Synthesis of extracellular matrix components by human ciliary muscle cells in culture

The production and spatial organization of connective tissue components in ciliary muscle cell cultures was studied with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural methods. Antibodies against collagen types IV and VI, fibronectin and laminin were used. Laminin stains as pericellular network surrounding individual muscle cells. Type IV collagen shows positive cytoplasmic staining and only small foci of extracellular immunofluorescence. Staining for type VI collagen and fibronectin is seen near the ends of the bipolar cells, while the lateral sides of the cells remain unstained. Electronmicroscopy shows that cultured ciliary muscle cells are surrounded by an incomplete basal lamina. In addition, bundles of 5-20 nm thick extracellular microfibrils are seen. The bundles are oriented parallel to the axis of the cells and are in close contact with the cell membrane in areas where membrane-bound dense bands are formed. Immunoelectronmicroscopy indicates that the bundles contain fibronectin and type VI collagen fibrils. While the fibronectin fibrils approach the cell membrane directly, type VI collagen fibrils are usually separated from the cell membrane by fine fibrillous material of different nature. Quality and spatial organization of the extracellular material in ciliary muscle cell cultures shows marked similarities with the extracellular matrix of ciliary muscle in situ

Prospects for a Nuclear Optical Frequency Standard based on Thorium-229

The 7.6-eV-isomer of Thorium-229 offers the opportunity to perform high resolution laser spectroscopy of a nuclear transition. We give a brief review of the investigations of this isomer. The nuclear resonance connecting ground state and isomer may be used as the reference of an optical clock of very high accuracy using trapped and laser-cooled thorium ions, or in a compact solid-state optical frequency standard of high stability.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure; Proceedings of the 7th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology, 5-11 October 2008; reference added for section

Alignment of galaxies relative to their local environment in SDSS-DR8

We study the alignment of galaxies relative to their local environment in SDSS-DR8 and, using these data, we discuss evolution scenarios for different types of galaxies. We defined a vector field of the direction of anisotropy of the local environment of galaxies. We summed the unit direction vectors of all close neighbours of a given galaxy in a particular way to estimate this field. We found the alignment angles between the spin axes of disc galaxies, or the minor axes of elliptical galaxies, and the direction of anisotropy. The distributions of cosines of these angles are compared to the random distributions to analyse the alignment of galaxies. Sab galaxies show perpendicular alignment relative to the direction of anisotropy in a sparse environment, for single galaxies and galaxies of low luminosity. Most of the parallel alignment of Scd galaxies comes from dense regions, from 2...3 member groups and from galaxies with low luminosity. The perpendicular alignment of S0 galaxies does not depend strongly on environmental density nor luminosity; it is detected for single and 2...3 member group galaxies, and for main galaxies of 4...10 member groups. The perpendicular alignment of elliptical galaxies is clearly detected for single galaxies and for members of < 11 member groups; the alignment increases with environmental density and luminosity. We confirm the existence of fossil tidally induced alignment of Sab galaxies at low z. The alignment of Scd galaxies can be explained via the infall of matter to filaments. S0 galaxies may have encountered relatively massive mergers along the direction of anisotropy. Major mergers along this direction can explain the alignment of elliptical galaxies. Less massive, but repeated mergers are possibly responsible for the formation of elliptical galaxies in sparser areas and for less luminous elliptical galaxies.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Folding and cytoplasm viscoelasticity contribute jointly to chromosome dynamics

The chromosome is a key player of cell physiology, and its dynamics provides valuable information about its physical organization. In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the short-time motion of chromosomal loci has been described as a Rouse model in a simple or viscoelastic medium. However, little emphasis has been put on the role played by the folded organization of chromosomes on the local dynamics. Clearly, stress-propagation, and thus dynamics, must be affected by such organization, but a theory allowing to extract such information from data, e.g.\ of two-point correlations, is lacking. Here, we describe a theoretical framework able to answer this general polymer dynamics question, and we provide a general scaling analysis of the stress-propagation time between two loci at a given arclength distance along the chromosomal coordinate. The results suggest a precise way to detect folding information from the dynamical coupling of chromosome segments. Additionally, we realize this framework in a specific theoretical model of a polymer with variable-range interactions in a viscoelastic medium characterized by a tunable scaling exponent, where we derive analytical estimates of the correlation functions.Comment: 14 pages including supplementary material

The Importance of the Study of the Hemodynamics of the Uterine Tumors by the Method of Dopplerometry in the Two- and Three-dimensional Echography Modes for Differential Diagnostics of Simple, Proliferating Leiomyomas and Uterine Sarcomas (Review of Litera

The article analyzes modern literature data on the importance of studying the hemodynamics of uterine tumors with dopplerometry in two - and three - dimensional regimens of echography for differential diagnosis of simple proliferating leiomyomas and sarcomas of the uterus. It is shown that the differential diagnosis of benign and Malignant tumors using the dopplerometry is based on various features of the blood supply of these tumors. On the basis of the analysis of literature data, it was concluded that in the dopplerometry evaluation of benign, borderline and Malignant tumors of myometrium in the two-dimensional regime, there were differences in the localization of the detected vessels in the CDM regimen, in the rates of vascular blood flow and vascular resistance in pulse dopplerometry. For a simple leiomyoma, the absence of a central intra-node localization of blood vessels in the CDM regimen, a low rate of arterial and venous blood flow, as well as an average resistance of arterial blood flow in the regime of impulsive dopplerometry are most typical; in a leiomyoma with eating disorders, the absence of a central intra-node localization of blood vessels, a low rate of arterial and venous blood flow in combination with high arterial resistance were more often observed. For the proliferating leiomyoma, the central intra-node localization of the vessels and the average blood flow velocities with low and medium resistance are characteristic. For sarcoma of the uterus, there is abundant vascularization both around the periphery and in the center, high blood flow rates and low resistance. The authors emphasize that there is information about the low specificity of this gradation, since the detection of a central type of vascularization and low resistance values can be in simple myomatous nodes with edema, eating disorders and destruction, and leads to diagnostic errors and suspicion of Malignancy. In the three-dimensional dopplerometry mode for simple leiomyomas, low indices of volume perfusion indices were characteristic, and for proliferating leiomyomas and sarcomas of the uterus – high indices of volume perfusion indices exceeding those in the uterus as a whole.Based on the review of the literature, the authors concluded that the presently available echographic and dopplerometric two- and three-dimensional markers are characterized by high sensitivity, but very low specificity. The low specificity of the known ultrasonic and dopplerometric criteria combined with the rarity of cases of sarcoma in the uterus against the background of a large number of similar echographically and dopplerometrically leiomyomas lead to low diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound diagnostics. This situation requires a further continuation of the scientific search for differential diagnostic ultrasound criteria by leiomyomas and sarcomas of the uterus using modern technologies, including three-dimensional echography