Search results for "Techniques"

Influence of a bioceramic root end material and mineral trioxide aggregates on fibroblasts and osteoblasts

2012

The biocompatibility of materials used in endodontic treatment is of high importance, because they can come in contact with periradicular tissues and there is a risk of possible systemic toxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro reaction to a bioceramic based root end material in comparison to mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA) as the established gold standard.The root end materials grey MTA Angelus (GMTA), white MTA Angelus (WMTA), ProRoot MTA, and EndoSequence Root Repair Material (ERRM) were incubated with human periodontal ligament fibroblasts and osteoblasts (10(4)cells/ml) for up to 96h. Cell proliferation (RFU) was determined by means of the Alamar Blue as…

Polyhydroxyethylaspartamide-spermine copolymers: Efficient vectors for gene delivery

2008

Abstract Aim of this paper was that to prepare biocompatible, polyaspartamide based copolymers containing spermine or spermine/hydrophobic side chains able to condense nucleic acids and to transfect mammalian cells. Copolymers were prepared starting from α,β-poly-(N-2-hydroxyethyl)- d , l -aspartamide (PHEA) and exploiting the reactive hydroxyl groups in the polymeric side chains by subsequent activation reactions to obtain PHEA-Spermine (PHEA-Spm) and PHEA-Spermine-Butyramide (PHEA-Spm-C4). Molecular, physico-chemical and biological characterization of copolymers and interpolyelectrolyte complexes with plasmid DNA was performed. Experimental results evidenced that these copolymers are able…

Synthesis of 131I-labeled glucose-conjugated inhibitors of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and comparison with nonconjugated inhibitors…

2006

O 6 -Substituted guanine derivatives are powerful agents used for tumor cell sensitization by inhibition of the DNA repair enzyme O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). To provide targeted accumulation of MGMT inhibitors in tumor tissue as well as tools for in vivo imaging, we synthesized iodinated C 8 -alkyl-linked glucose conjugates of 2-amino-6-(5-iodothenyl)-9H-purine (O 6 -(5-iodothenyl) guanine, ITG) and 2-amino-6-(3-iodobenzyloxy)-9H-purine (O 6 -(5-iodobenzyl) guanine, IBG). These compounds have MGMT inhibitor constants (IC 5 0 values) of 0.8 and 0.45 μM for ITGG and IBGG, respectively, as determined in HeLa S3 cells after 2-h incubation with inhibitor. To substantiate tha…

New evidence for the multiplicity of ubiquinone- and inhibitor-binding sites in the mitochondrial complex I.

2000

Determination of the number of ubiquinone- and inhibitor-binding sites in the mitochondrial complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is a controversial question with a direct implication for elaborating a suitable model to explain the bioenergetic mechanism of this complicated enzyme. We have used combinations of both selective inhibitors and common ubiquinone-like substrates to demonstrate the multiplicity of the reaction centers in the complex I in contrast with competition studies that have suggested the existence of a unique binding site for ubiquinone. Our results provide new evidence for the existence of at least two freely exchangeable ubiquinone-binding sites with different specif…

Sensory hybrid host materials for the selective chromo-fluorogenic detection of biogenic amines

2006

[EN] Pyrylium-containing mesoporous materials have been used for the chromo-fluorogenic sensing of biogenic amines in an aqueous environment.

Long-term effects on offspring of early exposure to biological and external factors

2000

Electrochemical probe for the monitoring of DNA-protein interactions.

2010

Self-assembly of thiol-terminated oligonucleotides on gold substrates provides a convenient way for DNA-functionalized surfaces. Here we describe the development of an electrochemical assay for the detection of DNA-protein interactions based on the modification of the electrochemical response of methylene blue (MB) intercalated in the DNA strands. Using a functionalized electrode with double stranded DNA carrying T3 RNA polymerase binding sequence, we show a substantial attenuation of the current upon the DNA-protein interaction. Moreover, a Langmuir binding isotherm for T3 RNA polymerase (T3 Pol) gives a dissociation constant K(D) equal to 0.46+/-0.23 microM. Such value is 100 times lower …

Label-free piezoelectric biosensor for prognosis and diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

2017

[EN] An autoantigen piezoelectric sensor to quantify specific circulating autoantibodies in human serum is developed. The sensor consisted on a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) where TRIM21 and TROVE2 autoantigens were covalently immobilized, allowing the selective determination of autoantibodies for diagnosis and prognosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The sensitivity of the biosensor, measured as IC50 value, was 1.51 U/mL and 0.32 U/mL, for anti-TRIM21 and anti-TROVE2 circulating autoantibodies, respectively. The sensor is also able to establish a structural interaction fingerprint pattern or profile of circulating autoantibodies, what allows scorin…

The rise of the middle author: Investigating collaboration and division of labor in biomedical research using partial alphabetical authorship

2017

Contemporary biomedical research is performed by increasingly large teams. Consequently, an increasingly large number of individuals are being listed as authors in the bylines, which complicates the proper attribution of credit and responsibility to individual authors. Typically, more importance is given to the first and last authors, while it is assumed that the others (the middle authors) have made smaller contributions. However, this may not properly reflect the actual division of labor because some authors other than the first and last may have made major contributions. In practice, research teams may differentiate the main contributors from the rest by using partial alphabetical author…

Temperature-induced microstructural changes in shells of laboratory-grown Arctica islandica (Bivalvia).

2021

Bivalve shells are increasingly used as archives for high-resolution paleoclimate analyses. However, there is still an urgent need for quantitative temperature proxies that work without knowledge of the water chemistry–as is required for δ18O-based paleothermometry–and can better withstand diagenetic overprint. Recently, microstructural properties have been identified as a potential candidate fulfilling these requirements. So far, only few different microstructure categories (nacreous, prismatic and crossed-lamellar) of some short-lived species have been studied in detail, and in all such studies, the size and/or shape of individual biomineral units was found to increase with water temperat…