Induction of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and type 1 collagen expression in rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells by interleukin-1 and its dependence on oxygen-centered free radicals

BACKGROUND: Ischemia with or without reperfusion induces the release of diverse products from monocytes, including cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1). To determine whether these phenomena modulate fibrinolysis and potentially exacerbate impairment of the macrocirculation, microcirculation, or both, we characterized the effects of IL-1 on the expression of fibrinolytic system and matrix proteins in rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Confluent CMECs were exposed to IL-1 in serum-free medium for 24 hours, and cell-conditioned medium was assayed for plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), the primary physiological inhibitor of plasminogen activators, and for type 1 collagen with Western blotting. IL-1 (2 ng/mL) specifically increased the accumulation of PAI-1 (4.4 +/- 0.6-fold; mean +/- SD; n = 9) without affecting tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) or urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) levels, which remained unchanged. IL-1 increased the accumulation of collagen in conditioned media by 3.5 +/- 0.7-fold (n = 6). Conversely, the accumulation of both PAI-1 and collagen induced by IL-1 was inhibited with an IL-1 receptor antagonist (200 ng/mL; n = 6) and with cycloheximide (10 micrograms/mL; n = 6), implying that protein synthesis was a requirement for the effect. To determine whether the IL-1 effect was mediated by induction of oxygen-centered free radical production, known to be induced by IL-1, we exposed the cells to the hydroxyl radical scavenger tetramethylthiourea (10 mmol/L) and observed abolition of the IL-1-induced increase in the expression of PAI-1 and collagen (n = 6). Conversely, superoxides (generated with 10 mU/mL xanthine oxidase plus 0.6 mmol/L hypoxanthine, and 100 mumol/L hydrogen peroxide) induced the accumulation of PAI-1 and collagen (n = 6). IL-1 (1 microgram/kg body wt) and lipopolysaccharide (50 micrograms/kg body wt) administered in vivo increased PAI-1 protein in rat hearts as detected with Western blotting and PAI-1 immunostaining of rat heart microvessels, indicating the effects delineated in vitro were paralleled by effects in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that IL-1-induced oxygen-centered free radicals stimulate elaboration of PAI-1 and collagen by CMECs. Accordingly, microvascularly mediated inhibition of fibrinolysis may predispose to the persistence of microvascular thrombi, thereby contributing to impaired microcirculatory function, the no-reflow phenomenon, and cardiac dysfunction after ischemia and reperfusion.     

Topical Phenomena Observed in a Short-Gap Atmospheric Discharge Using Rotor and Post Electrodes

Correlation of light emission, discharge structure, waveform of the discharge current, electrode configuration, and electromagnetic radiation is examined with the intent of obtaining an effective means for preventing electromagnetic interference (EMI) due to a short-gap discharge. The electromagnetic radiation (EMR) level resulting from a current step which, in turn, was formed by a discrete movement of a cathode spot was clearly recognized. A combination of needle rotor and needle post gave the smallest electromagnetic radiation level in the experiments.     

Coarsening of SiO2 particles in copper and MnS inclusions in steel

A model to simulate the diffusion-controlled coarsening and dissolution kinetics of particles within a metallic matrix is formulated. With an arbitrary size distribution of particles, the model can be used to calculate the change in the size distribution of particles during coarsening or dissolution. Other system parameters, such as average radius of particles, volume fraction, average distance between particles, surface area, and matrix composition are also calculated. An important result is that kinetics do not generally obey the often-applied Lifshiftz-Slyozov-Wagner theory for diffusion controlled coarsening based upon concentration profiles around isolated spheres. In such a formulation, the direct effect of the surrounding particles is neglected. In our model, which is a modification of the coarsening kinetics described by Weins and Cahn, the effect of surrounding particles is incorporated because the system is taken to be a system of point potentials, each with a potential according to its radius of curvature. Calculations are on silica particles in a copper matrix and on manganese sulfide inclusions in iron, with emphasis on the latter, in order to predict their behavior during homogenization or soaking treatments. The effect of the composition of manganese, from 0.1 to 1.2 wt pct, on the coarsening of sulfides in a “high” sulfur (0.017 wt pct) steel and a “low” sulfur (0.003 wt pct) steel was investigated. As expected, the model predicts that manganese strongly reduces the rate of coarsening, particularly for times of ten hours or less in the temperature range of 1100 to 1400 °C. Calculated results also indicate that the rate of dissolution is very low at temperatures greater than the solvus for manganese sulfide inclusions in austenite.     

Thermal resistance in Speer carbon resistors below 1 K

Temperature dependences of Speer carbon resistors between 30 mK and 4.2 K have been measured. The applied electric power at which the resistance decreases by 1% was measured accurately over the same temperature range. From these data, discussions of the thermal resistance of the resistors are made in detail. Some techniques to measure carbon resistance below 1 K, including the method to remove heat leaks, are described.     

Active RC networks using a parallel T

A method of independent control over the positions of the poles and zeros of an active RC network is described, Secondorder transfer functions can be realised by using these circuits. The adjustments of their characteristics after the construction are very easy. A simple experiment shows good agreement with the theory.     

Construction of 144, 565 keV and 5.0 MeV monoenergetic neutron calibration fields at JAERI

Monoenergetic neutron calibration fields of 144, 565 keV and 5.0 MeV have been developed at the Facility of Radiation Standards of JAERI using a 4 MV Pelletron accelerator. The 7Li(p,n)7Be and 2H(d,n)3He reactions are employed for neutron production. The neutron energy was measured by the time-of-flight method with a liquid scintillation detector and calculated with the MCNP-ANT code. A long counter is employed as a neutron monitor because of the flat response. The monitor is set up where the influence of inscattered neutrons from devices and their supporting materials at a calibration point is as small as possible. The calibration coefficients from the monitor counts to the neutron fluence at a calibration point were obtained from the reference fluence measured with the transfer instrument of the primary standard laboratory (AIST), a 24.13 cm phi Bonner sphere counter. The traceability of the fields to AIST was established through the calibration.     

Dynamic behavior of bubble domains at low drive field

Dynamic properties of bubble domains at low drive pulse field are examined by the bubble transport method. Important findings are as follows. 1) The bubble does not move unless the pulse duration exceeds a critical value which depends on the pulse amplitude. 2) A minimum pulse amplitude is also required for the bubble translation which depends on the pulse duration. 3) As the pulse duration goes to infinity, the minimum drive field approaches a constant value which is different from the dynamic coercivity. 4) As soon as the pulse duration exceeds the critical value, the bubble is displaced discontinuously by a finite distance independent of the drive field. All of these properties are adequately explained by a simple phenomenological theory, in which the domain wall is assumed to be connected by springs to pinning sites until the wall is displaced by a finite distance.