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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Active Α-Macroglobulin Is A Reservoir For Urokinase After Fibrinolytic Therapy In Rabbits With Tetracycline-Induced Pleural Injury And In Human Pleural Fluids, Ali Azghani Nov 2013

Active Α-Macroglobulin Is A Reservoir For Urokinase After Fibrinolytic Therapy In Rabbits With Tetracycline-Induced Pleural Injury And In Human Pleural Fluids, Ali Azghani

Ali Azghani

Intrapleural processing of prourokinase (scuPA) in tetracycline (TCN)-induced pleural injury in rabbits was evaluated to better understand the mechanisms governing successful scuPA-based intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT), capable of clearing pleural adhesions in this model. Pleural fluid (PF) was withdrawn 0–80 min and 24 h after IPFT with scuPA (0–0.5 mg/kg), and activities of free urokinase (uPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and uPA complexed with α-macroglobulin (αM) were assessed. Similar analyses were performed using PFs from patients with empyema, parapneumonic, and malignant pleural effusions. The peak of uPA activity (5–40 min) reciprocally correlated with the dose of intrapleural scuPA. Endogenous active …


High-Throughput Imaging Of Neuronal Activity In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Dirk Albrecht, Johannes Larsch, Donovan Ventimiglia, Cornelia Bargmann Oct 2013

High-Throughput Imaging Of Neuronal Activity In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Dirk Albrecht, Johannes Larsch, Donovan Ventimiglia, Cornelia Bargmann

Dirk R. Albrecht

Neuronal responses to sensory inputs can vary based on genotype, development, experience, or stochastic factors. Existing neuronal recording techniques examine a single animal at a time, limiting understanding of the variability and range of potential responses. To scale up neuronal recordings, we here describe a system for simultaneous wide-field imaging of neuronal calcium activity from at least 20 Caenorhabditis elegans animals under precise microfluidic chemical stimulation. This increased experimental throughput was used to perform a systematic characterization of chemosensory neuron responses to multiple odors, odor concentrations, and temporal patterns, as well as responses to pharmacological manipulation. The system allowed recordings …


Extensión Y Límites Del Ecosistema Subterráneo, Alberto Sendra, Ana Sofia Reboleira Sep 2013

Extensión Y Límites Del Ecosistema Subterráneo, Alberto Sendra, Ana Sofia Reboleira

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

No abstract provided.


Germline Transgenic Methods For Tracking Cells And Testing Gene Function During Regeneration In The Axolotl, Shahryar Khattak, Maritta Schuez, Tobias Richter, Dunja Knapp, Saori Haigo, Tatiana Sandoval-Guzman, Kristyna Hradlikova, Annett Duemmler, Ryan Kerney, Elly Tanaka Jun 2013

Germline Transgenic Methods For Tracking Cells And Testing Gene Function During Regeneration In The Axolotl, Shahryar Khattak, Maritta Schuez, Tobias Richter, Dunja Knapp, Saori Haigo, Tatiana Sandoval-Guzman, Kristyna Hradlikova, Annett Duemmler, Ryan Kerney, Elly Tanaka

Ryan Kerney

The salamander is the only tetrapod that regenerates complex body structures throughout life. Deciphering the underlying molecular processes of regeneration is fundamental for regenerative medicine and developmental biology, but the model organism had limited tools for molecular analysis. We describe a comprehensive set of germline transgenic strains in the laboratory-bred salamander Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl) that open up the cellular and molecular genetic dissection of regeneration. We demonstrate tissue-dependent con- trol of gene expression in nerve, Schwann cells, oligodendrocytes, muscle, epidermis, and cartilage. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of tamoxifen-induced Cre/loxP-mediated recombination to indelibly mark different cell types. Finally, we inducibly …


A High Omega-3 Fatty Acid Diet Has Different Effects On Early And Late Stage Myeloid Progenitors, Melinda Varney, James Buchanan, Yulia Dementieva, W. Hardman, Vincent Sollars Jun 2013

A High Omega-3 Fatty Acid Diet Has Different Effects On Early And Late Stage Myeloid Progenitors, Melinda Varney, James Buchanan, Yulia Dementieva, W. Hardman, Vincent Sollars

Yulia Dementieva

The effects of the polyunsaturated omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids (FA) on hematopoiesis are complex in that both FA forms are processed into leukotrienes, eicosanoids, and prostaglandins, which can have independent effects. These FA have antagonistic effects in that n-6 FA prostaglandins tend to be pro-proliferative and pro-inflammatory, while the effects of n-3 FA prostaglandins are the opposite. We have previously shown that diets high in n-3 FA reduce the size of the middle to later stage myeloid progenitor compartment in FVB X sv129 F1hybrid mice. To assay the effects of high n-3 FA diets on earlier stages …


Anti-Inflammatory Protein Of Schistosoma Japonicum Directs The Differentiation Of The Wehi-3b Jcs Cells And Mouse Bone Marrow Cells To Macrophages, Shaomin Hu, Linlin Yang, Zhongdao Wu, Nai Ki Mak, Kwok Nam Leung, Ming Chiu Fung May 2013

Anti-Inflammatory Protein Of Schistosoma Japonicum Directs The Differentiation Of The Wehi-3b Jcs Cells And Mouse Bone Marrow Cells To Macrophages, Shaomin Hu, Linlin Yang, Zhongdao Wu, Nai Ki Mak, Kwok Nam Leung, Ming Chiu Fung

Professor MAK, Nai Ki

Sj16 is an anti-inflammatory protein identified from Schistosoma japonicum. Our previous studies showed that recombinant Sj16 (rSj16) could suppress host's inflammatory responses and inhibit macrophage maturation. In the present study, the effects of rSj16 on the differentiation of the murine myeloid leukemia WEHI-3B JCS cell line and on mouse hematopoiesis were investigated. Our data demonstrated that rSj16 expressed and purified from Escherichia coli could suppress the proliferation of the WEHI-3B JCS cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, while not affect the viability of the cells. Further studies indicated that rSj16 induced macrophage differentiation of the WEHI-3B JCS cells, and …


Subterranean Species Of Acipes Attems, 1937 (Diplopoda, Julida, Blaniulidae), Henrik Enghoff, Ana Reboleira Apr 2013

Subterranean Species Of Acipes Attems, 1937 (Diplopoda, Julida, Blaniulidae), Henrik Enghoff, Ana Reboleira

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

Two new blind, cave-dwelling species of the genus Acipes Attems, 1937, are described from the Algarve, southern Portugal: A. machadoi n. sp. and A. bifilum n. sp. Acipes andalusius Enghoff & Mauriès, 1999, is reported from the mesovoid shallow substratum in Alicante (Spain), 250 km from the type locality in Andalusia.


The Genus Boreviulisoma Brolemann, 1928—An Iberian-N African Outlier Of A Mainly Tropical Tribe Of Millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), Ana Reboleira, Henrik Enghoff Apr 2013

The Genus Boreviulisoma Brolemann, 1928—An Iberian-N African Outlier Of A Mainly Tropical Tribe Of Millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), Ana Reboleira, Henrik Enghoff

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

The genus Boreviulisoma Brolemann, 1928, is revised. The synonymy of Liliputia Attems, 1952, under Boreviulisoma is confirmed, but L. badia Attems, 1951, from Spain, is resurrected, as Boreviulisoma badium, from synonymy under B. liouvilleiBrolemann, 1928 (the type species of Boreviulisoma) from Morocco. Boreviulisoma barrocalense n. sp. is described from the subterranean environment of the Algarve, the southernmost province of Portugal. The distribution of the three known species of Boreviulisoma is mapped, main characters of the genus and its species are reviewed and a key to species of the genus is included. The isolated occurrence of Boreviulisoma badium and B. barrocalense …


A New Species Of Frog Of The Genus Pristimantis (Strabomantidae) From A Cloud Forest In Southern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Anton Baltuska, '13 Apr 2013

A New Species Of Frog Of The Genus Pristimantis (Strabomantidae) From A Cloud Forest In Southern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Anton Baltuska, '13

Edgar Lehr

No abstract provided.


Trans-Atlantic Correlation Of Upper Cretaceous Marine Sediments, Marcus Ross, David Fastovsky Apr 2013

Trans-Atlantic Correlation Of Upper Cretaceous Marine Sediments, Marcus Ross, David Fastovsky

David Fastovsky

Upper Cretaceous marine deposits from the Mid-Atlantic region of North America (Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey) and the Maastricht area (southern Netherlands, and nearby Belgium and Gennany) are correlated across the Atlantic using a variety of macro invertebrates, nannofossils, and sequence stratigraphy. Four late Cretaceous Mid-Atlantic sequences, the Marshalltown, Englishtown, Merchantville, and Navesink, span the upper Santonian to lowennost Danian, and have direct correlatives in the Maastricht area. Correlations between the Mid-Atlantic and the Maastricht regions (respectively) are as follows: the upper Santonian to lower Campanian Merchantville and Matawan formations with the Achen and lower Vaals fonnations; the middle Campanian …


Acute Toxicity Of Copper Sulfate And Potassium Dichromate On Stygobiont Proasellus: General Aspects Of Groundwater Ecotoxicology And Future Perspectives, Ana Reboleira, Nelson Abrantes, Pedro Oromí, Fernando Gonçalves Mar 2013

Acute Toxicity Of Copper Sulfate And Potassium Dichromate On Stygobiont Proasellus: General Aspects Of Groundwater Ecotoxicology And Future Perspectives, Ana Reboleira, Nelson Abrantes, Pedro Oromí, Fernando Gonçalves

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

Karst systems harbor large groundwater resources for human consumption and represent an important habitat for rare and unprotected specialized animals, the so-called stygofauna. Due to the highly adapted features towards underground life, together with the geographic isolation provided by the subterranean aquifers, groundwater-dwelling animals may lose the ability to face sudden changes on their ecosystems, and therefore the risk of extinction is remarkably high. A little is known about their sensitiveness, especially linked to contamination pressure in urbanized karst areas. Understanding the impact of contaminants on stygofauna is important for setting groundwater environmental quality and management of karst systems. We …


Genome Sequence Of Lactobacillus Pentosus Kca1: Vaginal Isolate From A Healthy Premenopausal Woman, Kingsley Anukam Mar 2013

Genome Sequence Of Lactobacillus Pentosus Kca1: Vaginal Isolate From A Healthy Premenopausal Woman, Kingsley Anukam

Kingsley C Anukam

The vaginal microbiota, in particular Lactobacillus species, play an important role in female health through modulation of immunity, countering pathogens and maintaining a pH below 4.7. We report the isolation and genome sequence of Lactobacillus pentosus strain KCA1 (formally known as L. plantarum) from the vagina of a healthy Nigerian woman. The genome was sequenced using Illumina GA II technology. The resulting 16,920,226 paired-end reads were assembled with the Velvet tool. Contigs were annotated using the RAST server, and manually curated. A comparative analysis with the available genomes of L. pentosus IG1 and L. plantarum WCFS1 showed that over 15% …


Literature Survey, Bibliographic Analysis And A Taxonomic Catalogue Of Subterranean Fauna From Portugal, Ana Reboleira, Fernando Gonçalves, Pedro Oromí Jan 2013

Literature Survey, Bibliographic Analysis And A Taxonomic Catalogue Of Subterranean Fauna From Portugal, Ana Reboleira, Fernando Gonçalves, Pedro Oromí

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

A bibliographic analysis of the hypogean biological studies in Portugal is made, compiling 138 publications related to the subterranean invertebrate fauna, since its begining in 1870 until November 2012. A catalogue of hypogean endemic taxa is provided, listing 27 troglobionts and 63 stygobionts, described to be obligate hypogean and endemic from mainland Portugal (Macaronesian archipelagos excluded). The first impetus on troglobiont studies was provided by the prospections of Barros Machado during 1940’s and by an expedition of Lindberg in the spring of 1961; and the major information about stygobiont species was provided by the former Instituto de Zoologia “Dr. Augusto …


Combined Morphological And Molecular Phylogeny Of The Clusioid Clade (Malpighiales) And The Placement Of The Ancient Rosid Macrofossil Paleoclusia, Brad Ruhfel, Peter Stevens, Charles Davis Dec 2012

Combined Morphological And Molecular Phylogeny Of The Clusioid Clade (Malpighiales) And The Placement Of The Ancient Rosid Macrofossil Paleoclusia, Brad Ruhfel, Peter Stevens, Charles Davis

Brad R. Ruhfel

Premise of research. The clusioid clade is a member of the large rosid order Malpighiales and contains∼1900 species in five families: Bonnetiaceae, Calophyllaceae, Clusiaceae sensu stricto (s.s.), Hypericaceae, and Podostemaceae. Despite recent efforts to clarify their phylogenetic relationships using molecular data, no such data are available for several critical taxa, including especially Hypericum ellipticifolium (previously recognized in Lianthus), Lebrunia, Neotatea, Thysanostemon, and the second-oldest rosid fossil (∼90 Ma), Paleoclusia chevalieri. Here, we (i) assess congruence between phylogenies inferred from morphological and molecular data, (ii) analyze morphological and molecular data simultaneously to place taxa lacking molecular data, and (iii) use ancestral …


Direct Differentiation Of A-Ring Single Attachment Versus A- And D-Ring Double Attachment Of Phycoerythrobilin (Peb) Chromophores To Phycobiliproteins Using Maldi Mass Spectrometry, Wendy Schluchter Dec 2012

Direct Differentiation Of A-Ring Single Attachment Versus A- And D-Ring Double Attachment Of Phycoerythrobilin (Peb) Chromophores To Phycobiliproteins Using Maldi Mass Spectrometry, Wendy Schluchter

Wendy M Schluchter

No abstract provided.


Realistic Fasting Does Not Affect Stable Isotope Levels Of A Metabolically Efficient Salamander, Joseph Milanovich Dec 2012

Realistic Fasting Does Not Affect Stable Isotope Levels Of A Metabolically Efficient Salamander, Joseph Milanovich

Joseph Milanovich

No abstract provided.


Cyanolyase: A Database Of Phycobilin Lyase Sequences, Motifs And Functions, Wendy Schluchter Dec 2012

Cyanolyase: A Database Of Phycobilin Lyase Sequences, Motifs And Functions, Wendy Schluchter

Wendy M Schluchter

No abstract provided.


Liposomal Antibiotics For The Treatment Of Infectious Diseases, Ali Azghani Dec 2012

Liposomal Antibiotics For The Treatment Of Infectious Diseases, Ali Azghani

Ali Azghani

Introduction: Liposomal delivery systems have been utilized in developing effective therapeutics against cancer and targeting microorganisms in and out of host cells and within biofilm community. The most attractive feature of liposome-based drugs are enhancing therapeutic index of the new or existing drugs while minimizing their adverse effects.
Areas covered: This communication provides an overview on several aspects of liposomal antibiotics including the most widely used preparation techniques for encapsulating different agents and the most important characteristic parameters applied for examining shape, size and stability of the spherical vesicles. In addition, the routes of administration, liposome–cell interactions and host parameters …