Search results for "matrix"
showing 10 items of 3205 documents
Clinical and biochemical markers of visceral adipose tissue activity: Body mass index, visceral adiposity index, leptin, adiponectin, and matrix meta…
2018
Context: The correlation between aggressive prostate cancer and obesity mainly based on body mass index (BMI) and pathology after surgery remains controversial. Aims: The aim of the study was to correlate BMI, visceral adiposity index (VAI), and the plasmatic levels of leptin, adiponectin, and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and biomarkers of adipose tissue function, with the detection of Gleason patterns 4 and 5 at biopsy. Subjects and Methods: Consecutive patients with prostate cancer at 12-core transrectal biopsy were enrolled. BMI, waist circumference (WC), blood samples to evaluate the plasmatic levels of triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), adiponectin, leptin, …
Heat shock protein expression and anti-heat shock protein reactivity in renal cell carcinoma.
2002
Heat shock proteins (HSP) are families of highly conserved proteins which are induced in cells and tissues upon exposure to extreme conditions causing acute or chronic stress. They exhibit distinct functions and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases, including cancer. A causal relationship between HSP expression and immunogenicity has been demonstrated in murine and human tumors and is also associated with the immune response. In order to investigate the correlation of HSP expression and their immunogenic potential in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), we here analyzed (i) the protein expression profile of various members of the HSP family in untreated and interferon (IF…
Influence of extracellular matrix proteins on the development of cultured human dendritic cells.
1998
The development of dendritic cells (DC) is still only partly understood. Recently established culture systems using CD34+ cells or monocytes as precursor cells for the generation of DC indicate the necessity of pro-inflammatory cytokines for their development. In vivo the contact to other cells or to the proteins of the extracellular matrix might also be essential for their development. In our experiments we used granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor- and IL-4-treated human monocytes as precursor cells to investigate the interaction of DC at different maturation stages with the matrix proteins fibronectin, collagen type I and collagen type IV. We demonstrate a strong beta1-integr…
Stability of Cannabinoids in Hair Samples Exposed to Sunlight
2000
It has been well recognized that hashish and marihuana lose potency during storage because of a decrease in the content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis (1). The effect of oxygen on stored plant and resin materials or solutions of pure cannabinoids seems much less significant than that of higher temperatures (≥37 °C) or light (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). A few data are available on the stability of THC and major metabolites in blood (8)(9)(10)(11). However, the stability of cannabinoids in the hair shaft has not been addressed, although scalp hair represents one of the most exposed parts of the body. Therefore, a study was performed to elucidate …
High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of diuretics in urine by micellar liquid chromatography.
1992
The use of micellar liquid chromatography for the determination of diuretics in urine by direct injection of the sample into the chromatographic system is discussed. The retention of the urine matrix at the beginning of the chromatograms was observed for different sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) mobile phases. The eluent strengths of a hybrid SDS-methanol micellar mobile phase for several diuretics were compared and related to the stationary phase/water partition coefficient with a purely micellar mobile phase. The urine band was appreciably narrower with a mobile phase of 0.05 M SDS-5% methanol (v/v) at 50 degrees C (pH 6.9). With this mobile phase the determination of bendroflumethiazide an…
Observation of the rare decay K-S -> pi(0)e(+)e(-)
2003
A search for the decay Ks->pi0e+e- has been made by the NA48/1 experiment at the CERN SPS accelerator. Using data collected during 89 days in 2002 with a high-intensity Ks beam, 7 events were found with a background of 0.15 events. The branching fraction BR(Ks->pi0e+e-, m(ee) > 0.165 GeV/c^2) = (3.0^{+1.5}_{-1.2}(stat) +/-0.2 (syst)) x 10^{-9} has been measured. Using a vector matrix element and a form factor equal to one, the measurement gives BR(Ks->pi0e+e-) = (5.8^{+2.9}_{-2.4}) x 10^{-9}.
Predicting stiffness and strength of birch pulp:Polylactic acid composites
2016
This paper studies failure of birch pulp–polylactic acid composites. Stiffness and strength are calculated using the theory of short fibre composites and the results are compared to experimental data. The results differed from the experimental values by 0–6%. With less aligned fibres the short fibre theory is not feasible. The performance of the 40 wt% birch pulp – polylactic acid composite is predicted with X-ray microtomography based finite element modelling, and the results are compared with experiments. Stiffness results differed from experiments by 1–17% . By adding into the models a third material phase representing the interface between the fibres and the matrix, the stress–strain c…
Tolerance, Adaptation, and Cell Response Elicited by Micromonospora sp. Facing Tellurite Toxicity: A Biological and Physical-Chemical Characterization
2022
The intense use of tellurium (Te) in industrial applications, along with the improper disposal of Te-derivatives, is causing their accumulation in the environment, where oxyanion tellurite (TeO32−) is the most soluble, bioavailable, and toxic Te-species. On the other hand, tellurium is a rare metalloid element whose natural supply will end shortly with possible economic and technological effects. Thus, Te-containing waste represents the source from which Te should be recycled and recovered. Among the explored strategies, the microbial TeO32− biotransformation into less toxic Te-species is the most appropriate concerning the circular economy. Actinomycetes are ideal candidates in…
The Matrix e il fumetto. Questioni filosofiche
2019
Il presente articolo prende in esame il caso dell’interazione del fumetto Razzi Amari di S. Disegni e M. Caviglia con il notissimo film The Matrix di Larry e Andy Wachowski. Lo scopo principale della nostra indagine è mettere in evidenza e discutere l’influenza che i mezzi espressivi utilizzati nel fumetto e nel film esercitano sul modo in cui il lettore/spettatore medio si rapporta alle questioni filosofiche che emergono dalle vicende narrate. L’importanza del tema affrontato da questo articolo sta, tra le altre cose, nel rivelare che sia i film che i fumetti, oltre ad intrattenere piacevolmente lettori e spettatori appartenenti a classi sociali e generazioni diverse l’una dall’altra, poss…
Cytokine Interferon-γ suppresses the function of capsule myofibroblasts and induces cell apoptosis
2017
Myofibroblasts (MFs), a contractile subset of fibroblasts, play a pivotal role in physiological wound healing and in the development of many fibroconnective disorders. The complex cytokine network regulating the function of MFs in joint stiffness is still poorly understood. In this in vitro study, we investigated the effect of the cytokine Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) on MFs isolated from human joint capsules. MFs were cultivated either in the presence of increasing concentrations of IFN-γ alone or in combination with IFN-γ neutralizing antibodies. Cell viability, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and mRNA gene expression of the MF markers alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen type I were analy…