1,057 research outputs found
Cigarette smoke promoted human xenograft tumors through the upregulation of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinases
published_or_final_versio
Korean Red Ginseng protects dopaminergic neurons by suppressing the cleavage of p35 to p25 in a Parkinson's disease mouse model
AbstractBackgroundGinseng is known to have antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. The present study investigated a possible role of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) in suppressing dopaminergic neuronal cell death and the cleavage of p35 to p25 in the substantia nigra (SN) and striatum (ST) using a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease mouse model.MethodsTen-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with 30 mg/kg of MPTP at 24-h intervals for 5 d, and then administered KRG (1 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, or 100 mg/kg) once a day for 12 consecutive days from the first injection. Pole tests were performed to assess the motor function of the mice, dopaminergic neuronal survival in the SN and ST was evaluated using tyrosine hydroxylase-immunohistochemistry, and the expressions of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), p35, and p25 in the SN and ST were measured using Western blotting.ResultsMPTP administration caused behavioral impairment, dopaminergic neuronal death, increased Cdk5 and p25 expression, and decreased p35 expression in the nigrostriatal system of mice, whereas KRG dose-dependently alleviated these MPTP-induced changes.ConclusionThese results indicate that KRG can inhibit MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal death and suppress the cleavage of p35 to p25 in the SN and the ST, suggesting a possible role for KRG in the treatment of Parkinson's disease
Small Solutions for Big Problems: The Application of Nanoparticles to Brain Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109842/1/cptclpt2008296.pd
Infrequent Use of Isolation Precautions in Nursing Homes: Implications for an Evolving Population
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136499/1/jgs14781_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136499/2/jgs14781.pd
Stark effect in a wedge-shaped quantum box
The effect of an external applied electric field on the electronic ground
state energy of a quantum box with a geometry defined by a wedge is studied by
carrying out a variational calculation. This geometry could be used as an
approximation for a tip of a cantilever of an atomic force microscope. We study
theoretically the Stark effect as function of the parameters of the wedge: its
diameter, angular aperture and thickness; as well as function of the intensity
of the external electric field applied along the axis of the wedge in both
directions; pushing the carrier towards the wider or the narrower parts. A
confining electronic effect, which is sharper as the wedge dimensions are
smaller, is clearly observed for the first case. Besides, the sign of the Stark
shift changes when the angular aperture is changed from small angles to angles
theta>pi. For the opposite field, the electronic confinement for large
diameters is very small and it is also observed that the Stark shift is almost
independent with respect to the angular aperture.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl
Development of Ferroelectric Order in Relaxor (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 - xPbTiO3
The microstructure and phase transition in relaxor ferroelectric
Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN) and its solid solution with PbTiO3 (PT), PMN-xPT, remain
to be one of the most puzzling issues of solid state science. In the present
work we have investigated the evolution of the phase symmetry in PMN-xPT
ceramics as a function of temperature (20 K < T < 500 K) and composition (0 <=
x <= 0.15) by means of high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction.
Structural analysis based on the experimental data reveals that the
substitution of Ti^4+ for the complex B-site (Mg1/3Nb2/3)^4+ ions results in
the development of a clean rhombohedral phase at a PT-concentration as low as
5%. The results provide some new insight into the development of the
ferroelectric order in PMN-PT, which has been discussed in light of the
kinetics of polar nanoregions and the physical models of the relaxor
ferroelectrics to illustrate the structural evolution from a relaxor to a
ferroelectric state.Comment: Revised version with updated references; 9 pages, 4 figures embedde
Universal Static and Dynamic Properties of the Structural Transition in Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3
The relaxors Pb(ZnNb)O (PZN) and
Pb(MgNb)O (PMN) have very similar properties based on the
dielectric response around the critical temperature (defined by the
structural transition under the application of an electric field). It has been
widely believed that these materials are quite different below with the
unit cell of PMN remaining cubic while in PZN the low temperature unit cell is
rhombohedral in shape. However, this has been clarified by recent high-energy
x-ray studies which have shown that PZN is rhombohedral only in the skin while
the shape of the unit cell in the bulk is nearly cubic. In this study we have
performed both neutron elastic and inelastic scattering to show that the
temperature dependence of both the diffuse and phonon scattering in PZN and PMN
is very similar. Both compounds show a nearly identical recovery of the soft
optic mode and a broadening of the acoustic mode below . The diffuse
scattering in PZN is suggestive of an onset at the high temperature Burns
temperature similar to that in PMN. In contrast to PMN, we observe a broadening
of the Bragg peaks in both the longitudinal and transverse directions below
. We reconcile this additional broadening, not observed in PMN, in terms
of structural inhomogeneity in PZN. Based on the strong similarities between
PMN and PZN, we suggest that both materials belong to the same universality
class and discuss the relaxor transition in terms of the three-dimensional
Heisenberg model with cubic anisotropy in a random field.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures. Updated version after helpful referee comment
Noroviruses as a Cause of Diarrhea in Immunocompromised Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
Case reports describe significant norovirus gastroenteritis morbidity in immunocompromised patients. We evaluated norovirus pathogenesis in prospectively enrolled solid organ (SOT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients with diarrhea who presented to Texas Children\u27s Hospital and submitted stool for enteric testing. Noroviruses were detected by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Clinical outcomes of norovirus diarrhea and non-norovirus diarrhea patients, matched by transplanted organ type, were compared. Norovirus infection was identified in 25 (22%) of 116 patients, more frequently than other enteropathogens. Fifty percent of norovirus patients experienced diarrhea lasting ≥14 days, with median duration of 12.5 days (range 1–324 days); 29% developed diarrhea recurrence. Fifty-five percent of norovirus patients were hospitalized for diarrhea, with 27% requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. One HSCT recipient developed pneumatosis intestinalis. Three HSCT patients expired ≤6 months of norovirus diarrhea onset. Compared to non-norovirus diarrhea patients, norovirus patients experienced significantly more frequent ICU admission (27% vs. 0%, p = 0.02), greater serum creatinine rise (median 0.3 vs. 0.2 mg/dL, p = 0.01), and more weight loss (median 1.6 vs. 0.6 kg, p \u3c 0.01). Noroviruses are an important cause of diarrhea in pediatric transplant patients and are associated with significant clinical complications
Multiplexed genotyping of ABC transporter polymorphisms with the Bioplex suspension array
We have developed and validated a consolidated bead-based genotyping platform, the Bioplex suspension array for simultaneous detection of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ATP-binding cassette transporters. Genetic polymorphisms have been known to influence therapeutic response and risk of disease pathologies. Genetic screening for therapeutic and diagnostic applications thus holds great promise in clinical management. The allele-specific primer extension (ASPE) reaction was used to assay 22 multiplexed SNPs for eight subjects. Comparison of the microsphere-based ASPE assay results to sequencing results showed complete concordance in genotype assignments. The Bioplex suspension array thus proves to be a reliable, cost-effective and high-throughput technological platform for genotyping. It can be easily adapted to customized SNP panels for specific applications involving large-scale mutation screening of clinically relevant markers
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