Home  About us  Contact
 

TEM Cells (tem + cell)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Life Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

A small temperature rise may contribute towards the apparent induction by microwaves of heat-shock gene expression in the nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans

BIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 2 2006
Adam S. Dawe
Abstract We have previously reported that low intensity microwave exposure (0.75,1.0 GHz CW at 0.5 W; SAR 4,40 mW/kg) can induce an apparently non-thermal heat-shock response in Caenorhabditis elegans worms carrying hsp16-1::reporter genes. Using matched copper TEM cells for both sham and exposed groups, we can detect only modest reporter induction in the latter exposed group (15,20% after 2.5 h at 26 °C, rising to ,50% after 20 h). Traceable calibration of our copper TEM cell by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) reveals significant power loss within the cell (8.5% at 1.0 GHz), accompanied by slight heating of exposed samples (,0.3 °C at 1.0 W). Thus, exposed samples are in fact slightly warmer (by ,0.2 °C at 0.5 W) than sham controls. Following NPL recommendations, our TEM cell design was modified with the aim of reducing both power loss and consequent heating. In the modified silver-plated cell, power loss is only 1.5% at 1.0 GHz, and sample warming is reduced to ,0.15 °C at 1.0 W (i.e., ,0.1 °C at 0.5 W). Under sham:sham conditions, there is no difference in reporter expression between the modified silver-plated TEM cell and an unmodified copper cell. However, worms exposed to microwaves (1.0 GHz and 0.5 W) in the silver-plated cell also show no detectable induction of reporter expression relative to sham controls in the copper cell. Thus, the 20% "microwave induction" observed using two copper cells may be caused by a small temperature difference between sham and exposed conditions. In worms incubated for 2.5 h at 26.0, 26.2, and 27.0 °C with no microwave field, there is a consistent and significant increase in reporter expression between 26.0 and 26.2 °C (by ,20% in each of the six independent runs), but paradoxically expression levels at 27.0 °C are similar to those seen at 26.0 °C. This surprising result is in line with other evidence pointing towards complex regulation of hsp16-1 gene expression across the sub-heat-shock range of 25,27.5 °C in C. elegans. We conclude that our original interpretation of a non-thermal effect of microwaves cannot be sustained; at least part of the explanation appears to be thermal. Bioelectromagnetics 27:88,97, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Microinjected neutrophils retain the ability to take up bacteria

JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 5 2002
M. M. Bird
It is now possible to microinject protein to probe specific biochemical pathways and/or cell functions in small cells such as human neutrophils (Bird et al. J.Anat.198, 2001). We have shown that these cells retain their ability to modify their F-actin cytoskeleton following the microinjection procedure. The principal task of neutrophils is to hunt and kill bacteria by responding to chemotactic gradients which cause them to extend actin rich pseudopodia in the direction of the highest concentration of these molecules. On reaching their target the neutrophils make tight contact with the bacteria and phagocytosis ensues. Here we address the question of whether or not the microinjected cells are still able to maintain their normal phagocytic activities. Human neutrophils maintained in culture for 20 mins were confronted with Staphylococcus aureus (1 × 104 cells/mL) for 5 min and then injected with rat IgG as an exogenous protein that also serves as a marker for injected cells. After 30 min the cells were fixed for fluorescence or confocal microscopy in 3.7% formaldehyde and permeabilised for 5 min (0.2% Triton X-100 in PBS). They were then incubated for 45 min in 2.5 µL FITC-anti rat IgG and 1 µL TRITC-phalloidin (to show the F-actin cytoskeleton), in 996.5 µL of PBS, washed 6 times in PBS and mounted on slides in 5 µL Mowiol containing a grain of antiquench. For TEM cells were fixed in 1.5% glutaraldehyde in cacodylate buffer for 3 min at room temperature and then washed in 0.2 m cacodylate buffer 6 times before incubation with 1 mm NiCl2 and SIGMA fast DAB peroxidase tablets for 30 min. The cells were postfixed in a 2% solution of osmium tetroxide for 30 min, dehydrated through a series of graded ethanols, and embedded and sectioned for TEM. By TEM the injected neutrophils were observed to have taken up bacteria into vacuoles of varying size. At the earliest stages of this process, prior to and immediately following the initial release of granular contents and the initiation of mechanisms to rapidly destroy bacteria, the bacteria fitted more tightly in the vacuoles than at later stages. Injected neutrophils commonly contained several bacteria; more than one bacterium was frequently located within a single vacuole of substantial size. Confocal laser microscopic observations confirmed that cells containing ingested bacteria also contained IgG. Thus injected cells not only survive the microinjection procedure but also retain their ability to take up bacteria and initiate the digestive process. [source]

A small temperature rise may contribute towards the apparent induction by microwaves of heat-shock gene expression in the nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans

BIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 2 2006
Adam S. Dawe
Abstract We have previously reported that low intensity microwave exposure (0.75,1.0 GHz CW at 0.5 W; SAR 4,40 mW/kg) can induce an apparently non-thermal heat-shock response in Caenorhabditis elegans worms carrying hsp16-1::reporter genes. Using matched copper TEM cells for both sham and exposed groups, we can detect only modest reporter induction in the latter exposed group (15,20% after 2.5 h at 26 °C, rising to ,50% after 20 h). Traceable calibration of our copper TEM cell by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) reveals significant power loss within the cell (8.5% at 1.0 GHz), accompanied by slight heating of exposed samples (,0.3 °C at 1.0 W). Thus, exposed samples are in fact slightly warmer (by ,0.2 °C at 0.5 W) than sham controls. Following NPL recommendations, our TEM cell design was modified with the aim of reducing both power loss and consequent heating. In the modified silver-plated cell, power loss is only 1.5% at 1.0 GHz, and sample warming is reduced to ,0.15 °C at 1.0 W (i.e., ,0.1 °C at 0.5 W). Under sham:sham conditions, there is no difference in reporter expression between the modified silver-plated TEM cell and an unmodified copper cell. However, worms exposed to microwaves (1.0 GHz and 0.5 W) in the silver-plated cell also show no detectable induction of reporter expression relative to sham controls in the copper cell. Thus, the 20% "microwave induction" observed using two copper cells may be caused by a small temperature difference between sham and exposed conditions. In worms incubated for 2.5 h at 26.0, 26.2, and 27.0 °C with no microwave field, there is a consistent and significant increase in reporter expression between 26.0 and 26.2 °C (by ,20% in each of the six independent runs), but paradoxically expression levels at 27.0 °C are similar to those seen at 26.0 °C. This surprising result is in line with other evidence pointing towards complex regulation of hsp16-1 gene expression across the sub-heat-shock range of 25,27.5 °C in C. elegans. We conclude that our original interpretation of a non-thermal effect of microwaves cannot be sustained; at least part of the explanation appears to be thermal. Bioelectromagnetics 27:88,97, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Basis for optimization of in vitro exposure apparatus for health hazard evaluations of mobile communications

BIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 8 2001
Frank Schönborn
Abstract The main objective of this paper is to carefully study the fields induced in flasks exposed to RF electromagnetic fields. The study focuses on the widely used 60 mm Petri dishes and rectangular T-75 flasks for the two following cases: 1) cells in homogeneous suspension and 2) cell monolayers. The dependence of the coupling and the homogeneity of the SAR distribution on frequency (0.7 GHz to 2.5 GHz), polarization (E, H and k polarizations) and the amount of medium (1.9 mm to 4.7 mm medium height) is studied. In addition, the effects of the environment, meniscus and field impedance as well as the distortion of the incident field are discussed. Based on these results, advantages and disadvantages of different fundamental designs of apparatus used in the past are compared. These are TEM cells, HF chambers, radial transmission lines (RTL), waveguides and wire patch cells. Furthermore, the major optimization parameters are identified for the development of highly optimized exposure systems, enabling the conduct of high quality experiments. Bioelectromagnetics 22:547,559, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]