Effect of human neutrophil elastase on tracheal mucociliary transport in anesthetized quails

The main principles of radiation therapy as well as the role of ratio Integral Dose/Total Dose in radiation treatment of malignant tumors in children are considered. Indications for radiation therapy of nephroblastomas and peculiarities of radiation treatment of haemangiomas are described. Expedience is proved of radiation of only the liver part affected by neuroblastoma. Tactics of radiation therapy of eosinophilic granuloma of bones in analyzed. Possibility of conservative therapy including radiation component in treatment of retinoblastoma in children is discussed.     

The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individualism

Political participation essentially describes opportunities of private citizens to affect the decision-making processes within different spheres of social life. From the citizens' perspective, the demand for greater political participation is usually related to the expectation of being able to influence the decisions taken by the government or the administrative systems more effectively ( Fuchs, GuidoRossi, & Svensson, 1998 , p. 324). Recently, this idea also became applifable to the new digital, interactive practices which have formed on the basis of the new computer or electronic networks. The realization of participatory potentials of new computer technologies is often presented and expected in the "images of electronic democracy" as a more direct democratic model ( Barber, 1984 ; Budge, 1996 ; Grossman, 1995 ). In general, the more direct forms of democracy presuppose that a) computer technology is easy to use, accessible to all and interactive; b) that the usage of technology enriches a "good citizen" and that c) with the help of technology more active involvement in the decision-making process develops. This paper seeks to explain the main obstacles which discourage Internet users from more direct involvement in political life and to explore the possibilities for the revitalization of more interactive, more open political engagement. Computer-mediated communication is an excellent starting point for expanding and strengthening participation in political processes, but the solution is not in technology, as the reason for mostly negative answers to such dilemmas are not questions of "technological inadequacy". The problems and obstacles lie primarily in the politics that stimulate the use of technological potentials.     

Agonist-induced desensitization of adenylyl cyclase activity mediated by 5-hydroxytryptamine7 receptors in rat frontocortical astrocytes

A reward-relevant relationship between dopamine projection regions of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was investigated through the use of brain stimulation reward (BSR) thresholds. Using a rate-free method, changes in VTA BSR thresholds were determined after intracranial injections of the dopamine D1 antagonist, SCH 23390 into the prefrontal cortex (PFC), or the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Reward thresholds assessed immediately after the infusion of SCH 23390 into the NAcc (0.5 microgram/0.5 microliter/side) were significantly higher than those assessed just after saline infusions, indicating a drug-induced attenuation of the rewarding effects of the brain stimulation. The effects of this dose subsided when tested 24 h later. Conversely, intra-PFC infusions of SCH 23390 at the same dose (0.5 microgram/0.5 microliter/side) resulted in lowered BSR thresholds when rats were tested immediately after infusion. In addition, animals tested 24 h after receiving the lowest dose (0.125 microgram/0.5 microliter/side) demonstrated a robust delayed threshold-lowering effect. These immediate and delayed effects of the intra-PFC dopamine antagonist demonstrate a facilitation of VTA BSR and are consistent with the view that PFC dopamine serves a modulatory role over important reward elements within the NAcc. The deferred effects of intra-prefrontal cortex DA receptor blockade on brain stimulation reward thresholds may reflect adaptive responses of subcortical structures to changes in PFC dopamine neurotransmission. It has been suggested that neural adjustments of this type may underlie long term changes in central nervous system functioning brought about by disease, drug use or behavioral conditioning.     

Etiological mechanism and treatment of Guillain-Barre syndrome-- Campylobacter jejuni enteritis and the development of anti-ganglioside antibody preceding the syndrome

An ulnar dislocation of the trapeziometacarpal joint is reported. On the posteroanterior radiograph of the wrist, the boney alignment appeared normal, and the only sign indicating a dislocation was a slight widening of the joint. By contrast, a true posteroanterior view of the trapezium clearly demonstrated the metacarpal ulnarly displaced. A late tendon reconstruction of the damaged palmar and medial ligaments produced a satisfactory result.     

Advanced glycation endproducts stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase and proliferation in rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells

Two patients with plasma cell leukemia (PCL) with a t(11;14)(q13;q32) translocation are reported. Case 1 is a 64-year-old woman diagnosed as having primary PCL (IgA/lambda, Stage III) with high serum LDH and beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2MG) levels. She was treated with combination chemotherapy but died of gastrointestinal bleeding on the 45th hospital day. Case 2 is a 52-year-old man, initially diagnosed with multiple myeloma (IgG/kappa, Stage III) in August 1993. Relapse several months after primary chemotherapy was characterized by a rapid increase in plasma cells in peripheral blood, high serum LDH and beta 2MG levels, and resistance to further chemotherapy. Both cases showed complex karyotypic abnormalities including t(11;14), and Northern analysis revealed overexpression of the PRAD1/ cyclin D1 gene. The PRAD1 gene is found on chromosome band 11q13 and encodes cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 plays an important role in control of the cell cycle, and overexpression of PRAD1/cyclin D1 may be involved in disease progression in these cases.     

Elevated levels of cytokeratin 19 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with chronic airway inflammatory diseases--a specific marker for bronchial epithelial injury

Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) is a specific cytoskeletal structure of simple epithelia, including bronchial epithelial cells (BEC). Since CK19 is released from injured bronchial epithelium, we investigated the levels of CK19 fragments in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of eight patients with chronic airway inflammatory diseases (CAID) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Included in our test group were four cases of chronic bronchitis, three cases of bronchiectasis, and one case of diffuse panbronchiolitis. There were also 15 control subjects (five asymptomatic smokers and 10 nonsmokers). BALF from the nonsmokers as well as from the asymptomatic smokers contained few CK19 fragments (0.2 +/- 0.2 and 1.9 +/- 0.8 pg/ml, respectively). In contrast, significantly high levels of CK19 were present in the BALF of patients with CAID (21.7 +/- 5.7 pg/ml; p < 0.01 versus nonsmoking controls). In addition, CK19 fragment concentrations in BALF correlated significantly with the number of neutrophils (r = 0.722, p < 0.01) but not with the numbers of macrophages or lymphocytes in BALF. BALF from patients with CAID contained high levels of neutrophil elastase (NE) activity, suggesting that NE might be an important stimulus for the release of CK19 from BEC. To prove this, we incubated BET-1A cells, a human immortalized bronchial epithelial cell line, both in the absence and the presence of inflammatory mediators (including NE, tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], and hydrogen peroxide). We then measured the concentration of CK19 fragments in the culture supernatants with ELISA. BET-1A cells released CK19 fragments into their culture supernatants after treatment with NE but not after treatment with TNF or hydrogen peroxide. Further, we demonstrated that CK19 cleaved by NE could not be detected by ELISA. Our results suggest that CK19 measurement in BALF is useful for assessing the presence of bronchial epithelial injuries.     

Transparent conducting ZnO thin films deposited by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

A high rate deposition of co-doped ZnO:Ga,F and ZnO-In₂O₃ multicomponent oxide thin films on large area substrates has been attained by a vacuum arc plasma evaporation method using oxide fragments as a low-cost source material. Highly transparent and conductive ZnO:Ga,F and ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films were prepared on low temperature substrates at a deposition rate of approximately 375 nm/min with a cathode plasma power of 10 kW. A resistivity of 4.5×10⁻⁴ Ω cm was obtained in ZnO:Ga,F films deposited at 100 °C using ZnO fragments co-doped with 1 wt.% ZnF₂ and 1 wt.% Ga₂O₃ as the source material. In addition, the stability in acid solution of ZnO films was improved by co-doping. It was found that the Zn/(In+Zn) atomic ratio in the deposited ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films was approximately the same as that in the fragments used. The ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films with a Zn/(In+Zn) atomic ratio of approximately 10-30 at.% deposited on substrates at 100 °C exhibited an amorphous and smooth surface as well as a low resistivity of 3-4×10⁻⁴ Ω cm.