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Readdressing personal cooling with ice.

An ice-based system of personal, non-restrictive cooling of workers exposed to high temperature work environments in nuclear power plants was evaluated. The garments were designed to be worn under the protective clothing donned for penetration into radiation areas. The cooling system consisted of direct body contact with small packets of frozen water enclosed in the pockets of a shirt in high ambient temperatures (55 degrees C) and moderate metabolic heat production (200-300 kcal/hr). Mean exposure time without cooling (control) was 52 min for workloads demanding 200 kcal/hr energy expenditure. A long garment with 7.2 kg of frozen water (LFWG) increased mean exposure time over the control by 242% (163% for the same garment with 6.2 kg of frozen water). A short version garment with 3.8 kg of frozen water (SFWG) increased the stay time by 115%. In field observations, the LFWG with 6.2 kg of frozen water improved stay time by 125%. The leveling off of the body temperatures and heart rates during the work both in the laboratory and in the field confirmed a reduction of heat strain associated with the use of these garments. Calculated heat balance equations of heat uptake by the ice predicted these results very closely. It was concluded that direct body contact with frozen water provided predictable adequate body cooling for the work and ambient conditions investigated in this study.

Adult↗

Microtubules and the endoplasmic reticulum are highly interdependent structures.

The interrelationships of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), microtubules, and intermediate filaments were studied in the peripheral regions of thin, spread fibroblasts, epithelial, and vascular endothelial cells in culture. We combined a fluorescent dye staining technique to localize the ER with immunofluorescence to localize microtubules or intermediate filaments in the same cell. Microtubules and the ER are sparse in the lamellipodia, but intermediate filaments are usually completely absent. These relationships indicate that microtubules and the ER advance into the lamellipodia before intermediate filaments. We observed that microtubules and tubules of the ER have nearly identical distributions in lamellipodia, where new extensions of both are taking place. We perturbed microtubules by nocodazole, cold temperature, or hypotonic shock, and observed the effects on the ER distribution. On the basis of our observations in untreated cells and our experiments with microtubule perturbation, we conclude that microtubules and the ER are highly interdependent in two ways: (a) polymerization of individual microtubules and extension of individual ER tubules occur together at the level of resolution of the fluorescence microscope, and (b) depolymerization of microtubules does not disrupt the ER network in the short term (15 min), but prolonged absence of microtubules (2 h) leads to a slow retraction of the ER network towards the cell center, indicating that over longer periods of time, the extended state of the entire ER network requires the microtubule system.

Animals↗

Tubulin and calmodulin. Effects of microtubule and microfilament inhibitors on localization in the mitotic apparatus.

Indirect immunofluorescence was used to determine the distribution of calmodulin in the mitotic apparatus of rat kangaroo PtK2 and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The distribution of calmodulin in PtK2 cells was compared to the distribution of tubulin, also as revealed by indirect immunofluorescence. During mitosis, calmodulin was found to be a dynamic component of the mitotic apparatus. Calmodulin first appeared in association with the forming mitotic apparatus during midprophase. In metaphase and anaphase, calmodulin was found between the spindle poles and the chromosomes. While tubulin was found in the interzonal region throughout anaphase, calmodulin appeared in the interzone region only at late anaphase. The interzonal calmodulin of late anaphase condensed during telophase into two small regions, one on each side of the midbody. Calmodulin was not detected in the cleavage furrow. In view of the differences in the localization of calmodulin, tubulin, and actin in the mitotic apparatus, experiments were designed to determine the effects of various antimitotic drugs on calmodulin localization. Cytochalasin B, an inhibitor of actin microfilaments, had no apparent effect on calmodulin or tubulin localization in the mitotic apparatus of CHO cells. Microtubule inhibitors, such as colcemid and N2O, altered the appearance of tubulin- and calmodulin-specific fluorescence in mitotic CHO cells. Cold temperature (0 degrees C) altered tubulin-specific fluorescence of metaphase PtK2 cells but did not alter calmodulin-specific fluorescence. From these studies, it is concluded that calmodulin is more closely associated with the kinetichore-to-pole microtubules than other components of the mitotic apparatus.

Animals↗

Multiple forms of tubulin in the cytoskeletal and flagellar microtubules of Polytomella.

The alga polytomella contains several organelles composed of microtubules, including four flagella and hundreds of cytoskeletal microtubules. Brown and co-workers have shown (1976. J. Cell Biol. 69:6-125; 1978, Exp. Cell Res. 117: 313-324) that the flagella could be removed and the cytoskeletans dissociated, and that both structures could partially regenerate in the absence of protein synthesis. Because of this, and because both the flagella and the cytoskeletons can be isolated intact, this organism is particularly suitable for studying tubulin heterogeneity and the incorporation of specific tubulins into different microtubule-containing organelles in the same cell. In order to define the different species of tubulin in polytonella cytoplasm, a (35)S- labeled cytoplasmic fraction was subjected to two cycles of assembly and disassembly in the presence of unlabeled brain tubulin. Comparison of the labeled polytomella cytoplasmic tubulin obtained by this procedure with the tubulin of isolated polytomella flagella by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that, whereas the beta-tubulin from both cytoplasmic and flagellar tubulin samples comigrated, the two alpha-tubulins had distinctly different isoelectic points. As a second method of isolating tubulin from the cytoplasm, cells were gently lysed with detergent and intact cytoskeletons obtained. When these cytoskeletons were exposed to cold temperature, the proteins that were released were found to be highly enriched in tubulin; this tubulin, by itself, could be assembled into microtubules in vitro. The predominant alpha-tubulin of this in vitro- assembled cytoskeletal tubulin corresponded to the major cytoplasmic alpha-tubulin obtained by coassembly of labeled polytomella cytoplasmic extract with brain tubulin and was quite distinct from the alpha-tubulin of purified flagella. These results clearly show that two different microtubule-containing organelles from the same cell are composed of distinct tubulins.

Cytoplasm↗

Use and effectiveness of hypothermia blankets for febrile patients in the intensive care unit.

We performed a prospective observational (noninterventional) study of hypothermia blanket use in a population of adult intensive care unit patients with body temperatures of > or = 102.5 degrees F. Thirty-nine of ninety-four febrile episodes (in 83 patients) were treated with hypothermia blankets. Logistic regression revealed that the strongest independent predictors of hypothermia blanket use were a temperature of > or = 103.5 degrees F (odds ratio [OR] = 17), mechanical ventilation (OR = 25), and acute central nervous system illness (OR = 7.5). Hospitalization in the medical intensive care unit was strongly associated with avoidance of this therapy (OR = 0.023). Treatment with a hypothermia blanket was ordered by a physician in only 15% of cases. The mean cooling rate was the same (0.028 degree F/h) for blanket-treated and control patients. Multivariate Cox regression and factorial and repeated measures of analysis of variance revealed that blanket treatment was not more effective than other cooling methods. However, this treatment was associated with more "zigzag" temperature fluctuations of > or = 3 degrees F (56% of blanket-treated patients vs. 18% of control patients; P < .001) and rebound hypothermia (18% vs. 0; P = .001). Hypothermia blanket therapy is primarily a nursing decision. We conclude that in addition to being no more effective than other cooling measures, hypothermia blanket therapy was associated with more temperature fluctuations and with more episodes of rebound hypothermia.

Adult↗

Selective cooling of biological tissues: application for thermally mediated therapeutic procedures.

The ability to control the degree and spatial distribution of cooling in biological tissues during a thermally mediated therapeutic procedure would be useful for several biomedical applications of lasers. We present a theory based on the solution of the heat conduction equation that demonstrates the feasibility of selectively cooling biological tissues. Model predictions are compared with infrared thermal measurements of in vivo human skin in response to cooling by a cryogen spurt. The presence of a boundary layer, undergoing a liquid-vapour phase transition, is associated with a relatively large thermal convection coefficient (approximately 40 kW m-2 K-1), which gives rise to the observed surface temperature reductions (30-40 degrees C). The degree and the spatial-temporal distribution of cooling are shown to be directly related to the cryogen spurt duration.

Body Temperature↗

Modelling of temperature and perfusion during scalp cooling.

Hair loss is a feared side effect of chemotherapy treatment. It may be prevented by cooling the scalp during administration of cytostatics. The supposed mechanism is that by cooling the scalp, both temperature and perfusion are diminished, affecting drug supply and drug uptake in the hair follicle. However, the effect of scalp cooling varies strongly. To gain more insight into the effect of cooling, a computer model has been developed that describes heat transfer in the human head during scalp cooling. Of main interest in this study are the mutual influences of scalp temperature and perfusion during cooling. Results of the standard head model show that the temperature of the scalp skin is reduced from 34.4 degrees C to 18.3 degrees C, reducing tissue blood flow to 25%. Based upon variations in both thermal properties and head anatomies found in the literature, a parameter study was performed. The results of this parameter study show that the most important parameters affecting both temperature and perfusion are the perfusion coefficient Q10 and the thermal resistances of both the fat and the hair layer. The variations in the parameter study led to skin temperature ranging from 10.1 degrees C to 21.8 degrees C, which in turn reduced relative perfusion to 13% and 33%, respectively.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

The effect of various cell separation procedures on assays of neutrophil function. A critical appraisal.

Neutrophils are considered fragile cells, easily damaged by improper handling. Assays of neutrophil function frequently require preliminary isolation procedures that may be potentially harmful. The authors did an extensive investigation of the effects of currently used isolation procedures on a broad spectrum of functional assays that included: 1) phagocytosis; 2) bacterial killing by a culture technique and tritiated thymidine labeling; 3) candidacidal activity by methylene blue dye exclusion and differential Giemsa staining; 4) quantitative unstimulated and histochemical stimulated nitroblue tetrazolium dye reduction; 5) chemiluminescence; 6) random locomotion; and 7) chemotaxis by the agarose method. In addition, cells were examined morphologically by electron microscopy, and the granule density was quantitated by morphometric analysis. Isolation techniques included erythrocyte sedimentation, hypotonic lysis, gradient density separation using Ficoll-Hypaque, and counterflow centrifugal elutriation. The purest neutrophil suspensions were obtained by density gradient separation and counterflow centrifugal elutriation with mean neutrophil percentages of greater than or equal to 94%. Regardless of the isolation procedure, neutrophils were similar in all groups (P greater than .05) in the following studies: phagocytosis, nitroblue tetrazolium dye reduction, bacterial killing, candidal killing, inhibition of candidal germ tube formation, and cytoplasmic granulation. Differences were noted in assays of neutrophil migration and chemiluminescence. Neutrophil suspensions isolated by counterflow centrifugal elutriation and Ficoll-Hypaque had the highest scores for random migration and chemotaxis. These differences can be related to the purity of the neutrophil suspension rather than the harmful effects of the isolation procedures. Erythrocyte contamination affected both the slope and the time to peak response in the chemiluminescence assay. Exposure of neutrophils to cold temperatures (0-4 degrees C) for 1.5 hours impaired both random locomotion and chemotaxis. Current recommendations for the storage, transport, and preparation of leukocytes for neutrophil function studies need to be reassessed.

Blood Bactericidal Activity↗

Influence of an anti-oxidant on the formation of allergenic compounds during auto-oxidation of d-limonene.

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a common anti-oxidant, was added to different samples of d-limonene. The decrease in concentration of d-limonene and the formation of oxidation products were compared between the samples and with samples without anti-oxidant using gas chromatography. The aim of the study was to investigate how long d-limonene to which BHT was added could be handled when air-exposed at room temperature, without formation of oxidation products which according to previous studies increase the risk of skin sensitization. In experiments trying to mimic the handling of limonene products at workplaces the addition of BHT prevented auto-oxidation for periods depending on the purity of the products and on the room temperature. Cold and dark storage of d-limonene in closed vessels prevented auto-oxidation for 1 year without addition of anti-oxidant.

Air Pollutants↗

Early blooming's challenges: extended flowering season, diverse pollinator assemblage and the reproductive success of Gynodioecious Daphne laureola.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The scarcity and unpredictability of active pollinators during late winter in temperate areas tends to favour extended flowering seasons and increased floral longevity in early blooming species, which are usually pollinated by diverse sets of insects. Daphne laureola is a gynodioecious woody perennial that flowers from January to April in southern Spain, a period characterized by cold temperatures, frequent rains and irregular snowfalls. METHODS: Pollinators were excluded at four different times during the flowering season in order to determine the effect of decreased exposure to pollinators on fruit set in female and hermaphrodite individuals. The role of nocturnal and diurnal pollination on reproductive success in each gender was simultaneously evaluated by selective exclusion. KEY RESULTS: A 50 % reduction in the flowering period decreased fruit set of females by 50 %, whereas the corresponding decrease in self-compatible hermaphrodites was only approx. 25 %. Day-active hymenopterans and lepidopterans were infrequent visitors, and nocturnal pollinators were inefficient, suggesting that pollen beetles, Meligethes elongatus, were the main pollinators of D. laureola in the study region. CONCLUSIONS: Beetles were less abundant in pollenless females, although discrimination did not apparently result in pollination limitation of female reproduction. A preference of beetles for sunny locations emphasized the relevance of abiotic conditions for pollination of this early blooming shrub.

Animals↗

Potential application of shape memory plastic as elastic material in clinical orthodontics.

Polynorbornen, a shape memory plastic developed in Japan, has a glass transitional point of 35 degrees C. Once the environmental temperature exceeds the critical point, this plastic will begin to display an elastic property, then return to its original shape, if deformed. We examined whether the force generated during the elastic phase of polynorbornen could be used to displace human teeth. We found that the shape memory plastic wire of 1 mm in diameter stretched to two to three times of its original length at a temperature of 50 degrees C and a speed of 0.5 mm/sec would exert a relatively stable continuous light force of 119-156 g to move the teeth. This new material, compared with conventional elastic modules used in orthodontic therapy, exhibited a lesser degree of force degradation at a body temperature of 37 degrees C for a long period, and can be manufactured to near the tooth colour required. These advantages make feasible clinical application of the shape memory plastic in orthodontics.

Body Temperature↗

Blood to the cornual area of the uterus is mainly supplied from the ovarian artery in the follicular phase and from the uterine artery in the luteal phase.

BACKGROUND: The blood supply to the uterus is provided by the uterine and ovarian arteries, which form anastomoses. Yet the flow direction through this anastomoses and the primary source of blood supply to the tubes and uterine cornua remains unknown. To clarify this issue, we studied the spatial propagation of temperature changes following cooling of the upper vaginal area. METHODS: A thermocatheter with eight measurement points at 5-mm intervals was inserted into the uterus of nine women in the follicular phase and 11 in the luteal phase. The distal tip was positioned in the cornual area and temperatures were registered every 2 s. The vagina was then cooled for 7 min with 25 degrees C saline. RESULTS: The pattern of uterine cooling based on local counter-current transfer differed between the follicular and luteal phase. Cooling of the cornual area was significantly lower in the luteal phase compared with the follicular phase, indicating a shift in the prevailing source of arterial supply in that area following ovulation. CONCLUSIONS: The divide between the territories irrigated by the uterine and ovarian arteries moves between the follicular and luteal phase. This constitutes the first description of a functionally determined shift in the territorial divide of two vascular systems, and has numerous practical implications.

Adult↗

Sample handling and storage for the quantitative analysis of volatile compounds in blood: the determination of toluene by headspace gas chromatography.

The problems associated with the handling and storage of blood samples for the analysis of toluene in toxicological casework using headspace gas chromatography have been investigated. Significant losses of toluene and the internal standard, ethylbenzene, from solution may be observed during handling. Toluene may be lost into the headspace above the blood in a storage container while such headspaces can also be detrimental, leading to the formation of n-hexanal, a possible interference with the assay. Large differences in the stability of toluene were seen for blood samples in different types of storage container. Storage containers in which the sample was only in contact with glass, teflon, or aluminum foil were most satisfactory. It is recommended that blood samples should be stored in appropriate containers with minimum headspace under cold conditions (4 degrees C). Transfers of blood should also be made at cold temperatures. The applicability of these guidelines to the analysis of other volatile compounds is discussed.

Blood Preservation↗

A fission yeast gene (prr1(+)) that encodes a response regulator implicated in oxidative stress response.

An inspection of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome database revealed that this eukaryotic microorganism possesses a gene that may encode a bacterial type of histidine-to-aspartate (His-Asp) phosphorelay component, namely, a response regulator. The predicted gene, named prr1(+) (S. pombe response regulator), encodes a protein that contains a typical phospho-accepting receiver domain, preceded by a mammalian heat shock factor (HSF)-like DNA-binding domain. Inactivation of this prr1(+) gene resulted in mutant cells defective in some aspects of stress responses, including sensitivity to oxidative stress, cold-temperature, and heavy metal toxicity. It was also demonstrated that Prr1 is required for the transcription of some genes (e.g., trr1(+), ctt1(+)), which are induced by oxidative stress. These results suggest that a His-Asp phosphorelay system may be involved in a stress-activated signaling pathway in S. pombe.

Aspartic Acid↗

Characterization of delta 9 acyl-lipid desaturase homologues from Arabidopsis thaliana.

Two cDNAs, ADS1 and ADS2, were isolated from Arabidopsis. These cDNAs encoded proteins homologous to delta 9 acyl-lipid desaturases of cyanobacteria and acyl-CoA desaturases of yeast and mammals. The expression of ADS1 and ADS2 was organ-dependent. Cold temperature up-regulated the ADS2 expression, whereas it down-regulated the ADS1 expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗