276 research outputs found
Kinetic analysis of the liver-type (GLUT2) and brain-type (GLUT3) glucose transporters in Xenopus oocytes: substrate specificities and effects of transport inhibitors
High-pressure study of the behavior of mineral barite by X-ray diffraction
In this paper, we report the angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction data of barite, BaSO 4, measured in a diamond-anvil cell up to a pressure of 48 GPa, using three different fluid pressure-transmitting media (methanol-ethanol mixture, silicone oil, and He). Our results show that BaSO 4 exhibits a phase transition at pressures that range from 15 to 27 GPa, depending on the pressure media used. This indicates that nonhydrostatic stresses have a crucial role in the high-pressure behavior of this compound. The new high-pressure (HP) phase has been solved and refined from powder data, having an orthorhombic P2 12 12 1 structure. The pressure dependence of the structural parameters of both room- and HP phases of BaSO 4 is also discussed in light of our theoretical first-principles total-energy calculations. Finally, a comparison between the different equations of state obtained in our experiments is reported. © 2011 American Physical Society.Financial support from the Spanish Consolider Ingenio 2010 Program (Project No. CDS2007-00045) is acknowledged. The work was also supported by Spanish MICCIN under Projects No. CTQ2009-14596-C02-01 and No. MAT2010-21270-C04-01 as well as from Comunidad de Madrid and European Social Fund: S2009/PPQ-1551 4161893 (QUIMAPRES). The ESRF is acknowledged for provision of beamtime.SantamarĂa-PĂ©rez, D.; Gracia, L.; Garbarino, G.; BeltrĂĄn, A.; ChuliĂĄ-JordĂĄn, R.; Gomis Hilario, O.; Errandonea, D.... (2011). High-pressure study of the behavior of mineral barite by X-ray diffraction. Physical Review B. 84:54102-1-54102-8. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.054102S54102-154102-884RUBIN, A. E. (1997). Mineralogy of meteorite groups. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 32(2), 231-247. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1997.tb01262.xVegas, A. (2000). Cations in Inorganic Solids. Crystallography Reviews, 7(3), 189-283. doi:10.1080/08893110008044245SantamarĂa-PĂ©rez, D., & Vegas, A. (2003). The ZintlâKlemm concept applied to cations in oxides. I. The structures of ternary aluminates. Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Science, 59(3), 305-323. doi:10.1107/s0108768103005615Vegas, A., & Jansen, M. (2001). Structural relationships between cations and alloys; an equivalence between oxidation and pressure. Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Science, 58(1), 38-51. doi:10.1107/s0108768101019310Lee, P.-L., Huang, E., & Yu, S.-C. (2001). Phase diagram and equations of state of BaSO4. High Pressure Research, 21(2), 67-77. doi:10.1080/08957950108201005Lee, P.-L., Huang, E., & Yu, S.-C. (2003). High-pressure Raman and X-ray studies of barite, BaSO4. High Pressure Research, 23(4), 439-450. doi:10.1080/0895795031000115439Crichton, W. A., Merlini, M., Hanfland, M., & Muller, H. (2011). The crystal structure of barite, BaSO4, at high pressure. American Mineralogist, 96(2-3), 364-367. doi:10.2138/am.2011.3656Errandonea, D., Santamaria-Perez, D., Bondarenko, T., & Khyzhun, O. (2010). New high-pressure phase of HfTiO4 and ZrTiO4 ceramics. Materials Research Bulletin, 45(11), 1732-1735. doi:10.1016/j.materresbull.2010.06.061LĂłpez-Solano, J., RodrĂguez-HernĂĄndez, P., Muñoz, A., Gomis, O., SantamarĂa-Perez, D., Errandonea, D., ⊠Raptis, C. (2010). Theoretical and experimental study of the structural stability ofTbPO4at high pressures. Physical Review B, 81(14). doi:10.1103/physrevb.81.144126Hammersley, A. P., Svensson, S. O., Hanfland, M., Fitch, A. N., & Hausermann, D. (1996). Two-dimensional detector software: From real detector to idealised image or two-theta scan. High Pressure Research, 14(4-6), 235-248. doi:10.1080/08957959608201408Mao, H. K., Xu, J., & Bell, P. M. (1986). Calibration of the ruby pressure gauge to 800 kbar under quasi-hydrostatic conditions. 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Characterization of theTiSiO4structure and its pressure-induced phase transformations: Density functional theory study. Physical Review B, 80(9). doi:10.1103/physrevb.80.094105Blanco, M. A., Francisco, E., & Luaña, V. (2004). GIBBS: isothermal-isobaric thermodynamics of solids from energy curves using a quasi-harmonic Debye model. Computer Physics Communications, 158(1), 57-72. doi:10.1016/j.comphy.2003.12.001Errandonea, D., SantamarĂa-Perez, D., Vegas, A., Nuss, J., Jansen, M., RodrĂguez-Hernandez, P., & Muñoz, A. (2008). Structural stability ofFe5Si3andNi2Sistudied by high-pressure x-ray diffraction andab initiototal-energy calculations. Physical Review B, 77(9). doi:10.1103/physrevb.77.094113SantamarıÌa-PĂ©rez, D., Nuss, J., Haines, J., Jansen, M., & Vegas, A. (2004). Iron silicides and their corresponding oxides: a high-pressure study of Fe5Si3. Solid State Sciences, 6(7), 673-678. doi:10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2004.03.027Errandonea, D., Meng, Y., Somayazulu, M., & HĂ€usermann, D. (2005). Pressure-induced transition in titanium metal: a systematic study of the effects of uniaxial stress. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 355(1-4), 116-125. doi:10.1016/j.physb.2004.10.030Klotz, S., Paumier, L., Le March, G., & Munsch, P. (2009). The effect of temperature on the hydrostatic limit of 4:1 methanolâethanol under pressure. High Pressure Research, 29(4), 649-652. doi:10.1080/08957950903418194Errandonea, D., & ManjĂłn, F. J. (2008). Pressure effects on the structural and electronic properties of ABX4 scintillating crystals. Progress in Materials Science, 53(4), 711-773. doi:10.1016/j.pmatsci.2008.02.001Lacomba-Perales, R., Errandonea, D., Meng, Y., & Bettinelli, M. (2010). High-pressure stability and compressibility ofAPO4(A=La, Nd, Eu, Gd, Er, and Y) orthophosphates: An x-ray diffraction study using synchrotron radiation. Physical Review B, 81(6). doi:10.1103/physrevb.81.064113Crichton, W. A., Parise, J. B., Antao, S. M., & Grzechnik, A. (2005). Evidence for monazite-, barite-, and AgMnO4(distorted barite)-type structures of CaSO4at high pressure and temperature. American Mineralogist, 90(1), 22-27. doi:10.2138/am.2005.1654Huang, T., Shieh, S. R., Akhmetov, A., Liu, X., Lin, C.-M., & Lee, J.-S. (2010). Pressure-induced phase transition inBaCrO4. Physical Review B, 81(21). doi:10.1103/physrevb.81.214117Zhang, F. X., Wang, J. W., Lang, M., Zhang, J. M., Ewing, R. C., & Boatner, L. A. (2009). High-pressure phase transitions ofScPO4andYPO4. Physical Review B, 80(18). doi:10.1103/physrevb.80.184114Panchal, V., Garg, N., & Sharma, S. M. (2006). Raman and x-ray diffraction investigations on BaMoO4under high pressures. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 18(16), 3917-3929. doi:10.1088/0953-8984/18/16/00
Fructose transport-deficient Staphylococcus aureus reveals important role of epithelial glucose transporters in limiting sugar-driven bacterial growth in airway surface liquid.
Hyperglycaemia as a result of diabetes mellitus or acute illness is associated with increased susceptibility to respiratory infection with Staphylococcus aureus. Hyperglycaemia increases the concentration of glucose in airway surface liquid (ASL) and promotes the growth of S. aureus in vitro and in vivo. Whether elevation of other sugars in the blood, such as fructose, also results in increased concentrations in ASL is unknown and whether sugars in ASL are directly utilised by S. aureus for growth has not been investigated. We obtained mutant S. aureus JE2 strains with transposon disrupted sugar transport genes. NE768(fruA) exhibited restricted growth in 10Â mM fructose. In H441 airway epithelial-bacterial co-culture, elevation of basolateral sugar concentration (5-20Â mM) increased the apical growth of JE2. However, sugar-induced growth of NE768(fruA) was significantly less when basolateral fructose rather than glucose was elevated. This is the first experimental evidence to show that S. aureus directly utilises sugars present in the ASL for growth. Interestingly, JE2 growth was promoted less by glucose than fructose. Net transepithelial flux of D-glucose was lower than D-fructose. However, uptake of D-glucose was higher than D-fructose across both apical and basolateral membranes consistent with the presence of GLUT1/10 in the airway epithelium. Therefore, we propose that the preferential uptake of glucose (compared to fructose) limits its accumulation in ASL. Pre-treatment with metformin increased transepithelial resistance and reduced the sugar-dependent growth of S. aureus. Thus, epithelial paracellular permeability and glucose transport mechanisms are vital to maintain low glucose concentration in ASL and limit bacterial nutrient sources as a defence against infection
Familial hematuria
Hematuria is a common presenting complaint in pediatric nephrology clinics and often has a familial basis. This teaching article provides an overview of causes, diagnosis, and management of the major forms of familial hematuria, Alport syndrome, and thin basement membrane nephropathy
A Review of Dietary Prevention of Human Papillomavirus-Related Infection of the Cervix and Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
The natural history of cervical cancer suggests that prevention can be achieved by modification of the host's immune system through a nutrient-mediated program. This study reviews the preventive role of dietary intake on cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) induced by human papillomavirus (HPV). Electronic databases were searched using relevant keywords such as, but not limited to, human papillomavirus infection, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, lifestyle factors, nutrients intake, and diet. High consumption of fruit and vegetables appears to be protective against CIN. The findings also highlight the possibility of consuming high levels of specific nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and retaining sufficient level of these elements in the body, especially those with high antioxidants and antiviral properties, to prevent progression of transient and persistent HPV infections to high-grade CIN 2 and 3 (including in situ cervical cancer). The protective effect is not significant for high-risk HPV persistent infections and invasive cervical cancer. Although it appears that intake of specific nutrients, vitamins, and minerals may be good in CIN prevention, there is lack of evidence from controlled trial to confirm this. Health professionals shall focus on implementation of a balanced-diet prevention strategy at an early stage for cervical cancer prevention
Wielding the brazen serpent:The variety and power of biblical typology in early modern Scotland
Corrigendum: Delivery of crop pollination services is an insufficient argument for wild pollinator conservation
There is compelling evidence that more diverse ecosystems deliver greater benefits to people, and these ecosystem services have become a key argument for biodiversity conservation. However, it is unclear how much biodiversity is needed to deliver ecosystem services in a cost-effective way. Here we show that, while the contribution of wild bees to crop production is significant, service delivery is restricted to a limited subset of all known bee species. Across crops, years and biogeographical regions, crop-visiting wild bee communities are dominated by a small number of common species, and threatened species are rarely observed on crops. Dominant crop pollinators persist under agricultural expansion and many are easily enhanced by simple conservation measures, suggesting that cost-effective management strategies to promote crop pollination should target a different set of species than management strategies to promote threatened bees. Conserving the biological diversity of bees therefore requires more than just ecosystem-service-based arguments
Efficacy of three neuroprotective drugs in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS-SMART):a phase 2b, multiarm, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial
Neurodegeneration is the pathological substrate that causes major disability in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. A synthesis of preclinical and clinical research identified three neuroprotective drugs acting on different axonal pathobiologies. We aimed to test the efficacy of these drugs in an efficient manner with respect to time, cost, and patient resource. Methods: We did a phase 2b, multiarm, parallel group, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial at 13 clinical neuroscience centres in the UK. We recruited patients (aged 25-65 years) with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis who were not on disease-modifying treatment and who had an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 4·0-6·5. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) at baseline, by a research nurse using a centralised web-based service, to receive twice-daily oral treatment of either amiloride 5 mg, fluoxetine 20 mg, riluzole 50 mg, or placebo for 96 weeks. The randomisation procedure included minimisation based on sex, age, EDSS score at randomisation, and trial site. Capsules were identical in appearance to achieve masking. Patients, investigators, and MRI readers were unaware of treatment allocation. The primary outcome measure was volumetric MRI percentage brain volume change (PBVC) from baseline to 96 weeks, analysed using multiple regression, adjusting for baseline normalised brain volume and minimisation criteria. The primary analysis was a complete-case analysis based on the intention-to-treat population (all patients with data at week 96). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01910259
Deciding Together?:Best Interests and Shared Decision-Making in Paediatric Intensive Care
In the western healthcare, shared decision making has become the orthodox approach to making healthcare choices as a way of promoting patient autonomy. Despite the fact that the autonomy paradigm is poorly suited to paediatric decision making, such an approach is enshrined in English common law. When reaching moral decisions, for instance when it is unclear whether treatment or non-treatment will serve a childâs best interests, shared decision making is particularly questionable because agreement does not ensure moral validity. With reference to current common law and focusing on intensive care practice, this paper investigates what claims shared decision making may have to legitimacy in a paediatric intensive care setting. Drawing on key texts, I suggest these identify advantages to parents and clinicians but not to the child who is the subject of the decision. Without evidence that shared decision making increases the quality of the decision that is being made, it appears that a focus on the shared nature of a decision does not cohere with the principle that the best interests of the child should remain paramount. In the face of significant pressures toward the displacement of the childâs interests in a shared decision, advantages of a shared decision to decisional quality require elucidation. Although a number of arguments of this nature may have potential, should no such advantages be demonstrable we have cause to revise our commitment to either shared decision making or the paramountcy of the child in these circumstances
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