48 research outputs found
Generation of Biologically Active Angiostatin Kringle 1â3 by Activated Human Neutrophils
AbstractThe contribution of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) to host defense and natural immunity extends well beyond their traditional role as professional phagocytes. In this study, we demonstrate that upon stimulation with proinflammatory stimuli, human PMN release enzymatic activities that, in vitro, generate bioactive angiostatin fragments from purified plasminogen. We also provide evidence that these angiostatin-like fragments, comprising kringle domain 1 to kringle domain 3 (kringle 1â3) of plasminogen, are generated as a byproduct of the selective proteolytic activity of neutrophil-secreted elastase. Remarkably, affinity-purified angiostatin kringle 1â3 fragments generated by neutrophils inhibited basic fibroblast growth factor plus vascular endothelial growth factor-induced endothelial cell proliferation in vitro, and both vascular endothelial growth factor-induced angiogenesis in the matrigel plug assay and fibroblast growth factor-induced angiogenesis in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay, in vivo. These results represent the first demonstration that biologically active angiostatin-like fragments can be generated by inflammatory human neutrophils. Because angiostatin is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis, the data suggest that activated PMN not only act as potent effectors of inflammation, but might also play a critical role in the inhibition of angiogenesis in inflammatory diseases and tumors, by generation of a potent anti-angiogenic molecule
Microchemical Investigation of Long-Term Buried Gilded and Silvered Artifacts From Ancient Peru
A large number of metal artifacts with exceptional artistic value of the Moche culture have been found in the tombs of the Lords of SipĂĄn (Lambayeque, Peru) and of the Lady of Cao (El Brujo, Peru) characterized by different burial conditions. Some of the objects, dated around 300â400 AD, are constituted by substrates of Cu- or Ag-based alloys coated by uniformly distributed thin films of precious metal (1â4 microns) that create also polymetallic bicolored surfaces with "gold" and "silver" areas. In order to investigate the corrosion product structure and composition as well as to identify the techniques used to give the gold or silver appearance, an integrated analytical approach has been adopted. The selected complementary methodologies were scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical microscopy (OM). The findings reveal that the substrates are mainly composed of Cu-Ag-Au alloys that at the site of SipĂĄn have been almost completely corroded during the burial. Furthermore, the results show that the main aggressive agent is Clâ coming from the soil and that the degradation phenomena were likely enhanced by the galvanic coupling between the precious metal layer and the less noble substrate. The degradation products have formed mainly layered structures containing chloroargyrite (AgCl), cuprite (Cu2O), nantokite (CuCl), and atacamite [CuCl2.3Cu(OH)2] polymorphs. These latter species warn that dangerous copper cyclic corrosion is occurring, a harmful phenomenon, commonly defined as "bronze disease," which must be firmly mitigated. Finally, the findings reveal that the Moche metal workers used the depletion gilding to selectively modify the surface chemical composition of the artifacts to produce the Ag or Au thin films. According to this subtractive method, the surface of the Cu-Au-Ag alloys was enriched with a layer of precious metal by means of cycles of thermal treatments and removal of Cu or both Cu and Ag from the outermost region by using pickling solutions
Metals and Environment: Chemical Outputs From the Interaction Between Gilded Copper-Based Objects and Burial Soil
Three-dimensional chemical mapping was adopted to investigate an ancient fire-gilded buckle found in Rome. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were used to detect and locate degradation products aiming to identify the alteration processes. Inorganic and organic compounds present in the outermost part of such a class of cultural heritage objects can be considered the result of long-term interaction with the burial environment. ToF-SIMS depth profiling experiments can provide chemical information at the molecular level and high resolved spatial information (about 1 ÎŒm laterally, and 1 nm in depth). In this work, the attention was focused on the identification and localization of the ionic and molecular species involved in the degradation process. Results showed the presence of copper oxides, chlorides, and sulfides as common corrosion products but also the presence of species related to copper and bronze corrosion process such as atacamite and its polymorphs. 3D maps for all the relevant molecular species allowed to visualize at the same time the eruption of copper chlorides throughout the micro/nanochannels present on the gold surface, the recrystallization of compounds of minor elements from the substrate, a pathway followed by silico-aluminates from the surface towards the internal corrosion layers, but mostly the evidence of biological activity of Sulphur Reducing Bacteria (SRB) living in anaerobic conditions
Angiostatin anti-angiogenesis requires IL-12: The innate immune system as a key target
© 2009 Albini et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens
Multilinguisme et varieÌteÌs linguistiques en Europe aÌ lâaune de lâintelligence artificielle Multilinguismo e variazioni linguistiche in Europa nellâera dellâintelligenza artificiale Multilingualism and Language Varieties in Europe in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Il presente volume Ăš il frutto di una riflessione interdisciplinare e multilingue maturata attorno a diversi eventi organizzati nellâambito del panel concernente i diritti e le variazioni linguistiche in Europa nellâera dellâintelligenza artificiale allâinterno del progetto Artificial Intelligence for European Integration, promosso dal Centro studi sullâEuropa TO-EU dellâUniversitĂ di Torino e cofinanziato dalla Commissione europea. Lâinterrogativo iniziale che abbiamo voluto sollevare Ăš se lâIA potesse avere un impatto negativo sulle varietĂ linguistiche e sul multilinguismo, valore âaggiuntoâ dellâUE, o se potesse, e in che modo, divenire utile per la promozione di essi. Il volume, interamente inedito, puĂČ dirsi tra i primi ad affrontare, almeno in Europa, questo tipo di tematiche.This book is the outcome of an interdisciplinary multilingual reflection carried out on research into linguistic rights, multilingualism and language varieties in Europe in the age of artificial intelligence. It is part of the Artificial Intelligence for European Integration project, promoted by the Centre of European Studies To-EU of the University of Turin and co-financed by the European Commission. Our aim was to investigate more generally the negative and/or positive outcomes of AI on language varieties and multilingualism, the latter a key value for the EU. The result is a volume of original unpublished research being made generally available for the first time, at least in Europe.Ce livre a Ă©tĂ© Ă©laborĂ© Ă partir dâune rĂ©flexion interdisciplinaire et multilingue qui a Ă©tĂ© menĂ©e dans le cadre dâune recherche sur les droits, le multilinguisme et les variĂ©tĂ©s linguistiques en Europe Ă lâaune de lâintelligence artificielle Ă lâintĂ©rieur du projet Artificial Intelligence for European Integration promu par le Centre dâĂ©tudes europĂ©ennes To-EU de lâUniversitĂ© de Turin et cofinancĂ© par la Commission de lâUnion europĂ©enne. Notre propos Ă©tait de rĂ©flĂ©chir plus gĂ©nĂ©ralement sur les consĂ©quences nĂ©gatives et/ou positives de lâIA sur les variĂ©tĂ©s linguistiques et le multilinguisme, ce dernier Ă©tant une valeur de lâUE. Ce que nous proposons par ce numĂ©ro est un livre inĂ©dit qui peut se vanter dâĂȘtre parmi les premiers Ă sâoccuper de ce type de thĂ©matique, du moins en Europe
Assessing protective treatment performance on outdoor sculptures:to be or not to be a representative model sample?
Protective treatments to be applied in the field of cultural heritage need to fulfil several constraints that have gradually been better outlined over the years. Along with the impact on aesthetic appearance and reversibility, it is nowadays well recognized that patinas and/or original historical coatings and finishings can play a relevant role in protective treatmentsâbehavior[1,2]. Nonetheless, no standard characterization method has been drafted to test new coatings and their application on real artefacts