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Burst
Kinds of Burst Terms modified by Burst Selected AbstractsEVIDENCE OF A LATENT OXIDATIVE BURST IN RELATION TO WOUND REPAIR IN THE GIANT UNICELLULAR CHLOROPHYTE DASYCLADUS VERMICULARIS,JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Cliff Ross We investigated the kinetics and composition of the second phase of the wound repair process of Dasycladus vermicularis ([Scropoli] Krasser) using fluorescent probes, chromatography, UV spectroscopy, and histochemistry. Our new evidence supports the hypothesis that the second phase of wound repair (initiated at approximately 35,45 min postinjury) is based on the activation of an oxidative burst that produces micromolar H2O2 levels. These results provide evidence of peroxidase activity at the wound site, real-time measurements of an oxidative burst, and catechol localization in wound plugs. Strong evidence is presented indicating that the biochemical machinery exists for oxidative cross-linking to ensue in the wound-healing process of D. vermicularis. [source] Editorial Commentary:Ready to Burst?JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 12 2002J. A. Russell No abstract is available for this article. [source] Ethanol-Induced Malfunction of Neutrophils Respiratory Burst on Patients Suffering From Alcohol DependenceALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2008Dirk Breitmeier Background:, Polymorphonuclear, neutrophil granulocytes (PMN) play a major role in the control of infections, and people who abuse alcohol are susceptible to infections. Resistance against infections ensues intracellularly following initial phagocytosis of microorganisms with the oxygen-dependent respiratory burst, the key enzyme of which is the respiratory burst oxidase, whereby oxygen radicals are produced for microbial destruction. To date there is insufficient information available in connection with the process of impaired defence against infection in patients suffering from alcohol dependence. Therefore, our investigation was carried out to determine the influence of alcohol exposition on the formation of oxygen radicals and the respiratory burst. Methods:, 4.5 ml of whole blood was taken from 10 healthy adults and 10 patients suffering from alcohol dependence. An additional 3.5 ml of whole blood was taken from the alcoholic patients for determination of the blood alcohol concentration. The respiratory burst of PMN was tested using the Four-Colour-Continuous Flow Cytometer. Each experimental procedure consisted of 4 test samples [negative controls, Escherichia coli, FMLP-supplement (N-formyl-l-methionyl-l-leucyl-l-phenylalanin), PMA-supplement (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate)]. Differing concentrations of ethanol were also introduced to each of the tests performed (0.20 to 4.00 g/l). Results:, Ethanol revealed a marked decrease of burst activity in those patients suffering from alcoholism with increased alcohol concentration. A dependence between the burst activity and the ethanol concentration was seen to be statistically significant. This effect was only evident after stimulation with E. coli and FMLP in those patients with alcohol dependence. Conclusion:, The results presented in this study show an impairment in the function of PMN in those patients addicted to alcohol due to the decrease in burst activity. In view of the results of the different stimuli, the second-messenger effects were not evident. A clarification of this phenomenon could well be assumed as an allosteric receptor effect on the burst oxidase, namely, a direct effect on the phagocytosis interaction between circulating granulocytes and causative organisms. [source] New soft gamma-ray bursts in the BATSE records and spectral properties of X-ray rich burstsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006Yana Tikhomirova ABSTRACT A population of X-ray dominated gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed by Ginga, BeppoSAX and the High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE-2) should be represented in the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) data as presumably soft bursts. We have performed a search for soft GRBs in the BATSE records in the 25,100 keV energy band. The softness of a burst spectrum could explain why it has been missed by the on-board procedure and by the previous searches for untriggered GRBs tuned to the 50,300 keV range. We have found a surprisingly small number (, 20 yr,1 with fluxes down to 0.1 photon cm,2 s,1) of soft GRBs where the count rate is dominated by the 25,50 keV energy channel. This fact, as well as the analysis of HETE-2 and common BeppoSAX/BATSE GRBs, indicates that the majority of GRBs with a low Epeak have a relatively hard tail with a high-energy power-law photon index , > ,3. An exponential cutoff in GRB spectra below 10,15 keV may be a distinguishing feature of non-GRB events. [source] Oxidative Burst in Suspension Culture of Taxus cuspidataInduced by a Laminar Shear Stress in Short-TermBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2004Rong-Bin Han Generation of active oxidative species induced by shear stress in suspension cultures of Taxus cuspidata was investigated in a Couette-type shear reactor. It was found that T. cuspidata cells respond to a shear rate of 95 s,1 with oxidative bursts. Their triphasic characteristics in 6 h were similar in both intracellular H2O2 production and extracellular O2,, production. Additionally, inhibition studies with diphenylene iodonium and azide suggested that the key enzyme responsible for oxidative bursts under the shear rate of 95 s,1 is primarily NADPH oxidase and the contribution of peroxidase for oxidative bursts was less. Investigation of the relationship between active oxidative species and defense responses induced by the shear stress indicated that the O2,, burst may account for the change of membrane permeability, and the H2O2 burst plays an important role in inducing secondary metabolites such as the activation of phenylalanine ammonia lyase enzyme and phenolic accumulation. Furthermore, oxidative bursts elicited by the shear rate of 95 s,1 were suppressed by treatment with suramin, nifedipine, and neomycin prior to the shear stress treatment, suggesting that G-protein, Ca2+ channel, and phospholipase C are involved in the signal pathway for oxidative bursts induced by the shear stress. A model is proposed to explain the oxidative burst in cultured T. cuspidata cells challenged with the shear stress. [source] Pityriarubins, Novel Highly Selective Inhibitors of Respiratory Burst from Cultures of the Yeast Malassezia furfur: Comparison with the Bisindolylmaleimide Arcyriarubin ACHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 12 2005Hans-Joachim Krämer Dr. Abstract Pityriasis versicolor is the most common skin mycosis in humans worldwide. Yeasts of the genus Malassezia, particularly M. furfur, a saprophyte occurring widely on human skin, are generally regarded as the causative agents. M. furfur is able to convert tryptophan into a variety of indole alkaloids, some of them showing biological properties that correlate well with certain clinical features of pityriasis versicolor. This suggests a possible role for these compounds in the pathophysiology of the disease. We here report that the novel pityriarubins A, B and C, isolated from cultures of the yeast, inhibit respiratory burst in human neutrophils, activated by various agents, in a highly selective, unexpected manner. The release of 5-lipoxygenase products after challenge of neutrophils with the calcium ionophore A23187 is also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. These activities reflect the close structural relationship of pityriarubins to bisindolylmaleimides, which have recently gained great interest as protein kinase inhibitors. [source] fMRI Activation in Continuous and Spike-triggered EEG,fMRI Studies of Epileptic SpikesEPILEPSIA, Issue 10 2003Abdulla Al-Asmi Summary:,Purpose: To evaluate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with simultaneous EEG for finding metabolic sources of epileptic spikes. To find the localizing value of activated regions and factors influencing fMRI responses. Methods: Patients with focal epilepsy and frequent spikes were subjected to spike-triggered or continuous fMRI with simultaneous EEG. Results were analyzed in terms of fMRI activation, concordance with the location of EEG spiking and anatomic MRI abnormalities, and other EEG and clinical variables. In four patients, results also were compared with those of intracerebral EEG. Results: Forty-eight studies were performed on 38 patients. Seventeen studies were not analyzed, primarily because no spikes occurred during scanning. Activation was obtained in 39% of 31 studies, with an activation volume of 2.55 ± 4.84 cc. Activated regions were concordant with EEG localization in almost all studies and confirmed by intracerebral EEG in four patients. Forty percent of patients without an MRI lesion showed activation; 37.5% of patients with a lesion had an activation; the activation was near or inside the lesion. Bursts of spikes were more likely to generate an fMRI response than were isolated spikes (76 vs. 11%; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Combining EEG and fMRI in focal epilepsy yields regions of activation that are presumably the source of spiking activity. These regions are highly linked with epileptic foci and epileptogenic lesions in a significant number of patients. Activation also is found in patients with no visible MRI lesion. Intracerebral recordings largely confirm that these activation regions represent epileptogenic areas. It is still unclear why many patients show no activation. [source] Glutamatergic input governs periodicity and synchronization of bursting activity in oxytocin neurons in hypothalamic organotypic culturesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2003Jean-Marc Israel Abstract During suckling, oxytocin (OT) neurons display a bursting electrical activity, consisting of a brief burst of action potentials which is synchronized throughout the OT neuron population and which periodically occurs just before each milk ejection in the lactating rat. To investigate the basis of such synchronization, we performed simultaneous intracellular recordings from pairs of OT neurons identified retrospectively by intracellular fluorescent labelling and immunocytochemistry in organotypic slice cultures derived from postnatal rat hypothalamus. A spontaneous bursting activity was recorded in 65% of OT neurons; the remaining showed only a slow, irregular activity. Application of OT triggered bursts in nonbursting neurons and accelerated bursting activity in spontaneously bursting cells. These cultures included rare vasopressinergic neurons showing no bursting activity and no reaction to OT. Bursts occurred simultaneously in all pairs of bursting OT neurons but, as in vivo, there were differences in burst onset, amplitude and duration. Coordination of firing was not due to electrotonic coupling because depolarizing one neuron in a pair had no effect on the membrane potential of its partner and halothane and proprionate did not desynchronize activity. On the other hand, bursting activity was superimposed on volleys of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) which occurred simultaneously in pairs of neurons. EPSPs, and consequently action potentials, were reversibly blocked by the non-NMDA glutamatergic receptor antagonist CNQX. Taken together, these data, obtained from organotypic cultures, strongly suggest that a local hypothalamic network governs synchronization of bursting firing in OT neurons through synchronous afferent volleys of EPSPs originating from intrahypothalamic glutamatergic inputs. [source] Short Gamma-ray bursts: a bimodal origin?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008R. Salvaterra ABSTRACT Short-hard Gamma-Ray Bursts (SGRBs) are currently thought to arise from gravitational wave driven coalescences of double neutron star systems forming either in the field or dynamically in globular clusters. For both channels, we fit the peak flux distribution of BATSE SGRBs to derive the local burst formation rate and luminosity function. We then compare the resulting redshift distribution with Swift 2-yr data, showing that both formation channels are needed in order to reproduce the observations. Double neutron stars forming in globular clusters are found to dominate the distribution at z, 0.3, whereas the field population from primordial binaries can account for the high- z SGRBs. This result is not in contradiction with the observed host galaxy type of SGRBs. [source] Motor unit recruitment and bursts of activity in the surface electromyogram during a sustained contractionMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 6 2008Zachary A. Riley MS Abstract Bursts of activity in the surface electromyogram (EMG) during a sustained contraction have been interpreted as corresponding to the transient recruitment of motor units, but this association has never been confirmed. The current study compared the timing of trains of action potentials discharged by single motor units during a sustained contraction with the bursts of activity detected in the surface EMG signal. The 20 motor units from 6 subjects [recruitment threshold, 35.3 ± 11.3% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force] that were detected with fine wire electrodes discharged 2,9 trains of action potentials (7.2 ± 5.6 s in duration) when recruited during a contraction that was sustained at a force below its recruitment threshold (target force, 25.4 ± 10.6% MVC force). High-pass filtering the bipolar surface EMG signal improved its correlation with the single motor unit signal. An algorithm applied to the surface EMG was able to detect 75% of the trains of motor unit action potentials. The results indicate that bursts of activity in the surface EMG during a constant-force contraction correspond to the transient recruitment of higher-threshold motor units in healthy individuals, and these results could assist in the diagnosis and design of treatment in individuals who demonstrate deficits in motor unit activation. Muscle Nerve, 2008 [source] Clinical electrophysiological characterization of the acquired neuromyotonia phenotype of autoimmune peripheral nerve hyperexcitabilityMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 6 2006Paul Maddison MD Abstract Acquired autoimmune neuromyotonia is regarded as part of the spectrum of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability disorders. We aimed to use clinical neurophysiological measurements to study the extent, distribution, and characteristics of spontaneous motor unit potentials in 11 patients with acquired neuromyotonia. Investigations revealed that most spontaneous discharges recorded were motor unit, or partial motor unit potentials of normal size. Bursts of motor unit potentials arose more commonly from distal portions of the peripheral nerve and had abnormal absolute and relative refractory periods. Spontaneous discharges in some patients occurred in semirhythmic bursts in certain muscles. No patient had neurophysiological abnormalities detectable in first-order neurons of the central nervous system when using transcranial magnetic stimulation to estimate the threshold for corticomotor excitation and determine central motor conduction time. Only patients with coexistent myasthenia gravis had neurophysiologically detectable defects in neuromuscular transmission. The pathogenic region of abnormality in peripheral nerve hyperexcitability disorders therefore seems to lie within the terminal branches of peripheral motor nerves. Muscle Nerve, 2006 [source] Efficient Ca2+ buffering in fast-spiking basket cells of rat hippocampusTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 8 2008Yexica Aponte Fast-spiking parvalbumin-expressing basket cells (BCs) represent a major type of inhibitory interneuron in the hippocampus. These cells inhibit principal cells in a temporally precise manner and are involved in the generation of network oscillations. Although BCs show a unique expression profile of Ca2+ -permeable receptors, Ca2+ -binding proteins and Ca2+ -dependent signalling molecules, physiological Ca2+ signalling in these interneurons has not been investigated. To study action potential (AP)-induced dendritic Ca2+ influx and buffering, we combined whole-cell patch-clamp recordings with ratiometric Ca2+ imaging from the proximal apical dendrites of rigorously identified BCs in acute slices, using the high-affinity Ca2+ indicator fura-2 or the low-affinity dye fura-FF. Single APs evoked dendritic Ca2+ transients with small amplitude. Bursts of APs evoked Ca2+ transients with amplitudes that increased linearly with AP number. Analysis of Ca2+ transients under steady-state conditions with different fura-2 concentrations and during loading with 200 ,m fura-2 indicated that the endogenous Ca2+ -binding ratio was ,200 (,S= 202 ± 26 for the loading experiments). The peak amplitude of the Ca2+ transients measured directly with 100 ,m fura-FF was 39 nm AP,1. At ,23°C, the decay time constant of the Ca2+ transients was 390 ms, corresponding to an extrusion rate of ,600 s,1. At 34°C, the decay time constant was 203 ms and the corresponding extrusion rate was ,1100 s,1. At both temperatures, continuous theta-burst activity with three to five APs per theta cycle, as occurs in vivo during exploration, led to a moderate increase in the global Ca2+ concentration that was proportional to AP number, whereas more intense stimulation was required to reach micromolar Ca2+ concentrations and to shift Ca2+ signalling into a non-linear regime. In conclusion, dentate gyrus BCs show a high endogenous Ca2+ -binding ratio, a small AP-induced dendritic Ca2+ influx, and a relatively slow Ca2+ extrusion. These specific buffering properties of BCs will sharpen the time course of local Ca2+ signals, while prolonging the decay of global Ca2+ signals. [source] Roles of glutamate and GABA receptors in setting the developmental timing of spontaneous synchronized activity in the developing mouse cortexDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 12 2007Annette K. McCabe Abstract Spontaneous, synchronized electrical activity (SSA) plays important roles in nervous system development, but it is not clear what causes it to start and stop at the appropriate times. In previous work, we showed that when SSA in neonatal mouse cortex is blocked by TTX in cultured slices during its normal time of occurrence (E17,P3), it fails to stop at P3 as it does in control cultured slices, but instead persists through at least P10. This indicates that SSA is self-extinguishing. Here we use whole-cell recordings and [Ca2+]i imaging to compare control and TTX-treated slices to isolate the factors that normally extinguish SSA on schedule. In TTX-treated slices, SSA bursts average 4 s in duration, and have two components. The first, lasting about 1 s, is mediated by AMPA receptors; the second, which extends the burst to 4 s and is responsible for most of the action potential generation during the burst, is mediated by NMDA receptors. In later stage (P5,P9) control slices, after SSA has declined to about 4% of its peak frequency, bursts lack this long NMDA component. Blocking this NMDA component in P5,P9 TTX-treated slices reduces SSA frequency, but not to the low values found in control slices, implying that additional factors help extinguish SSA. GABAA inhibitors restore SSA in control slices, indicating that the emergence of GABAA -mediated inhibition is another major factor that helps terminate SSA. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2007 [source] Oral compression activity on a surrogate nipple in the newborn rat: Nutritive and nonnutritive suckingDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Andrey P. Kozlov Abstract Newborn rats, 3 hr after birth and before any experience in suckling, were exposed for 10 min to a surrogate nipple providing milk. One hour later, they were exposed to an empty nipple for another 10-min period. The basic characteristics of oral behavior (oral compression activity, OCA) were assessed by recording intranipple pressure during the pups' first attachment to a nipple. The peculiarities of milk-induced changes of OCA were examined with three modes of milk delivery (milk infusions, and intermittent and continuous milk deliveries). The pattern of OCA exerted by the newborn pups on a surrogate nipple consisted of rhythmic oscillations within a frequency range of 0.4 to 1.0 Hz, superimposed on slow (frequency,<,0.2 Hz), irregular intranipple pressure fluctuations. Oral behavior during the first minute after oral capture of the nipple differed significantly from that during any subsequent 1-min interval in terms of frequency content of OCA. The pattern of OCA changes induced by milk infusions or intermittent milk delivery included an abrupt rise in intranipple pressure, accompanied or followed by a burst of fast nipple compressions (bites). Our data suggest that newborn rats attached to a surrogate nipple demonstrate patterns of oral behavior that simulate, in terms of basic frequency characteristics, patterns of nutritive and nonnutritive suckling observed in more mature pups on the maternal nipple. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 43: 290,303, 2003. [source] Differential effects of short and long duration insulinotropic agents on meal-related glucose excursionsDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 2 2001C. J. De Souza SUMMARY Aim Abnormal ,-cell function, characterized as the inability of the ,-cell to mount a rapid secretory response to glucose, is a well-established pathology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These studies were designed to demonstrate the importance of early insulin release on the control of meal-induced glucose excursions by capitalizing on the significant pharmacodynamic differences between several oral insulin secreting agents. Methods Male Sprague Dawley fitted with indwelling jugular cannulas were used to compare the pharmacodynamic profiles of nateglinide (Nateg), glipizide (Glip) and repaglinide (Repag) through frequent blood samples following the administration of these compounds via oral gavage. In similar animals which were pretrained to consume their daily food intake in two discrete 45-min meals, the effects of compound induced changes in pre-meal, meal and post-meal insulin profiles on glycaemic control were assessed through frequent blood sampling following the administration of these compounds 10 min prior to a 30-min meal. Results There were significant pharmacodynamics differences between the three oral agents tested and the time to elicit peak insulin secretory responses increased from Nateg (4 min) to Repag (10 min) to Glip (45 min). During the meal tolerance test, glibenclamide did not increase pre-meal insulin levels and glucose excursions paralleled those in the control. Conversely, the other three agents, at doses that produced hypoglycaemic responses of similar magnitude, all increased early insulin release (,AUC(-15 to 3 min) = 0.5 ± 0.01, 1.6 ± 0.4, 3.6 ± 0.0, 1.2 ± 0.1 and 1.73 ± 0.4 nmol/min, for control, Nateg at 60 and 120 mg/kg, Glip and Repag, respectively) and curbed glucose excursions during the meal at varying rates and degrees (,AUC(0,30 min) = 39 ± 6, 8 ± 7, 5 ± 7, ,,1 ± 8 and ,,3 ± 8 mmol/min for control, Nateg at 60 and 120 mg/kg, Glip and Repag, respectively). However, unlike Nateg, the longer duration of action of Repag and Glip elicited sustained post-meal relative hypoglycaemia. Conclusion These data support the impact of early and rapid insulin release in the control of prandial and post-meal glycaemia and demonstrate that a short anticipatory burst of insulin, restricted to the beginning of a meal, provides a clear metabolic advantage and prevents post-meal hypoglycaemic episodes when compared to a greater but reactive insulin exposure that follows a meal-induced increase in glucose excursion. [source] Spain's greatest and most recent mine disasterDISASTERS, Issue 1 2008Flor Ma. On 25 April 1998, the mineral waste retaining wall at the Swedish-owned pyrite mine at Aznalcóllar (Seville, Spain) burst,2 causing the most harmful environmental and socio-economic disaster in the history of the River Guadiamar basin. The damage was so great that the regional government decided in May 1998 to finance a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research initiative with the objective of eradicating or at least minimising all of the negative social, economic and environmental impacts. This paper utilises a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis to identify eight strategic measures aimed at providing policymakers with key guidelines on implementing a sustainable development model, in a broad sense. Empirical evidence, though, reveals that, to date, major efforts to tackle the negative impacts have centred on environmental concerns and that the socio-economic consequences have not been completely mitigated. [source] Development of an inhibitory antibody fragment to human tissue factor using phage display technologyDRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009S.M. Meiring Abstract Tissue factor is involved in the etiology of thrombotic diseases initiating the thrombosis associated with the inflammation that occurs during infection. The prevention of blood coagulation and inflammation is of primary importance in a number of pathological situations. A single-chain variable antibody fragment of molecular weight of 26,kD that inhibits the action of human tissue factor was selected by phage display technology, purified and tested for its tissue factor inhibitory effect, purified on a protein A column, and its purity evaluated on SDS-PAGE. The effects of the antibody fragment on prothrombin times, Factor Xa production, and thrombin generation were assessed with increasing fragment concentrations, using chromogenic and fluorometric substrates. The antibody fragment dose-dependently prolonged the prothrombin time (IC50=0.5,,M) and delayed the lag phase before the thrombin generation burst and the peak thrombin concentration in the thrombin generation assay. The effect on thrombin generation was more pronounced in thrombophilic plasma than in normal plasma. Antibody-based tissue factor inhibitors therefore may provide an effective treatment for thrombotic disease without serious bleeding complications. Drug Dev Res 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Hydrologic and geomorphic effects of temporary ice-dammed lake formation during jökulhlaupsEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 7 2003Matthew J. Roberts Abstract Glacial outburst ,oods (jökulhlaups) occur frequently in glaciated environments, and the resultant ,ooding causes geomorphic change and, in some instances, damage to local infrastructure. During some jökulhlaups, ,oodwater is stored temporarily in ice-marginal locations. In July 1999, a linearly rising jökulhlaup burst from Sólheimajökull, Iceland. During this remarkable event, subglacial ,oodwater pooled transiently in two relict ice-dammed lake basins, before draining suddenly back into Sólheimajökull. The signi,cance of such rapid formation and attendant drainage of temporary ice-dammed lakes during jökulhlaups has not been addressed. Consequently, this paper: (i) assesses the hydrologic and geomorphic effects of temporary ice-dammed lake formation caused by lake-basin ,retro-,lling'; and (ii) discusses the impact and signi,cance of transient retro-,lling under jökulhlaup conditions. Pre- and post-,ood ,eldwork at Sólheimajökull enabled the impact and signi,cance of lake-basin retro-,lling to be assessed. Field evidence demonstrates that the July 1999 jökulhlaup had an unusually rapid rise to peak discharge, resulting in subglacial ,oodwater being purged to ice-marginal locations. The propensity for temporary retro-,lling was controlled by rapid expulsion of ,oodwater from Sólheimajökull, coincident with locations suitable for ,oodwater storage. Floodwater inundated both ice-marginal lake basins, permitting signi,cant volumes of sediment deposition. Coarse-grained deltas prograding from the ice margin and boulders perched on scoured bedrock provide geomorphic records of sudden retro-,lling. The depositional characteristics of lake-basin deposits at Sólheimajökull are similar to jökulhlaup sediments documented in proglacial settings elsewhere; however, their depositional setting and association with ice-marginal landforms is distinctive. Findings suggest that temporary ice-dammed lake formation and drainage has the capacity to alter the shape of the ,ood hydrograph, especially if drainage of a temporary lake is superimposed on the original jökulhlaup. Deposits associated with lake-basin retro-,lling have a long-term preservation potential that could help to identify temporary ice-dammed lake formation in modern and ancient glacial environments. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of size and morphology on swimming performance in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 4 2003A. F. Ojanguren Abstract,,, Our study assesses swimming capacity (speed and stamina) and possible morphometric determinants of locomotor performance of juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta L.). We addressed these issues at the individual level to have an approach of the functional significance of intraspecific variation in morphological design. Both swimming speed and endurance time showed significant positive relationships with fish length. Size-corrected values of speed and endurance time were negatively correlated suggesting a phenotypic trade-off between burst and prolonged swimming. Size was also highly correlated with all the morphological variables measured. Therefore, we used the residuals of the regressions of those variables on fish length to remove the effect of body size. A principal components analysis (PCA) summarised the 12 morphological variables into two factors, which accounted for 44.3% of the variance. PC1 combined several measures of body depth and width, whereas PC2 represented mainly postanal length relative to abdomen length. Relationships between the scores of the two factors and size-corrected values of maximum swimming speed and endurance time were weak. PC2 showed a significant positive relationship with endurance time; that is, individuals with longer caudal regions were able to swim against water flow for longer periods of time. Stoutness (PC1) showed a marginally significant negative correlation with endurance time. The lack of stronger relationships could be because of the low morphometric variability among the test individuals, all proceeding from the same population, reared in a common environment, and measured at the same ontogenetic stage. [source] Dietary exposure to low pesticide doses causes long-term immunosuppression in the leopard frog (Rana pipiens)ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2007Anathea Albert Abstract This study examines the relationship between dietary exposure of pesticides, DDT, and dieldrin and immunosuppression in the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens). Immune function was measured before, during, and after a 10-week exposure period with the use of both adaptive and innate immunity responses. Exposure to low doses (75 ng/g body wt DDT or 2.1 ng/g dieldrin total dose over the 10 weeks) resulted in significant suppressive effects on antibody production and secondary delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH). The high doses (750 ng/g DDT and 21 ng/g dieldrin), however, did not affect antibody production, DTH, or oxidative burst in a predictable dose,response manner. The differences in magnitude and direction of the effects of the two dosing regimes were likely due to differences in chemical exposure on the basis of feeding and effectiveness of chemical uptake. The low dose results demonstrated that moderate concentrations of pesticides, frequently observed in the environment, are able to weaken the immune response of R. pipiens. [source] Immunosuppression in the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) induced by pesticide exposureENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2003Mary-Kate Gilbertson Abstract An injection study and a field study were used to investigate the hypothesis that environmental xenobiotics have the potential to alter the immune function of northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens). Three assays, IgM-specific antibody response to keyhole limpet hemocyanin linked to dinitrophenyl (KLH-DNP), zymozan induced chemiluminescence (CL) of whole blood and the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), were used to assay humoral, innate and cell-mediated immune endpoints. Sublethal doses of DDT (923 ng/g wet wt), malathion (990 ng/g wet wt), and dieldrin (50 ng/g wet wt) were used in the injection study. In all pesticide-injected groups, antibody response was dramatically suppressed, DTH reactions were enhanced, and respiratory burst was lower. When the order of administration of pesticides and antigens was reversed, no differences in immune function between the control and dosed groups were apparent, indicating that frogs exposed to pathogens prior to pesticide exposure can still respond. A field study found significant differences in immune function between frog populations in pesticide-exposed and pesticide-free locations. The antibody response and CL were suppressed and the DTH enhanced in frogs from Essex County (ON, Canada). Overall, the results suggest that exposure to these pesticides can cause both stimulatory and suppressive immune changes in adult frogs and is doing so in wild populations. [source] Interneuron subtype specific activation of mGluR1/5 during epileptiform activity in hippocampusEPILEPSIA, Issue 8 2010Nathalie T Sanon Summary Purpose:, Specific inhibitory interneurons in area CA1 of the hippocampus, notably those located in stratum oriens,alveus (O/A-INs), are selectively vulnerable in patients and animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The excitotoxic mechanisms underlying the selective vulnerability of interneurons have not been identified but could involve group I metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes (mGluR1/5), which have generally proconvulsive actions and activate prominent cationic currents and calcium responses specifically in O/A-INs. Methods:, In this study, we examine the role of mGluR1/5 in interneurons during epileptiform activity using whole-cell recordings from CA1 O/A-INs and selective antagonists of mGluR1, (LY367385) and mGluR5 (MPEP) in a disinhibited rat hippocampal slice model of epileptiform activity. Results:, Our data indicate more prominent epileptiform burst discharges and paroxysmal depolarizations (PDs) in O/A-INs than in interneurons located at the border of strata radiatum and lacunosum/moleculare (R/LM-INs). In addition, mGluR1 and mGluR5 significantly contributed to epileptiform responses in O/A-INs but not in R/LM-INs. Epileptiform burst discharges in O/A-INs were partly dependent on mGluR5. PDs and associated postsynaptic currents were dependent on both mGluR1, and mGluR5. These receptors contributed differently to postsynaptic currents underlying PDs, with mGluR5 contributing to the fast and slow components and mGluR1, to the slow component. Discussion:, These findings support interneuron subtype-specific activation and differential contributions of mGluR1, and mGluR5 to epileptiform activity in O/A-INs, which could be important for their selective vulnerability in TLE. [source] Low Concentration of DL-2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate Induces Epileptiform Activity in Guinea Pig Hippocampal SlicesEPILEPSIA, Issue 10 2001Ali Gorji Summary: , Purpose: The specific mechanisms by which low concentrations of cyclosporine induce seizures and low concentrations of phencyclidine provoke behavioral excitation remain to be elucidated. Both compounds block N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The aim of this study was to determine if low concentrations of the NMDA-receptor blockers increase the seizure susceptibility. Methods: Guinea pig hippocampal slices were exposed to artificial cerebrospinal fluid containing the NMDA blocker dl -2-amino-5-phosphono-valerate (APV; 0.1,10 ,M). Extracellular field potentials were recorded from CA1 and CA3 regions. Results: Low concentrations of APV induced epileptiform burst discharges (0.1,0.25 ,M), whereas higher doses failed to decrease the seizure threshold (1,10 ,M). Conclusions: The results indicate that the excitatory effect of low concentrations NMDA blockers may play a role in the neurotoxicity of aforementioned substances. [source] Retinol binding protein isolated from acute renal failure patients inhibits polymorphonuclear leucocyte functionsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 11 2004G. Cohen Abstract Background, Protein factors accumulating in sera of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that interfere with the nonspecific immune response by inhibiting essential functions of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNLs) have previously been described. No such factor has been isolated from acute renal failure (ARF) patients to date. Materials and methods, Using a three-step chromatographic procedure involving ion exchange, size exclusion and hydrophobic interaction chromatography we purified the apo- and holo-form of retinol binding protein (RBP) from high-flux dialyser (polyacrylonitrile; AN69) ultrafiltrates of patients with ARF. Their effect on the chemotaxis of PMNLs isolated from healthy donors was determined by the under-agarose method. Whole-blood assays applying flow cytometry were used to assess phagocytosis and the oxidative metabolism of PMNLs. Apoptosis was assessed by determining the DNA content using propidium iodide. Results, Isolated apo- and holo-forms of RBP were truncated on their C-terminus as determined by mass spectrometry. All isolates significantly inhibited the chemotactic movement of PMNLs obtained from healthy donors and the PMNL oxidative metabolism stimulated by E. coli. These effects were concentration dependent. Retinol binding protein had no influence on the PMNL oxidative metabolism stimulated by PMA and on PMNL phagocytosis. Commercially available RBP isolated from urine influenced PMNL functions in the same way. Inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) by SB203580 significantly attenuated the phagocytosis-induced respiratory burst and RBP did not lead to a further decrease. Polymorphonuclear leucocyte apoptosis was significantly inhibited by RBP. Conclusions, The apo- and holo-forms of RBP isolated from the ultrafiltrate of ARF patients inhibit PMNL chemotaxis, oxidative metabolism and apoptosis. Therefore, RBP may be considered a uraemic toxin contributing to a disturbed immune defence. [source] Granulocyte function in patients with L-ferritin iron-responsive element (IRE) 39C,T-positive hereditary hyperferritinaemia,cataract syndromeEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 10 2004R. Fritsche-Polanz Abstract Background, Hereditary hyperferritinaemia,cataract syndrome (HHCS) is an autosomal dominant trait associated with mutations in the iron responsive element (IRE) of the ferritin light-chain (L-ferritin) gene. Patients typically show elevated serum ferritin concentrations without iron overload and a bilateral cataract. Hyperferritinaemia can be associated with granulocyte dysfunction in patients with thalassemia beta and in haemodialysis patients. The effect of increased L-ferritin levels on granulocyte function in patients with HHCS is unknown. Material and methods, We examined glucose uptake, oxidative burst, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, apoptosis and intracellular calcium concentrations in polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNLs) of five affected members of a family with HHCS and in five healthy individuals matched for age and gender. Results, Mutation testing revealed a 39C,T transition in IRE in all five patients with HHCS. Serum ferritin levels of patients ranged between 907 and 2030 µg L,1, respectively. In comparison with healthy individuals, PMNLs of patients with HHCS showed a significant increase in PMA-mediated stimulation of the oxidative burst, as well as a significantly higher stimulation of glucose uptake but no difference with respect to chemotaxis, phagocytosis, apoptosis and intracellular calcium concentrations. Conclusion, In summary, our study suggests that hyperferritinaemia in patients with IRE 39C,T-positive HHCS is associated with activation of PMNLs but not with disturbance of fundamental PMNL function. [source] Dysregulation of monocyte oxidative burst in streptococcal endocarditisEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 10 2001E. Presterl Background Streptococcal subacute endocarditis is characterized by low-grade systemic inflammation. Although structural cardiac defects are pivotal, phagocytic cells, i.e. monocytes and neutrophils, are involved in the induction and the course of bacterial endocarditis. Decreased production of reactive oxygen metabolites was described in long-lasting infections. We hypothesized that the oxidative burst of phagocytes induced by the infecting organism is defective in patients with streptococcal endocarditis. Patients and methods The monocytes and neutrophils of 11 patients with streptococcal native valve endocarditis were challenged with the respective pathogens and two control streptococcal strains, and the oxidative burst was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. These experiments were done before any antibiotic therapy was administered, and repeated at least 12 months after recovery. Eight volunteers served as healthy controls. Results The monocyte response to the respective pathogens was decreased in the patient groups compared to the response to the control streptococci. After cure the monocyte response to the pathogens was not different to the response to the control strains. The monocyte response of the healthy volunteers did not show any differences between the patients' pathogens and the control strains. The neutrophil oxidative burst to the pathogens was similar to that to the control streptococci in both patient and the volunteer group. Conclusion The decreased response of patient monocytes to the pathogens may contribute to the low-grade inflammatory response and to the course of streptococcal endocarditis. [source] ,-GalCer ameliorates listeriosis by accelerating infiltration of Gr-1+ cells into the liverEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Masashi Emoto Abstract ,-Galactosylceramide (,-GalCer) activates invariant (i)NKT cells, which in turn stimulate immunocompetent cells. Although activation of iNKT cells appears critical for regulation of immune responses, it remains elusive whether protection against intracellular bacteria can be induced by ,-GalCer. Here, we show that ,-GalCer treatment ameliorates murine listeriosis, and inhibits inflammation following Listeria monocytogenes infection. Liver infiltration of Gr-1+ cells and ,/, T cells was accelerated by ,-GalCer treatment. Gr-1+ cell and ,/, T-cell depletion exacerbated listeriosis in ,-GalCer-treated mice, and this effect was more pronounced after depletion of Gr-1+ cells than that of ,/, T cells. Although GM-CSF and IL-17 were secreted by NKT cells after ,-GalCer treatment, liver infiltration of Gr-1+ cells was not prevented by neutralizing mAb. In parallel to the numerical increase of CD11b+Gr-1+ cells in the liver following ,-GalCer treatment, CD11b,Gr-1+ cells were numerically reduced in the bone marrow. In addition, respiratory burst in Gr-1+ cells was enhanced by ,-GalCer treatment. Our results indicate that ,-GalCer-induced antibacterial immunity is caused, in part, by accelerated infiltration of Gr-1+ cells and to a lesser degree of ,/, T cells into the liver. We also suggest that the infiltration of Gr-1+ cells is caused by an accelerated supply from the bone marrow. [source] TREM-1 promotes survival during septic shock in miceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Sébastien Gibot Dr. Abstract Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid (TREM)-1 is integral to the inflammatory response occurring during septic shock, although its precise function has yet to be determined. Here we show that in vivo silencing of TREM-1 using siRNA duplexes in a fecal peritonitis mouse model resulted in a blunted inflammatory response and increased mortality. This was associated with impaired bacterial clearance related to marked inhibition of the neutrophil oxidative burst. By contrast, TREM-1 -silenced mice were highly resistant to a lethal endotoxin challenge, while partial silencing of TREM-1 in the bacterial peritonitis model produced a significant survival benefit. These data highlight the crucial role of the TREM-1 pathway in mounting an adequate inflammatory and cytotoxic response to polymicrobial sepsis, and both the therapeutic promise and potential risks of its modulation. [source] Synaptic and non-synaptic mechanisms of amygdala recruitment into temporolimbic epileptiform activitiesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 10 2003Julia Klueva Abstract Lateral amygdala (LA) activity during synchronized-epileptiform discharges in temporolimbic circuits was investigated in rat horizontal slices containing the amygdala, hippocampus (Hip), perirhinal (Prh) and lateral entorhinal (LEnt) cortex, through multiple-site extra- and intracellular recording techniques and measurement of the extracellular K+ concentration. Application of 4-aminopyridine (50 µm) induced epileptiform discharges in all regions under study. Slow interictal-like burst discharges persisted in the Prh/LEnt/LA after disconnection of the Hip, seemed to originate in the Prh as shown from time delay analyses, and often preceded the onset of ictal-like activity. Disconnection of the amygdala resulted in de-synchronization of epileptiform discharges in the LA from those in the Prh/LEnt. Interictal-like activity was intracellularly reflected in LA projection neurons as ,-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A/B receptor-mediated synaptic responses, and depolarizing electrogenic events (spikelets) residing on the initial phase of the GABA response. Spikelets were considered antidromically conducted ectopic action potentials generated at axon terminals, as they were graded in amplitude, were not abolished through hyperpolarizing membrane responses (which effectively blocked evoked orthodromic action potentials), lacked a clear prepotential or synaptic potential, were not affected through blockers of gap junctions, and were blocked through remote application of tetrodotoxin at putative target areas of LA projection neurons. Remote application of a GABAB receptor antagonist facilitated spikelet generation. A transient elevation in the extracellular K+ level averaging 3 mm above baseline occurred in conjunction with interictal-like activity in all areas under study. We conclude that interictal-like discharges in the LA/LEnt/Prh spread in a predictable manner through the synaptic network with the Prh playing a leading role. The rise in extracellular K+ may provide a depolarizing mechanism for recruitment of interneurons and generation of ectopic action potentials at axon terminals of LA projection neurons. Antidromically conducted ectopic action potentials may provide a spreading mechanism of seizure activity mediated by diffuse axonal projections of LA neurons. [source] Glutamatergic input governs periodicity and synchronization of bursting activity in oxytocin neurons in hypothalamic organotypic culturesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2003Jean-Marc Israel Abstract During suckling, oxytocin (OT) neurons display a bursting electrical activity, consisting of a brief burst of action potentials which is synchronized throughout the OT neuron population and which periodically occurs just before each milk ejection in the lactating rat. To investigate the basis of such synchronization, we performed simultaneous intracellular recordings from pairs of OT neurons identified retrospectively by intracellular fluorescent labelling and immunocytochemistry in organotypic slice cultures derived from postnatal rat hypothalamus. A spontaneous bursting activity was recorded in 65% of OT neurons; the remaining showed only a slow, irregular activity. Application of OT triggered bursts in nonbursting neurons and accelerated bursting activity in spontaneously bursting cells. These cultures included rare vasopressinergic neurons showing no bursting activity and no reaction to OT. Bursts occurred simultaneously in all pairs of bursting OT neurons but, as in vivo, there were differences in burst onset, amplitude and duration. Coordination of firing was not due to electrotonic coupling because depolarizing one neuron in a pair had no effect on the membrane potential of its partner and halothane and proprionate did not desynchronize activity. On the other hand, bursting activity was superimposed on volleys of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) which occurred simultaneously in pairs of neurons. EPSPs, and consequently action potentials, were reversibly blocked by the non-NMDA glutamatergic receptor antagonist CNQX. Taken together, these data, obtained from organotypic cultures, strongly suggest that a local hypothalamic network governs synchronization of bursting firing in OT neurons through synchronous afferent volleys of EPSPs originating from intrahypothalamic glutamatergic inputs. [source] |