Increased neuronal nitric oxide synthase activity in retinal neurons in early diabetic retinopathy

PURPOSE. There are increased levels of nitric oxide (NO) in diabetic retinas. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) contributes to the increased levels of retinal NO in early diabetic retinopathy by examining the expression and activity of nNOS in retinal neurons after 5 weeks of diabetes. METHODS. Changes in NO levels were measured using NO imaging of retinal neurons in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes for five weeks. NO imaging was compared to nNOS localization using immunocytochemistry, and nNOS message and protein levels were measured using quantitative real-time PCR and western blots. RESULTS. There was a close anatomic correlation between the localization of the increased NO production and the nNOS immunoreactivity in the retinal plexiform layers of diabetic retinas. There was no change in nNOS message, but nNOS protein was decreased and its subcellular localization was altered. Treatment with insulin or aminoguanidine partially ameliorated the increase in NO in diabetic retinas. CONCLUSIONS. These results suggest that increased nNOS activity is responsible for the majority of increased NO in retinal neurons in early diabetic retinopathy. This supports a role for increased nNOS activity in the early neuronal dysfunction in the diabetic retina.National Institutes of Health (NEI EY04785 to WDE

Light Ion Accelerating Line (L3IA): Test Experiment at ILIL-PW

The construction of a novel Laser driven Light Ions Acceleration Line(L3IA) is progressing rapidly towards the operation, following the recent upgrade of the ILIL-PW laser facility. The Line was designed following the pilot experimental activity carried out earlier at the same facility to define design parameters and to identify main components including target control and diagnostic equipment, also in combination with the numerical simulations for the optimization of laser and target parameters. A preliminary set of data was acquired following the successful commissioning of the laser system >100 TW upgrade. Data include output from a range of different ion detectors and optical diagnostics installed for qualification of the laser-target interaction. An overview of the results is given along with a description of the relevant upgraded laser facility and features.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 18 references, presented at the EAAC 201

Allelic Variation of Wheat Flour Allergens in a Collection of Wheat Genotypes

Wheat is the most widely grown crop in the world and provides 20% of the daily protein and food calories for 4.5 billion people. Together with rice, it is the most important food crop in the developing world. In the last decades, various symptoms have been recorded across the population due to the consumption of wheat products, also summarized as "wheat allergy." Wheat allergy is usually reported as a food allergy but can also be a contact allergy as a result of exposure to wheat. Several important wheat allergens have been characterized in the last years through biochemical, immunological, and molecular biological techniques. In the present work, the identification of allelic variation of genes involved in wheat allergy was reported. A collection of wheat genotypes was screened in order to identify new alleles. A total of 14 new alleles were identified forprofilin, triosephosphate-isomerase, dehydrin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase,α/βgliadin, GluB3-23,andGlutathione transferaseallergen genes (located on chromosomes 1B, 3B, 6A, and homoelogous groups 5 and 7), potentially related to a minor allergenicity and useful in breeding programs

Alignment of the ISAC-II Medium Beta Cryomodule with a Wire Monitoring System

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a system that has been designed to monitor changes in the alignment of the cavities and solenoids during pump out and cool down. TRIUMF is developing ISAC-II, a superconducting (SC) linac. It will comprise 9 cryomodules with a total of 48 niobium cavities and 12 SC solenoids. They must remain aligned at liquid He temperatures: cavities to ±400 μm and solenoids to ±200 μm after a vertical contraction of ∼4 mm. A wire position monitor (WPM) system based on a TESLA design measures the signals induced in stripline pickups by a 215 MHz signal carded by a position reference wire. The sensors, one per cavity and two per solenoid, monitor their motion during pre-alignment, pumping, and cool down. System accuracy is ∼7 μm. The device is giving a wealth of information over and above the data collected with the installed optical targets. The use of optical targets involves personnel and the readings can be taken only periodically. Conversely the WPM data is monitored continuously providing detailed data that is extremely valuable to help characterize a new structure

Isolation and characterisation of cytosolic glutamine synthetase (GSe) genes and association with grain protein content in durum wheat

Glutamine synthetase (GS) enzyme (EC 6.3.1.2) plays a central role in assimilating ammonia produced in the leaf from metabolic processes, spanning from assimilation to transamination reactions and catabolic processes. GS is located in both cytoplasm (GS1, GSe and GSr) and plastids (GS2) of plant cells. Glutamine and glutamate, produced by the concerted action of GS and glutamate synthase, are then transported from the leaf to the developing sinks or grain in wheat. The goal of the present study was to characterise GSe genes and to assess the linkage with grain protein content, an important quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes. Here, we report the isolation of the complete cytosolic GS gene sequences of the durum wheat cvv. 'Ciccio' and 'Svevo' (characterised by low and high protein content, respectively). GSe-A4 located on 4A chromosome comprises 12 exons separated by 11 introns, while the GSe-B4 gene on 4B chromosome comprises 11 exons separated by 10 introns. Quantitative real-time PCR indicated different expression levels of GSe-A4 and GSe-B4 genes in the two wheat cvv. 'Ciccio' and 'Svevo'. The two GSe genes were significantly associated to quantitative trait loci for grain protein content

BNCT dosimetry: peculiarities and methods

Dosimetry in tissue exposed to the epithermal neutron beams utilized for BNCT is complex, due to the multiplicity of the possible neutron reactions and consequently of the secondary radiation that contains photons, charged particles and recoil nuclei. Owing to the different radiobiological effectiveness of the various components of the absorbed dose, it is necessary to attain the evaluation of each of them. In addition, the spatial distributions of these dose components changes considerably with size and shape of the irradiated volume. Therefore, BNCT dosimetry requires suitably developed calculations and experimental methods. In this work, Monte Carlo simulations in phantoms of different sizes and shapes have been developed. Experimental methods for separating the dose components, mainly based on gel dosimeters and thermoluminescence detectors, have been applied. Moreover, the change in the absorbed dose resulting from the addition of 157Gd was investigated. Both measurements and calculations have been done with the BNCT epithermal beam of the LVR-15 reactor

Study of suitability of Fricke-gel-layer dosimeters for in-air measurements to characterize epithermal/thermal neutron beams for NCT

The reliability of Fricke gel dosimeters in form of layers for measurements aimed at the characterization of epithermal neutron beams has been studied. By means of dosimeters of different isotopic composition (standard, containing 10B or prepared with heavy water) placed against the collimator exit, the spatial distribution of gamma and fast neutron doses and of thermal neutron fluence are attained. In order to investigate the accuracy of the results obtained with in-air measurements, suitable MC simulations have been developed and experimental measurements have been performed utilizing Fricke gel dosimeters, thermoluminescence detectors and activation foils. The studies were related to the epithermal beam designed for BNCT irradiations at the research reactor LVR-15 (Řež). The results of calculation and measurements have revealed good consistency of gamma dose and fast neutron 2D distributions obtained with gel dosimeters in form of layers. In contrast, noticeable modification of thermal neutron fluence is caused by the neutron moderation produced by the dosimeter material. Fricke gel dosimeters in thin cylinders, with diameter not greater than 3 mm, have proved to give good results for thermal neutron profiling. For greater accuracy of all results, a better knowledge of the dependence of gel dosimeter sensitivity on radiation LET is needed

Allelic Variation of Wheat Flour Allergens in a Collection of Wheat Genotypes

Wheat is the most widely grown crop in the world and provides 20% of the daily protein and food calories for 4.5 billion people. Together with rice, it is the most important food crop in the developing world. In the last decades, various symptoms have been recorded across the population due to the consumption of wheat products, also summarized as “wheat allergy.” Wheat allergy is usually reported as a food allergy but can also be a contact allergy as a result of exposure to wheat. Several important wheat allergens have been characterized in the last years through biochemical, immunological, and molecular biological techniques. In the present work, the identification of allelic variation of genes involved in wheat allergy was reported. A collection of wheat genotypes was screened in order to identify new alleles. A total of 14 new alleles were identified for profilin, triosephosphate-isomerase, dehydrin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase, α/β gliadin, GluB3-23, and Glutathione transferase allergen genes (located on chromosomes 1B, 3B, 6A, and homoelogous groups 5 and 7), potentially related to a minor allergenicity and useful in breeding programs