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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Migration of lymphocytes on fibronectin-coated surfaces: temporal evolution of migratory parameters.

Lymphocytes typically interact with implanted biomaterials through adsorbed exogenous proteins. To provide a more complete characterization of these interactions, analysis of lymphocyte migration on adsorbed extracellular matrix proteins must accompany the commonly performed adhesion studies. We report here a comparison of the migratory and adhesion behavior of Jurkat cells (a T lymphoblastoid cell line) on tissue culture treated and untreated polystyrene surfaces coated with various concentrations of fibronectin. The average speed of cell locomotion showed a biphasic response to substrate adhesiveness for cells migrating on untreated polystyrene and a monotonic decrease for cells migrating on tissue culture-treated polystyrene. A modified approach to the persistent random walk model was implemented to determine the time dependence of cell migration parameters. The random motility coefficient showed significant increases with time when cells migrated on tissue culture-treated polystyrene surfaces, while it remained relatively constant for experiments with untreated polystyrene plates. Finally, a cell migration computer model was developed to verify our modified persistent random walk analysis. Simulation results suggest that our experimental data were consistent with temporally increasing random motility coefficients.

Adsorption↗

Is the spatial distribution of brain lesions associated with closed-head injury predictive of subsequent development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Analysis with brain-image database.

PURPOSE: To determine whether there is an association between the spatial distribution of lesions detected at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain in children after closed-head injury and the development of secondary attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data obtained from 76 children without prior history of ADHD were analyzed. MR images were obtained 3 months after closed-head injury. After manual delineation of lesions, images were registered to the Talairach coordinate system. For each subject, registered images and secondary ADHD status were integrated into a brain-image database, which contains depiction (visualization) and statistical analysis software. Using this database, we assessed visually the spatial distributions of lesions and performed statistical analysis of image and clinical variables. RESULTS: Of the 76 children, 15 developed secondary ADHD. Depiction of the data suggested that children who developed secondary ADHD had more lesions in the right putamen than children who did not develop secondary ADHD; this impression was confirmed statistically. After Bonferroni correction, we could not demonstrate significant differences between secondary ADHD status and lesion burdens for the right caudate nucleus or the right globus pallidus. CONCLUSION: Closed-head injury-induced lesions in the right putamen in children are associated with subsequent development of secondary ADHD. Depiction software is useful in guiding statistical analysis of image data.

Adolescent↗

Effect of hexylene glycol-altered microtubule distributions on cytokinesis and polar lobe formation in fertilized eggs of Ilyanassa obsoleta.

Some effects of gravity on early morphogenesis are correlated with microtubule locations within cells. During first cleavage in Ilyanassa obsoleta embryos, a transitory polar lobe constriction forms and then relaxes, allowing the polar lobe to merge with one daughter cell. If the polar lobe is equally divided or removed, morphogenesis is severely disrupted. To examine microtuble locations during early Ilyanassa development, eggs were fixed and stained for polymerized alpha-tubulin during first cleavage. The mitotic apparatus assembles at the animal pole. The cleavage furrow forms between the asters, constricting to a stabilized intercellular bridge encircling midbody-bound microtubules, whereas the polar lobe constriction forms below and parallel to the spindle, constricting to a transitory intercellular bridge encircling no detectable microtubules. At metaphase an alpha-tubulin epitope is distributed throughout the spindle, whereas a beta-tubulin epitope is present predominantly in the asters. Incubation in hexylene glycol, a drug that increases microtubule polymerization, during mitosis causes the polar lobe constriction to tighten around polymerized alpha-tubulin and remain stably constricted. If hexylene glycol is removed, alpha-tubulin staining disappears from the polar lobe constriction, which relaxes, whereas microtubules remain in the cleavage furrow, which remains constricted. These observations suggest that asymmetric distribution of microtubules affects early Ilyanassa cleavage patterns, and that continued presence of microtubules extending through an intercellular bridge is important for stabilization of the bridge constriction prior to completion of cytokinesis. These data provide the basis for further analysis of the role of microtubules in possible microgravity disruptions of Ilyanassa development.

Animals↗

Pulmonary hypoxic vasoconstriction: how strong? How fast?

We have developed a minimally invasive technique for studying regional blood flow in conscious sheep, bypassing the complications of open-chest surgery, flow probes and tracer infusion. We quantitate regional perfusion continuously on the basis of regional clearance of methane (methane is produced in the sheep rumen, enters the circulation and is eliminated nearly completely (greater than 95%) in the lung). Tracheal intubation with a dual-lumen catheter isolates the gas exchange of the right apical lobe (RAL; less than 15% of the lung) from that of the remainder of the lung, which serves as a control (CL). We measure RAL and CL methane elimination by entraining expirates in constant flows, sampled continuously for methane. Results obtained with this technique and from regional oxygen uptake are in excellent agreement. We have found that hypoxic vasoconstriction is far more potent and stable during eucapnic hypoxia than during hypocapnic hypoxia. The time course of the vasoconstriction suggests that many of the data in the literature may have been obtained prior to steady state.

Analysis of Variance↗

Detection of chaotic determinism in time series from randomly forced maps.

Time series from biological system often display fluctuations in the measured variables. Much effort has been directed at determining whether this variability reflects deterministic chaos, or whether it is merely "noise". Despite this effort, it has been difficult to establish the presence of chaos in time series from biological sytems. The output from a biological system is probably the result of both its internal dynamics, and the input to the system from the surroundings. This implies that the system should be viewed as a mixed system with both stochastic and deterministic components. We present a method that appears to be useful in deciding whether determinism is present in a time series, and if this determinism has chaotic attributes, i.e., a positive characteristic exponent that leads to sensitivity to initial conditions. The method relies on fitting a nonlinear autoregressive model to the time series followed by an estimation of the characteristic exponents of the model over the observed probability distribution of states for the system. The method is tested by computer simulations, and applied to heart rate variability data.

Algorithms↗

An architecture for a brain-image database.

The widespread availability of methods for noninvasive assessment of brain structure has enabled researchers to investigate neuroimaging correlates of normal aging, cerebrovascular disease, and other processes; we designate such studies as image-based clinical trials (IBCTs). We propose an architecture for a brain-image database, which integrates image processing and statistical operators, and thus supports the implementation and analysis of IBCTs. The implementation of this architecture is described and results from the analysis of image and clinical data from two IBCTs are presented. We expect that systems such as this will play a central role in the management and analysis of complex research data sets.

Aged↗

Mechanosensitive channels in bacteria as membrane tension reporters.

The purpose of this short review is to discuss recent data on the molecular structure and mechanism of gating of MscL, a mechanosensitive channel of large conductance from Escherichia coli. MscL is the first isolated molecule shown to convert mechanical stress of the membrane into a simple response, the opening of a large aqueous pore. The functional complex appears to be a stable homo-pentamer of 15-kDa subunits, the gating transitions in which are driven by stretch forces conveyed through the lipid bilayer. We have measured the open probability of MscL and the kinetics of transitions as a function of membrane tension. The parameters extracted from the single-channel current recordings and dose-response curves such as the energy difference between the closed, open, and intermediate conducting states, and the transition-related changes in protein dimensions suggest a large conformational rearrangement of the channel complex. The estimations show that in native conditions MscL openings could be driven primarily by forces of osmotic nature. The thermodynamic and spatial parameters reasonably correlate with the available data on the structure of a single MscL subunit and multimeric organization of the complex. Combined with the functional analysis of mutations, these data give grounds to hypotheses on the nature of the channel mechanosensitivity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Heart rate dynamics in patients with stable angina pectoris and utility of fractal and complexity measures.

Dynamic analysis techniques may uncover abnormalities in heart rate (HR) behavior that are not easily detectable with conventional statistical measures. However, the applicability of these new methods for detecting possible abnormalities in HR behavior in various cardiovascular disorders is not well established. Conventional measures of HR variability were compared with short-term (< or = 11 beats, alpha1) and long-term (> 11 beats, alpha2) fractal correlation properties and with approximate entropy of RR interval data in 38 patients with stable angina pectoris without previous myocardial infarction or cardiac medication at the time of the study and 38 age-matched healthy controls. The short- and long-term fractal scaling exponents (alpha1, alpha2) were significantly higher in the coronary patients than in the healthy controls (1.34 +/- 0.15 vs 1.11 +/- 0.12 [p <0.001] and 1.10 +/- 0.08 vs 1.04 +/- 0.06 [p <0.01], respectively), and they also had lower approximate entropy (p <0.05), standard deviation of all RR intervals (p <0.01), and high-frequency spectral component of HR variability (p <0.05). The short-term fractal scaling exponent performed better than other heart rate variability parameters in differentiating patients with coronary artery disease from healthy subjects, but it was not related to the clinical or angiographic severity of coronary artery disease or any single nonspectral or spectral measure of HR variability in this retrospective study. Patients with stable angina pectoris have altered fractal properties and reduced complexity in their RR interval dynamics relative to age-matched healthy subjects. Dynamic analysis may complement traditional analyses in detecting altered HR behavior in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Aged↗

A pollen-specific novel calmodulin-binding protein with tetratricopeptide repeats.

Calcium is essential for pollen germination and pollen tube growth. A large body of information has established a link between elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) at the pollen tube tip and its growth. Since the action of Ca(2+) is primarily mediated by Ca(2+)-binding proteins such as calmodulin (CaM), identification of CaM-binding proteins in pollen should provide insights into the mechanisms by which Ca(2+) regulates pollen germination and tube growth. In this study, a CaM-binding protein from maize pollen (maize pollen calmodulin-binding protein, MPCBP) was isolated in a protein-protein interaction-based screening using (35)S-labeled CaM as a probe. MPCBP has a molecular mass of about 72 kDa and contains three tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR) suggesting that it is a member of the TPR family of proteins. MPCBP protein shares a high sequence identity with two hypothetical TPR-containing proteins from Arabidopsis. Using gel overlay assays and CaM-Sepharose binding, we show that the bacterially expressed MPCBP binds to bovine CaM and three CaM isoforms from Arabidopsis in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. To map the CaM-binding domain several truncated versions of the MPCBP were expressed in bacteria and tested for their ability to bind CaM. Based on these studies, the CaM-binding domain was mapped to an 18-amino acid stretch between the first and second TPR regions. Gel and fluorescence shift assays performed with CaM and a CaM-binding synthetic peptide further confirmed MPCBP binding to CaM. Western, Northern, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis have shown that MPCBP expression is specific to pollen. MPCBP was detected in both soluble and microsomal proteins. Immunoblots showed the presence of MPCBP in mature and germinating pollen. Pollen-specific expression of MPCBP, its CaM-binding properties, and the presence of TPR motifs suggest a role for this protein in Ca(2+)-regulated events during pollen germination and growth.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Assessment of autonomic response by broad-band respiration.

We present a technique for introducing broad-band respiratory perturbations so that the response characteristics of the autonomic nervous system can be determined noninvasively over a wide range of physiologically relevant frequencies. A subject's respiratory bandwidth was broadened by breathing on cue to a sequence of audible tones spaced by Poisson intervals. The transfer function between the respiratory input and the resulting instantaneous heart rate was then computed using spectral analysis techniques. Results using this method are comparable to those found using traditional techniques, but are obtained with an economy of data collection.

Autonomic Nervous System↗

A quasi-static method for determining the characteristics of a motion capture camera system in a "split-volume" configuration.

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy, repeatability and resolution of a six-camera Motion Analysis system in a vertical split-volume configuration using a unique quasi-static methodology. The position of a reflective marker was recorded while it was moved quasi-statically over a range of 2.54 mm (0.100 inches) via a linearly-translating table. The table was placed at five different heights to cover both sub-volumes and the overlapping region. Data analysis showed that accuracy, repeatability and resolution values were consistent across all regions of the split-volume, including the overlapping section.

Analysis of Variance↗

Model-based parameter estimation using cardiovascular response to orthostatic stress.

This paper presents a cardiovascular model that is capable of simulating the short-term (< or approximately equal to 3 min) transient hemodynamic response to gravitational stress and a gradient-based optimization method that allows for the automated estimation of model parameters from simulated or experimental data. We perform a sensitivity analysis of the transient heart rate response to determine which parameters of the model impact the heart rate dynamics significantly. We subsequently include only those parameters in the estimation routine that impact the transient heart rate dynamics substantially. We apply the estimation algorithm to both simulated and real data and showed that restriction to the 20 most important parameters does not impair our ability to match the data.

Algorithms↗

HCO+ in the coma of comet Hale-Bopp.

Maps of comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) in the millimeter-wave emission of the ion HCO+ revealed a local minimum near the nucleus position, with a maximum about 100,000 km in the antisolar direction. These observed features of the HCO+ emission require a low abundance of HCO+ due to enhanced destruction in the inner coma of the comet, within a region of low electron temperature (Te). To set constraints on the formation of HCO+ in the coma, as well as the location and magnitude of the transition to higher Te, the data are compared with the results of ion-molecule chemistry models.

Astronomical Phenomena↗

Structural characterization and regulatory element analysis of the heart isoform of cytochrome c oxidase VIa.

In order to investigate the mechanism(s) governing the striated muscle-specific expression of cytochrome c oxidase VIaH we have characterized the murine gene and analyzed its transcriptional regulatory elements in skeletal myogenic cell lines. The gene is single copy, spans 689 base pairs (bp), and is comprised of three exons. The 5'-ends of transcripts from the gene are heterogeneous, but the most abundant transcript includes a 5'-untranslated region of 30 nucleotides. When fused to the luciferase reporter gene, the 3.5-kilobase 5'-flanking region of the gene directed the expression of the heterologous protein selectively in differentiated Sol8 cells and transgenic mice, recapitulating the pattern of expression of the endogenous gene. Deletion analysis identified a 300-bp fragment sufficient to direct the myotube-specific expression of luciferase in Sol8 cells. The region lacks an apparent TATA element, and sequence motifs predicted to bind NRF-1, NRF-2, ox-box, or PPAR factors known to regulate other nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial proteins are not evident. Mutational analysis, however, identified two cis-elements necessary for the high level expression of the reporter protein: a MEF2 consensus element at -90 to -81 bp and an E-box element at -147 to -142 bp. Additional E-box motifs at closely located positions were mutated without loss of transcriptional activity. The dependence of transcriptional activation of cytochrome c oxidase VIaH on cis-elements similar to those found in contractile protein genes suggests that the striated muscle-specific expression is coregulated by mechanisms that control the lineage-specific expression of several contractile and cytosolic proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Accuracy of quantum sensors measuring yield photon flux and photosynthetic photon flux.

Photosynthesis is fundamentally driven by photon flux rather than energy flux, but not all absorbed photons yield equal amounts of photosynthesis. Thus, two measures of photosynthetically active radiation have emerged: photosynthetic photon flux (PPF), which values all photons from 400 to 700 nm equally, and yield photon flux (YPF), which weights photons in the range from 360 to 760 nm according to plant photosynthetic response. We selected seven common radiation sources and measured YPF and PPF from each source with a spectroradiometer. We then compared these measurements with measurements from three quantum sensors designed to measure YPF, and from six quantum sensors designed to measure PPF. There were few differences among sensors within a group (usually <5%), but YPF values from sensors were consistently lower (3% to 20%) than YPF values calculated from spectroradiometric measurements. Quantum sensor measurements of PPF also were consistently lower than PPF values calculated from spectroradiometric measurements, but the differences were <7% for all sources, except red-light-emitting diodes. The sensors were most accurate for broad-band sources and least accurate for narrow-band sources. According to spectroradiometric measurements, YPF sensors were significantly less accurate (>9% difference) than PPF sensors under metal halide, high-pressure sodium, and low-pressure sodium lamps. Both sensor types were inaccurate (>18% error) under red-light-emitting diodes. Because both YPF and PPF sensors are imperfect integrators, and because spectroradiometers can measure photosynthetically active radiation much more accurately, researchers should consider developing calibration factors from spectroradiometric data for some specific radiation sources to improve the accuracy of integrating sensors.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

Alveolar ventilation to perfusion heterogeneity and diffusion impairment in a mathematical model of gas exchange.

This study describes a two-compartment model of pulmonary gas exchange in which alveolar ventilation to perfusion (VA/Q) heterogeneity and impairment of pulmonary diffusing capacity (D) are simultaneously taken into account. The mathematical model uses as input data measurements usually obtained in the lung function laboratory. It consists of two compartments and an anatomical shunt. Each compartment receives fractions of alveolar ventilation and blood flow. Mass balance equations and integration of Fick's law of diffusion are used to compute alveolar and blood O2 and CO2 values compatible with input O2 uptake and CO2 elimination. Two applications are presented. The first is a method to partition O2 and CO2 alveolar-arterial gradients into VA/Q and D components. The technique is evaluated in data of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The second is a theoretical analysis of the effects of blood flow variation in alveolar and blood O2 partial pressures. The results show the importance of simultaneous consideration of D to estimate VA/Q heterogeneity in patients with diffusion impairment. This factor plays an increasing role in gas alveolar-arterial gradients as severity of COPD increases. Association of VA/Q heterogeneity and D may produce an increase of O2 arterial pressure with decreasing QT which would not be observed if only D were considered. We conclude that the presented computer model is a useful tool for description and interpretation of data from COPD patients and for performing theoretical analysis of variables involved in the gas exchange process.

Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous↗

A survey of cyclopropenylidene (C3H2) in galactic sources.

We report the results of an initial survey in a variety of Galactic sources for cyclopropenylidene (C3H2), the first interstellar hydrocarbon ring molecule. C3H2 is found to be very widespread throughout the Galaxy. This, together with its large dipole moment and many observable transitions, makes cyclopropenylidene a promising probe for physical conditions in the interstellar medium. The ortho 1(10)-1(01) transition at 18 GHz is detected in a variety of environments, including giant molecular clouds, diffuse clouds, cold dark clouds, the spiral arm clouds in the direction of distant continuum sources, and the envelope of the carbon star IRC + 10216. The 2(20)-2(11) para line at 21.6 GHz was surveyed in many sources having strong 1(10)-1(01) emission, and, when detected, it was always seen in absorption. A more limited survey of the ortho 2(12)-1(01) transition at 85.3 GHz has been conducted. In addition, the 2(11)-2(02) line of the para species at 46.8 GHz was detected in the dark clouds TMC-1 and L134N. Maps have been made of the clouds TMC-1, L134N, W51, and Orion, confirming that the C3H2 emission is extended in these objects. The data obtained thus far suggest that C3H2 is one of the more abundant organic constituents of the dense interstellar medium.

Astronomical Phenomena↗