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Varying Extents (varying + extent)
Selected AbstractsThe nature of calcareous deposits along pan margins in eastern central NamibiaEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 7 2002Florias MeesArticle first published online: 13 JUN 200 Abstract In a region along the western margin of the Kalahari in eastern Namibia and western Botswana, many pan basins have mainly calcareous deposits along part of their margins. These are typically lined by low vertical scarps. In Namibia, these pans are mainly located in dry river beds. The petrographical study of these deposits demonstrates that they consist of lacustrine sediments that have to a varying extent been affected by early-diagenetic processes and by the formation of late-diagenetic features. The original composition of the deposits ranges from highly calcareous sediments, typically with ostracod, diatom and charophyte remains, to entirely non-calcareous diatomites. The deposits generally show an upward increase in total carbonate content, which is mainly a synsedimentary feature. The early-diagenetic processes that affected the deposits include the formation of orthic siliceous nodules. At a later stage, secondary calcite enrichment occurred, leaving only the silica-impregnated sections unaffected. This enrichment partly accounts for the upward increase in total carbonate content in some profiles and often resulted in the development of a highly calcareous surface horizon. Sepiolite and amorphous silica that are part of the groundmass of the deposits may also partly have formed at this stage. Late-diagenetic features include various forms of secondary calcite and silica. This study of pan basins in eastern central Namibia indicates that a lacustrine rather than purely pedogenic origin should also be considered for calcareous deposits that commonly occur along pan margins in other parts of southern Africa. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] In-situ gamma-ray spectrometric study of weathered volcanic rocks in Hong KongEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 6 2002Margie Q. F. Chen Abstract In-situ gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS) measurements were conducted at 35 sites in Hong Kong where volcanic rocks with varying extent of weathering were exposed. Elemental analyses using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma,mass spectrometry were carried out on samples collected from these 35 plus 22 other locations to assess the feasibility of using the GRS method to quantify the extent of weathering. The Parker weathering index, varying within a range of 0·0,0·8 for the samples studied, was used as a geochemically based reference scheme for correlating the gamma-ray spectrometric results with the extent of weathering. For the former 35 sites, the concentrations of the three major radioelements, K, U and Th, determined by in-situ GRS were compared to laboratory-determined values from the samples. The study reveals that no significant change occurs to the contents of the three radioelements during the initial state of weathering. But once the rocks become highly weathered, further progression of weathering is accompanied by a systematic removal of K and an increased dispersion of U and Th. The results show that K content, which is indicative of the extent of weathering, can be retrieved reliably with the gamma-ray spectrometry technique. The study has given support to the potential use of the downhole spectral gamma method for evaluation of weathering grade and the detection of subsurface clay-rich levels. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] MS and clinically isolated syndromes: Shared specificity but diverging clonal patterns of virus-specific IgG antibodies produced in vivo and by CSF B cells in vitroEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 10 2009G. Skorstad Background:, Intrathecal synthesis of oligoclonal IgG antibodies against measles virus (MeV), varicella zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) is a characteristic feature multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods:, We have used isoelectric focusing-immunoblot to define the clonal patterns of IgG and of IgG antibodies to MeV, VZV and HSV-1 in supernatants of in vitro cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells and in sera and CSF from three patients with MS and three patients with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS) suspective of demyelinating disease. Results:,In vitro synthesis of IgG by PBL was not detected in any patient. In contrast, in vitro synthesis by CSF cells of oligoclonal IgG and oligoclonal IgG antibodies to one or two of the three viruses tested was observed in all six patients. The clonal patterns of the in vitro synthesized IgG and virus specific IgG differed to varying extent from those synthesized intrathecally in vivo. However, in each patient, the in vitro and in vivo intrathecally produced antibodies displayed specificity for the same viruses. The addition of B cell activating factor (BAFF) had no effect on the amounts or clonal patterns of either total IgG or virus-specific IgG produced by CSF cells in vitro. Conclusion:, Virus specific B cells capable of spontaneous IgG synthesis are clonally expanded in the CSF of patients with MS. The B-cell repertoire in CSF samples is only partially representative of the intrathecal B-cell repertoire. [source] Regionalization of methane emissions in the Amazon Basin with microwave remote sensingGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2004John M. Melack Abstract Wetlands of the Amazon River basin are globally significant sources of atmospheric methane. Satellite remote sensing (passive and active microwave) of the temporally varying extent of inundation and vegetation was combined with field measurements to calculate regional rates of methane emission for Amazonian wetlands. Monthly inundation areas for the fringing floodplains of the mainstem Solimões/Amazon River were derived from analysis of the 37 GHz polarization difference observed by the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer from 1979 to 1987. L-band synthetic aperture radar data (Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-1) were used to determine inundation and wetland vegetation for the Amazon basin (<500 m elevation) at high (May,June 1996) and low water (October 1995). An extensive set of measurements of methane emission is available from the literature for the fringing floodplains of the central Amazon, segregated into open water, flooded forest and floating macrophyte habitats. Uncertainties in the regional emission rates were determined by Monte Carlo error analyses that combined error estimates for the measurements of emission and for calculations of inundation and habitat areas. The mainstem Solimões/Amazon floodplain (54,70°W) emitted methane at a mean annual rate of 1.3 Tg C yr,1, with a standard deviation (SD) of the mean of 0.3 Tg C yr,1; 67% of this range in uncertainty is owed to the range in rates of methane emission and 33% is owed to uncertainty in the areal estimates of inundation and vegetative cover. Methane emission from a 1.77 million square kilometers area in the central basin had a mean of 6.8 Tg C yr,1 with a SD of 1.3 Tg C yr,1. If extrapolated to the whole basin below the 500 m contour, approximately 22 Tg C yr,1 is emitted; this mean flux has a greenhouse warming potential of about 0.5 Pg C as CO2. Improvement of these regional estimates will require many more field measurements of methane emission, further examination of remotely sensed data for types of wetlands not represented in the central basin, and process-based models of methane production and emission. [source] Treatment of intrabony defects with guided tissue regeneration and enamel-matrix-proteinsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY, Issue 7 2000An experimental study in monkeys Abstract Background: Enamel matrix proteins (EMD) have recently been introduced in regenerative periodontal treatment. However, no histological data are yet available concerning the effect of treating intrabony periodontal defects with EMD, and no histological comparisons have been made comparing the result of treatment of intrabony defects with EMD with that of the treatment with guided tissue regeneration (GTR). Aim: Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate histologically in monkeys the effect of treating intrabony defects with EMD, GTR or combined EMD and GTR. Method: Intrabony periodontal defects were produced surgically at the distal aspect of teeth 14, 11, 21, 24, 34, 31, 41 and 44 in 3 monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). In order to prevent spontaneous healing and to enhance plaque accumulation metal strips were placed into the defects. After 6 weeks the defects were exposed using a full-thickness flap procedure. The granulation tissue was removed and the root surfaces were debrided by means of hand instruments. Subsequently, the defects were treated using one of the following therapies: (i) GTR, (ii) EMD, or (iii) combination of EMD and GTR. The control defects were treated with coronally repositioned flaps. After 5 months, the animals were sacrificed and perfused with 10% buffered formalin for fixation. Specimens containing the defects and surrounding tissues were dissected free, decalcified in EDTA and embedded in paraffin. 8 ,m thick histological sections were cut and stained and subsequently examined under the light microscope. Results: In the control specimens, the healing was characterized by a long junctional epithelium and limited periodontal regeneration (i.e., new periodontal ligament, new cementum with inserting connective tissue fibers and new bone) in the bottom of the defect. The GTR-treated defects consistently presented periodontal regeneration when the membranes were not exposed whereas the sites treated only with EMD presented regeneration to a varying extent. The combined therapy did not seem to improve the results. Conclusion: It can be concluded that all 3 treatment modalities favor periodontal regeneration. [source] Nutrient composition of tomato products prepared using tomato grown under sodic condition with gypsum and farmyard manure treatmentJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 15 2009Varsha Rani Abstract BACKGROUND: The use of sodic water for crop irrigation decreases the availability of nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, magnesium and zinc to plants and harms crop yield and quality. Crops irrigated with sodic water have been utilised in various product formulations. Gypsum and farmyard manure (FYM) are known to provide good soil amendment under sodic water irrigation. This research was therefore conducted to study the variation in nutrient composition of tomato products prepared from tomatoes irrigated with canal water (control) and those irrigated with sodic water treated with gypsum and FYM at two levels, i.e. 50% neutralisation of sodicity (G1F2) and complete neutralisation of sodicity (G2F2). RESULTS: The contents of protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, carbohydrate and total soluble sugars in three types of tomato product were in the ranges 1.08,1.68, 0.20,0.31, 0.43,1.07, 0.83,1.06, 6.17,7.22 and 2.32,4.81 g kg,1 respectively. Tomato products prepared from tomatoes irrigated with G1F2 -treated water contained significantly (P < 0.05) less protein, fat, crude fibre, dietary fibre, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc and sulfate but more ash, carbohydrate, total soluble sugars, oxalic acid, polyphenols, sodium, chloride and bicarbonate than those prepared from tomatoes irrigated with canal water and G2F2 -treated water. CONCLUSION: The results showed that tomato crops irrigated with sodic water treated with gypsum and FYM to varying extent were effective in maintaining and improving the nutrient composition of various tomato products. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Regular arrangement of periodates bound to lysozymeACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 9 2005Jan Ondrá The structure of tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme soaked in a periodate solution has been determined to a resolution of 1.8,Å. Four high-occupancy periodate positions have been identified on the basis of the anomalous signal of the I atoms. The four periodates exhibit a regular rectangular arrangement on the surface of the lysozyme molecule. No similar regular arrangement was found either in lysozyme crystals soaked in other heavy-atom anions or in other structures from the Protein Data Bank. Depending on their position on the surface of the protein, the periodate ions deviate to a varying extent from ideal octahedral geometry. [source] Coverage of recommended vaccines in children at 7,8 years of age in Flanders, BelgiumACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 8 2009Heidi Theeten Abstract Aim:, Evaluation of the coverage of primary diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP), poliomyelitis, hepatitis B (HBV) and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine doses recommended before the age of 18 months in 7-year-old school children in Flanders, Belgium. Meningococcal serogroup C and DT-polio vaccines offered respectively as catch-up and booster vaccinations were also evaluated. Methods:, Parents of 792 children born in Flanders in 1997 and selected by cluster sampling were interviewed at home in 2005. Vaccination data since infancy were collected retrospectively from vaccination documents and school health records. Results:, Coverage rates were 88.0% for the first dose of MMR, and 72.0%, 84.2% and 91.4% for the recommended HBV, DTP and poliomyelitis primary vaccine doses, respectively. These rates included catch-up of missed infant MMR (4.9%) and HBV (6.4%) vaccinations. In addition, 88.3% of the target group received the DT-polio booster dose recommended at 6 years of age and 83.1% a meningococcal C vaccine dose. Preventive public health services as well as private physicians were involved to a varying extent. A lower socioeconomic status of the family was associated with a higher risk of nonvaccination. Conclusion:, Vaccinators in Flanders reach children relatively well during infancy and at school age, but catch-up of missed infant vaccine doses, especially MMR, should be optimized. [source] Delineating runoff processes and critical runoff source areas in a pasture hillslope of the Ozark HighlandsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 21 2008M. D. Leh Abstract The identification of runoff contributing areas would provide the ideal focal points for water quality monitoring and Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation. The objective of this study was to use a field-scale approach to delineate critical runoff source areas and to determine the runoff mechanisms in a pasture hillslope of the Ozark Highlands in the USA. Three adjacent hillslope plots located at the Savoy Experimental Watershed, north-west Arkansas, were bermed to isolate runoff. Each plot was equipped with paired subsurface saturation and surface runoff sensors, shallow groundwater wells, H-flumes and rain gauges to quantify runoff mechanisms and rainfall characteristics at continuous 5-minute intervals. The spatial extent of runoff source areas was determined by incorporating sensor data into a geographic information-based system and performing geostatistical computations (inverse distance weighting method). Results indicate that both infiltration excess runoff and saturation excess runoff mechanisms occur to varying extents (0,58% for infiltration excess and 0,26% for saturation excess) across the plots. Rainfall events that occurred 1,5 January 2005 are used to illustrate the spatial and temporal dynamics of the critical runoff source areas. The methodology presented can serve as a framework upon which critical runoff source areas can be identified and managed for water quality protection in other watersheds. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Challenging the Bioethical Application of the Autonomy Principle within Multicultural SocietiesJOURNAL OF APPLIED PHILOSOPHY, Issue 1 2004Andrew Fagan abstract,This article critically re-examines the application of the principle of patient autonomy within bioethics. In complex societies such as those found in North America and Europe health care professionals are increasingly confronted by patients from diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. This affects the relationship between clinicians and patients to the extent that patients' deliberations upon the proposed courses of treatment can, in various ways and to varying extents, be influenced by their ethnic, cultural, and religious commitments. The principle of patient autonomy is the main normative constraint imposed upon medical treatment. Bioethicists typically appeal to the principle of patient autonomy as a means for generally attempting to resolve conflict between patients and clinicians. In recent years a number of bioethicists have responded to the condition of multiculturalism by arguing that the autonomy principle provides the basis for a common moral discourse capable of regulating the relationship between clinicians and patients in those situations where patients' beliefs and commitments do or may contradict the ethos of biomedicine. This article challenges that claim. I argue that the precise manner in which the autonomy principle is philosophically formulated within such accounts prohibits bioethicists' deployment of autonomy as a core ideal for a common moral discourse within multicultural societies. The formulation of autonomy underlying such accounts cannot be extended to simply assimilate individuals' most fundamental religious and cultural commitments and affiliations per se. I challenge the assumption that respecting prospective patients' fundamental religious and cultural commitments is necessarily always compatible with respecting their autonomy. I argue that the character of some peoples' relationship with their cultural or religious community acts to significantly constrain the possibilities for acting autonomously. The implication is clear. The autonomy principle may be presently invalidly applied in certain circumstances because the conditions for the exercise of autonomy have not been fully or even adequately satisfied. This is a controversial claim. The precise terms of my argument, while addressing the specific application of the autonomy principle within bioethics, will resonate beyond this sphere and raises questions for attempts to establish a common moral discourse upon the ideal of personal autonomy within multicultural societies generally. [source] EFFECT OF SURFACTANT GEL AND GUM COMBINATIONS ON DOUGH RHEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITY OF BREADJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 5 2004M.H. AZIZI ABSTRACT Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL), diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglyceride (DATEM), glycerol monostearate (GMS) and distilled glycerol monostearate (DGMS) surfactant gels were made with water. Addition of surfactant gels decreased water absorption by the bread while xanthan, karaya, guar and locust bean gums increased the same. Only DGMS or GMS and gum combinations further improved water absorption. All the gums except for guar along with surfactant gels improved dough stability. Both surfactant gels and gums improved the extensograph dough properties of wheat flour to varying degrees. Alveograph characteristics of wheat flour improved to varying extents with surfactant gels while the gums influenced the viscoelastic properties in differing ways. Different combinations of surfactant gels and gums showed varied influences on rapid visco analyzer characteristics of wheat flour. Both surfactant gels and gums improved the bread making quality. Among surfactants, SSL in combination with gums, and among gums locust bean in combination with surfactant gels improved the bread making quality of wheat flour to a maximum extent. [source] Assessing the trade-offs between crossover and parallel group designs in sleep researchJOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006CHARLES C. BERRY Summary Sleep researchers invariably struggle with decisions regarding the optimal design for their studies. Whether such studies involve treatment for insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, or any other sleep disorder, questions arise regarding the respective trade-offs between a parallel group and a crossover design. This study analyzed the variance structure of commonly measured polysomnographic variables in an effort to describe the statistical impact of these alternate designs. The study examined the effects of opioids on sleep and employed multiple crossovers between placebo, MS-contin, and methadone using a double-blind, randomized crossover design. Thirty-seven healthy subjects were studied. Four of the subjects were unable to complete the protocol for a variety of reasons, and polysomnogram data was unavailable for one subject. Data from 37 subjects provide the basis for this analysis. Despite dropouts, the crossover study was approximately four times as efficient as the parallel group design in terms of being able to recognize differences in deep sleep across these conditions. Other polysomnographic variables also favored the crossover design to varying extents. Despite the operational complexity of a crossover design, the statistical efficiency of this approach makes it a preferable approach for designing intervention studies in sleep research. [source] Investigations of an ethanolamine-based corrosion inhibitor system for surface treatment of reinforced concreteMATERIALS AND CORROSION/WERKSTOFFE UND KORROSION, Issue 7 2004V. T. Ngala Abstract Laboratory investigations were performed to assess the efficacy of a proprietary ethanolamine-based corrosion inhibitor system when applied to the surface of reinforced concrete specimens that were chloride-contaminated to varying extents in the presence or absence of carbonation. The corrosion responses of embedded steel bars at various depths of cover were monitored electrochemically during a controlled programme of cyclic wetting and drying undertaken for several months prior to the inhibitor treatment and for approximately eighteen months thereafter. Gravimetric measurements of the quantities and distribution of corrosion on the steel were also made on completion of the exposure tests. Analysis of aqueous extracts from treated concrete revealed that the ethanolamine component of the inhibitor system penetrated to depths of more than 15 mm within the concrete. It was found that, for inhibitor-treated specimens, there was some reduction in the corrosion rate of pre-corroding steel at low cover depths in non-carbonated concrete with modest levels of chloride contamination. At higher levels of chloride contamination and in carbonated specimens, however, the ethanolamine-based inhibitor was apparently ineffective under the conditions investigated. [source] Systematic mutagenesis of the thymidine tract of the pyrBI attenuator and its effects on intrinsic transcription termination in Escherichia coliMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Katalin Sipos Summary The pyrBI attenuator of Escherichia coli is an intrinsic transcription terminator composed of DNA with a hyphenated dyad symmetry and an adjacent 8 bp T:A tract (T-tract). These elements specify a G+C-rich terminator hairpin followed by a run of eight uridine residues (U-tract) in the RNA transcript. In this study, we examined the effects on in vivo transcription termination of systematic base substitutions in the T/U-tract of the pyrBI attenuator. We found that these substitutions diminished transcription termination efficiency to varying extents, depending on the nature and position of the substitution. In general, substitutions closer to the dyad symmetry/terminator hairpin exhibited the most significant effects. Additionally, we examined the effects on in vivo transcription termination of mutations that insert from 1 to 4 bases between the terminator hairpin and U-tract specified by the pyrBI attenuator. Our results show an inverse relationship between termination efficiency and the number of bases inserted. The effects of the substitution and insertion mutations on termination efficiency at the pyrBI attenuator were also measured in vitro, which corroborated the in vivo results. Our results are discussed in terms of the current models for intrinsic transcription termination and estimating termination efficiencies at intrinsic terminators of other bacteria. [source] Antioxidant properties of extracts from Alchornea laxiflora (Benth) Pax and HoffmanPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2003E. Olatunde Farombi Abstract The antioxidant activities of the leaf and root extracts of Alchornea laxiflora, a plant used locally for the preservation of food items in Nigeria, were evaluated using the ferric thiocyanate method, horseradish peroxidase catalysed oxidation of 2,2 azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), , -carotene linoleate model system and Fe2+/ascorbate/H2O2 -induced rat liver microsomal lipid peroxidation. The crude hexane root (HR), methanol root (MR), methanol leaf (ML) and hexane leaf (HL) extracts from A. laxiflora were tested for antioxidant activities. Antioxidant activity decreased in the following order: HR (76.4%), MR (63%), ML (40%) and HL (38%) at a concentration of 0.05% v/v. The antioxidant activity of HR compared to that of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) (80%), a standard antioxidant. The total antioxidant activity (TAA) of the crude extracts suggests that activity is highest in the HR compared with the others. The TAA value was estimated to be 8.0 measured as mm of vitamin C equivalent. Six column chromatographic fractions (FI,FVI) from HR showed antioxidant activity to varying extents in the , -carotene model system in the order of FII > FI > FVI > FIII > FIV > FV. FII exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in all model systems utilized, it recorded a higher antioxidant activity than BHA and quercetin in the , -carotene linoleate and Fe2+/ascorbate/H2O2. TLC analysis of fraction II revealed the presence of terpenoid compounds (radiant green coloration with 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine). Our results suggest that A. laxiflora contains potent natural antioxidants and may therefore be relevant in the preservation of lipid food products, which are prone to oxidation and rancidity. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] In vitro Leishmanicidal activity of naturally occurring chalconesPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 2 2001Oliver Kayser Abstract A variety of chalcones have been shown to exhibit activity against Leishmania parasites. In contrast to synthetic or semisynthetic chalcones, only a few plant-derived compounds have been investigated. To provide a scientific rational for the antiprotozoal potency of plants used in ethnomedicine and containing chalcones, and in the search for new antiprotozoal drugs, we have carried out a primary screening for in vitro leishmanicidal activity of 20 chalcones isolated from plants. The compounds were tested against extracellular promastigotes of Leishmania donovani, L. infantum, L. enrietii and L. major, and against intracellular amastigote L. donovani residing within murine macrophages. Against the extracellular Leishmania (L. donovani), most compounds were active with EC50 values between 0.07 and 2.01,µg/mL. Some of these chalcones, 2,,4,-dihydroxy-4-methoxychalcone, 2,-hydroxy-3,4-dimethoxychalcone and 2-hydroxy-4,4,-dimethoxychalcone also significantly inhibited the intracellular survival of L. donovani parasites with EC50 values between 0.39 and 0.41,µg/mL. When tested against murine bone marrow-derived macrophages as a mammalian host cell control, all compounds with antileishmanial activities also proved to be cytotoxic to varying extents (EC50 0.19,2.06,µg/mL). Correlations between molecular structures and antileishmanial activity are discussed in detail. Specific compounds are illustrated with emphasis on their mode of action and potential for the development of selective antiprotozoal agents. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Signal transduction responses to lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine 1-phosphate in human prostate cancer cellsTHE PROSTATE, Issue 14 2009Terra C. Gibbs Abstract BACKGROUND Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are lipid mediators that bind to G-protein-coupled receptors. In this study, signaling responses to 18:1 LPA and S1P were examined in parallel in three human prostate cancer cell lines: PC-3, Du145, and LNCaP. METHODS Receptor expression was assessed by RT-PCR, Northern blotting, and immunoblotting. Cellular responses to mediators were studied by proliferation assays, phosphoprotein immunoblotting, and phospholipid metabolism assays. RESULTS All cell lines express mRNA for both LPA and S1P receptors. PC-3 and Du145, but not LNCaP, proliferate in response to LPA and S1P. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), LPA, and S1P induce activation of Erks in PC-3 and Du145; only EGF and PMA activate Erks in LNCaP. In Du145 and PC-3, Akt is activated by EGF, LPA, and S1P. Akt is constitutively active in LNCaP; EGF but not LPA or S1P stimulates further phosphorylation. FAK is phosphorylated in response to both LPA and S1P in PC-3 and Du145, but not in LNCaP. LPA and S1P stimulate phospholipase D (PLD) activity to varying extents in the different cell lines. Notably, both lipid mediators activate PLD in LNCaP. In Du145, LPA, but not S1P, activates PLD and enhances cellular production of LPA. CONCLUSIONS Although both LPA and S1P induce signal transduction in all prostate cancer cell lines studied, a proliferation response is observed only when the Erk, Akt, and FAK pathways are activated. Other responses to the lipid mediators, such as PLD activation, likely contribute to other cellular outcomes. Prostate 69: 1493,1506, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Food-induced antisecretory factor activity is correlated with small bowel length in patients with intestinal resectionsAPMIS, Issue 10 2003STEFAN LANGE Specially processed cereals (SPC) can increase antisecretory factor (AF) activity in humans with an intact intestine. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether AF synthesis could be induced in patients who had been subjected to intestinal resections. Eight patients with varying extents of intestinal resections due to Crohn's disease and six healthy controls participated. All subjects received 54 g SPC daily for 2 weeks. Plasma AF activity was determined before, during and after the treatment period. Baseline diet and medications were kept unchanged. The patients registered the daily number of bowel movements. The SPC diet increased AF activity in all controls. In the patients there was a significant correlation between the length of the remaining small intestine and AF induction (r=0.94, p<0.01) and only those patients with a remaining small intestine of about 3 m reached AF values comparable to those in healthy subjects. It is concluded that small bowel length is related to the ability of humans to induce AF activity by dietary means. [source] THE EFFECT OF SALTS ON THERMAL AND HYDRIC DILATATION OF POROUS BUILDING STONE*ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2009M. AL-NADDAF Fifteen desalinated sandstone drill core samples from Umm Ishrin Sandstone Formation in Petra (Cambrian age) were used for this study. The samples were mineralogically analysed using X-ray diffraction and their physical properties were also determined. Samples with similar physical properties and mineralogical composition were taken for further experimental work. After desalination, thermal and hydric dilatation coefficients were measured, then three types of salts (NaCl, KCl and Na2SO4·10H2O), which have high solubility and consequently are the most dangerous to building stone (and are also detected in the sandstone monuments in Petra), were introduced into the samples and their contents were calculated. The results show that salt crystallization in the pores of building stones can increase their thermal dilatation and decrease their hydric dilatation to varying extents, depending on the nature of the salt. The average increase in the thermal dilatation coefficient per unit mass of salt is the lowest for the Na2SO4·10H2O-salted samples with a value of 5.3%, while the NaCl-salted samples have the highest value with 7.8% per salt mass. The average percentage of the decrease of the hydric dilatation coefficient is 1061% for Na2SO4·10H2O-salted samples per mass of salt content; the NaCl-salted samples have a value of 1510% per mass of salt content, and the KCl-salted samples almost the same value. For the salt-free samples, it was found that in climatic conditions with a high temperature range, the deterioration of sandstone due to temperature fluctuation is more effective than that caused by change in the moisture content, while samples with high salt content suffer more from hydric dilatation. [source] Crystallization of Clonorchis sinensis 26,kDa glutathione S-transferase and its fusion proteins with peptides of different lengthsACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 4 2001Young-Hyun Han A Clonorchis sinensis 26,kDa glutathione S-transferase (CsGST) and its fusion proteins containing 14 and 48 amino-acid peptides at the N-terminus have been crystallized using polyethylene glycol monomethylether 550 as a precipitant. Crystals of the three proteins show very similar crystal properties: they diffract to at least 2.3,Å resolution and belong to the orthorhombic space group P212121. The unit-cell parameters of CsGST crystals were a = 66.64,(1), b = 68.91,(1), c = 123.41,(2),Å, which are very close to those of the crystals of the two fusion proteins. In addition, CsGST fusion proteins containing varying extents of N-terminal-extended peptides are incorporated into a crystal, indicating that the extended peptides have little effect on crystal packing. These results suggest that the crystallization system of CsGST/peptide fusion protein may be generally applicable to obtain crystals of small peptides. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||