42,299 research outputs found
Evidence that the degree of band 3 phosphorylation modulates human erythrocytes nitric oxide efflux – in vitro model of hyperfibrinogenemia
© 2011 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reservedRecent evidence has shown that plasma fibrinogen, a major cardiovascular risk factor, interacts with the erythrocyte membrane and acts to influence blood flow via erythrocyte nitric oxide (NO) modulation. In the present pioneer in-vitro study, whole blood samples were harvested from healthy subjects and aliquots were incubated in the absence (control aliquots) and presence of fibrinogen at different degrees of band 3 phosphorylation, and the levels of NO, nitrite, nitrate and S-nitroglutathione (GSNO) were determined.
Hyperfibrinogenemia interferes with erythrocyte NO mobilization without changing its efflux in a way that seems to be dependent of the degree of band 3 phosphorylation. In presence of higher fibrinogen concentrations the NO efflux is reinforced when band 3 is phosphorylated (p < 0.001). Higher levels of nitrite, nitrate and GSNO were documented (p < 0.05). However, the mechanisms by which fibrinogen signalling modulates erythrocyte function remain to be clarified and are currently under study. These conditions may be considered an approach to be followed in blood storage for transfusions.This study was supported by grants from the FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (project reference PTDC/SAU-OSM/73449/2006
Observation of dipole-dipole interaction in a degenerate quantum gas
We have investigated the expansion of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of
strongly magnetic chromium atoms. The long-range and anisotropic magnetic
dipole-dipole interaction leads to an anisotropic deformation of the expanding
Cr-BEC which depends on the orientation of the atomic dipole moments. Our
measurements are consistent with the theory of dipolar quantum gases and show
that a Cr-BEC is an excellent model system to study dipolar interactions in
such gases.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Knowledge and attitude towards the gradual reduction of salt in bread – an online survey
Aim: Assess knowledge and attitude towards the gradual reduction of salt
in bread and the potential impact on eating habits of children (6-18 years)
and their families, as part as a Health Impact Assessment pilot study.N/
A thorough analysis of the short- and mid-term activity-related variations in the solar acoustic frequencies
The frequencies of the solar acoustic oscillations vary over the activity
cycle. The variations in other activity proxies are found to be well correlated
with the variations in the acoustic frequencies. However, each proxy has a
slightly different time behaviour. Our goal is to characterize the differences
between the time behaviour of the frequency shifts and of two other activity
proxies, namely, the area covered by sunspots and the 10.7cm flux. We define a
new observable that is particularly sensitive to the short-term frequency
variations. We then compare the observable when computed from model frequency
shifts and from observed frequency shifts obtained with the Global Oscillation
Network Group (GONG) for cycle 23. Our analysis shows that on the shortest
time-scales the variations in the frequency shifts seen in the GONG
observations are strongly correlated with the variations in the area covered by
sunspots. However, a significant loss of correlation is still found. We verify
that the times when the frequency shifts and the sunspot area do not vary in a
similar way tend to coincide with the times of the maxima of the quasi-biennial
variations seen in the solar seismic data. A similar analysis of the relation
between the 10.7cm flux and the frequency shifts reveals that the short-time
variations in the frequency shifts follow even more closely those of the 10.7cm
flux than those of the sunspot area. However, a loss of correlation between
frequency shifts and 10.7cm flux variations is still found around the same
times.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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