119 research outputs found
Apolipoprotein E4 influences amyloid deposition but not cell loss after traumatic brain injury in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
The epsilon4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are both risk factors for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). These factors may act synergistically, in that APOE4+ individuals are more likely to develop dementia after TBI. Because the mechanism underlying these effects is unclear, we questioned whether APOE4 and TBI interact either through effects on amyloid-beta (Abeta) or by enhancing cell death/tissue injury. We assessed the effects of TBI in PDAPP mice (transgenic mice that develop AD-like pathology) expressing human APOE3 (PDAPP:E3), human APOE4 (PDAPP:E4), or no APOE (PDAPP:E-/-). Mice were subjected to a unilateral cortical impact injury at 9-10 months of age and allowed to survive for 3 months. Abeta load, hippocampal/cortical volumes, and hippocampal CA3 cell loss were quantified using stereological methods. All of the groups contained mice with Abeta-immunoreactive deposits (56% PDAPP:E4, 20% PDAPP:E3, 75% PDAPP:E-/-), but thioflavine-S-positive Abeta (amyloid) was present only in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus in the PDAPP:E4 mice (44%). In contrast, our previous studies showed that in the absence of TBI, PDAPP:E3 and PDAPP:E4 mice have little to no Abeta deposition at this age. After TBI, all of the Abeta deposits present in PDAPP:E3 and PDAPP:E-/- mice were diffuse plaques. In contrast to the effect of APOE4 on amyloid, PDAPP:E3, PDAPP:E4, and PDAPP:E-/- mice did not differ in the amount of brain tissue or cell loss. These data support the hypothesis that APOE4 influences the neurodegenerative cascade after TBI via an effect on Abeta
Orientations of the lamellar phase of block copolymer melts under oscillatory shear flow
We develop a theory to describe the reorientation phenomena in the lamellar
phase of block copolymer melt under reciprocating shear flow. We show that
similar to the steady-shear, the oscillating flow anisotropically suppresses
fluctuations and gives rise to the parallel-perpendicular orientation
transition. The experimentally observed high-frequency reverse transition is
explained in terms of interaction between the melt and the shear-cell walls.Comment: RevTex, 3 pages, 1 figure, submitted to PR
Shear induced instabilities in layered liquids
Motivated by the experimentally observed shear-induced destabilization and
reorientation of smectic A like systems, we consider an extended formulation of
smectic A hydrodynamics. We include both, the smectic layering (via the layer
displacement u and the layer normal p) and the director n of the underlying
nematic order in our macroscopic hydrodynamic description and allow both
directions to differ in non equilibrium situations. In an homeotropically
aligned sample the nematic director does couple to an applied simple shear,
whereas the smectic layering stays unchanged. This difference leads to a finite
(but usually small) angle between n and p, which we find to be equivalent to an
effective dilatation of the layers. This effective dilatation leads, above a
certain threshold, to an undulation instability of the layers. We generalize
our earlier approach [Rheol. Acta, vol.39(3), 15] and include the cross
couplings with the velocity field and the order parameters for orientational
and positional order and show how the order parameters interact with the
undulation instability. We explore the influence of various material parameters
on the instability. Comparing our results to recent experiments and molecular
dynamic simulations, we find a good qualitative agreement.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Influence of confinement on the orientational phase transitions in the lamellar phase of a block copolymer melt under shear flow
In this work we incorporate some real-system effects into the theory of
orientational phase transitions under shear flow (M. E. Cates and S. T. Milner,
Phys. Rev. Lett. v.62, p.1856 (1989) and G. H. Fredrickson, J. Rheol. v.38,
p.1045 (1994)). In particular, we study the influence of the shear-cell
boundaries on the orientation of the lamellar phase. We predict that at low
shear rates the parallel orientation appears to be stable. We show that there
is a critical value of the shear rate at which the parallel orientation loses
its stability and the perpendicular one appears immediately below the spinodal.
We associate this transition with a crossover from the fluctuation to the
mean-field behaviour. At lower temperatures the stability of the parallel
orientation is restored. We find that the region of stability of the
perpendicular orientation rapidly decreases as shear rate increases. This
behaviour might be misinterpreted as an additional perpendicular to parallel
transition recently discussed in literature.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Scale-invariance of galaxy clustering
Some years ago we proposed a new approach to the analysis of galaxy and
cluster correlations based on the concepts and methods of modern statistical
Physics. This led to the surprising result that galaxy correlations are fractal
and not homogeneous up to the limits of the available catalogs. The usual
statistical methods, which are based on the assumption of homogeneity, are
therefore inconsistent for all the length scales probed so far, and a new, more
general, conceptual framework is necessary to identifythe real physical
properties of these structures. In the last few years the 3-d catalogs have
been significatively improved and we have extended our methods to the analysis
of number counts and angular catalogs. This has led to a complete analysis of
all the available data that we present in this review. The result is that
galaxy structures are highly irregular and self-similar: all the available data
are consistent with each other and show fractal correlations (with dimension ) up to the deepest scales probed so far (1000 \hmp) and even more
as indicated from the new interpretation of the number counts. The evidence for
scale-invariance of galaxy clustering is very strong up to 150 \hmp due to
the statistical robustness of the data but becomes progressively weaker
(statistically) at larger distances due to the limited data. In These facts
lead to fascinating conceptual implications about our knowledge of the universe
and to a new scenario for the theoretical challenge in this field.Comment: Latex file 165 pages, 106 postscript figures. This paper is also
available at http://www.phys.uniroma1.it/DOCS/PIL/pil.html To appear in
Physics Report (Dec. 1997
Bone turnover markers for early detection of fracture healing disturbances: A review of the scientific literature
Imaging techniques are the standard method for assessment of fracture healing processes. However, these methods are perhaps not entirely reliable for early detection of complications, the most frequent of these being delayed union and non-union. A prompt diagnosis of such disorders could prevent prolonged patient distress and disability. Efforts should be directed towards the development of new technologies for improving accuracy in diagnosing complications following bone fractures. The variation in the levels of bone turnover markers (BTMs) have been assessed with regard to there ability to predict impaired fracture healing at an early stage, nevertheless the conclusions of some studies are not consensual. In this article the authors have revised the potential of BTMs as early predictors of prognosis in adult patients presenting traumatic bone fractures but who did not suffer from osteopenia or postmenopausal osteoporosis. The available information from the different studies performed in this field was systematized in order to highlight the most promising BTMs for the assessment of fracture healing outcome.As técnicas imagiológicas são o método convencional para a avaliação dos processos de cicatrização das fraturas. No entanto, estes métodos não são talvez totalmente confiáveis para a deteção precoce de complicações, as mais frequentes destas sendo o atraso da união e a não-união. Um diagnóstico eficaz destas desordens poderia prevenir a dor e a incapacidade prolongada do paciente. Esforços devem ser dirigidos no sentido do desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias para melhorar a exatidão no diagnóstico de complicações após fraturas ósseas. A variação nos nÃveis dos marcadores do turnover ósseo (BTMs) têm sido avaliados com vista à sua capacidade para prever o comprometimento da cicatrização das fraturas numa fase inicial, no entanto, as conclusões de alguns estudos não são consensuais. Neste artigo os autores fizeram uma revisão do potencial dos BTMs como fatores de previsibilidade precoce do prognóstico em doentes adultos que apresentavam fraturas ósseas traumáticas mas que não sofriam de osteopenia ou osteoporose pós-menopausa. A informação disponÃvel nos diferentes estudos realizados neste campo foi sistematizada com vista a evidenciar-se os BTMs mais promissores para a avaliação da evolução da cicatrização das fraturas.SFRH/BD/45018/200
Tracking Membrane Protein Association in Model Membranes
Membrane proteins are essential in the exchange processes of cells. In spite of great breakthrough in soluble proteins studies, membrane proteins structures, functions and interactions are still a challenge because of the difficulties related to their hydrophobic properties. Most of the experiments are performed with detergent-solubilized membrane proteins. However widely used micellar systems are far from the biological two-dimensions membrane. The development of new biomimetic membrane systems is fundamental to tackle this issue
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