Leptin levels do not change acutely with food administration in normal or obese subjects, but are negatively correlated with pituitary-adrenal activity

Modern liver surgery is based upon deep knowledge of the surgical anatomy of the liver and improvements with ultrasounds imaging techniques have provided multidimensional interpretations of the liver anatomy intraoperatively. The technical advances with real-time scanning combined with the pioneering efforts of the Japanese liver surgeons have permitted the dynamic adaptation of the functional liver anatomy to the real anatomy, thus intimately aiding in segment oriented anatomical resection. Intraoperative ultrasound afford several advantages such as viewing the internal anatomy in direct relationship to the surface landmarks under the probe, enabling higher frequencies resulting in greater image resolution. The utilization of intraoperative ultrasound can modify the tactics involved with resection of both primary and metastatic liver tumours. The routine use of intraoperative ultrasound is strongly advocated since more complex procedures can be performed safely since the surgeon proceeds with complete knowledge of the real liver anatomy when deciding the feasibility and extent of liver resection.     

UTD multiple-edge transition zone diffraction

The uniform theory of diffraction (UTD) is applied to multiple absorbing screens, which are in the transition zones near shadow boundaries. The theory includes the application of slope diffraction, which is a first-order effect in transition zone diffraction. By choosing length parameters independently for amplitude and slope diffraction, it is ensured that the solution has continuity of amplitude and slope at each point. The solution is compared with known solutions with good results except when two screens are very near each other. The study is of particular interest to radio propagation over terrain in mobile radio systems     

Estrogenic personal care products in a greywater reuse system.

The occurrence and fate of parabens in a greywater system was assessed. The potential for removal of residual paraben concentrations in effluent greywater with chlorine dioxide was also investigated. The influent to the greywater plant was characterised by considerable variation, with concentrations from below the detection limit to 40 microg/L and the five commonly used parabens in consumer products were frequently detected. After the biological treatment only two paraben were detected with concentration from 65-120 ng/L. Chlorine dioxide treatment of the biologically treated effluent with dosages down to 0.75 mg/L resulted in more than 97% reduction of all parabens. Formation of the by-product chloroform was insignificant from the chlorine dioxide treatment.     

In vitro studies on the use of clay, clay minerals and charcoal to adsorb bovine rotavirus and bovine coronavirus

Rotaviruses are the leading cause and coronaviruses are the major contributors of acute gastroenteritis in the young of various mammalian and avian species. Despite numerous trials and decades of research, vaccines have limited efficacy particularly for calves. As an alternative method of controlling infection, we have investigated broad spectrum antiviral agents that are not discriminatory among various viruses. This report involves testing a variety of adsorbent agents including charcoal, clay, and clay minerals to adsorb rotavirus and coronavirus in vitro. Results revealed that all the adsorbent agents had good to excellent capability of adsorbing rotavirus and excellent capability of adsorbing coronavirus. Percent adsorptions ranged from 78.74% to 99.89% for rotavirus and 99.99% for coronavirus; while sand (negative control) was < 0.01%. A high affinity binding was present as determined by a low percent desorption (0.06-3.09%). However, the adsorbent bound virus complex retained, and may have actually enhanced, infectivity.     

Regulated production of type I collagen and inflammatory cytokines by peripheral blood fibrocytes

We recently described a novel population of blood-borne cells, termed fibrocytes, that display a distinct cell surface phenotype (collagen+/CD13+/CD34+/CD45+), rapidly enter sites of tissue injury, and contribute to scar formation. To further characterize the role of these cells in vivo, we examined the expression of type I collagen and cytokine mRNAs by cells isolated from wound chambers implanted into mice. Five days after chamber implantation, CD34+ fibrocytes but not CD14+ monocytes or CD90+ T cells expressed mRNA for type I collagen. Fibrocytes purified from wound chambers also were found to express mRNA for IL-1beta, IL-10, TNF-alpha, JE/MCP, MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, MIP-2, PDGF-A, TGF-beta1, and M-CSF. The addition of IL-1beta (1-100 ng/ml), a critical mediator in wound healing, to fibrocytes isolated from human peripheral blood induced the secretion of chemokines (MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, MCP-1, IL-8, and GRO alpha), hemopoietic growth factors (IL-6, IL-10, and macrophage-CSF), and the fibrogenic cytokine TNF-alpha. By contrast, IL-1beta decreased the constitutive secretion of type I collagen as measured by ELISA. Additional evidence for a role for fibrocytes in collagen production in vivo was obtained in studies of livers obtained from Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice. Mouse fibrocytes localized to areas of granuloma formation and connective matrix deposition. We conclude that fibrocytes are an important source of cytokines and type I collagen during both the inflammatory and the repair phase of the wound healing response. Furthermore, IL-1beta may act on fibrocytes to effect a phenotypic transition between a repair/remodeling and a proinflammatory mode.     

Characterization of mutated transforming growth factor-beta s which possess unique biological properties

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a potent regulator of cell growth and differentiation. On the basis of the crystal structure of TGF-beta 2, we have designed and synthesized two mutant TGF-beta s, TGF-beta 1 (71 Trp) and TGF-beta 1 (delta 69-73). Although both of these molecules inhibited the growth of Mv1Lu mink lung epithelial cells and LS1034 colorectal cancer cells, which are affected equally by TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2, TGF-beta 1 (delta 69-73) was much less potent than TGF-beta 1 or TGF-beta 1 (71 Trp) at inhibiting the growth of LS513 colorectal cancer cells which are growth-inhibited by TGF-beta 1 but not TGF-beta 2. Both TGF-beta 1 (71 Trp) and TGF-beta 1 (delta 69-73) increased levels of mRNAs for fibronectin and plasminogen activator inhibitor with Mv1Lu cells, whereas only TGF-beta 1 (71 Trp) and not TGF-beta 1 (delta 69-73) up-regulated the mRNA level of carcinoembryonic antigen in LS513 cells. The expression level of carcinoembryonic antigen mRNA in LS1034 cells was not altered by either wild-type or mutant TGF-beta s. Receptor labeling experiments demonstrated that TGF-beta 1 (71 Trp) bound with high affinity to the cell-surface receptors of Mv1Lu, LS1034, and LS513 cells while TGF-beta 1 (delta 69-73) bound effectively to the receptors of Mv1Lu and LS1034 cells but much less to the receptors on LS513 cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ultrastructural co-localization of calmodulin and B-50/growth-associated protein-43 at the plasma membrane of proximal unmyelinated axon shafts studied in the model of the regenerating rat sciatic nerve

Calmodulin and de-phosphorylated B-50/growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) have been shown to bind in vitro in a molecular complex, but evidence for an in situ association in the nervous system does not exist. Previously, we have reported that, in the model of the regenerating rat sciatic nerve, the B-50/GAP-43 immunoreactivity is increased and concentrated at the axolemma of unmyelinated axons located proximal to the site of injury and axon outgrowth. To explore a putative function of B-50/GAP-43, namely, the capacity of binding calmodulin to the plasma membrane, we examined the ultrastructural distribution of calmodulin in the proximal unmyelinated axon shafts of this model, using double immunolabelling and detection by fluorescent or gold probes conjugated to second antibodies. Immunofluorescence showed that seven days post-sciatic nerve crush the calmodulin immunoreactivity, similar to B-50/GAP-43 immunoreactivity, was intense in unmyelinated axon shafts located proximal to the site of injury of the regenerating nerve. Ultrastructurally, calmodulin was located at the axolemma of these regenerating unmyelinated axon shafts and inside the axoplasm, where it was associated with vesicles and microtubules. The plasma membrane labelling (approximately 69%) was significantly higher than the axoplasmic labelling. Over 60% of the plasma membrane-associated calmodulin co-localized with B-50/GAP-43 in a non-random distribution. Since normally calmodulin is largely present in the cytoplasm, these data suggest that calmodulin has been concentrated at the plasma membrane of unmyelinated axons, most probably by B-50/GAP-43. If the concentrating effect is due to B-50/GAP-43, then there is a possibility that these proteins may be present as a molecular complex in situ. The physiological significance could be that this association regulates the local availability of both B-50/GAP-43 and calmodulin for other interactions.