We demonstrate a novel system for inducing clustering of cell surface receptors via recognition peptide segments displayed on exosomes, leading to receptor activation. With this system, targeting of ...receptor-expressing cells and facilitation of the endocytic uptake of exosomes, which contained the anti-cancer protein saporin, were successfully achieved, leading to cell death.
Hydrogen sulfide, an important gaseous signaling molecule in the human body, is known to protect cardiomyocytes from ischemia, a condition characterized by insufficient oxygen supply to the cells. ...Here we show that a nanosized H
S donor micelle releases H
S intracellularly and prevents cardiomyocyte apoptosis in an in vitro ischemia model.
We examined the outcomes and levels of patient satisfaction in 202 consecutive cases of ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block (SBPB) in upper limb surgery performed between ...September 2007 and March 2010. All blocks were performed by orthopaedic surgeons using ultrasound visualisation with a high-frequency linear probe. The probe was placed in the coronal-oblique plane in the supraclavicular fossa, and the puncture was 'in-plane' from lateral to medial. Most of the blocks were performed with 0.75% ropivacaine/1% lidocaine (1:1), with or without adrenaline in 1:200 000 dilution. In 201 patients (99.5%) the brachial plexus block permitted surgery without conversion to general anaesthesia. The mean procedure time for block was 3.9 min (2 to 12), the mean waiting time for surgery was 34.1 min (10 to 64), the mean surgical time was 75.2 min (6 to 232), and the mean duration of post-anaesthetic analgesia was 437 min (171 to 992). A total of 20 patients (10%) developed a transient Horner's syndrome. No nerve injury, pneumothorax, arterial puncture or systemic anaesthetic toxicity were recorded. Most patients (96.7%) were satisfied with ultrasound-guided SBPB. This study demonstrates the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided SBPB for orthopaedic surgery on the upper limb.
Protons with energies up to ∼1015 eV are the main component of cosmic rays, but evidence for the specific locations where they could have been accelerated to these energies has been lacking. ...Electrons are known to be accelerated to cosmic-ray energies in supernova remnants, and the shock waves associated with such remnants, when they hit the surrounding interstellar medium, could also provide the energy to accelerate protons. The signature of such a process would be the decay of pions (π0), which are generated when the protons collide with atoms and molecules in an interstellar cloud: pion decay results in γ-rays with a particular spectral-energy distribution. Here we report the observation of cascade showers of optical photons resulting from γ-rays at energies of ∼1012 eV hitting Earth's upper atmosphere, in the direction of the supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946. The spectrum is a good match to that predicted by pion decay, and cannot be explained by other mechanisms.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Copper–indium–sulfur (CIS) ternary colloids with different chemical compositions (In/Cu = 1, 2, 3 and 4) were synthesized in “green” water media at 298 K. It was observed that these CIS colloidal ...particles possess identical crystal structures in tetrahedron. They exhibit energy gaps at 1.7–2.0 eV, which is attributed to the quantum size effects through a decrease of particle sizes from 4 to 2 nm. It was also found that the photoelectrodes employing CIS colloids with the In-enriched compositions exhibit high incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) up to ca. 780 nm. The solar cell constructed by CIS–TiO 2 ||S x 2− / x S 2− ||carbon electrode exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to ca. 2.5%. Furthermore, the CIS–TiO 2 photoelectrode coated with ZnS as passivation layers by SILAR processes exhibited a remarkable improvement of the PCE up to 3.54% (short-circuit current: 8.72 mA cm −2 , open-circuit voltage: 750 mV and fill factor: 53.6%). Effects of chemical compositions and ZnS coating to the photoelectrodes were further discussed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
Objectives: To examine the localization of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 mRNA and protein in human osteoarthritic (OA) articular cartilage and osteophyte.
Design: Five normal, four growing and ...14 OA human cartilage samples, graded histomorphologically by Mankin Score, were studied by
in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for the expression of BMP-2.
Results: BMP-2 mRNA was present in chondrocytes in neonatal growing articular cartilage, but was scarcely present in normal adult articular cartilage. In OA articular cartilage, BMP-2 mRNA and protein were detected in both clustering and individual chondrocytes in moderately or severely damaged OA cartilage. In moderately damaged OA cartilage, BMP-2 mRNA was localized in both upper and middle zone chondrocytes, but was not detected in deep layer chondrocytes. In severely damaged OA cartilage, cellular localization of BMP-2 mRNA was extended to the deep zone. In the area of osteophyte formation, BMP-2 mRNA was intensely localized in fibroblastic mesenchymal cells, fibrochondrocytes, chondrocytes and osteoblasts in newly formed osteophytic tissue. The pattern of BMP-2/4 immunolocalization was associated with that of mRNA localization.
Conclusions: BMP-2 mRNA and BMP-2/4 were detected in cells appearing in OA tissues. BMP-2 was localized in cells of degenerating cartilage as well as osteophytic tissue. Given the negative localization of BMP-2 in normal adult articular cartilage, BMP-2 might be involved in the regenerating and anabolic activities of OA cells, which respond to cartilage damage occurring in osteoarthritis.
1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, 50 Paholyothin Road, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
2 Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Division of Applied Life Sciences, ...Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
3 NITE Biological Resource Center, Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, 2-5-8 Kazusakamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
Correspondence Savitree Limtong fscistl{at}ku.ac.th
Two thermotolerant, methylotrophic yeast strains, PT44 T and S051 T , were respectively isolated from a tree exudate and soil collected in Thailand. They were categorized as thermotolerant strains on the basis of their good growth below 20 °C and up to a relatively high temperature (37 °C). The major characteristics of the two strains that place them in the genus Ogataea are the formation of four helmet- or hat-shaped ascospores in a deliquescent ascus that may be produced parthenogenetically or by conjugation between a cell and its bud or between independent cells; multilateral budding; assimilation of nitrate; the presence of ubiquinone Q7; negative for Diazonium blue B colour and urease reactions; and the absence of arthroconidia and ballistoconidia. Analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the large-subunit rDNA sequence revealed that strain PT44 T was differentiated from the strain S051 T by 25 nucleotide substitutions and 1 gap in 554 nt, which was sufficient to justify the description of two separate species. The closest recognized species in terms of pairwise sequences similarity to PT44 T was Pichia ( Ogataea ) dorogensis , with 13 nucleotide substitutions and 1 gap in 554 nt. Strain S051 T was closest to Pichia thermomethanolica , with 7 nucleotide substitutions in 566 nt. Phenotypic characteristics of strains PT44 T and S051 T allowed them to be differentiated from each other and from the closest related species. On the basis of the above finding, the two strains represent two novel species of the genus Ogataea , for which the names Ogataea chonburiensis sp. nov. (type strain PT44 T =BCC 21227 T =NBRC 101965 T =CBS 10363 T ) and Ogataea nakhonphanomensis sp. nov. (type strain S051 T =BCC 21228 T =NBRC 101966 T =CBS 10362 T ) are proposed. We also propose the transfer of two thermotolerant methylotrophic members of the genus Pichia described previously to the genus Ogataea : Pichia siamensis is renamed Ogataea siamensis (Limtong, Srisuk, Yongmanitchai, Kawasaki, Yurimoto, Nakase & Kato) Limtong, Srisuk, Yongmanitchai, Yurimoto & Nakase comb. nov. (type strain JCM 12264 T =TISTR 5818 T ) and Pichia thermomethanolica is renamed Ogataea thermomethanolica (Limtong, Srisuk, Yongmanitchai, Yurimoto, Nakase & Kato) Limtong, Srisuk, Yongmanitchai, Yurimoto & Nakase comb. nov. (type strain CBS 10098 T =JCM 12984 T =BCC 16875 T ).
The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the sequences of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rDNA of strains PT44 T and S051 T are respectively AB307721 and AB307722 .
1 Japan Collection of Microorganisms, RIKEN BioResource Center, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
2 Department of Microbiology, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, 2-522-1 Noshio, Kiyose, Tokyo 204-8588, ...Japan
3 NITE Biological Resource Center, Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, 2-5-8 Kazusakamatari, Kisarazu-shi, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
Correspondence Masako Takashima masako{at}jcm.riken.jp
Anamorphic basidiomycetous yeast strains M9962 T and M9963 were isolated from water samples collected from a small stream in Ohwakudani, Hakone, a hot-spring area in Japan. These belonged to a single species and were phylogenetically closely related to Bullera lagerstroemiae , although the ability to form ballistoconidia was not observed. Based on sequence analyses of the D1/D2 domain of the LSU rDNA and ITS regions and differences in G+C content, the name Cryptococcus tepidarius sp. nov. Takashima, Sugita, Toriumi et Nakase (Trichosporonales, Tremellomycetes, Basiomycota) is proposed for these isolates, with strain M9962 T (=SP-5 T =JCM 11965 T =CBS 9427 T ) as the type strain. The strains grew in YM broth at 47 °C and in YM broth with the pH adjusted to 1.5 by HCl, indicating that the species is thermotolerant and acid-tolerant.
Abbreviations: ITS, internal transcribed spacer
The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the ITS region and LSU rDNA D1/D2 domain sequences of strain M9962 T are AB094045 and AB094046 , respectively.
Results of growth of strain M9962 T at different temperatures and pH are available as supplementary material with the online version of this paper.
PDF
