High Local Concentration (high + local_concentration)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Extracellular matrix molecules and synaptic plasticity: immunomapping of intracellular and secreted Reelin in the adult rat brain

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 2 2006
Tania Ramos-Moreno
Abstract Reelin, a large extracellular matrix glycoprotein, is secreted by several neuron populations in the developing and adult rodent brain. Secreted Reelin triggers a complex signaling pathway by binding lipoprotein and integrin membrane receptors in target cells. Reelin signaling regulates migration and dendritic growth in developing neurons, while it can modulate synaptic plasticity in adult neurons. To identify which adult neural circuits can be modulated by Reelin-mediated signaling, we systematically mapped the distribution of Reelin in adult rat brain using sensitive immunolabeling techniques. Results show that the distribution of intracellular and secreted Reelin is both very widespread and specific. Some interneuron and projection neuron populations in the cerebral cortex contain Reelin. Numerous striatal neurons are weakly immunoreactive for Reelin and these cells are preferentially located in striosomes. Some thalamic nuclei contain Reelin-immunoreactive cells. Double-immunolabeling for GABA and Reelin reveals that the Reelin-immunoreactive cells in the visual thalamus are the intrinsic thalamic interneurons. High local concentrations of extracellular Reelin selectively outline several dendrite spine-rich neuropils. Together with previous mRNA data, our observations suggest abundant axoplasmic transport and secretion in pathways such as the retino-collicular tract, the entorhino-hippocampal (,perforant') path, the lateral olfactory tract or the parallel fiber system of the cerebellum. A preferential secretion of Reelin in these neuropils is consistent with reports of rapid, activity-induced structural changes in adult brain circuits. [source]


Cefazolin embedded biodegradable polypeptide nanofilms promising for infection prevention: A preliminary study on cell responses

JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 8 2010
Hongshuai Li
Abstract Implant-associated infection is a serious complication in orthopedic surgery, and endowing implant surfaces with antibacterial properties could be one of the most promising approaches for preventing such infection. In this study, we developed cefazolin loaded biodegradable polypeptide multilayer nanofilms on orthopedic implants. We found that the amount of cefazolin released could be tuned. A high local concentration of cefazolin was achieved within the first a few hours and therefore may inhibit bacterial colonization in the critical postimplantation period. The developed cefazolin loaded nanofilms showed their in vitro efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus; the more antibiotics loaded, the longer the nanocoated implant had antibacterial properties. More interestingly, antibiotic-loaded polypeptide multilayer nanofilms also improved osteoblast bioactivity including cell viability and proliferation. These findings suggested that biodegradable polypeptide multilayer nanofilms as antibiotic carriers at the implant/tissue interface are compatible with human cells such as osteoblasts and bactericidal to bacteria such as S. aureus. These characteristics could be promising for preventing implant-associated infection and potentially improving bone healing. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:992,999, 2010 [source]


Gauged harmonic maps, Born-Infeld electromagnetism, and magnetic vortices

COMMUNICATIONS ON PURE & APPLIED MATHEMATICS, Issue 11 2003
Fanghua Lin
We study maps from a 2-surface into the standard 2-sphere coupled with Born-Infeld geometric electromagnetism through an Abelian gauge field. Such a formalism extends the classical harmonic map model, known as the ,-model, governing the spin vector orientation in a ferromagnet allows us to obtain the coexistence of vortices and antivortices characterized by opposite, self-excited, magnetic flux lines. We show that the Born-Infeld free parameter may be used to achieve arbitrarily high local concentration of magnetic flux lines that the total minimum energy is an additive function of these quantized flux lines realized as the numbers of vortices antivortices. In the case where the underlying surface, or the domain, is compact, we obtain a necessary sufficient condition for the existence of a unique solution representing a prescribed distribution of vortices antivortices. In the case where the domain is the full plane, we prove the existence of a unique solution representing an arbitrary distribution of vortices and antivortices. Furthermore, we also consider the Einstein gravitation induced by these vortices, known as cosmic strings, establish the existence of a solution representing a prescribed distribution of cosmic strings cosmic antistrings under a necessary sufficient condition that makes the underlying surface a complete surface with respect to the induced gravitational metric. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Toxicity testing of the VEGF inhibitors bevacizumab, ranibizumab and pegaptanib in rats both with and without prior retinal ganglion cell damage

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 5 2010
Sebastian Thaler
Abstract. Purpose:, To evaluate the effects of intravitreally introduced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors in rat eyes with healthy retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and into others with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced RGC damage. Methods:, Bevacizumab, ranibizumab and pegaptanib were intravitreally injected each at two different concentrations. Respective vehicles of the three substances served as controls. In a different group, additionally a rat anti-VEGF antibody was injected after NMDA treatment. Retrogradely labelled RGC were counted on retinal wholemounts 1 week or 2 months after intravitreal introduction of the VEGF inhibitors. Electron microscopy (EM) was performed on normal rat eyes 2 months after introduction of the VEGF inhibitors. Results:, RGC counts in healthy rat eyes were essentially unchanged from those of the control animals after the administration of both low and high concentrations of bevacizumab, ranibizumab or pegaptanib. Compared to the other two substances, however, high doses of pegaptanib and its respective vehicle significantly decreased RGC after 1 week and led to a marked increase of mitochondrial swelling in EM. In eyes with NMDA-induced RGC damage, no changes of RGC numbers were detected after rat anti-VEGF antibody or bevacizumab, ranibizumab and pegaptanib at both tested concentrations. Conclusions:, Even at higher doses, bevacizumab and ranibizumab showed no toxic effects on RGC in vivo in either untreated rats or in the NMDA-induced RGC damage model. Also a rat anti-VEGF antibody showed no adverse effects after NMDA. Anti-VEGF therapy therefore appears safe even for eyes with additional excitotoxic RGC damage. Potential harm from the pegaptanib carrier solution at very high local concentrations cannot be excluded. [source]