The effect of metal ions on neutrophil degranulation

This study examined neutrophil activation, after incubation of these cells with metal ions. Activation was examined using lysozyme and chemiluminescence assays. Cobalt ions (0.5–30 p.p.m.), chromium ions (0.5–20 p.p.m.), nickel ions (1–50 p.p.m.) and aluminium ions (0.05–7.5 p.p.m.) did not stimulate neutrophils to release lysozyme and did not stimulate a respiratory burst. Copper ions (0.25–7.5 p.p.m.) stimulated neutrophils to release lysozyme, a result which was significant at the 5% level. This was not as a result of copper ions causing neutrophils to lyse. Lysozyme secretion was inhibited when neutrophils were pre-incubated with cytochalasin B, although cytochalasin B had no effect on the enzyme secretion due to stimulation by opsonized zymosan and zymosan-activated serum. This suggests that the mechanism by which copper ions stimulate neutrophil degranulation is different from that of opsonized zymosan and zymosan-activated serum. Enzyme secretion was not accompanied by a respiratory burst.     

Annotations and the collaborative digital library: Effects of an aligned annotation interface on student argumentation and reading strategies

Recent research on annotation interfaces provides provocative evidence that anchored, annotation-based discussion environments may lead to better conversations about a text. However, annotation interfaces raise complicated tradeoffs regarding screen real estate and positioning. It is argued that solving this screen real estate problem requires limiting the number of annotations displayed to users. In order to understand which annotations have the most learning value for students, this paper presents two complementary studies examining the effects of annotations on students performing a reading-to-write task. The first study used think-aloud protocols and a within-subjects methodology, finding that annotations appeared to provoke students to reflect more critically upon the primary text. This effect was particularly strong when students encountered pairs of annotations presenting different viewpoints on the same section of text. Student interviews suggested that annotations were most helpful when they caused the reader to consider and weigh conflicting viewpoints. The second study used a between-subjects methodology and a more naturalistic task to provide complementary evidence that annotations encourage more reflective responses to a text. This study found that students who received annotated materials both perceived themselves and were perceived by instructors as less reliant on unreflective summary strategies than students who received the same content but in a different format. These findings indicate that the learning value of an annotation lies in its ability to provoke students to consider and weigh new perspectives on the primary text. When selected effectively, annotations provide a critical scaffolding that can support students’ critical thinking and argumentation activities. Collaborative digital libraries and applications for the Web 2.0 should be designed with this learning framework in mind.     

Association between oxygen delivery and consumption in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Is there supply dependence?

Numerous investigators have suggested that cell glycoconjugates are modified by the development of cancer and the progression of this to a malignant form. Accordingly, in the present work, beta-D-galactosidase, alpha-L-fucosidase, beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase and beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminidase activities were studied in human thyroid and gastric tumours. Samples were obtained from human gastric mucosa and thyroid gland tumours together with a part of the surrounding normal tissue (control). Enzyme activity was determined spectrophotometrically based on the release of p-nitrophenol from suitable p-nitrophenyl-derivative substrates. Results showed that beta-D-galactosidase, alpha-L-fucosidase, beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase and beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminidase activities were detected in tumour and control samples from thyroid and gastric tissues. The gastric mucosa also showed alpha-L-mannosidase activity. The specific activities of these glycosidases were higher (two- or three-fold) in tumour tissues as compared with their controls. beta-D-galactosidase, beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase and beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminidase activities from thyroid and gastric tumours showed a significant increase in V(max) as compared with their respective controls (P < 0.05 or P < 0.001). Thyroid alpha-L-fucosidase activity showed a statistically and significantly increased affinity (lower K(m)) in tumour samples as compared to normal tissue. In conclusion both gastric and thyroid tumours showed enhanced glycosidase activity as compared with enzyme activity observed in normal tissue. These results are in agreement with the notion of a markedly raised degradation within lysosomes of tumour cells.     

Post-translational cleavage of a histone H1-like protein in the sperm of Mytilus

Starting with total RNA from spermatogenic cells of Mytilus trossulus and using random priming, we have cloned and sequenced the c-DNAs corresponding to two variants of the sperm-specific protein PLII* (phi 2B). DNA sequencing in conjunction with mass spectrometry and protein sequence data have allowed us to establish that of the three sperm-specific proteins present in the sperm of Mytilus (PL-II*(phi 2B), PL-III (phi 1), PL-IV (phi 3)), the first and the last one are the result of post-translational cleavage of a common precursor. This common precursor is a member of the histone H1 family, and it exhibits inter- and intraspecific microheterogeneity.     

Aging and the visual system

The ocular aging process involves everyone. Misconceptions about visual changes from aging versus visual changes from a disease have resulted in needless vision loss for many in the older population. Lack of understanding and misinformation may cause a delay in seeking medical attention for diagnosis and treatment.     

A network analyzer-based tissue characterization system

A novel ultrasound tissue characterization system is described which utilizes a network analyzer, S-parameter test set, 180° hybrid junction, and a mock transducer circuit to exploit the wide-band potential of a commercial piezoelectric polymer transducer. The relatively short round-trip pulselength achieved using the system (70 ns in water) is compared to that obtained using a high-frequency pulser/receiver and the same transducer (130 ns in water). Finally, the in vitro acoustic response of a section of neonate porcine carotid artery obtained using the network analyzer-based system is reported, along with histologic results for the same vessel     

The reaction of liquid metals to form intermetallics

The formation of intermetallic compounds of high melting point, by reaction between liquid metals at low temperatures, was studied for a number of binary systems, in particular Al-Sb, Mg-Sb, Mg-Bi and Na-Bi.Two regimes of behaviour on mixing were found:

The Co-Culture of Staphylococcal Biofilm and Fibroblast Cell Line: The Correlation of Biological Phenomena with Metabolic NMR1 Footprint

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent pathogens associated with several types of biofilm-based infections, including infections of chronic wounds. Mature staphylococcal biofilm is extremely hard to eradicate from a wound and displays a high tendency to induce recurring infections. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to investigate in vitro the interaction between S. aureus biofilm and fibroblast cells searching for metabolites that could be considered as potential biomarkers of critical colonization and infection. Utilizing advanced microscopy and microbiological methods to examine biofilm formation and the staphylococcal infection process, we were able to distinguish 4 phases of biofilm development. The analysis of staphylococcal biofilm influence on the viability of fibroblasts allowed us to pinpoint the moment of critical colonization—12 h post contamination. Based on the obtained model we performed a metabolomics analysis by ¹H NMR spectroscopy to provide new insights into the pathophysiology of infection. We identified a set of metabolites related to the switch to anaerobic metabolism that was characteristic for staphylococcal biofilm co-cultured with fibroblast cells. The data presented in this study may be thus considered a noteworthy but preliminary step in the direction of developing a new, NMR-based tool for rapid diagnosing of infection in a chronic wound.