26 research outputs found
Differentiation of angiogenic burden in human cancer xenografts using a perfusion-type optical contrast agent (SIDAG)
A comprehensive structural, biochemical and biological profiling of the human NUDIX hydrolase family
The NUDIX enzymes are involved in cellular metabolism and homeostasis, as well as mRNA processing. Although highly conserved throughout all organisms, their biological roles and biochemical redundancies remain largely unclear. To address this, we globally resolve their individual properties and inter-relationships. We purify 18 of the human NUDIX proteins and screen 52 substrates, providing a substrate redundancy map. Using crystal structures, we generate sequence alignment analyses revealing four major structural classes. To a certain extent, their substrate preference redundancies correlate with structural classes, thus linking structure and activity relationships. To elucidate interdependence among the NUDIX hydrolases, we pairwise deplete them generating an epistatic interaction map, evaluate cell cycle perturbations upon knockdown in normal and cancer cells, and analyse their protein and mRNA expression in normal and cancer tissues. Using a novel FUSION algorithm, we integrate all data creating a comprehensive NUDIX enzyme profile map, which will prove fundamental to understanding their biological functionality
Post-mortem volatiles of vertebrate tissue
Volatile emission during vertebrate decay is a complex process that is understood incompletely. It depends on many factors. The main factor is the metabolism of the microbial species present inside and on the vertebrate. In this review, we combine the results from studies on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected during this decay process and those on the biochemical formation of VOCs in order to improve our understanding of the decay process. Micro-organisms are the main producers of VOCs, which are by- or end-products of microbial metabolism. Many microbes are already present inside and on a vertebrate, and these can initiate microbial decay. In addition, micro-organisms from the environment colonize the cadaver. The composition of microbial communities is complex, and communities of different species interact with each other in succession. In comparison to the complexity of the decay process, the resulting volatile pattern does show some consistency. Therefore, the possibility of an existence of a time-dependent core volatile pattern, which could be used for applications in areas such as forensics or food science, is discussed. Possible microbial interactions that might alter the process of decay are highlighted
Primary Progressive Aphasias and Their Contribution to the Contemporary Knowledge About the Brain-Language Relationship
Comparison of Flow Cytometry and Image-Based Screening for Cell Cycle Analysis
Quantitative cell state measurements can provide a wealth of information about mechanism of action of chemical compounds and gene functionality. Here we present a comparison of cell cycle disruption measurements from commonly used flow cytometry (generating onedimensional signal data) and bioimaging (producing two-dimensional image data). Our results show high correlation between the two approaches indicating that image-based screening can be used as an alternative to flow cytometry. Furthermore, we discuss the benefits of image informatics over conventional single-signal flow cytometry
HPLC separation and quantification of anionic surfactants using an automated on-line ion pair extraction system
Spontaneous formation and relaxation of spin domains in antiferromagnetic spin-1 condensates
UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for direct analysis of drugs of abuse in oral fluid for DUID assessment
An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography\u2013
electrospray ionization\u2013tandem mass spectrometry method for
the direct analysis in oral fluid (OF) of several abused drugs and
metabolites in a single chromatographic run was set up and
validated. Amphetamine, methamphetamine, morphine, O-6-
monoacetylmorphine, cocaine, codeine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA), methylenedioxyethylamphetamine,
methylenedioxyamphetamine, methadone,
benzoylecgonine (BEG), \uc49-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
ketamine, and cocaethylene were determined in a single
chromatographic run with no sample pretreatment, after
addition of the respective deuterated internal standards. The
method was designed to perform a confirmation analysis on
the residual OF samples after the preliminary on-site screening
test, and it was applied on preservative buffers from different
devices (Mavand Rapidstat, Concateno DDS, and Greiner
Bio-One) or on neat OF samples. The method was suitable to
be applied to the small amounts of sample available for the
confirmatory analysis after the preliminary on-site screening
or on undiluted OF samples. Limits of detection varied from 5
(morphine) to 0.2 ng/mL (methamphetamine, MDMA, BEG,
and cocaethylene). The method was linear for all the
substances involved, giving quadratic correlation coefficients
of >0.99 in all the different preservative buffers checked. In addition, repeatability and accuracy were satisfactory for the
majority of the substances, except for a few cases. The
developed method was subsequently applied to 466 residual
samples from on-site screening performed by police officers.
Of these samples, 74 showed the presence of cocaine and
metabolites; THC was detected in 49 samples. Two samples
showed codeine and morphine while MDMA was detected in
11 samples and ketamine in four samples