100,652 research outputs found
Modulation of neutrophil function by the tripeptide feG
No full textAbstract Background Neutrophils are critical in the defense against potentially harmful microorganisms, but their excessive and inappropriate activation can contribute significantly to tissue damage and a worsening pathology. Through the release of endocrine factors submandibular glands contribute to achieving a balance in neutrophil function by modulating the state of activation and migratory potential of circulating neutrophils. A putative hormonal candidate for these effects on neutrophils was identified as a heptapeptide named submandibular gland peptide T (SGP-T; sequence = TDIFEGG). Since the tripeptide FEG, derived from SGP-T, and its D-amino acid analogue feG had similar inhibitory effects on inflammatory reactions, we investigated the effects of feG on human and rat neutrophil function. Results With human neutrophils feG had no discernible effect on oxidative burst or phagocytosis, but in picomolar amounts it reduced PAF-induced neutrophil movement and adhesion, and the binding of CD11b by 34% and that of CD16b close to control values. In the rat feG (10-11M) reduced the binding of CD11b and CD16 antibodies to PAF-stimulated circulating neutrophils by 35% and 43%, respectively, and at 100 micrograms/kilograms intraperitoneally feG reduced neutrophil in vivo migration by 40%. With ovalbumin-sensitized rats that were challenged with antigen, feG inhibited binding of antibodies against CD16b but not CD11b, on peritoneal leukocytes. Conclusions The inhibitory effect of feG on neutrophil movement may be mediated by alterations in the co-stimulatory molecules CD11b and CD16.</p
A transition from a decelerated to an accelerated phase of the universe expansion from the simplest non-trivial polynomial function of T in the f(R, T) formalism
No full textIn this work we present cosmological solutions from the simplest non-trivial polynomial function of T in f(R, T) theory of gravity, with R and T standing for the Ricci scalar and trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively. Although such an approach yields a highly non-linear differential equation for the scale factor, we show that it is possible to obtain analytical solutions for the cosmological parameters. For some values of the free parameters, the model is able to predict a transition from a decelerated to an accelerated expansion of the universe and the values of the deceleration parameter agree with observation.Departamento de Física ITA – Instituto Tecnológico de AeronáuticaDepartamento de Física e Química FEG – Faculdade de Engenharia de GuaratinguetáCCNH Universidade Federal do AB
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
A noncommutative Sierpinski Gasket
No full textA quantized version of the Sierpinski gasket is proposed, on purely
topological grounds, as a -algebra with a suitable
form of self-similarity. Several properties of are
studied, in particular its nuclearity, the structure of ideals as well as the
description of irreducible representations and extremal traces. A harmonic
structure is introduced, giving rise to a self-similar Dirichlet form
. A spectral triple is also constructed, extending one already
known for the classical gasket, from which can be reconstructed.
Moreover we show that is a compact quantum metric space.Comment: 28 pages, accepted for publication on the Journal of Functional
Analysi
FEG-SEM EDX microanalysis data in the roots of <i>Acanthus ilicifolius</i> L. cultured in Hoagland solution.
No full textThe macro and microelements concentrations (% weight) are shown for 3 different spots, i.e., spectrum 1 (outer region), spectrum 2 (middle region) and spectrum 3 (inner region).</p
The tripeptide analog feG ameliorates severity of acute pancreatitis in a caerulein mouse model.
No full textAcute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality; however, there is no specific treatment for this disease. A novel salivary tripeptide analog, feG, reduces inflammation in several different animal models of inflammation. The aims of this study were to determine whether feG reduced the severity of AP and modifies the expression of pancreatic ICAM-1 mRNA during AP in a mouse model. AP was induced in mice by hourly (??12) intraperitoneal injections of caerulein. A single dose of feG (100 ??g/kg) was coadministered with caerulein either at time 0 h (prophylactic) or 3 h after AP induction (therapeutic). Plasma amylase and pancreatic MPO activities and pancreatic ICAM-1 mRNA expression (by RT-PCR) were measured. Pancreatic sections were histologically assessed for abnormal acinar cells and interstitial space. AP induction produced a sevenfold increase in plasma amylase, a tenfold increase in pancreatic MPO activity, and a threefold increase in interstitial space, and 90% of the acinar cells were abnormal. Prophylactic treatment with feG reduced the AP-induced plasma amylase activity by 45%, pancreatic MPO by 80%, the proportion of abnormal acinar cells by 30%, and interstitial space by 40%. Therapeutic treatment with feG significantly reduced the AP-induced abnormal acinar cells by 10% and the interstitial space by 20%. Pancreatic ICAM-1 mRNA expression was upregulated in AP and was reduced by 50% with prophylactic and therapeutic treatment with feG. We conclude that feG ameliorates experimental AP acting at least in part by modulating ICAM-1 expression in the pancreas
Handwritten biographical information on Paulina T. McClung Merritt
No full textA handwritten biography of Paulina T. McClung Merritt by an unknown author, 1892.
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Pelevin’s Trinity in the novel “t”: author – protagonist – reader
No full textThe article attempts to interpret Pelevin's artistic strategy in the novel "T" by exploring its subject organization and addressing the key problems of the author, the protagonist, and the reader as they are seen by the researcher. The article analyzes the peculiarities of constructing the narrative reality in the novel "T", and goes on to discuss Pelevin's philosophic models of the development of the humankind, and the emergence of his new anthropology
- …
