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Human Organs (human + organ)
Selected AbstractsFirst identification of an ancient Egyptian mummified human placentaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2005A.-M. Mekota Abstract In the course of excavations at Thebes-West, Upper Egypt, a human organ was recovered from the poorly preserved torso of a female mummy, which was archaeologically dated to the New Kingdom. In the field, the organ was tentatively identified as a liver, but without much certainty. After rehydration and fixation, histological observations led to a rejection of this diagnosis and resulted in the hypothesis that this organ could be a placenta. Comparative histology, performed on an experimentally mummified modern human placenta, revealed a close similarity of microstructural features, which strongly supports the diagnosis of the organ as a placenta. In this paper, we can therefore present the first report of an ancient Egyptian mummified human placenta and provide new insight into Egyptian funeral practices in general, and the fate of the excavated female in particular. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and its application in Alzheimer's diseaseCONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE, Issue 1 2007Pravat K. Mandal Abstract Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a noninvasive tool to measure the chemical composition of tissues (in vivo) and characterize functional metabolic processes in different parts of the human organs. It provides vital biological information at the molecular level. Combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an integrated MRI/MRS examination provides anatomical structure, pathological function, and biochemical information about a living system. MRS provides a link between the biochemical alterations and the pathophysiology of disease. This article provides a comprehensive description of the MRS technique and its application in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. This review is a primer for students and researchers seeking a firm theoretical understanding of MRS physics as well as its application in clinical AD research. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 30A: 40,64, 2007. [source] The rhizosphere as a reservoir for opportunistic human pathogenic bacteriaENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 11 2005Gabriele Berg Summary During the last years, the number of human infections caused by opportunistic pathogens has increased dramatically. One natural reservoir of opportunistic pathogens is the rhizosphere, the zone around roots that is influenced by the plant. Due to a high content of nutrients, this habitat is a ,microbial hot-spot', where bacterial abundances including those with strong antagonistic traits are enhanced. Various bacterial genera, including Burkholderia, Enterobacter, Herbaspirillum, Ochrobactrum, Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Staphylococcus and Stenotrophomonas, contain root-associated strains that can encounter bivalent interactions with both plant and human hosts. Mechanisms responsible for colonization of the rhizosphere and antagonistic activity against plant pathogens are similar to those responsible for colonization of human organs and tissues, and pathogenicity. Multiple resistances against antibiotics are not only found with clinical strains but also with strains isolated from the rhizosphere. High competition, the occurrence of diverse antibiotics in the rhizosphere, and enhanced horizontal gene transfer rates in this microenvironment appear to contribute to the high levels of natural resistances. While opportunistic bacteria from the rhizosphere have some properties in common, each of these emerging pathogens has its own features, which are discussed in detail for Burkholderia, Ochrobactrum and Stenotrophomonas. [source] Immunohistochemical assessment of parafibromin in mouse and human tissuesJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 6 2006Andrea Porzionato Abstract Parafibromin is a protein encoded by the HRPT2 oncosuppressor gene, whose mutation causes the hyperparathyroidism,jaw tumour syndrome, characterized by the occurrence of parathyroid adenoma or carcinoma, fibro-osseous jaw tumours, and renal neoplastic and non-neoplastic abnormalities. Non-morphological techniques, such as Northern and Western blotting and reverse transcriptase-PCR, indicate that parafibromin is ubiquitously expressed, but extensive immunohistochemical studies have not been performed. To increase our knowledge of the distribution and patterns of expression of parafibromin, we examined its expression and location in many different mouse and human organs by immunohistochemistry. There were no substantial differences in parafibromin expression between mouse and human. We found widespread expression of parafibromin, except in connective tissue, smooth muscle, endothelium and some other types of epithelia (colonic, urinary, tubaric, uterine, thyroid). Heterogeneity of positivity intensity and subcellular location (nuclear, nucleocytoplasmic, cytoplasmic) was found between tissues and cell types, suggesting differential functional involvement of parafibromin. Moreover, higher parafibromin expression was found in cell types, such as hepatocytes, cells of the base of gastric glands, renal cortex tubules and the pars intermedia of the hypophysis, which are characterized by different proliferative capacity, thus indicating that the cellular function of parafibromin may not be reduced only to its anti-proliferative effect. [source] 4-Hydroxynonenal: A membrane lipid oxidation product of medicinal interestMEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS, Issue 4 2008G. Poli Abstract A comprehensive focus on 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) as candidate molecule in a variety of pathophysiological conditions occurring in humans is here provided. Despite an active, now well characterized, metabolism in most cells and tissues, HNE can be easily detected and quantified by means of several methods, although with different sensitivity. Measurements of HNE and/or stable metabolites in biological fluids are already applied as lipid peroxidation/oxidative stress markers in a huge number of human disease processes, often sustained by inflammatory reactions. A primary involvement of this aldehydic product of membrane lipid oxidation in inflammation-related events, as well as in regulation of cell proliferation and growth, in necrotic or apoptotic cell death, appears supported by its marked ability to modulate several major pathways of cell signaling and, consequently, gene expression. The actual knowledge of HNE reactivity, metabolism, signaling and modulatory effect in the various human organs should provide a solid background to the investigation of the aldehyde's contribution to the pathogenesis of human major chronic diseases and would likely promote advanced and oriented applications not only in diagnosis and prevention but also in molecular treatment of human diseases. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 28, No. 4, 569,631, 2008 [source] The ethics of reusing archived tissue for researchNEUROPATHOLOGY & APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2000R. Ashcroft Pathologists have been establishing archives of human organs and tissue for research use for many years now. Controversy has arisen recently over these collections, particularly with regard to the right of patients or relatives to consent to removal and retention of tissue, genetic research using stored tissue samples, and commercial exploitation of tissue collections and genetic material. This paper discusses the ethics of reusing existing archives of tissue. New archives are established under much more stringent conditions than in the past. What rules should apply to existing archives? Guidelines to regulate such use are useful, but face serious difficulties in balancing the variety of public and private interests relating to tissue banking. Consent cannot be obtained retrospectively, but public trust can be established by open acknowledgement of the evolution of ethical standards and strict adherence to current best practice. Guidelines and standards vary from country to country, but ethical principles should not. The implications of this view for pathologists worldwide are discussed. [source] HUPO Brain Proteome Project: Summary of the pilot phase and introduction of a comprehensive data reprocessing strategyPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 18 2006Michael Hamacher Dr. Abstract The Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) initiated several projects focusing on the proteome analysis of distinct human organs. The Brain Proteome Project (BPP) is the initiative dedicated to the brain, its development and correlated diseases. Two pilot studies have been performed aiming at the comparison of techniques, laboratories and approaches. With the help of the results gained, objective data submission, storage and reprocessing workflow have been established. The biological relevance of the data will be drawn from the inter-laboratory comparisons as well as from the re-calculation of all data sets submitted by the different groups. In the following, results of the single groups as well as the centralised reprocessing effort will be summarised and compared, showing the added value of this concerted work. [source] Public-Value Failure: When Efficient Markets May Not DoPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 2 2002Barry Bozeman The familiar market-failure model remains quite useful for issues of price efficiency and traditional utilitarianism, but it has many shortcomings as a standard for public-value aspects of public policy and management. In a public-value-failure model, I present criteria for diagnosing values problems that are not easily addressed by market-failure models. Public-value failure occurs when: (1) mechanisms for values articulation and aggregation have broken down; (2) "imperfect monopolies" occur; (3) benefit hoarding occurs; (4) there is a scarcity of providers of public value; (5) a short time horizon threatens public value; (6) a focus on substitutability of assets threatens conservation of public resources; and (7) market transactions threaten fundamental human subsistence. After providing examples for diagnosis of public-values failure, including an extended example concerning the market for human organs, I introduce a "public-failure grid" to facilitate values choices in policy and public management. [source] Peroxisomal branched chain fatty acid ,-oxidation pathway is upregulated in prostate cancerTHE PROSTATE, Issue 4 2005Shan Zha Abstract Overexpression of ,-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR), an enzyme involved in branched chain fatty acid ,-oxidation, in prostate cancer has been reported. Here, we report that an enzyme downstream from AMACR in the peroxisomal branched chain fatty acid ,-oxidation pathway,D -bifunctional protein (DBP),is also upregulated in prostate cancer at both mRNA and protein levels, accompanied by increased enzymatic activity. Furthermore, our data suggest that pristanoyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX3), which is expressed at extremely low level in other human organs studied including the liver, might contribute significantly to peroxisomal branched chain fatty acid ,-oxidation in human prostate tissue and some prostate cancer cell lines. In contrast to these results for peroxisomal enzymes, no significant expression changes of mitochondrial fatty acid ,-oxidation enzymes were observed in prostate cancer tissues through comprehensive quantitative RT-PCR screening. These data for the first time provide evidence for the selective over-activation of peroxisomal branched chain fatty acid ,-oxidation in prostate cancer, emphasizing a new metabolic change during prostate oncogenesis. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Interstitial cells in the human prostate: A new therapeutic target?THE PROSTATE, Issue 4 2003Frank Van der Aa Abstract BACKGROUND Interstitial cells have been described in different human organs, including gut and bladder. In the gut they function as pacemaker cells, generating slow wave potentials. Absence or defects in these cells result in motility disorders. In the bladder these cells express the vanilloid receptor and may contribute to the working mechanism of vanilloid therapy. Recently, slow wave potentials and interstitial cells were described in the guinea-pig prostate. In this study we describe the presence of interstitial cells in the human prostate gland. METHODS We performed immunohistochemical staining for c-kit, vanilloid receptor (VR1), cannabinoid receptor (CB1) connexin43, and neurofilament on fresh frozen tissue from 14 prostatectomy specimens. RESULTS A large number of cells with a stellate aspect were noticed under the basal layer of the prostatic duct system and in between the smooth muscle cells. They were immunoreactive for c-kit, VR1, and connexin43 but not to CB1 or neurofilament. CONCLUSIONS There is evidence for interstitial cells in the human prostate. Taken together their topography and immunohistochemical characterization, the discovery of slow wave potentials in guinea pig prostate and the knowledge of interstitial cells in other organs, interstitial cells are likely to be involved in normal prostate physiology. Prostate 56: 250,255, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Comparison of PERV genomic locations between Asian and European pigsANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 1 2010W. Y. Jung Summary Xenotransplantation from pigs provides a possible solution to the shortage of human organs for allotransplantation. Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) are a possible obstacle to using porcine organs in addition to the immunological barriers. Three main types of PERVs (A, B and C) have been previously investigated in diverse pig breeds. To examine the copy numbers of PERVs and their genomic locations in the Korean native pig genome, we screened a BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome) library with PERV-specific protease primers for initial recognition of PERV-positive clones and three sets of envelope-specific primers for the identification of PERV types. A total of 45 PERV-positive clones, nine PERV-A and 36 PERV-B, have been identified from the library screening and the BAC contigs were constructed using the primers designed from BAC end sequences (BESs). These primers were also used for SCH (Somatic Cell Hybrid) and RH (Radiation Hybrid) mapping of the PERV-positive clones. The results indicate that 45 PERV-positive BAC clones belong to nine contigs and a singleton. SCH and IMpRH (INRA-Minnesota Porcine Radiation Hybrid) mapping results indicated that there are at least eight separate PERV genomic locations, consisting of three PERV-A and five PERV-B. One contig could not be mapped, and two contigs are closely located on SSC7. Southern blotting indicates there may be up to 15 additional sites. Further investigation of these clones will contribute to a general strategy to generate PERV-free lines of pigs suitable for xenotransplantation. [source] Activity of NADPH-Cytochrome P-450 Reductase of the Human Heart, Liver and Lungs in the Presence of (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate, Quercetin and Resveratrol: An in vitro StudyBASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Jaroslaw Dudka The enzyme is also involved in the toxicity of some clinically important antitumour drugs (doxorubicin) and pesticides (paraquat). P-450 reductase activates them to their more toxic metabolites via one electron reduction which triggers free radical cascade. In some cases however, such transformation is essential to produce therapeutic effect in anticancer drugs. The main purpose of the paper was to evaluate the effect of three natural compounds found in human diet: (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), quercetin and resveratrol on P-450 reductase activity. The activity of the enzyme was determined spectrophotometrically by measurement of the rate of cytochrome c reduction at 550 nm, in vitro, using human heart, liver and lung microsomes. It was found that quercetin increased the P-450 reductase activity in human organs at all tested doses. The activity of microcosms in all organs was enhanced according to the concentrations of quercetin, which increased the activity in the order lung>heart>liver. Addition of EGCG to the reaction mixture enhanced the P-450 reductase activity in the following order: liver>heart>lung. However, no significant effect of resveratrol on P-450 reductase activity was observed. It seems that the presence of quercetin and EGCG in the diet may increase P-450 reductase activity during doxorubicin therapy with subsequent increased risk of toxicity. A beneficial effect may be obtained in anticancer therapy with bioreductive agents like tirapazamine. [source] Characterization and expression analysis of the hair keratin associated protein KAP26.1BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2008M.A. Rogers Summary Background, Human hair follicle keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) comprise a large multigene family of proteins thought to be responsible for the bundling of keratin intermediate filaments. Recently, four new KAP family members KAP24.1, KAP25.1, KAP26.1 and KAP27.1 were identified from the genome, but the expression of only one, KAP24.1, was investigated and shown in hair follicles. Objectives, In the current study, the expression of the remaining members of the family were analysed. Methods, Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis of samples from numerous human organs was used. Results, Only KAP26.1 showed expression, which was limited to the hair follicle. By in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry using a specific antiserum, KAP26.1 was localized to the differentiated portion of the hair cuticle. Conclusions, As well as KAP24.1 in hair follicles, expression of KAP26.1 was shown and is found in the differentiated part of the hair cuticle. [source] Le don d'organes au Canada: I'urgence d'agirCANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 2 2007René Dussault Sommaire: Le taux de dons d'organes au Canada est l'un des plus faibles parmi tous les pays industrialisés. En 2004, il était de 13 donneurs par million alors qu'on peut espérer, en prenant les mesures appropriées, atteindre dans l'avenir près de 30 donneurs par million. Dans un contexte où la rareté des donneurs potentiels, c'est-à-dire des personnes en état de décès neurologique, est la cause principale d'insuffisance d'organes, il est essentiel que des mesures soient prises pour réduire le plus possible la perte de ces donneurs. Trois raisons expliquent cette perte: les donneurs éventuels ne sont pas bien identifiés, leur famille n'a pas été approchée ou bien elle a refusé le don. Bien que cause importante de la perte de donneurs, le refus des familles n'explique cette situation qu'en partie. Elle découle tout autant d'un manque de formation des professionnels de la santé et de coordination des activités reliées au don et à la transplantation des organes qui présentent un caractère fortement multidisciplinaire et ont un impact important sur la disponibilité des lits de soins intensifs et des salles d'opération. Pourtant, au Canada comme dans tout autre pays, le meilleur moyen de lutter contre le commerce d'organes est d'organiser un système efficace permettant d'augmenter le taux de donneurs effectifs pour répondre à la demande. Nous devons donc porter nos efforts sur l'organisation plus efficace du système de don et de transplantation des organes et travailler sans relâche à réduire la perte de donneurs potentiels, en agissant de manière concertée sur chacune de ses causes. L'adoption du principe du consentement présumé, qui implique de renverser la présomption de droit civil selon laquelle une personne doit donner un consentement éclairé au don de ses organes, ne peut servir de substitut à ce travail d'organisation et de coordination et doit être vue comme un dernier recours. Abstract: The organ donor rate in Canada is one of the lowest among industrialized countries. In 2004, there were thirteen donors per million population; however, if the appropriate measures are taken, this rate may one day reach close to thirty donors per million. In a context where the scarcity of potential donors - persons in a state of neurological death - is without a doubt the major reason for organ shortage, it is essential that measures be taken to minimize the loss of such donors. The three main causes for the loss of donors are the failure to identify potential donors, the failure to approach the family, or the family's refusal to consent to organ donation. Although it is a major reason for the loss of donors, refusal by families to consent to organ donation represents only a small part of the overall picture. Other equally significant factors are the lack of training for health professionals and the lack of coordination with respect to organ donation and organ transplant activities, both of which are highly multidisciplinary in nature and have a considerable impact on the availability of icu beds and operating rooms. In Canada, however, as in any other country, the best way to fight against the trade in human organs is to organize an efficient system to increase the actual donor rate to meet the demand. Therefore, our efforts must focus first and foremost on improving the organization of the organ donation and organ transplant system. We must also work tirelessly to reduce the loss of potential donors through concerted action on each of these issues. Adopting the principle of presumed consent, which implies the overturning of the presumption of civil rights according to which an individual must give his or her informed consent to donate his or her organs, cannot be a substitute for implementing an organized and coordinated system and must be viewed as a last resort under the circumstances. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||