Identification of genes differentially expressed in T cells following stimulation with the chemokines CXCL12 and CXCL10.

BACKGROUND: Chemokines are involved in many biological activities ranging from leukocyte differentiation to neuronal morphogenesis. Despite numerous reports describing chemokine function, little is known about the molecular changes induced by cytokines. METHODS: We have isolated and identified by differential display analysis 182 differentially expressed cDNAs from CXCR3-transfected Jurkat T cells following treatment with CXCL12 or CXCL10. These chemokine-modulated genes were further verified using quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-six of the cDNAs were successfully cloned, sequenced, and identified by BLAST. Following removal of redundant and non-informative clones, seventeen mRNAs were found to be differentially expressed post treatment with either chemokine ligand with several representing known genes with established functions. Twenty-one genes were upregulated in these transfected Jurkat cells following both CXCL12 and CXCL10, four genes displayed a discordant response and seven genes were downregulated upon treatment with either chemokine. Identified genes include geminin (GEM), thioredoxin (TXN), DEAD/H box polypeptide 1 (DDX1), growth hormone inducible transmembrane protein (GHITM), and transcription elongation regulator 1 (TCERG1). Subsequent analysis of several of these genes using semi-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis confirmed their differential expression post ligand treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results provide insight into chemokine-induced gene activation and identify potentially novel functions for known genes in chemokine biology.

Dynamic domain formation in membranes: thickness-modulation-induced phase separation.

A simple model investigates the amplification of fluctuations on membranes constituted of two lipids having different lengths. Van der Waals and electrostatic interactions across the lipid bilayer result in a destabilization favoring thickness variations of the membrane. Close to spontaneous demixing of the two components, the additional gain in free energy due to thickness undulations shifts the stability boundary which promotes phase separation into domains. Interestingly, this effect can be induced by an applied electric field or membrane potential. In biological systems, the dynamic model presented here indicates that electric fields might be important for controlling phase separation and the formation of domains called "rafts".

Capillary instabilities by fluctuation induced forces.

The spontaneous break-up of thin films is commonly attributed to the destabilizing effect of van der Waals forces. Dispersion forces can be considered in terms of the confinement of the electromagnetic fluctuation spectrum. The principle of confinement is more general than the usual argument of interacting dipole fluctuations. It includes also disjoining pressures that are caused by thermal fluctuations. In this context, we review recent publications on the dewetting of thin polymer films, and argue that the presence of an acoustic disjoining pressure is necessary to adequately describe some of these experimental results.

Acoustic instabilities in thin polymer films.

The spatial confinement of a fluctuation spectrum leads to forces at the confining boundaries. While electromagnetic (EM) fluctuations lead to the well-known dispersion forces, the acoustic analogy has widely been neglected. We show that the strength of the forces resulting from confined acoustic modes may be of the same order of magnitude as van der Waals forces. Additionally, the predicted scaling behavior is identical to the non-retarded case of the EM fluctuations. Our results suggest that dewetting experiments using polymer films are strongly influenced by the acoustic dispersion forces.

Blood pressure outcomes of dental patients screened chronobiologically: a seven-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: This article is a follow-up on a 1998 article in JADA. The blood pressure, or BP, of 23 of 24 normotensive patients was monitored at 15-minute intervals for a total of nine days, in three consecutive sessions of four, two and three days, respectively, separated by a few weeks. METHODS: Twelve patients were reached by phone seven years after the prior chronobiologically interpreted monitoring to ascertain their cardiovascular status since the initial monitoring. RESULTS: Only two of the 12 patients reached in follow-up had abnormalities in all three sessions, and only these two patients reported having experienced an adverse vascular event (one a myocardial infarction, the other coronary artery bypass graft surgery). The difference in outcome between the patients with chronobiological abnormality in all three sessions vs. the pool of those with abnormality in only two, one or none of the sessions is statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Even a five-day (and sometimes a longer) profile, while greatly preferred to single measurements, may not suffice for a definitive diagnosis of certain patients. Retrospectively, the 864 measurements, on the average, on each person in our study could have served for a recommendation to each person. Chronobiologically interpreted BP and heart rate monitoring for a week or longer as a start detects high-risk states that may be missed by conventional casual measurements that are rarely accompanied by one-day profiles. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The dentist has an important opportunity for conveying the importance of monitoring BP and heart rate for a week to detect an abnormal variability, and for implementing this monitoring. Dentists can educate patients regarding the need for screening and for interpreting the results for variability, and contribute to their overall health by referring them to their physicians when treatment is indicated.

Feline eosinophilic conjunctivitis.

OBJECTIVE: To review 12 cases of histologically confirmed feline eosinophilic conjunctivitis, their clinical, cytologic, histologic and electronmicroscopic findings, results on PCR for FeHV-1, treatment and outcome. ANIMALS STUDIED: Twelve naturally occurring cases presented during a period of 26 months. PROCEDURES: Thorough ophthalmologic examination, conjunctival scrapings performed with the cytobrush method; histologic samples from the palpebral conjunctiva; PCR for FeHV-1 on Schirmer Tear Test (STT) strips; saliva and nasal swabs, and retrospective evaluation of all results. RESULTS: The breed most commonly affected was the Domestic Shorthair (n = 8), followed by Persians (n = 2), Somali (n = 1) and Siamese (n = 1). Age at presentation was 1-15 years with a mean age of 7.2 years. Nine cats were castrated males; three cats were females: two of them were spayed. Unilateral (n = 7) or bilateral (n = 5) involvement with depigmentation and erosions of lid margin, blepharospasm, swelling and redness of conjunctiva and third eyelid were the most common clinical findings. Frequency of eosinophils in cytologic samples was more than 10% in every patient. PCR for FeHV-1 on STT was negative in all cases. Histologically, eosinophils, lymphocytes, plasma cells, mast cells and macrophages were involved. On electronmicroscopy, viral particles were not detected. Ten cases needed long-term anti-inflammatory treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The 12 reviewed cases suggest that feline eosinophilic conjunctivitis is a chronic inflammatory uni- or bilateral disease of the adult cat. Typically the lid margin was also involved, and was thickened, depigmented and erosive. Cytological examination of conjunctival scrapings was a valuable tool for detecting eosinophilic conjunctivitis. The cytological findings correlated well with the histopathological findings in our patients. Topical or systemic anti-inflammatory drugs resolved the clinical symptoms in our cases within a short period of time. Neither electronmicroscopy nor PCR were able to detect involvement of FHV1 in the represented cases. The etiopathogenic role of FeHV-1 remains undetermined.

About 8- and approximately 84-h rhythms in endotheliocytes as in endothelin-1 and effect of trauma.

Population densities (PD) of capillaries (C) and endotheliocytes (E) were determined in pinnal dermis of C57BL mice before and after trauma. Moving (and overall) least-squares spectra before trauma detected in EPD (versus CPD) pronounced 3.5-day (circasemiseptan) and 8-h oscillations corresponding to components of the endothelin-1 chronome in human blood plasma reported earlier. Circadians were more pronounced in CPD. After trauma, circasemiseptan oscillations appeared also in CPD; their period gradually shortened and in two weeks split into about 2.5- and about 4.5-day oscillations; and circadian components became very pronounced. The pre-traumatic chronome was not restored within three weeks following trauma.

Contact line dynamics near the pinning threshold: a capillary rise and fall experiment

We used video microscopy to study the pinning dynamics of air/water contact lines in vertical glass capillaries. Stick-slip behavior and avalanches are observed in tubes with rough interior walls and strong pinning forces. In tubes with smooth interior walls, we find that receding contact lines in falling water columns show no evidence of pinning, but advancing contact lines in rising water columns exhibit algebraic slow down. The measured value of the critical exponent beta varies from run to run, but it is always larger than unity. Furthermore, we find that the rise dynamics varies with the waiting time preceding the experiments. These observations led us to conclude that the wetting film on the surface and other microscopic changes in the slipping region near the contact line affect the macroscopic dynamics. We discuss the differences between the real system and the existing theories that might explain the results. We also present a brief review of other studies of contact line dynamics and a numerical study of a one-dimensional model.

Electrically induced structure formation and pattern transfer

The wavelength of light represents a fundamental technological barrier to the production of increasingly smaller features on integrated circuits. New technologies that allow the replication of patterns on scales less than 100 nm need to be developed if increases in computing power are to continue at the present rate. Here we report a simple electrostatic technique that creates and replicates lateral structures in polymer films on a submicrometre length scale. Our method is based on the fact that dielectric media experience a force in an electric field gradient. Strong field gradients can produce forces that overcome the surface tension in thin liquid films, inducing an instability that features a characteristic hexagonal order. In our experiments, pattern formation takes place in polymer films at elevated temperatures, and is fixed by cooling the sample to room temperature. The application of a laterally varying electric field causes the instability to be focused in the direction of the highest electric field. This results in the replication of a topographically structured electrode. We report patterns with lateral dimensions of 140 nm, but the extension of the technique to pattern replication on scales smaller than 100 nm seems feasible.

Selenium-enriched Agaricus bisporus mushrooms suppress 7,12-dimethlybenz[a]anthracene bioactivation in mammary tissue.

The present studies compared dietary Se (1.0 microg/g) when provided as either fortified Agaricus bisporus mushrooms, or sodium selenite on the in vivo metabolism of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Dietary addition of Se unenriched A. bisporus mushrooms at 2% did not alter the occurrence of DMBA induced DNA adducts or the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST). However, the addition of Se as enriched mushrooms, or as selenite, significantly increased both liver and mammary GST activity. Providing sodium selenite, or enriched mushrooms also significantly reduced total and anti-3,4-dihydrodiol-1,2-epoxide-deoxyguanosine adducts compared to feeding the basal diet (P < 0.05). These investigations provide evidence that Se enriched mushrooms can be used as an effective method to retard chemically induced tumors.

Nanophase-separated polymer films as high-performance antireflection coatings

Optical surfaces coated with a thin layer to improve light transmission are ubiquitous in everyday optical applications as well as in industrial and scientific instruments. Discovered first in 1817 by Fraunhofer, the coating of lenses became standard practice in the 1930s. In spite of intensive research, broad-band antireflection coatings are still limited by the lack of materials with low refractive indices. A method based on the phase separation of a macromolecular liquid to generate nanoporous polymer films is demonstrated that creates surfaces with high optical transmission.

Effect of oral ZnDTPA on late effects of injected plutonium in rat.

PURPOSE: To reduce the long-term toxicity of 239Pu in rats by lifetime drinking of ZnDTPA solution and to investigate possible side-effects of the drug. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single injection of 239Pu citrate, alone or plus oral ZnDTPA. Additional groups were administered only ZnDTPA. Late tissue changes were evaluated by post-mortem examination, X-rays and histologically. RESULTS: The incidence of rat bearing osteosarcoma decreased after treatment to 35% as compared with 53% in untreated controls. The proportional incidence of osteosarcomas was reduced after ZnDTPA by more than the corresponding removal of 239Pu. Unexpectedly in the male rat, mammary tumours, mostly malignant, developed in 20% of rats that received 239Pu as compared with 0.5% in the untreated controls. After a lifetime drinking solely 3 x 10(-3) M ZnDTPA the incidence of diffuse glomerulosclerosis reached 29% as compared with 10% in controls. CONCLUSIONS: In rat, protracted oral administration of ZnDTPA reduced the incidence of osteosarcomas after injection of 239Pu, even if treatment started with a delay of 1 month. In the latter case, however, more soft tissue damage was found than after treatment beginning at 4 days post-239Pu. An increased incidence of diffuse glomerulosclerosis was observed as a side effect of oral ZnDTPA only when given continuously, alone and in high amounts.

Interpreting vital sign profiles for maximizing patient safety during dental visits.

Concerns about local anesthetics and dental treatment stress are still prevalent in today's medical and dental communities. The authors conducted 24-hour monitoring of heart rate and blood pressure for 23 patients undergoing two root planing procedures and a single periodontal surgical procedure. Chronobiologic analysis of circadian blood pressure and heart rate rhythms revealed that neither epinephrine vasoconstrictor in anesthetics nor increased invasiveness of the procedure resulted in statistically significant deviations from regular, individualized blood pressure rhythms. For surgical appointments, time of day had the greatest effect on cardiovascular variables, with the greatest elevations in blood pressure seen for surgery at 8 a.m. and the largest blood pressure decreases seen for surgery at 2 p.m.

Dosimetry and pathology of 237Np in female rats.

Female Sprague-Dawley rats, 10-12-week old and weighing about 240 g, were injected intravenously with 237Np-nitrate. In the toxicological study 77 rats served as controls and 28 rats per group received single doses of 5.2 and 26 kBq, respectively, per kg body weight. In addition, 12 rats of each injection level, sacrificed at defined points in time, were used for dosimetric studies. During the whole life-span the body weight and 237Np whole body-content of each animal were recorded. After death a detailed pathological examination was made of each animal in the cronical study. One day after injection 48% of the injected activity was in the skeleton, 9.3% in the liver, 3% in the kidneys and 4.4% in the rest of the organs. Whereas in all organs the activity decreased very fast, the half-life in the skeleton was about 1400 days. The bodyweights were comparable in the three groups, but the life span decreased from 800 days (control group) to 644 days after injection (26 kBq kg-1 body weight group). The main lesions in the female rats were mammary tumors (73%) and pituitary gland tumors (52%). With increasing activity the incidence of pituary gland tumors decreased and that of osteosarcomas increased from 1.3% (control group) to 32% (26 kBq kg-1 body weight group), whereas the remaining lesions showed no influence on the activity.

Garlic powder and allyl sulfur compounds enhance the ability of dietary selenite to inhibit 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary DNA adducts.

These studies examined the ability of garlic powder or allyl sulfur compounds to modify selenite protection against 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary epithelial cell DNA adducts. In Study 1, female rats (n = 5) were fed diets containing sodium selenite at 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0 mg Se/kg and garlic powder at 0, 20, or 40 g/kg diet. Total DNA adducts correlated inversely with selenite or garlic powder intake. Garlic powder enhanced the selenite inhibition of mammary DNA adducts. In Study 2, selenite (2.0 mg Se/kg diet), garlic powder (20 g/kg diet), water-soluble S-allyl cysteine (SAC; 5.2 mumol/kg diet), and oil-soluble diallyl disulfide (DADS; 5.2 mumol/kg diet) inhibited (p < 0.05) total DNA adducts by 45%, 40%, 80%, and 75%, respectively. Combining selenite with garlic powder, SAC, or DADS further inhibited DNA adducts. Selenite, but not garlic powder, SAC, or DADS, enhanced liver glutathione S-transferase and uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase activities. Selenite, garlic powder, SAC, or DADS did not affect liver cytochrome P-450 1A1 activities. The present studies provide evidence that synergistic protection against the initiation of DMBA carcinogenesis occurs when selenite is supplemented in conjunction with garlic or its allyl sulfur components.

Impact of dietary fatty acids on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary DNA adducts.

These studies examined the impact of dietary corn oil and its major constituent fatty acids on the occurrence of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary DNA adducts. In study 1, rats were fed diets containing 5, 10 or 20% corn oil for 2 weeks prior to DMBA treatment (25 mg/kg). Mammary DNA adducts increased significantly (P < 0.05) as the quantity of dietary corn oil increased. Liver glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities increased while UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities decreased as the quantity of dietary corn oil increased. Increased adducts resulting from greater corn oil consumption were positively correlated with GST and negatively correlated with UGT activities. In study 2, rats were fed diets containing 5 or 20% corn oil, or 5% corn oil supplemented with 1.67% palmitic, 3.81% oleic or 8.78% linoleic acid (quantities in 15% corn oil) for 2 weeks prior to DMBA treatment (50 mg/kg). Total mammary DNA adducts were 75, 136 and 156% greater in rats fed the 20% corn oil, oleic acid-supplemented and linoleic acid-supplemented diets, respectively, than in those fed the 5% corn oil diet. Palmitic acid supplementation did not affect the occurrence of adducts. Adducts in study 2 did not correlate with GST or UGT activities. These studies demonstrate that enhanced DMBA bioactivation caused by increased corn oil consumption can be at least partially explained by increased intake of oleic and linoleic acids.

Garlic and associated allyl sulfur components inhibit N-methyl-N-nitrosourea induced rat mammary carcinogenesis.

Our previous studies demonstrated that dietary garlic powder supplementation inhibits N-nitrosamine induced DNA alkylation in liver and mammary tissue. The present studies compared the impact of dietary supplementation with garlic powder or two garlic constituents, water-soluble S-allyl cysteine (SAC) and oil-soluble diallyl disulfide (DADS), on the incidence of mammary tumorigenesis induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed semi-purified casein based diets with or without supplements of garlic powder(20g/kg), SAC (57 micromol/kg) or DADS (57 micromol/kg) for 2 weeks prior to treatment with MNU (15 mg/kg body wt). Garlic powder, SAC and DADS supplementation significantly delayed the onset of mammary tumors compared to rats receiving the unsupplemented diet. Tumor incidence 23 weeks after MNU treatment was reduced by 76, 41 and 53% in rats fed garlic, SAC and DADS, respectively, compared to controls (P<0.05). Total tumor number was reduced 81, 35 and 65% by these supplements, respectively (P<0.05). In a separate study the quantity of mammary DNA alkylation occurring 3 h after MNU treatment was reduced in rats fed garlic, SAC or DADS (P<0.05). Specifically, O(6)-methylguanine adducts were reduced by 27, 18 and 23% in rats fed supplemental garlic, SAC and DADS, respectively, compared to controls. N(7)-Methylguanine adducts decreased by 48, 22 and 21% respectively, compared to rats fed the control diet. These studies demonstrate that garlic and associated allyl sulfur components, SAC and DADS, are effective inhibitors of MNU-induced mammary carcinogenesis.

Dietary components modify the ability of garlic to suppress 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary DNA adducts.

Various dietary components were evaluated as factors influencing garlic's ability to depress rat mammary cell DNA adducts resulting from 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) treatment. Diets with or without garlic powder (20 g/kg) were provided for 2 wk before DMBA treatment (25 mg/kg body weight). Rats fed diets containing 36 g casein/100 g diet had 31% fewer (P < 0.05) mammary cell DNA adducts than those fed 12 g/100 g. Garlic supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) reduced DNA adducts in rats fed either 12 or 36 g casein/100 g by 35 and 32% respectively. In the absence of dietary garlic, DNA adducts were 23% lower (P < 0.05) in rats provided a diet containing supplemental L-methionine at 0.9 g/100 g than at 0.3 g/100 g. However, adduct inhibition by garlic supplementation was greater in rats fed the lower (P < 0.05) amount of methionine (54 vs. 26% inhibition). Adduct levels in rats fed diets with 20 g corn oil/100 g were twice those occurring in rats fed 5 g/100 g (P < 0.05), regardless of adjustment for energy density. Garlic supplementation prevented the increase in DNA adducts caused by increasing dietary corn oil. Combining dietary supplements of garlic, selenite (0.5 mg/kg diet) and retinyl acetate (328 mg/kg diet) inhibited the occurrence of DNA adducts to a greater degree than when each was supplied individually. These studies demonstrate that while dietary garlic can reduce DNA adduct formation in mammary tissue caused by DMBA, this protection is influenced by several dietary components.

[Unilateral duplication of the uveal tract in a cat. Coexistence of an excess failure of formation with ocular leukosis]. / Unilateral doppelt angelegter uvealer Trakt bei einer Katze. Koexistenz einer Exzessfehlbildung mit einer okularen Leukose.

A six year old domestic cat, blind in the right eye from birth, slowly lost sight in the left eye. An ophthalmological examination of the right eye revealed uveal leucosis and unilateral duplication of the uveal tract. The additional tissues were rotated through 90 degrees resulting in displacement of the lens. In the left eye evidence of a previous retinal detachment and consecutive traumatic cataract were noted. The etiology of these pathological findings is discussed.

[Secondary open angle glaucoma from osseous choristoma of the ciliary body in guinea pigs]. / Sekundäres Offenwinkel-Glaukom durch ossäre Choristie im Ziliarkörper beim Meerschweinchen.

From 1983 to 1994 enucleated as well as bulbi obtained post mortem from 20 guinea pigs were ophthalmopathologically examined routinely. Eleven cases (one bilateral) with anamneses as hydrophthalmus, exophthalmus or retrobulbar abscess showed histologically osseous choristomas in the stroma of the ciliary body. In one case the osseous choristoma was already macroscopically recognizable. These heterotopic bone formations were causative for a secondary open angle glaucoma. Furthermore, it explains the obscured clinical symptoms of glaucoma together with the resulting exposition keratopathy. The aetiopathogenesis is discussed comparatively.