Search results for "Gamma"

Data from: The legacy of a vanished sea: a high level of diversification within a European freshwater amphipod species complex driven by 15 My of Par…

2015

The formation of continental Europe in the Neogene was due to the regression of the Tethys Ocean and of the Paratethys Sea. The dynamic geology of the area and repetitious transitions between marine and freshwater conditions presented opportunities for the colonization of newly emerging hydrological networks and diversification of aquatic biota. Implementing mitochondrial and nuclear markers in conjunction with a large-scale sampling strategy, we investigated the impact of this spatiotemporal framework on the evolutionary history of a freshwater crustacean morphospecies. The Gammarus balcanicus species complex is widely distributed in the area previously occupied by the Paratethys Sea. Our …

Data from: Protection first then facilitation: a manipulative parasite modulates the vulnerability to predation of its intermediate host according to…

2011

Many trophically-transmitted parasites with complex life cycles manipulate their intermediate host behavior in ways facilitating their transmission to final host by predation. This facilitation generally results from lowering host’s anti-predatory defences when the parasite is infective to the final host. However, a recent theoretical model predicts that an optimal parasitic strategy would be to protect the intermediate host from predation when non-infective, before switching to facilitation when the infective stage is reached. We tested this hypothesis in the fish acanthocephalan parasite Pomphorhynchus laevis using the amphipod Gammarus pulex as intermediate host. Gammarids parasitized by…

Data from: Multidimensionality in host manipulation mimicked by serotonin injection

2014

Manipulative parasites often alter the phenotype of their hosts along multiple dimensions. ‘Multidimensionality’ in host manipulation could consist in the simultaneous alteration of several physiological pathways independently of one another, or proceed from the disruption of some key physiological parameter, followed by a cascade of effects. We compared multidimensionality in ‘host manipulation’ between two closely related amphipods, Gammarus fossarum and Gammarus pulex, naturally and experimentally infected with Pomphorhynchus laevis (Acanthocephala), respectively. To that end, we calculated in each host–parasite association the effect size of the difference between infected and uninfecte…

Data from: Harvesting changes mating behavior in European lobster

2018

Removing individuals from a wild population can affect the availability of prospective mates and the outcome of competitive interactions, with subsequent effects on mating patterns and sexual selection. Consequently, the rate of harvest-induced evolution is predicted to be strongly dependent on the strength and dynamics of sexual selection yet, there is limited empirical knowledge on the interplay between selective harvesting and the mating systems of exploited species. In this study, we used genetic parentage assignment to compare mating patterns of the highly valued and overexploited European lobster (Homarus gammarus) in a designated lobster reserve and nearby fished area in Southern Nor…

The Immunostimulatory Function of IL-12 in T-Helper Cell Development and Its Regulation by TGF-β, IFN-γ and IL-4

1997

An automatic method for metabolic evaluation of gamma knife treatments

2015

Lesion volume delineation of Positron Emission Tomography images is challenging because of the low spatial resolution and high noise level. Aim of this work is the development of an operator independent segmentation method of metabolic images. For this purpose, an algorithm for the biological tumor volume delineation based on random walks on graphs has been used. Twenty-four cerebral tumors are segmented to evaluate the functional follow-up after Gamma Knife radiotherapy treatment. Experimental results show that the segmentation algorithm is accurate and has real-time performance. In addition, it can reflect metabolic changes useful to evaluate radiotherapy response in treated patients.

Interleukin-12 in Human Boutonneuse Fever Caused by Rickettsia conorii

2000

Interleukin (IL)-12 contributes to the resistance against a number of intracellular pathogens. We examined the potential biological role of IL-12 by studying peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), its production and its effect on cytokine synthesis in 20 Sicilian patients with boutonneuse fever (BF) caused by Rickettsia conorii. Data indicate that PBMC from acute BF patients were able to produce IL-12 in response to in vitro stimulation with rickettsial antigen (Ag): this production was higher than that detected in healed patients. Monocytes were the main source of IL-12 by PBMC from BF patients. IL-12 secretion by in vitro Ag-stimulated PBMC from BF patients was potentiated by recombin…

Interleukin-15, as Interferon-gamma, Induces the Killing of Leishmania infantum in Phorbol-Myristate-Acetate-Activated Macrophages Increasing Interle…

2004

The potential leishmanicidal activity of interleukin-15 (IL-15) was examined while priming with the cytokine phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA)-activated macrophages and infecting them with Leishmania infantum parasites. The activation of macrophage cultures with IL-15 determined a significant anti-leishmanial activity, comparable with that induced by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). The killing of Leishmania in macrophages primed with IL-15, as well as with IFN-gamma, was followed by an increase in the IL-12 synthesis. The neutralization of IL-15 or IFN-gamma, by specific monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) caused a significant reduction in leishmanicidal activity. Furthermore, in PMA-activated macroph…

?-Carboline binding indicates the presence of benzodiazepine receptor subclasses in the bovine central nervous system

1982

Receptor binding studies were performed with tritiated propyl β-carboline-3-carboxylate ([3H]PrCC), tritiated ethyl β-carboline-3-carboxylate ([3H]ECC), and tritiated flunitrazepam ([3H]FNT) in membrane preparations from different regions of the bovine brain and retina. Specific binding in all regions investigated was associated with benzodiazepine receptor sites. However, not all benzodiazepine receptor sites. However, not all benzodiazepine receptors in the regions investigated as determined by the specific binding of tritiated flunitrazepam ([3H]FNT) are available for [3H]PrCC suggesting that specific [3H]PrCC binding labels only one subclass or subpopulation of the benzodiazepine recept…

Estradiol or genistein prevent Alzheimer's disease-associated inflammation correlating with an increase PPAR gamma expression in cultured astrocytes.

2009

Inflammation has been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The main inflammatory players in AD are the glial cells which initiate the inflammatory response. One of the earliest neuropathological changes in AD is the accumulation of astrocytes at sites of A beta deposition. It is desirable to find methods of tipping the balance towards anti-inflammatory state. Estrogenic compounds have shown anti-inflammatory and also antioxidant activity. Astrocytes were pretreated with 17-beta estradiol or with genistein, and 48 h later treated with 5 microM amyloid beta (A beta) for 24 h. We found that A beta induces inflammatory mediators, such as cyclooxygenase 2 (…