The unfolded protein response is required to maintain the integrity of the endoplasmic reticulum, prevent oxidative stress and preserve differentiation in ß-cells.

Diabetes is an epidemic of worldwide proportions caused by ß-cell failure. Nutrient fluctuations and insulin resistance drive ß-cells to synthesize insulin beyond their capacity for protein folding and secretion and thereby activate the unfolded protein response (UPR), an adaptive signalling pathway to promote cell survival upon accumulation of unfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) signals one component of the UPR through phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 on the α-subunit (eIF2α) to attenuate protein synthesis, thereby reducing the biosynthetic burden. ß-Cells uniquely require PERK-mediated phosphorylation of eIF2α to preserve cell function. Unabated protein synthesis in ß-cells is sufficient to initiate a cascade of events, including oxidative stress, that are characteristic of ß-cell failure observed in type 2 diabetes. In contrast to acute adaptive UPR activation, chronic activation increases expression of the proapoptotic transcription factor CAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP). Chop deletion in insulin-resistant mice profoundly increases ß-cell mass and prevents ß-cell failure to forestall the progression of diabetes. The findings suggest an unprecedented link by which protein synthesis and/or misfolding in the ER causes oxidative stress and should encourage the development of novel strategies to treat diabetes.

A long-term validation of the modernised DC-ARC-OES solid-sample method.

The validation procedure based on ISO 17025 standard has been used to study and illustrate both the longterm stability of the calibration process of the DC-ARC solid sample spectrometric method and the main validation criteria of the method. In the calculation of the validation characteristics depending on the linearity(calibration), also the fulfilment of predetermining criteria such as normality and homoscedasticity was checked. In order to decide whether there are any trends in the time-variation of the analytical signal or not, also the Neumann test of trend was applied and evaluated. Finally, a comparison with similar validation data of the ETV-ICP-OES method was carried out.

Differentiation of lactate-fermenting, gas-producing Clostridium spp. isolated from milk.

Endospores of Clostridium spp. capable of producing gas in a lactate-containing medium were enumerated from 14 pasteurized milk samples from Wisconsin cheese plants. Concentrations of endospores of lactate-fermenting, gas-producing Clostridium spp. were between 5.0 x 10(-2) and 1.7 x 10(0) MPN ml(-1). Concentrations of presumptive C. tyrobutyricum endospores (defined by subterminal endospore position and lactate dehydrogenase activity) were lower, not exceeding 2.0 x 10(-2) MPN ml(-1). Based on subterminal endospore position, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and a carbohydrate fermentation profile identical to C. tyrobutyricum strain ATCC 25755, five isolates (Ct) were initially characterized as C. tyrobutyricum, a known cause of late-blowing in high-pH cheeses. Twenty-eight other isolates (Cx) produced gas from lactate, but differed from ATCC 25755 in either endospore position, lactate dehydrogenase activity or carbohydrate fermentation profile. When inoculated at high concentrations in Gouda cheese, strain ATCC 25755, two Ct isolates and 18 Cx isolates tested produced gas during ripening. Among the five Ct isolates obtained and two reference strains confirmed as C. tyrobutyricum, there were four qualitatively different volatile organic acid byproduct profiles. Each of the two confirmed C. tyrobutyricum reference strains and five Ct isolates had distinct quantitative cell membrane fatty acid (CMFA) profiles. The Cx isolates represented 14 different volatile organic acid byproduct profiles and each isolate had a unique CMFA profile. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of DNA from the two confirmed reference C. tyrobutyricum strains, four Ct and three Cx isolates, showed a low degree of relatedness. The results of this study suggest that a heterogeneous group of lactate-fermenting, gas-producing Clostridium spp. may be found in milk. Gas chromatographic analysis of volatile organic acid byproducts or CMFA, and PFGE of DNA are highly discriminating methods for differentiating Clostridium spp. that may cause late blowing in high-pH cheeses.

Direct Spectrochemical Analysis of Solids: A Method for Characterization of Sediments

Techniques for the direct analysis of powdered samples provide an advantageous alternative to methods using wet digestion in sample preparation. The direct spectrochemical methods based on electrothermal vaporization (ETV-ICP-OES, solid-ETV-AAS, etc.) show a great similarity to the classical method of dc arc excitation, used in spectrography. Owing to this, the classical dc arc spectrographical method was used in parallel with ETV methods in the direct solid sampling analysis of river and basin sediments. The calibration procedure is the major difficulty of all techniques applied to direct solid sample analysis because of a lack of suitable reference materials. Consequently, it was necessary to verify the application of model calibration samples, preferentially using the simple dc arc OES system and both spectrographic and spectrometric evaluation. The performance parameters of the methods mentioned are compared with those published for the ETV-ICP-OES and SS-ETV-AAS methods.

Comparison of various calibration techniques for the direct spectroscopical analysis of SiC powders.

Techniques for the direct analysis of powdered advanced ceramics provide an advantageous alternative to methods using wet digestion in sample preparation. The direct spectrochemical methods based on electrothermal vaporization (ETV-ICP-OES, solid-ETV-AAS, etc.) show a great similarity to the classical method of d. c. arc excitation. The calibration procedure is the major difficulty of all techniques applied for direct solid sample analysis, as there is a lack of suitable reference materials of ceramics. Consequently, it was necessary to verify various possibilities of preparation and application of model calibration samples. The results of such a calibration are compared with those using within-laboratory standards.

The effects of ethanol on embryonic actin: a possible role in teratogenesis.

When the neural crest is cultured in the long or short term presence of ethanol, monoclonal anti-actin reveals the development of a disorganized actin cytoskeleton. In the long term, many cells fail to differentiate morphologically, whereas in the short term already differentiated cells rapidly alter their shape and their cell-to-cell contacts.

Effects of ethanol on the cytoskeleton of migrating and differentiating neural crest cells: possible role in teratogenesis.

Neural crest mesenchyme participates in the formation of craniofacial structures that are malformed in the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). We studied the effects of continuous ethanol treatment (0.05%, 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%) on developing neural crest cells in vitro. These cells migrate, but many fail to develop their usual arborized dendrites. Exposure of well differentiated dendritically arborized cells to ethanol only on day 6 for 2 hr and 20 min results in rapid cell retraction and alteration in cell-to-cell contacts. Longer treatment causes loss of substratum adhesion. Monoclonal antibodies against tubulin and actin reveal that these ethanol-induced morphological changes are related to disruption of microtubules and microfilaments. Thus ethanol may exert at least part of its teratogenic effect by interferring with the structure and function of the cytoskeleton.