Modulation of ConA-induced inflammatory ascites by histamine — Short communication

The early phase of the ConA-induced inflammatory ascites was studied, with special reference to histamine. Concanavalin A (ConA), a cell-surface binding lectin was injected i.p. (25 mg/kg bw) to mice. After 1 h the animals were killed, the ascitic fluid collected and measured. Other agents were injected s.c., 10 min before the ConA-challenge. Exogenous histamine markedly inhibited the ConA-induced ascites. Release of endogenous vasoactive agents from the mast cells by Compound 48/80 had a similar, but slight effect. Cromolyn, a mast cell stabilizing agent, and chloropyramine, a histamine H1 receptor antagonist was ineffective. Although histamine increases endothelial permeability, it did not enhance the formation of ascitic fluid, on the contrary, it inhibited the ConA-induced ascites, presumably due to its known hypotonic effect. It is concluded that ConA-induced ascites is not mediated by mast cell histamine

Cosmic-ray strangelets in the Earth's atmosphere

If strange quark matter is stable in small lumps, we expect to find such lumps, called ``strangelets'', on Earth due to a steady flux in cosmic rays. Following recent astrophysical models, we predict the strangelet flux at the top of the atmosphere, and trace the strangelets' behavior in atmospheric chemistry and circulation. We show that several strangelet species may have large abundances in the atmosphere; that they should respond favorably to laboratory-scale preconcentration techniques; and that they present promising targets for mass spectroscopy experiments.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures, revtex

The effect of pressure, isotopic (H/D) substitution, and other variables on miscibility in polymer-solvent systems. The nature of the demixing process; dynamic light scattering and small angle neutron scattering studies. Final report

A research program examining the effects of pressure, isotope substitution and other variables on miscibility in polymer solvent systems is described. The techniques employed included phase equilibrium measurements and dynamic light scattering and small angle neutron scattering

Comparison of the Behavior of Polymers in Supercritical Fluids and Organic Solvents Via Small Angle Neutron Scattering

Small-angle neutron scattering has been used to study the effect of temperature and pressure on the phase behavior of semidilute solutions of polymers dissolved in organic and supercritical solvents. Above the theta temperature (To), these systems exhibit a ''good solvent'' domain, where the molecules expand beyond the unperturbed dimensions in both organic solvents and in COZ. However, this transition can be made to occur at a critical ''theta pressure'' (PO) in CO2 and this represents a new concept in the physics of polymer-solvent systems. For T < To, and P < Po, the system enters the ''poor solvent'' domain where diverging concentration fluctuations prevent the chains from collapsing and allow them to maintain their unperturbed dimensions

Critical evaluation of anharmonic corrections to the equilibrium isotope effect for methyl cation transfer from vacuum to dielectric continuum

Harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies are computed for isotopologues of methyl cation in vacuum and in a polarised continuum model (PCM) dielectric continuum (ϵ = 80) within Gaussian09. Comparison of results in vacuum for two methods (B3LYP and second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory) and three basis sets (6-31+G(d), cc-aug-PVDZ, cc-aug-PVQZ) with published anharmonic frequencies obtained from an accurate vibrational configuration interaction (VCI) method shows the smallest root mean square error in the frequencies from B3LYP/6-31+G(d) with anharmonic corrections. Using this method to calculate isotopic partition function ratios (IPFRs) for all six pairs of CH3+, CH2D+, CHD2+ and CD3+ gives better results for anharmonic frequencies than for unscaled harmonic frequencies, but scaled harmonic frequencies give even better results for less cost. The scaling factor is simply the ratio of the sum of the anharmonic VCI frequencies to the sum of the harmonic B3LYP/6-31+G(d) frequencies, which corresponds to the dominance of zero-point energy changes in determining the IPFRs. Both the scaled and unscaled harmonic frequencies provide reasonable estimates for the equilibrium isotope effects (EIEs) upon transfer of methyl cation from vacuum to PCM ‘water’, but the anharmonic PCM calculations give erratic results. The use of scaled B3LYP/6-31+G(d) harmonic frequencies is recommended for the estimations of EIEs rather than expensive anharmonic corrections

Spatiotemporally confined red light-controlled gene delivery at single-cell resolution using adeno-associated viral vectors

Methodologies for the controlled delivery of genetic information into target cells are of utmost importance for genetic engineering in both fundamental and applied research. However, available methods for efficient gene transfer into user-selected or even single cells suffer from low throughput, the need for complicated equipment, high invasiveness, or side effects by off-target viral uptake. Here, we engineer an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector system that transfers genetic information into native target cells upon illumination with cell-compatible red light. This OptoAAV system allows adjustable and spatially resolved gene transfer down to single-cell resolution and is compatible with different cell lines and primary cells. Moreover, the sequential application of multiple OptoAAVs enables spatially resolved transduction with different transgenes. The approach presented is likely extendable to other classes of viral vectors and is expected to foster advances in basic and applied genetic research.ISSN:2375-254