The Effect of Material and Roughness of the Probe Surface on Probe Characteristics

Plasma Physics Reports - In the region of the surface of the probe introduced into the plasma, there are emission flows that introduce changes in the determination of its parameters. Despite the...     

Low-dose melphalan-induced shift in the production of a Th2-type cytokine to a Th1-type cytokine in mice bearing a large MOPC-315 tumor

The current studies demonstrate that MOPC-315 tumor cells secrete large amounts of interleukin-10 (IL-10), which contributes to the inhibitory activity of MOPC-315 culture supernatants for the in vitro generation of antitumor cytotoxicity by MOPC-315-immune spleen cells. Moreover, addition of neutralizing monoclonal anti-IL-10 antibody to the in vitro stimulation cultures of cells from the tumor infiltrated spleens of mice bearing a large MOPC-315 tumor resulted in the generation of enhanced anti-MOPC-315 cytotoxicity. In contrast, addition of monoclonal anti-IL-10 antibody to the in vitro stimulation cultures of splenic cells from mice that are in the final stages of immune-mediated tumor eradication as a consequence of low-dose melphalan (l-phenylalanine mustard; L-PAM) therapy (and whose spleens no longer contain metastatic tumor cells) did not lead to enhancement in the in vitro generation of antitumor cytotoxicity. The cessation of IL-10 secretion as a consequence of low-dose L-PAM therapy of MOPC-315 tumor bearers was found to be accompanied by the acquisition of the ability to secrete interferon (IFN) by the splenic cells. In addition, by day 2 after low-dose L-PAM therapy a drastic decrease in the amount of IL-10 secreted by the s.c. tumor nodules was noted, which preceded the accumulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes capable of secreting IFN. Thus, low-dose L-PAM therapy of mice bearing a large MOPC-315 tumor leads to a shift in cytokine production from a Th2-type cytokine to a Th1-type cytokine, and it is conceivable that this shift in cytokine production plays an important role in the low-dose L-PAM-induced acquisition of antitumor immunity by hitherto immunosuppressed mice bearing a large MOPC-315 tumor.Supported by research grant IM-435 from the American Cancer Society and CA54413 from the National Cancer InstituteIn partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy DegreeRecipient of career development award CA-01350 from the National Cancer Institute     

MCM2-7 complexes bind chromatin in a distributed pattern surrounding the origin recognition complex in Xenopus egg extracts

The MCM2-7 complex is believed to function as the eukaryotic replicative DNA helicase. It is recruited to chromatin by the origin recognition complex (ORC), Cdc6, and Cdt1, and it is activated at the G(1)/S transition by Cdc45 and the protein kinases Cdc7 and Cdk2. Paradoxically, the number of chromatin-bound MCM complexes greatly exceeds the number of bound ORC complexes. To understand how the high MCM2-7:ORC ratio comes about, we examined the binding of these proteins to immobilized linear DNA fragments in Xenopus egg extracts. The minimum length of DNA required to recruit ORC and MCM2-7 was approximately 80 bp, and the MCM2-7:ORC ratio on this fragment was approximately 1:1. With longer DNA fragments, the MCM2-7:ORC ratio increased dramatically, indicating that MCM complexes normally become distributed over a large region of DNA surrounding ORC. Only a small subset of the chromatin-bound MCM2-7 complexes recruited Cdc45 at the onset of DNA replication, and unlike Cdc45, MCM2-7 was not limiting for DNA replication. However, all the chromatin-bound MCM complexes may be functional, because they were phosphorylated in a Cdc7-dependent fashion, and because they could be induced to support Cdk2-dependent Cdc45 loading. The data suggest that in Xenopus egg extracts, origins of replication contain multiple, distributed, initiation-competent MCM2-7 complexes.     

Function of the antioxidant system in rats exposed to cadmium

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant system functioning in the blood, liver and small intestine mucosal cells of rats under cadmium chloride intake and administration of the liposomal form of the biologically active supplement (BAS FLP-MD) have been studied. It is shown that cadmium chloride administration (1 mg/kg, 14 days) leads to the activation of the oxidative processes in the cells and decrease of the antioxidant enzyme activities including mitochondrial enzymes. The revealed inhibition of the hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity considerably determined by the effect on mitochondrial Cu, Zn-SOD. The effect of one-shot and long-term cadmium intake on the conjugation system and decrease of the tissue glutathione level were shown. BAS FLP-MD intake normalizes the oxidative processes possibly due to stabilization of the cellular components.     

Initial results for urban metal distributions in house dusts of syracuse,New York,USA

A program of house dust sample collection and analysis has begun in Syracuse, New York, USA, in order to determine the feasibility of a geography-based exposure assessment for urban metals. The sampling program, and the protocols it employs, is described for two different types of wipe media, Ghost Wipes and Whatman Filters. Preliminary results show that strong spatial patterns of floor dust loading (mg dust per square foot) can be observed for data aggregated at a spatial scale of about 1600 m (～2.5 km²). Floor dust metal concentrations were similar to those found in other urban environments, with some regional variation. The median floor dust Pb concentration was ～108 mg · kg^?1 for this initial data set of ～264 sampled residential locations, and varied from 50 to 1100 mg Pb · kg^?1.     

Effect of sociobiological factors on the formation of adaptive responses in school students during puberty

Analysis of psychological, social, and psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the formation of adaptive responses during puberty demonstrated a significant dependence of adolescent behavioral, autonomic, and endocrine parameters on sociobiological factors that determine the identification and individualization of genetically determined behavioral programs. Comparison of the adaptive capabilities of students from an innovative educational institution and from a vocational school showed that the levels of completeness of their adaptation were different and depended on social support, typological features, and autonomic regulation.     

Modulation of Mcl-1 transcription by serum deprivation sensitizes cancer cells to cisplatin

Background

The development of approaches that increase therapeutic effects of anti-cancer drugs is one of the most important tasks of oncology. Caloric restriction in vivo or serum deprivation (SD) in vitro has been shown to be an effective tool for sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the enhancement of apoptosis in cancer cells by SD remain to be elucidated.

Alterations in the nucleocytoplasmic transport in apoptosis: Caspases lead the way

Apoptosis is a mode of regulated cell death that is indispensable for the morphogenesis, development and homeostasis of multicellular organisms. Caspases are cysteine‐dependent aspartate‐specific proteases, which function as initiators and executors of apoptosis. Caspases are cytosolic proteins that can cleave substrates located in different intracellular compartments during apoptosis. Many years ago, the involvement of caspases in the regulation of nuclear changes, a hallmark of apoptosis, was documented. Accumulated data suggest that apoptosis‐associated alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport are also linked to caspase activity. Here, we aim to discuss the current state of knowledge regarding this process. Particular attention will be focused on caspase nuclear entry and their functions in the demolition of the nucleus upon apoptotic stimuli.     

Antimicrobial activity of piperacillin in vitro]

There was an increase in the resistance of clinical isolates to piperacillin as compared to that in 1987-1988. It was shown on the kinetic models that there was difference in the effect of the inhibitory and subinhibitory concentrations of the drug on microorganisms in various growth phases. No post-antibiotic action against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a slightly pronounced dose-dependent effect with respect to Escherichia coli were noted.     

Isolation of Drosophila melanogaster strain y+ snw sc wa transformed by a series of P-element mediated vectors using microinjections into early embryos

P-element-mediated transformation of Drosophila melanogaster was performed and the effectivity of transformation determined using the y+snwsc wa stock. Some new D. melanogaster stocks with sne and sn+ phenotypes were obtained as well as the stocks containing bacterial "neo" gene integrated into the genome.