639 research outputs found
P01.22. Identification of a peptide biomarker from bromelain, an extract of ananas comosus merr, using LC-SRM/MS
Starburst Galaxies
Star-formation and the Starburst phenomenon are presented with respect to a
number of nearby star-forming galaxies where our understanding of the process
can be calibrated. Methods of estimating star-formation rates are discussed
together with the role played in the investigation of the process by
multi-wavelength studies of a few selected starburst galaxies (especially the
well studied galaxy M82). Our understanding of nearby systems allows us to
study the star-formation history of the Universe by observing high-redshift
starburst galaxies. These begin to dominate the radio source populations at
centimetric wavelengths at flux densities below a few 10s of Jy. New very
sensitive, high resolution telescopes in the sub-mm and radio will
revolutionize our understanding of these distant star-forming systems, some of
which may contain embedded AGN.Comment: 15 pages, 19 figures, To appear in the proceedings of `The 8th
European VLBI Network Symposium on New Developments in VLBI Science and
Technology', ed. A. Marecki et al., held in Torun, Poland, on September
26-29, 2006 (Invited Review
An evolution of the IR-Radio correlation?
Using extremely deep (rms 3.3 microJy/bm) 1.4GHz sub-arcsecond resolution
MERLIN + VLA radio observations of a 8'.5 by 8'.5 field centred upon the Hubble
Deep Field North, in conjunction with Spitzer 24 micron data we present an
investigation of the radio-MIR correlation at very low flux densities. By
stacking individual sources within these data we are able to extend the
MIR-radio correlation to the extremely faint (~microJy and even sub-microJy)
radio source population. Tentatively we demonstrate a small deviation from the
correlation for the faintest MIR sources. We suggest that this small observed
change in the gradient of the correlation is the result of a suppression of the
MIR emission in faint star-forming galaxies. This deviation potentially has
significant implications for using either the MIR or non-thermal radio emission
as a star-formation tracer at low luminosities.Comment: To Appear in The Modern Radio Universe: From Planets to Dark Energy
Conference (Oct 1-5 2007, The University of Manchester) Editors: Beswick,
Diamond & Schilizz
High-z radio starbursts host obscured X-ray AGN
We use Virtual Observatory methods to investigate the association between
radio and X-ray emission at high redshifts. Fifty-five of the 92 HDF(N) sources
resolved by combining
MERLIN+VLA data were detected by Chandra, of which 18 are hard enough and
bright enough to be obscured AGN. The high-z population of microJy radio
sources is dominated by starbursts an order of magnitude more active and more
extended than any found at z<1 and at least a quarter of these simultaneously
host highly X-ray-luminous obscured AGN.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, To appear in the proceedings of 'At the Edge of
the Universe' (9-13 October 2006, Sintra, Portugal
Oral Bromelain Attenuates Inflammation in an Ovalbumin-induced Murine Model of Asthma
Bromelain, a widely used pineapple extract with cysteine protease activity, has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects in a variety of immune system models. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of orally administered bromelain in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of acute allergic airway disease (AAD). To establish AAD, female C57BL/6J mice were sensitized with intraperitoneal (i.p.) OVA/alum and then challenged with OVA aerosols for 3 days. Mice were gavaged with either (phosphate buffered saline)PBS or 200 mg/kg bromelain in PBS, twice daily for four consecutive days, beginning 1 day prior to OVA aerosol challenge. Airway reactivity and methacholine sensitivity, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cellular differential, Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13, and lung histology were compared between treatment groups. Oral bromelain-treatment of AAD mice demonstrated therapeutic efficacy as evidenced by decreased methacholine sensitivity (P ≤ 0.01), reduction in BAL eosinophils (P ≤ 0.02) and IL-13 concentrations (P ≤ 0.04) as compared with PBS controls. In addition, oral bromelain significantly reduced BAL CD19+ B cells (P ≤ 0.0001) and CD8+ T cells (P ≤ 0.0001) in AAD mice when compared with controls. These results suggest that oral treatment with bromelain had a beneficial therapeutic effect in this murine model of asthma and bromelain may also be effective in human conditions
Amelioration of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in hamsters by dietary supplementation with taurine and niacin: biochemical mechanisms.
Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis induced by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (BL) involves an excess production of reactive oxygen species, unavailability of adequate levels of NAD and ATP to repair the injured pulmonary epithelium, and an overexuberant lung collagen reactivity followed by deposition of highly cross-linked mature collagen fibrils resistant to enzymatic degradation. In the present study, we have demonstrated that dietary supplementation with taurine and niacin offered almost complete protection against the lung fibrosis in a multidose BL hamster model. The mechanisms for the protective effect of taurine and niacin are multifaceted. These include the ability of taurine to scavenge HOCl and stabilize the biomembrane; niacin's ability to replenish the BL-induced depletion of NAD and ATP; and the combined effect of taurine and niacin to suppress all aspects of BL-induced increases in the lung collagen reactivity, a hallmark of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. It was concluded from the data presented at this Conference that the combined treatment with taurine and niacin, which offers a multipronged approach, will have great therapeutic potential in the intervention of the development of chemically induced interstitial lung fibrosis in animals and humans
Bromelain Inhibits Allergic Sensitization and Murine Asthma via Modulation of Dendritic Cells
The incidence of atopic conditions has increased in industrialized countries. Persisting symptoms and concern for drug side-effects lead patients toward adjunctive treatments such as phytotherapy. Previously, we have shown that Bromelain (sBr), a mixture of cysteine proteases from pineapple, Ananas comosus, inhibits ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of allergic airway disease (AAD). However, sBr’s effect on development of AAD when treatment is administered throughout OVA-alum sensitization was unknown and is the aim of the present study. C57BL/6J mice were sensitized with OVA/alum and challenged with 7 days OVA aerosol. sBr 6 mg/kg/0.5 ml or PBS vehicle were administered throughout sensitization. Lung, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), spleen, and lymph nodes were processed for flow cytometry and OVA-specific IgE was determined via ELISA. sBr treatment throughout OVA-alum sensitization significantly reduced the development of AAD (BAL eosinophils and lymphocytes). OVA-specific IgE and OVA TET+ cells were decreased. sBr reduced CD11c+ dendritic cell subsets, and in vitro treatment of DCs significantly reduced CD44, a key receptor in both cell trafficking and activation. sBr was shown to reduce allergic sensitization and the generation of AAD upon antigen challenge. These results provide additional insight into sBr's anti-inflammatory and antiallergic properties and rationale for translation into the clinical arena
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