002

Although endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is a constitutively expressed enzyme, its expression is regulated by a number of biophysical, biochemical, and hormonal stimuli, both under physiological conditions and in pathology. This review summarizes the recent findings in this field. Shear stress, growth factors (such as transforming growth factor-beta, fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor), hormones (such as estrogens, insulin, angiotensin II, and endothelin 1), and other compounds (such as lysophosphatidylcholine) upregulate eNOS expression. On the other hand, the cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha and bacterial lipopolys…

Capital Regulation and Italian Banking System: Theory and Empirical Evidence

2012

This paper aims to investigate the role of capital for banking institutions and provide an empirical analysis on large Italian banks’ capital adequacy. The paper is organized as follows. The first section introduces to the issue of the paper. The second section explains why the capital is important in the economics of banking firm. The paper reviews the theoretical literature on bank capital regulation. Empirical results on large Italian banks are reported on the third section. The final section contains summary and concluding comments.