Blood-flow sensing by anionic biopolymers

The purpose of this study was to compare local recurrence, distant metastases, and survival rate in 350 patients with cancer of the middle and low rectum who underwent a radical abdominoperineal resection (APER) or a sphincter-saving resection (SSR) in our Institute. There were 257 APER patients and 93 SSR patients, with a median follow-up of 77 months. At 5 years, the estimates in APER and SSR patients were respectively 11% and 30% for the incidence of pelvic recurrence, 18% and 8% for the incidence of distant metastases, and 64% and 73% for overall survival. In the multivariate analysis it was found that Dukes' stage significantly affected pelvic recurrences, distant metastases rate and overall survival; histologic type affected only the pelvic recurrence rate. However, the final outcome of patients following APER or SSR was similar, suggesting that local failure per se does not affect long-term survival.     

Incorporating If...Then...Personality Signatures in Person Perception: Beyond the Person-Situation Dichotomy.

Three studies investigated conditions in which perceivers view dispositions and situations as interactive, rather than independent, causal forces when making judgments about another's personality. Study 1 showed that perceivers associated 5 common trait terms (e.g., friendly and shy) with characteristic if...then... (if situation a, then the person does x, but if situation b, then the person does y) personality signatures. Study 2 demonstrated that perceivers used information about a target's stable if...then... signature to infer the target's motives and traits; dispositional judgments were mediated by inferences about the target's motivations. Study 3 tested whether perceivers draw on if...then... signatures when making judgments about Big Five trait dimensions. Together, the findings indicate that perceivers take account of person-situation interactions (reflected in if...then... signatures) in everyday explanations of social behavior and personality dispositions. Boundary conditions are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Single photon emission computed tomographic blood flow and magnetic resonance volume imaging of basal ganglia in Huntington''s disease

During oogenesis in Drosophila, germ cells appear in sequential clusters of 16 interconnected cells. The events surrounding the differentiation of these cells are not fully understood. Here we present genetic and morphological analysis of mutations in the gene stand still (stil). Through complementation analyses we have refined the location of this gene to cyological region 49B-C. Our analyses of ovaries from ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS)-induced mutant alleles of this gene suggest that mutations in the stil gene produce a wide range of phenotypic abnormalities, from the absence of germ cells in the most severe alleles, to egg chambers with cytoskeletal defects in the less severe alleles. Our results suggest a role for this gene in specifying or maintaining a cytoskeletal component, with consequences during oogenesis and possibly during germ line sex determination.     

A sensitivity analysis of the linear complementarity programming model: Appalachian steam coal and the natural gas market

There have been extensive attempts in recent years to perform spatial equilibrium analysis of commodity markets, particularly that of energy. Most of these attempts have been based on linear programming transportation models, and more recently quadratic programming models. Unfortunately, neither of these modelling approaches can deal with the case of multi-commodity analysis with non-symmetric regression coefficients. In this paper, we overcome this problem by employing the linear complementarity programming model. In addition, we show how the model can be applied to coal and gas energy flows within a single region. Future potential applications of the model are also implied.     

Enhanced neointimal growth in cultured rabbit aorta following in vivo balloon angioplasty

We have used in vivo balloon catheterization in combination with in vitro organ culture to develop a model system for vascular neointima formation. A Fogarty balloon catheter was used to deendothelialize and rupture the internal elastic lamina of aortae in adult rabbits. After three d of recovery, aortae were harvested, divided into segments, and placed into organ culture. We obtained a daily index of cell proliferation in cultured vessels using [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. Also, segments were collected and processed for routine histology or immunohistochemistry. Aortic segments that had undergone ballooning 3 d before harvest and then cultured exhibited diffuse neointimal growth after several d in vitro, whereas those from sham-operated (nonballooned) rabbits showed generally only a single endothelial cell layer that is characteristic of normal intima. Aortae that were harvested, balloon-damaged in vitro, and then cultured exhibited no neointimal growth. The neointima that developed in cultured segments from in vivo ballooned rabbits was primarily of smooth muscle cell origin as determined by positive immunostaining for alpha-smooth muscle actin. The intima:media thickness ratios were significantly higher in aortic segments from ballooned rabbits at harvest and after 4 or 7 d in culture compared with those from nonballooned rabbits. Also, the [3H]thymidine index was higher in the in vivo ballooned aorta compared to non-ballooned or in vitro ballooned vessel. We conclude that ballooning in vivo followed by exposure to blood-borne elements produces an enhanced proliferative response in cultured vessels that is distinct from other in vitro models of neointimal growth.     

HDL3-mediated inhibition of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding occurs via decreased production of phosphoinositide-derived second messengers 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate

We demonstrate that physiological concentrations of HDL3 inhibit the thrombin-induced platelet fibrinogen binding and aggregation in a time- and concentration-dependent fashion. The underlying mechanism includes HDL3-mediated inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bis-phosphate turnover, 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate formation, and intracellular calcium mobilization. The inhibitory effects of HDL3 on inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate formation and intracellular calcium mobilization were abolished after covalent modification of HDL3 with dimethylsuberimidate. Furthermore, they could be blocked by calphostin C and bis-indolylmaleimide, 2 highly selective and structurally unrelated protein kinase C inhibitors. However, the inhibitory effects of HDL3 were not blocked by H89, a protein kinase A inhibitor. In addition, HDL3 failed to induce cAMP formation but stimulated the phosphorylation of the protein kinase C 40- to 47-kD major protein substrate. We observed a close temporal relationship between the HDL3-mediated inhibition of thrombin-induced inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate formation, intracellular calcium mobilization, and fibrinogen binding and the phosphorylation of the protein kinase C 40- to 47-kD major protein substrate. Taken together, these findings indicate that the HDL3-mediated inhibition of thrombin-induced fibrinogen binding and aggregation occurs via inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bis-phosphate turnover and formation of 1,2-diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate. Protein kinase C may be involved in this process.