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Middle Segment (middle + segment)
Selected AbstractsPreferential regeneration of the NADPH: protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase oligomer complexes in pea epicotyls after bleachingPHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 1 2010Andrea Szenzenstein The regeneration and stability of the NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR, EC 1.3.1.33) enzyme complexes were studied in bleached epicotyls of 9-day-old dark-germinated pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Zsuzsi) seedlings. Middle segments were illuminated with 1300 µmol m,2 s,1photon flux density (PFD) white light and subsequently incubated in total darkness for 4,24 h at 24°C. Almost the full amount of protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) was degraded after 60 min illumination. The preferential regeneration of the 655 nm emitting Pchlide form was observed after 4 h dark incubation; the accumulation of the short-wavelength Pchlide form,dominating in epicotyls of dark-grown seedling,required 18,24 h dark. The Pchlide content of bleached samples was around 2.5% of that of the etiolated samples; after 4 h of dark incubation this value increased to 4,7%. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blot showed that the amount of the POR protein decreased to about 50% during bleaching; after 4 h regeneration it reached almost the same level as that of dark-grown samples. We concluded that much more POR protein compared with Pchlide pigment remained stable during bleaching and the non-destroyed POR units were able to form preferentially oligomers during the dark-regeneration which could collect de novo synthesized Pchlide into 655 nm emitting complexes. These data indicate the high stability of the POR protein in pea epicotyls and the importance of the molecular environment in stimulating the aggregation of POR units. [source] Correction for heart rate variability during 3D whole heart MR coronary angiographyJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 5 2008Stijntje D. Roes MD Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effect of a real-time adaptive trigger delay on image quality to correct for heart rate variability in 3D whole-heart coronary MR angiography (MRA). Materials and Methods Twelve healthy adults underwent 3D whole-heart coronary MRA with and without the use of an adaptive trigger delay. The moment of minimal coronary artery motion was visually determined on a high temporal resolution MRI. Throughout the scan performed without adaptive trigger delay, trigger delay was kept constant, whereas during the scan performed with adaptive trigger delay, trigger delay was continuously updated after each RR-interval using physiological modeling. Signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise, vessel length, vessel sharpness, and subjective image quality were compared in a blinded manner. Results Vessel sharpness improved significantly for the middle segment of the right coronary artery (RCA) with the use of the adaptive trigger delay (52.3 ± 7.1% versus 48.9 ± 7.9%, P = 0.026). Subjective image quality was significantly better in the middle segments of the RCA and left anterior descending artery (LAD) when the scan was performed with adaptive trigger delay compared to constant trigger delay. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the use of an adaptive trigger delay to correct for heart rate variability improves image quality mainly in the middle segments of the RCA and LAD. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;27:1046,1053. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Menopause Leading to Increased Vaginal Wall Thickness in Women with Genital Prolapse: Impact on Sexual ResponseTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 11 2009Lúcia Alves Da Silva Lara MD ABSTRACT Introduction., Hypoestrogenism causes structural changes in the vaginal wall that can lead to sexual dysfunction. A reduction in vaginal wall thickness has been reported to occur after menopause, although without precise morphometry. Aim., To measure vaginal wall thickness in women with genital prolapse in normal and hypoestrogenic conditions and to correlate sexual dysfunction with vaginal wall thickness and estradiol levels. Methods., Surgical vaginal specimens from 18 normoestrogenic and 13 postmenopausal women submitted to surgery for genital prolapse grades I and II were examined. Patients were evaluated for FSH, estradiol, prolactin, glycemia, and serum TSH levels. For histological analysis, samples were stained with Masson's trichrome and hematoxylin-eosin. Sexual function was assessed by the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS). Main Outcome Measures., GRISS questionnaire, histological analysis, morphometric methods, Masson's trichrome. Results., The vaginal wall was thicker in the postmenopausal than premenopausal group (2.72 ± 0.72 mm and 2.16 ± 0.43, P = 0.01, and 2.63 ± 0.71 mm and 2.07 ± 0.49 mm, P = 0.01, for the anterior and posterior walls, respectively). These thicknesses seem to be due to the muscular layer, which was also thicker in the postmenopausal group (1.54 ± 0.44 and 1.09 ± 0.3 mm, P = 0.02, and 1.45 ± 0.47 and 1.07 ± 0.44 mm, P = 0.03, for the anterior and posterior wall, respectively). The vaginal epithelium was thinner in the middle segment than in the proximal one in the posterior wall (0.17 ± 0.07 mm, 0.15 ± 0.05 mm, 0.24 ± 0.09 mm, P = 0.02). There was no correlation between coital pain, vaginal wall thickness, and estradiol levels in either group. Conclusion., The vaginal wall is thicker after menopause in women with genital prolapse. In this study, vaginal thickness and estrogen levels were not related to sexual dysfunction. da Silva Lara LA, Ribeiro-Silva A, Rosa-e-Silva JC, Chaud F, Silva-de-Sá MF, Meireles e Silva AR, and Rosa-e-Silva ACJS. Menopause leading to increased vaginal wall thickness in women with genital prolapse: impact on sexual response. J Sex Med 2009;6:3097,3110. [source] Control of non-adrenergic non-cholinergic reflex motor responses in circular muscle of guinea-pig small intestine by Met-enkephalinAUTONOMIC & AUTACOID PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Chr. Ivancheva Summary 1 A triple organ bath method allowing the synchronous recording of the motor activity of the circular muscle layer belonging to the oral and anal segments of guinea-pig small intestine adjacent to an electrically stimulated middle segment was developed to study the ascending and descending reflex motor responses. 2 Electrical field stimulation (0.8 ms, 40 V, 5 Hz, 10 s) applied to the middle part of the segments elicited tetrodotoxin (1 ,m)-sensitive ascending and descending contractile responses of the nonstimulated parts, oral and anal, respectively. The ascending contraction was more pronounced as compared with the descending contraction. 3 In the presence of phentolamine (5 ,m), propranolol (5 ,m) and atropine (3 ,m) a significant decrease in the amplitude of the ascending contraction was seen and a descending relaxation, instead of a contraction was observed. 4 Met-enkephalin applied at a single concentration (0.1 ,m) or cumulatively (0.001,1 ,m) inhibited both non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) descending relaxation and ascending contraction with similar efficacy but different potency, IC50 being 5.9 ± 0.3 and 39.0 ± 4 nm, respectively. Naloxone (0.5 ,m) prevented the effects of Met-enkephalin. 5 L-NNA (0.5 mm), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, increased the ascending contraction and strongly reduced but not abolished the descending relaxation. l -Arginine (0.5 mm) restored the motor responses to the initial level in l -NNA-pretreated preparations, d -Arginine (0.5 nm) had no effects. 6 Met-enkephalin (0.1 ,m) depressed the l -NNA-dependent increase of the ascending contraction and failed to change the l -NNA-resistant part of the descending relaxation. 7 Met-enkephalin did not alter spontaneous NANC mechanical activity. SNP (1 or 10 ,m), an exogenous donor of nitric oxide, caused a concentration-dependent relaxation. The effects of SNP persisted in Met-enkephalin (0.1 ,m)-pretreated preparations. 8 NANC reflex ascending contraction and descending relaxation were synchronously induced by a local nerve stimulation indicating a functional coactivation of NANC orally projected excitatory and anally directed inhibitory pathways. Acting prejunctionally, Met-enkephalin provided a negative controlling mechanism inhibiting both ascending and descending, mainly nitric oxide mediated, reflex responses. A higher sensitivity of the descending relaxation to Met-enkephalin was observed suggesting an essential role of opioid(s) in reducing the efficacy of descending motor activity. [source] Parameters of Coseismic Reverse- and Oblique-Slip Surface Ruptures of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, Eastern Tibetan PlateauACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 4 2009Xiwei XU Abstract: On May 12th, 2008, the Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake ruptured the Beichuan, Pengguan and Xiaoyudong faults simultaneously along the middle segment of the Longmenshan thrust belt at the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. Field investigations constrain the surface rupture pattern, length and offsets related to the Wenchuan earthquake. The Beichuan fault has a NE-trending right-lateral reverse rupture with a total length of 240 km. Reassessment yields a maximum vertical offset of 6.5 ± 0.5 m and a maximum right-lateral offset of 4.9 ± 0.5 m for its northern segment, which are the largest offsets found; the maximum vertical offset is 6.2 ± 0.5 m for its southern segment. The Pengguan fault has a NE-trending pure reverse rupture about 72 km long with a maximum vertical offset of about 3.5 m. The Xiaoyudong fault has a NW-striking left-lateral reverse rupture about 7 km long between the Beichuan and Pengguan faults, with a maximum vertical offset of 3.4 m and left-lateral offset of 3.5 m. This pattern of multiple co-seismic surface ruptures is among the most complicated of recent great earthquakes and presents a much larger danger than if they ruptured individually. The rupture length is the longest for reverse faulting events ever reported. [source] Guandishan Granitoids of the Paleoproterozoic Lüliang Metamorphic Complex in the Trans-North China Orogen: SHRIMP Zircon Ages, Petrogenesis and Tectonic ImplicationsACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 3 2009Shuwen LIU Abstract: The Paleoproterozoic Lüliang Metamorphic Complex (PLMC) is situated in the middle segment of the western margin of the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO), North China Craton (NCC). As the most important lithological assemblages in the southern part of the PLMC, Guandishan granitoids consist of early gneissic tonalities, granodiorites and gneissic monzogranites, and younger gneissic to massive monzogranites. Petrochemical features reveal that the early gneissic tonalities and granodiorites belong to the medium-K calc-alkaline series; the early gneissic monzogranites are transitional from high-K calc-alkaline to the shoshonite series; the younger gneissic to massive monzogranites belong to the high-k calc-alkaline series, and all rocks are characterized by right-declined REE patterns and negative Nb, Ta, Sr, P, and Ti anomalies in the primitive mantle normalized spidergrams. SHRIMP zircon U,Pb isotopic dating reveals that the early gneissic tonalities and granodiorites formed at ,2.17 Ga, the early gneissic monzogranites at ,2.06 Ga, and the younger gneissic to massive monzogranites at ,1.84 Ga. Sm,Nd isotopic data show that the early gneissic tonalities and granodiorites have ,Nd(t) values of +0.48 to ,3.19 with Nd-depleted mantle model ages (TDM) of 2.76,2.47 Ga, and early gneissic monzogranites have ,Nd(t) values of ,0.53 to ,2.51 with TDM of 2.61,2.43 Ga, and the younger gneissic monzogranites have ,Nd(t) values of ,6.41 to ,2.78 with a TDM of 2.69,2.52 Ga. These geochemical and isotopic data indicate that the early gneissic tonalities, granodiorites, and monzogranites were derived from the partial melting of metamorphosed basaltic and pelitic rocks, respectively, in a continental arc setting. The younger gneissic to massive monzogranites were derived by partial melting of metamorphosed greywackes within the continental crust. Combined with previously regional data, we suggest that the Paleoproterozoic granitoid magmatism in the Guandishan granitoids of the PLMC may provide the best geological signature for the complete spectrum of Paleoproterozoic geodynamic processes in the Trans-North China Orogen from oceanic subduction, through collisional orogenesis, to post-orogenic extension and uplift. [source] Permian High Ba-Sr Granitoids: Geochemistry, Age and Tectonic Implications of Erlangshan Pluton, Urad Zhongqi, Inner MongoliaACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 3 2009Hongling LUO Abstract: Erlangshan Pluton from Urad Zhongqi, central Inner Mongolia, is located in the middle segment of the northern margin of the North China Plate. The rocks consist mainly of diorites with gneissic structure. Petrochemical characteristics reveal that the diorites belong to metaluminous, high-potassium calc-alkaline series, with chemical signatures of I-type granites. They are characterized by low SiO2 contents (56.63%,58.53%) and A/CNK (0.90,0.96), high Al2O3 contents (17.30%,17.96%) and Na2O/K2O ratios (1.20,1.70), enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g., Ba=556,915 ppm, Sr=463,595 ppm), and relative depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti) in primitive mantle-normalized spidergram, and right-declined rare earth element patterns with slightly negative Eu anomalies (,Eu=0.72,0.90). They have Sr/Y ratios (20,25) evidently less than Kebu Pluton (49,75) to its east. Sensitive high resolution ion micro-probe U-Pb zircon dating of the diorites has yielded an intrusive age of 270±8 Ma. This leads us to conclude that Erlangshan diorites were formed by mixing between the middle or lower crustal-derived magma and minor mantle-derived mafic magma, followed by fractional crystallization, which was trigged by crustal extension and fault activity in post-collisional setting. [source] Geochemistry, Nd Isotopic Characteristics of Metamorphic Complexes in Northern Hebei: Implications for Crustal AccretionACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 6 2006LIU Shuwen Abstract: The middle segment of the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC) consists mainly of metamorphosed Archean Dantazi Complex, Paleoproterozoic Hongqiyingzi Complex and unmetamorphosed gabbro-anorthosite-meta-alkaline granite, as well as metamorphosed Late Paleozoic mafic to granitoid rocks in the Damiao-Changshaoying area. The ,2.49 Ga Dantazi Complex comprises dioritic-trondhjemitic-granodoritic-monzogranitic gneisses metamorphosed in amphibolite to granulite facies. Petrochemical characteristics reveal that most of the rocks belong to a medium- to high-potassium calc-alkaline series, and display Mg#less than 40, right-declined REE patterns with no to obviously positive Eu anomalies, evidently negative Th, Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies in primitive mantle-normalized spider diagrams, ,Nd(t)=+0.65 to ,0.03, and depleted mantle model ages TDM=2.78-2.71 Ga. Study in petrogenesis indicates that the rocks were formed from magmatic mixing between mafic magma from the depleted mantle and granitoid magma from partial melting of recycled crustal mafic rocks in a continental margin setting. The 2.44-2.41 Ga Hongqiyingzi Complex is dominated by metamorphic mafic-granodioritic-monzogranitic gneisses, displaying similar petrochemical features to the Dantazi Complex, namely medium to high potassium calc-alkaline series, and the mafic rocks show evident change in LILEs, negative Th, Nb, Ta, Zr anomalies and positive P anomalies. And the other granitiod samples also exhibit negative Th, Nb, Ta, P and Ti anomalies. All rocks in the Hongqiyingzi Complex show right-declined REE patterns without Eu anomaly. The metamorphic mafic rocks with ,Nd(t)= ,1.64 may not be an identical magmatic evolution series with granitoids that have ,Nd(t) values of +3.19 to +1.94 and TDM ages of 2.55-2.52 Ga. These granitic rocks originated from hybrid between mafic magma from the depleted mantle and magma from partial melting of juvenile crustal mafic rocks in an island arc setting. All the ,311 Ma Late Paleozoic metamorphic mafic rocks and related granitic rocks show a medium-potassium calc-alkaline magmatic evolution series, characterized by high Mg#, obviously negative Th, Nb, Ta anomalies and positive Sr anomalies, from no to strongly negative Ti anomalies and flat REE patterns with ,Nd(t)= +8.42, implying that the mafic magma was derived from the depleted mantle. However the other granitic rocks are characterized by right-declined REE patterns with no to evidently positive Eu anomalies, significantly low ,Nd(t)= ,13.37 to ,14.04, and TDM=1.97-1.96 Ga, revealing that the granitoid magma was derived from hybrid between mafic magma that came from ,311 Ma depleted mantle and granitoid magma from Archean to Early Paleoproterozoic ancient crustal recycling. The geochemistry and Nd isotopic characteristics as well as the above geological and geochronological results indicate that the middle segment of the northern margin of the NCC mainly experienced four crustal growth episodes from Archean to Late Paleozoic, which were dominated by three continental marginal arc accretions (,2.49, ,2.44 and 311 Ma), except the 1.76-1.68 Ga episode related to post-collisional extension, revealing that the crustal accretion of this segment was chiefly generated from arc accretion and amalgamation to the NCC continental block. [source] Correction for heart rate variability during 3D whole heart MR coronary angiographyJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 5 2008Stijntje D. Roes MD Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effect of a real-time adaptive trigger delay on image quality to correct for heart rate variability in 3D whole-heart coronary MR angiography (MRA). Materials and Methods Twelve healthy adults underwent 3D whole-heart coronary MRA with and without the use of an adaptive trigger delay. The moment of minimal coronary artery motion was visually determined on a high temporal resolution MRI. Throughout the scan performed without adaptive trigger delay, trigger delay was kept constant, whereas during the scan performed with adaptive trigger delay, trigger delay was continuously updated after each RR-interval using physiological modeling. Signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise, vessel length, vessel sharpness, and subjective image quality were compared in a blinded manner. Results Vessel sharpness improved significantly for the middle segment of the right coronary artery (RCA) with the use of the adaptive trigger delay (52.3 ± 7.1% versus 48.9 ± 7.9%, P = 0.026). Subjective image quality was significantly better in the middle segments of the RCA and left anterior descending artery (LAD) when the scan was performed with adaptive trigger delay compared to constant trigger delay. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the use of an adaptive trigger delay to correct for heart rate variability improves image quality mainly in the middle segments of the RCA and LAD. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;27:1046,1053. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||