The role of selectins in Drosophila eye and bristle development

Mutations in the furrowed (fw) gene of Drosophila result in defects in the development of the eye and mechanosensory bristles. The eyes are reduced in size, have furrows or crevices in the retina, and show a disturbed patterning of ommatidia. In addition, the ommatidia have an altered morphology and often contain abnormal numbers of cells. The bristles show altered structure and polarity, and are occasionally duplicated or missing. These results suggest that the product of thefw gene is involved in cell determination events within sensory organs. Thefw gene has been cloned and shown to encode a protein homologous to vertebrate selectins. Like selectins, Fw contains a lectin-binding domain, ten complement binding repeats, and a transmembrane domain. The Fw protein is expressed in the larval imaginal discs where it might mediate carbohydrate-protein interactions necessary for proper development of a subset of adult sensory organs.     

涤纶用色母料和功能母料

全球涤纶产量不断创下新的增长记录.2006年,全球涤纶产量超过2 700万t,占合成纤维总产量的67%.除了传统用途外,涤纶的应用领域在不断扩大,包括许多特殊应用领域,这就需要对纤维的性能加以提高和改造.除了色彩外,车用和户外纺织品、功能服装、运动装、袜子、医疗/卫生纺织品及许多其他纺织应用领域还需要防紫外线、抗菌、阻燃和防污等多种特殊功能.纳米材料所赋予的性能为涤纶开辟了新的应用领域.     

Managing complex orthodontic problems: the use of implants for anchorage

In congestive heart failure captopril modifies the left ventricular filling pattern mainly by unloading the heart. We investigated whether the structural characteristics of the left ventricle may influence the acute effects of captopril on this pattern in patients with untreated hypertensive (H group, 6 patients) or idiopathic (I group, 14 patients) cardiomyopathy. We evaluated changes of pulsed Doppler mitral flow, of systemic arterial and wedge pulmonary pressures 40 min after 25 mg captopril administered sublingually, and correlated these changes with the M-mode echocardiographic relative wall thickness index (h/r). Baseline mean arterial pressure (H = 137 +/- 20 mm Hg, mean +/- SD, I = 95 +/- 19 mm Hg; p < 0.001), and h/r (H = 0.38 +/- 0.03, I = 0.28 +/- 0.09; p < 0.05) were greater in the high blood pressure group; wedge pressure, echocardiographic biplane ejection fraction, and Doppler indexes of the left ventricular filling were similar in the two populations. After captopril, ejection fraction did not change significantly, mean arterial pressure decreased significantly in hypertensive patients (H group, baseline = 137 +/- 20, captopril = 119 +/- 10, p = 0.02; I group, baseline = 95 +/- 19, captopril = 90 +/- 24, p = nonsignificant), and the wedge pressure was reduced by the same extent in both groups (H group, baseline = 27.7 +/- 3, captopril = 21 +/- 7, p < 0.05; I group, baseline = 20 +/- 12, captopril = 15 +/- 8, p < 0.05). In the H group early mitral flow increased [(E wave integral) x (mitral annulus area)] by 38 +/- 15%, and was almost steady in the I group (-1.3 +/- 30%; group H vs. I = p < 0.01); late mitral flow [(A wave integral) x (mitral annulus area)] showed a pattern exactly opposite to this (H = +0.4 +/- 40%, I = +38 +/- 19; p < 0.01). In the whole population there was a significant correlation between the early/late flow ratio variations and baseline h/r (r = 0.6, p < 0.05). In chronic congestive heart failure, changes in left ventricular filling with captopril are related to h/r: a higher index, as recorded in the H group, is associated with "true normalization' of the filling pattern after captopril; a lower index, as recorded in the I group, is associated with "pseudonormalization' despite a similar decrease of left ventricular filling pressure.     

The concept of synergism in radiobiology]

We have demonstrated previously that pemphigus vulgaris (PV)-IgG induces activation of phospholipase C (PLC), production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, and a rapid transient increase in [Ca2+]i in cultured human keratinocytes, leading to secretion of plasminogen activator and cell-cell detachment in cell culture. In the current study, to examine the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in the mechanism of blister formation in PV, we studied the PV-IgG-induced translocation of PKC isozymes from the cytosol to the particulate/cytoskeleton (p/c) fractions and the activation of PKC in human keratinocytes. Cells cultured in Eagle's minimum essential medium were incubated with PV-IgGs for 30 s, 1 min, 5 min, or 30 min. PV-IgG binding to the cell surface antigen (desmoglein III) induced translocation of PKC-alpha from the cytosol to the p/c fractions within 30 s, with a peak at 1 min that lasted at least 30 min. PKC-delta also was translocated within 1 min and reached a peak at 5 min but was reduced to basal levels at 30 min. Alternatively, PKC-eta translocation to the p/c fraction was induced slowly, taking more than 5 min, and was reduced to approximately half-maximum at 30 min, whereas PKC-zeta translocation reached a maximum at 30 s, rapidly returning to baseline by 5 min after PV-IgG stimulation. The total PKC activity in the p/c fraction also was increased after PV-IgG exposure, peaked at 1 min, and was sustained for at least 30 min. These findings suggest that a unique activation profile of PKC isomers may be involved in mediating the intracellular signaling events induced by PV-IgG binding to desmoglein III in cultured human keratinocytes.     

A strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for testing environmental mutagens based on interaction of the mutations rad2 and him1

The interaction between mutations at the RAD2 and HIM1 genes was studied. The RAD2 gene encodes endonuclease involved in nucleotide excision repair. Mutants at this gene are highly sensitive to the lethal effect of a variety of mutagens. The product of the HIM1 gene is needed for correction of mismatched bases and repair of premutational DNA damage. Mutations in this gene lead to the formation of the mutator phenotype and high sensitivity to induced mutagenesis. The double rad2 him1 mutant manifested the synergic type of interaction. The level of UV-induced mutagenesis in the double mutant was five times higher than in single mutants, and the absolute yield of forward mutations in five genes controlling adenine biosynthesis was 1 to 2%. UV-induced mutagenesis was increased, at low doses, by several orders of magnitude in the double mutant, compared to the wild-type strain. The high level of mutagenesis in this mutant was caused by ethyl and methyl methanesulfonate. These properties of the stock with the double rad2 him1 mutation makes it promising as a tester in analysis of the gene toxicity of different substances.     

The dynamic clinical manifestations of ischemic heart disease during the rehabilitation at a low-altitude health resort of patients who have undergone surgical myocardial revascularization

Left ventricular myocardial contractility was found essential in dynamics of clinical IHD picture in patients on rehabilitation treatment at low mountain resorts. All the patients have previously undergone surgical myocardial revascularization. Patients with normal left ventricular myocardial contractility benefited most of all.