102,206 research outputs found
Complexes of Grp94 with human Immunoglobulin G
No full textComplexes are described that form in vitro following incubation of "Heat Shock Protein" (HSP) "Glucose-regulated Protein" 94 (Grp94) with human non-immune immunoglobulin G. Results show that complexes of Grp94-lgG are resistant to denaturing agents. Moreover, complexes display an important cytokine-like property that can be exploited to induce positive effects of immuno-modulation in pathologies characterized by either a reduced or exacerbated immune response. In addition, stability of Grp94-lgG complexes make them useful as diagnostic tools to detect antibodies directed against Grp94 in various pathological conditions
Temporal dynamics of the Rubber Hand Illusion
No full textIt is widely accepted that the representation of the body is not fixed and immutable, but rather flexible and constantly updated based on a continuous stream of multisensory information. This mechanism can be very useful to adapt to several situations, but it would not be adaptive if the body representation was too malleable or if it wasn’t capable of restoring its integrity after a transient modification. Here we used the Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) to investigate how quickly the body representation can be modified. Previous studies have investigated the timing of the onset and offset of the illusion, however, they did not assess a fine temporal resolution. Here, we used a potentiometer to record a moment-by-moment rating of the feeling of owning the RH for two minutes during the visuo-tactile stimulation and two minutes following the stimulation. Our results suggest that the feeling of Ownership is already established during the first 19 s of stimulation then it continues to grow, but at a much slower pace. The feeling of Ownership disappears within 66 s from the end of the stimulation. This work sheds new light on the temporal dynamics of the RHI and the malleability of the body self-consciousness
Separation by heparin-affinity chromatography of catalytically active and inactive forms of trypsin which retain the (Na-K)ATPase stimulating property.
No full textThe possibility that different structural determinants on trypsin, other than catalytic sites, are involved in the cell membrane (Na-K)ATPase stimulating property was investigated by submitting bovine trypsin to two purification procedures: gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 and heparin-Sepharose chromatography. The latter procedure was also chosen in consideration of the known affinity for heparin displayed by serine proteinases. Trypsin peaks eluted from both columns were analysed by measuring esterolytic and proteolytic activities, the beef heart (Na-K)ATPase stimulating property and amino acid content. Fluorescence emission spectra and both non-denaturing and SDS-gel electrophoresis were also performed to test structural modifications on trypsin peaks. Four peaks eluted from Sephadex G-50 with variable estero-proteolytic and (Na-K)ATPase stimulating activities; the latter was also present in two peaks which displayed the lowest estero-proteolytic activities. All peaks proved to be trypsin in amino acid composition. Two peaks eluted from the heparin-Sepharose column with distinct biological activities: a first minor peak, eluted with the void volume, was catalytically inactive but it retained the (Na-K)ATPase stimulating activity. The second, major peak eluted mostly with 0.5 mol/l NaCl, displayed only esteroproteolytic activities, but no (Na-K)ATPase-stimulating activity. It overlapped control trypsin in both electrophoretic patterns, fluorescence emission spectrum and amino acid composition. The first peak showed differences with the parent compound, as revealed by the amino acid composition and tryptophan fluorescence emission spectrum. Marked differences were also observed in the electrophoretic pattern which only showed bands of low molecular mass mostly confined to the anode. NH2-terminus analysis confirmed that the first peak contained trypsin fragments originated from the parent compound after passage through the heparin column. It is hypothesized that trypsin binding to heparin causes structural alteration of the proteinase and primes the catalytic cleavage of fragments which lose heparin affinity and elute in the void volume. The results also confirm that the proteolytic mechanism is not involved in trypsin-mediated (Na-K)ATPase stimulation and indicate that heparin-Sepharose chromatography is a useful tool to separate catalytically active and inactive forms of trypsin
Temperature Correction for Long-Time DC Monitoring Experiments
No full textTime-lapse DC monitoring is widely performed to study electrical conductivity (EC) variations over long periods that might derive from subsoil changed conditions, potentially interesting for hydrogeological, geotechnical, or for general environmental purposes. The inversion of time-lapse models differs from the classic inversion techniques mainly due to the implementation of techniques to reduce systematic measurement errors and obtain compact changes in subsequent inversions. For time-lapse surveys which last across seasonality, the temperature variations will affect the subsoil EC conditions, representing therefore a source of noise that might hide the electrical changes of interest. To avoid such an effect, in this study the model vector contains the resistivity at a reference temperature and the temperature as parameters. The effective EC is then computed cell-by-cell before running the forward response. A synthetic experiment is performed simulating two different ground temperature models associated to two different resistivity models, to show the comparison of classic inversion, without temperature modelling, and time lapse inversion with temperature modelling. A real case scenario is also proposed to confirm first the temperature effect on the shallowest subsoil EC, then to present the results of the temperature modeling on the conductivity final model
Tutorato e accompagnamento allo studio per il successo formativo e il contrasto allo stereotipo. Il progetto Sono capace nel Villaggio Sinti di Tortona (AL)
No full textThe paper presents the experience of the Terre di Mezzo Association in the Sinti Village of Tortona (AL). The project Sono capace has connected a double level: the students of the G. Peano High School of Tortona, engaged as tutors in a work-based learning program (PCTO); an effective action of support to the study of a group of minors (primary and lower secondary school) who live in the nomad camp of Tortona.
Furthermore, a third level is the commitment of the association’s educators in organizing recreational-educational activities for all those involved, the high school students, the boys and girls of the village, to enhance the system dimension and promote real inclusion. The effectiveness is monitored in many areas of interest: the development of high school students’ skills − in addition to a change in terms of contrasting prejudices towards Sinti − and school support, for a better adherence to the educational path to protect and
contrast dispersion, or simply prolonged periods of absence from school
Effect of different cooking techniques on the nutritional quality of trout and whiting
No full textFish lipids contain large amounts of eicosapentaenoic (EPA 20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA 22:6 n-3) acids. Epidemiological studies stating an inverse correlation between ischemic heart disease and fish consumption never considered the fatty acid composition changes due to cooking. This research is aimed towards an evaluation of the effect of cooking on the fatty acid composition of two fish species (a fresh-water trout and a salt-water whiting). For cooking we chose a traditional system like convection electric oven and a more innovative one like microwave oven. Tissue lipids were extracted by the method of Folch and the fatty acids were transformed into their methylesters for GLC analysis. The fatty acid compositions of both fish species before and after cooking were statistically analysed by Student's t test. Our results showed that trout contains more fat than whiting but less n-3 fatty acids. Furthermore, unsaturated fatty acids were shown to be more stable after microwave cooking, as confirmed by P/S and M/S ratios
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