Showing papers by "University of Naples Federico II published in 1990"
TL;DR: Clinically apparent cardiomyopathy is first evident after 10 years of age and increases in incidence with age, being present in all patients over 18 years ofAge, and its clinical impact is discussed.
609 citations
TL;DR: A tentatively comprehensive tutorial report of the most recent literature on kinematic control of redundant robot manipulators lends some perspective to the most widely adopted on-line instantaneous control solutions, namely those based on the simple manipulator's Jacobian.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a tentatively comprehensive tutorial report of the most recent literature on kinematic control of redundant robot manipulators. Our goal is to lend some perspective to the most widely adopted on-line instantaneous control solutions, namely those based on the simple manipulator's Jacobian, those based on the local optimization of objective functions in the null space of the Jacobian, those based on the task space augmentation by additional constraint tasks (with task priority), and those based on the construction of inverse kinematic functions.
581 citations
01 Apr 1990-Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment
TL;DR: The L3 experiment as discussed by the authors is one of the six large detectors designed for the new generation of electron-positron accelerators, which is the only detector that concentrates its efforts on limited goals of measuring electrons, muons and photons.
Abstract: The L3 experiment is one of the six large detectors designed for the new generation of electron-positron accelerators. It is the only detector that concentrates its efforts on limited goals of measuring electrons, muons and photons. By not attempting to identify hadrons, L3 has been able to provide an order of magnitude better resolution for electrons, muons and photons. Vertices and hadron jets are also studied. The construction of L3 has involved much state of the art technology in new principles of vertex detection and in new crystals for large scale electromagnetic shower detection and ultraprecise muon detection. This paper presents a summary of the construction of L3.
505 citations
TL;DR: Part of the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive actions of glucocorticoids is due to their inhibition of the induction of the NO synthase, which is suggested to be responsible for the release of NO.
455 citations
TL;DR: Twenty cases of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) were studied; 19 involved the lung and 1 the esophagus only and all patients with follow-up were well as long as ten years after the diagnosis.
Abstract: Twenty cases of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) were studied; 19 involved the lung and 1 the esophagus only. The patients' ages ranged from 3 to 72 years. There were 9 males and 11 females. Involvement of a bronchus was seen in one case and of mediastinal structures in four. Chest pain and dyspnea were common symptoms; eight patients were asymptomatic. Seven patients underwent lobectomy, 12 local excision, and 1 biopsy alone. The lesions were nonencapsulated and ranged from 1.2 to 15 cm. Various proportions of plasma cells, histiocytes, and spindle cells were observed; the latter corresponded ultrastructurally to fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, were immunoreactive for vimentin and actin and focally for desmin, and were negative for epithelial markers. Plasma cells were polyclonal for light chains. One patient had two recurrences, and in one case a large pleural IMT was found eight years after the excision of a similar lesion in the lung. All patients with follow-up (ten) were well as long as ten years after the diagnosis (average, 3.7 years).
413 citations
TL;DR: Chronic magnesium supplementation can contribute to an improvement in both islet Beta-cell response and insulin action in non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects and contribute to the development of macro- and microangiopathy.
Abstract: Magnesium is an important ion in all living cells being a cofactor of many enzymes, especially those utilising high energy phosphate bounds. The relationship between insulin and magnesium has been recently studied. In particular it has been shown that magnesium plays the role of a second messenger for insulin action; on the other hand, insulin itself has been demonstrated to be an important regulatory factor of intracellular magnesium accumulation. Conditions associated with insulin resistance, such as hypertension or aging, are also associated with low intracellular magnesium contents. In diabetes mellitus, it is suggested that low intracellular magnesium levels result from both increased urinary losses and insulin resistance. The extent to which such a low intracellular magnesium content contributes to the development of macro- and microangiopathy remains to be established. A reduced intracellular magnesium content might contribute to the impaired insulin response and action which occurs in Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Chronic magnesium supplementation can contribute to an improvement in both islet Beta-cell response and insulin action in non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects.
263 citations
258 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of machining parameters on the cut quality and the mechanical behavior of the material under examination was investigated, and it was shown that the width of the damage zone is correlated with the ratio between drilling speed and feed rate, Vr/Vt.
Abstract: Drilling tests were carried out on glass fibre reinforced plastic composites, in order to verify the effect of machining parameters on the cut quality and on the mechanical behaviour of the material under examination. A novel method was adopted to measure the width of the damage zone. The experimental data showed that the width of the damage zone is correlated to the ratio between drilling speed and feed rate, Vr/Vt; in particular, the higher the Vr/Vt value, the better the cut quality. The damage zone decreases to a minimum value for a definite Vr/Vt, beyond which damage zone constant. The tensile strength of specimens with holes is not influenced by the quality of the material at the edge of the hole, whereas the bearing strength suffers a marked reduction with increasing damage zone width when the latter is large. For small damage zone widths, no correlation seems to exist between the bearing strength and the damaged zone.
199 citations
TL;DR: M measuring plasma fibrinogen to predict stroke and myocardial infarction may be important in gaining insight into the thrombogenic potential of this protein and in inspiring new strategies against theThrombotic complications of atherosclerosis.
Abstract: Epidemiological observations indicate that high plasma fibrinogen levels are strongly correlated with the frequency of two major thrombotic complications of atherosclerosis, stroke and myocardial infarction Thrombosis is increasingly recognized as a central mechanism in stroke and myocardial infarction, and fibrinogen is involved in events thought to play a major role in thrombosis Therefore, elucidation of the relationship between fibrinogen and thrombosis may strengthen the predictive value of this protein and suggest new treatment to prevent stroke and myocardial infarction The current data relating fibrinogen to thrombosis are not easy to reconcile with the available epidemiological observations In addition, advances in understanding the atherogenic potential of several risk factors for coronary heart disease have used information on the measurement of the risk factors in population-based studies Thus, measuring plasma fibrinogen to predict stroke and myocardial infarction may be important in gaining insight into the thrombogenic potential of this protein and in inspiring new strategies against the thrombotic complications of atherosclerosis
196 citations
TL;DR: The following problem is addressed: given that the peripheral encoders that satisfy capacity constraints are scalar quantizers, how should they be designed in order that the central test to be performed on their output indices is most powerful?
Abstract: In a decentralized hypothesis testing network, several peripheral nodes observe an environment and communicate their observations to a central node for the final decision. The presence of capacity constraints introduces theoretical and practical problems. The following problem is addressed: given that the peripheral encoders that satisfy these constraints are scalar quantizers, how should they be designed in order that the central test to be performed on their output indices is most powerful? The scheme is called cooperative design-separate encoding since the quantizers process separate observations but have a common goal; they seek to maximize a system-wide performance measure. The Bhattacharyya distance of the joint index space as such a criterion is suggested, and a design algorithm to optimize arbitrarily many quantizers cyclically is proposed. A simplified version of the algorithm, namely an independent design-separate encoding scheme, where the correlation is either absent or neglected for the sake of simplicity, is outlined. Performances are compared through worked examples. >
193 citations
TL;DR: The objectives of this meeting were to update the standard karyotypes of cattle,goat,and sheep established at the first meeting in Reading as discussed by the authors, and the results of the meeting were published in the first edition of this journal.
Abstract: The objectives of this meeting were to update the standard karyotypes of cattle,goat,and sheep established at the first meeting in Reading.
TL;DR: A synthetic promoter based on the multimerization of the beta‐binding domain, but not of the alpha‐domain, is highly inducible when transfected in hepatoma cells and is discussed in relation to the structure of the promoter region of other acute phase inducable genes.
Abstract: Transcription of the human C-reactive protein (CRP) gene is induced by interleukin-6 (IL-6) during acute inflammation. Important information for inducible CRP expression is located within the 90 bases preceding the transcriptional start site. We show that the CRP promoter contains two adjacent binding sites (beta and alpha) that interact with at least two hepatocyte-specific nuclear proteins, H-APF-1 and H-APF-2. Point mutations that abolish or reduce binding drastically affect the level of CRP gene expression. Binding to beta is identical when extracts from uninduced or IL-6-induced Hep3B cells are used. On the contrary, both quantitative and qualitative changes in the alpha binding can be detected with extracts from uninduced cells or from cells treated with IL-6 or IL-6 + cycloheximide. A synthetic promoter based on the multimerization of the beta-binding domain, but not of the alpha-domain, is highly inducible when transfected in hepatoma cells. These results are discussed in relation to the structure of the promoter region of other acute phase inducible genes.
TL;DR: Kiwi inhibitor appears to be specific for pectin methylesterase, inasmuch as it was found to be ineffective against other polysaccharide-degrading enzymes, such as polygalacturonase and amylase.
Abstract: The finding of a powerful inhibitor of pectin methylesterase in ripe kiwi fruit is reported. The inhibitor was revealed to be a glycoprotein. It was purified to homogeneity and found to have a molecular mass of about 28 kDa, as estimated by gel filtration chromatography, SDS/PAGE and analytical ultracentrifugation. The sugar portion is composed of galactose, arabinose and rhamnose, the latter being much less represented. The amino acid composition showed a very high content of acidic residues compared to basic ones, which is the reason for the very low isoelectric point of the protein (less than 3.5). The kind of inhibition on kiwi pectin methylesterase was found to be competitive with an apparent Ki of 0.22 microM, using citrus pectin as a substrate. Moreover, the inhibitor is effective in inhibiting pectin methylesterase in the pH range 3.5-7.5. Kiwi inhibitor appears to be specific for pectin methylesterase, inasmuch as it was found to be ineffective against other polysaccharide-degrading enzymes, such as polygalacturonase and amylase. Conversely, it appears to be completely aspecific as far as the pectin methylesterase source is concerned. In fact, it was found to inhibit this enzyme effectively from all the sources we assayed, i.e. orange, tomato, apple, banana, potato.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The inhibitory effect of CsA was very rapid, and the drug, added from 1 to 10 min during the reaction, inhibited the ongoing release of histamine caused by anti-IgE and by A23187.
Abstract: We have examined the effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) and a series of CsA analogs that bind with decreasing affinity to cyclophilin, to evaluate the involvement of this protein in the release of preformed (histamine) and de novo synthesized (peptide leukotriene C4; LTC4) mediators of inflammatory reactions from human basophils CsA (8 to 800 nM) concentration-dependently inhibited (5 to 60%) histamine release from peripheral blood basophils challenged with anti-IgE CsA was more potent (926 +/- 18 vs 591 +/- 45%; p less than 0001) and, at low concentrations, more effective when the channel-operated influx of Ca2+ was bypassed by the ionophore A23187 (IC40 = 241 +/- 39 vs 1055 +/- 222 nM; p less than 005) CsA had no effect on the release of histamine caused by phorbol myristate and bryostatin 1 that activate different isoforms of protein kinase C Inhibition of histamine release from basophils challenged with anti-IgE was not abolished by washing (three times) the cells before anti-IgE challenge CsA also inhibited the de novo synthesis of LTC4 from basophils challenged with anti-IgE The inhibitory effect of CsA was very rapid, and the drug, added from 1 to 10 min during the reaction, inhibited the ongoing release of histamine caused by anti-IgE and by A23187 The experiments with CsA analogs (CsG, CsC, CsD, and CsH) showed that CsH, which has an extremely low affinity for cyclophilin, has no effect on basophil mediator release In addition, there is a significant correlation between the concentrations of CsA, G, C, and D that inhibited by 30% the histamine release induced by anti-IgE (r = 099; p less than 0001) and by A23187 (r = 087; p less than 0001) and their affinity for cyclophilin
TL;DR: In this paper, the usefulness and safety of hydroxychloroquine in patients with decompensated, treatment-refractory noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was evaluated.
Abstract: Study objective To evaluate the usefulness and safety of hydroxychloroquine in patients with decompensated, treatment-refractory noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Design Prospective, randomized, placebo, double-blind 6-month trial. Patients Thirty-eight patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes resistant to commonly used therapies (oral drugs, insulin, combination of insulin and oral drugs). Interventions Two study groups: one received insulin (n = 22) and the other, glibenclamide (n = 16). In each group, half of the patients were randomly allocated into two subgroups who continued the previous treatment but took either placebo tablets or hydroxychloroquine, 200 mg three times a day. The four subgroups were as follows: insulin and placebo (n = 11); insulin and hydroxychloroquine (n = 11); glibenclamide and placebo (n = 8); and glibenclamide and hydroxychloroquine (n = 8). Measurements and main results At 6 months, relevant and statistically significant improvement occurred in the 11 patients who received the insulin and hydroxychloroquine (glucose profile decrease, -11.7 mmol/L; 95% CI, -13.9 to -9.5, P = 0.001; glycated hemoglobin A1c decrease, -3.3%; 95% CI, -3.9 to -2.7, P = 0.001). No significant changes were seen in patients on placebo. The daily insulin dose in patients treated with the combined insulin and hydroxychloroquine therapy had to be reduced an average of 30%. No important side effects were detected. Conclusions Combining antidiabetic therapy with hydroxychloroquine in decompensated, treatment-refractory patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes may help to break the vicious circle of hyperglycemia and lead to better management of the disease.
TL;DR: It is suggested that consumption of butter may detrimentally affect coronary risk factors, while polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may be associated with a lower coronary risk profile.
Abstract: The cross-sectional association between consumption of various fats (eg, butter, olive oil, and vegetable oil) and risk factors for coronary heart disease was analyzed in a sample of 4903 Italian men and women 20 to 59 years of age. The intake of fats was ascertained by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Increased consumption of butter was associated with significantly higher blood pressure and serum cholesterol and glucose levels for men; in women only the association with glucose reached statistical significance. In both sexes consumption of olive oil and vegetable oil was inversely associated with serum cholesterol and glucose levels and systolic blood pressure. These findings were adjusted for confounding effects of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These cross-sectional findings from a large population sample suggest that consumption of butter may detrimentally affect coronary risk factors, while polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may be associated with a lower coronary risk profile. (JAMA. 1990;263:688-692)
TL;DR: An independent clinical association exists between the occurrence of urolithiasis and hypertension, and the increased urinary calcium excretion commonly detected in hypertension may be the pathogenetic link.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE--To test the hypothesis that kidney stone disease is more frequent among hypertensive men when the effect of possible confounders is allowed for. DESIGN--Cross sectional study of a sample of the male working population conducted as part of the 10 year follow up of a nationwide survey of the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. SETTING--The Olivetti factory in Pozzuoli, a suburban area of Naples. POPULATION--688 Male workers (87.9% of the male workforce) aged 21-68. INTERVENTIONS--Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, blood tests, and administration of a detailed questionnaire aimed at detecting a history of urolithiasis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Prevalence of a history of urolithiasis among normotensive and untreated and treated hypertensive men adjusted for the possible confounding effects of age, body mass index, renal function, and serum urate and total calcium concentrations. RESULTS--Of the 688 participants 509 were normotensive. Of the remainder, 118 had untreated and 61 treated hypertension. The overall prevalence of a history of urolithiasis was 16.3% (112/688). The relative risk of hypertensive subjects having a history of kidney stones was twice that of the normotensive group (odds ratio 2.11; 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 3.81), the risk being higher when only treated hypertensives were considered (odds ratio 3.16; 95% confidence interval 1.75 to 5.71). The prevalence of a history of urolithiasis was 13.4% (68/509) in the normotensive subjects, 20.3% (24/118) in the untreated hypertensives, and 32.8% (20/61) in the treated hypertensives (p less than 0.001). The age adjusted relative risk in treated hypertensive men was higher than that in the normotensive group (Mantel-Haenszel pooled estimate of odds ratio 2.63; 95% confidence interval 2.23 to 3.10). CONCLUSION--An independent clinical association exists between the occurrence of urolithiasis and hypertension. The increased urinary calcium excretion commonly detected in hypertension may be the pathogenetic link.
TL;DR: It is indicated that bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine is a common feature in immunodeficient patients, regardless of the immunological abnormality, and these patients have an increased gut permeability to macromolecules.
Abstract: Seventeen paediatric patients with immunodeficiency syndromes (10 with selective IgA deficiency, four with panhypogammaglobulinaemia, and three with selective T cell deficiency) were investigated for bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine and gut permeability to macromolecules. Five of 12 patients showed viable bacterial counts of more than 2 x 10(5)/ml in jejunal fluid. Bacterial overgrowth was also confirmed indirectly by breath hydrogen determination, which was higher than 10 ppm in four of the five patients with positive jejunal culture. Gut permeability to lactulose and L-rhamnose was abnormal in 16 of the 17 immunodeficient patients, who also had higher mean urinary excretion ratios than control subjects-mean (SD) values were 0.216 (0.160) and 0.029 (0.002), respectively. These studies indicate that bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine is a common feature in immunodeficient patients, regardless of the immunological abnormality. Moreover, these patients have an increased gut permeability to macromolecules.
TL;DR: By testing for these mutations in amplified DNA with a limited panel of allele-specific oligonucleotides, more than 95% of HFI patients will be susceptible to genetic diagnosis.
TL;DR: In this paper, a pathophysiologic construct and management guidelines for orbital lymphangioma were developed for 30 cases of the disease, including 23 operated cases and 17 non-operated cases.
TL;DR: Peripheral nerve impairment was an early finding and showed slight further progression, whereas involvement of the cerebellar and corticospinal pathways appeared later and mainly accounted for the progressive worsening of the disease.
Abstract: The clinical and genetic features of 80 patients with Friedreich's disease from 64 families are described. Diagnostic criteria were: no evidence of dominant inheritance, onset by the age of 20 years, progressive unremitting ataxia of limbs and gait, and absence of knee and ankle jerks. Furthermore, at least one of the following accessory signs was present: dysarthria, extensor plantar response and echocardiographic evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Two peaks of onset age were evident at 6-9 and 12-15 years. Analysis of intra-family variation of onset age and absence of clustering of cardiomyopathy and diabetes did not suggest genetic heterogeneity. Peripheral nerve impairment was an early finding and showed slight further progression, whereas involvement of the cerebellar and corticospinal pathways appeared later and mainly accounted for the progressive worsening of the disease.
TL;DR: Hyperosmolality appears the most likely factor affecting renal hemodynamics during hyperosmolar radiocontrast infusion, and calcium channel blocker may prevent renal changes due to hyperOSmolar medium.
Abstract: Contrast media affect renal hemodynamics Hyperosmolality is regarded as the major factor responsible for renal hemodynamic changes In this study, the role of osmolality was evaluated in 30 hospitalized patients without risk factors during intravenous pyelography Contrast media with low and high osmolality were used In addition, nifedipine was administered before infusion of high-osmolality contrast to evaluate the role of calcium ions in radiocontrast-induced changes of renal hemodynamics Hyperosmolar contrast reduced renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate Calcium channel blocker prevented changes of renal hemodynamics Hyperosmolality appears the most likely factor affecting renal hemodynamics during hyperosmolar radiocontrast infusion Calcium channel blocker may prevent renal changes due to hyperosmolar medium
TL;DR: In this article, a new near-field/far-field transformation technique is developed, based on the measurement of the near field amplitude over two surfaces surrounding the antenna under test.
Abstract: The possibility of determining the far field of radiating systems by measuring only the near-field amplitude is investigated. The main difficulties of the problem are examined in some detail and a new near-field/far-field transformation technique is developed, based on the measurement of the near-field amplitude over two surfaces surrounding the antenna under test. The accuracy of the far-field reconstruction results are related both to the distance between such surfaces and to some a priori information concerning the near-field phase and/or the radiating system. The information on the radiating system allows relaxation of the need for any information on the near-field phase provided that the distance between the measurement surfaces is high enough. Conversely, the knowledge of a more or less corrupted near-field phase allows reduction of such distances without affecting the accuracy of the far-field reconstruction. Numerical examples validating the effectiveness of the developed algorithm are provided for the planar scanning case. >
TL;DR: The results clearly showed that physical stress at night significantly blunts the nocturnal increase in plasma melatonin levels, and suggest that the response of the pineal gland to provocative stimuli may depend on its level of activity when the stimulus is applied.
TL;DR: The focusing of particles by a thin plasma lens is analyzed with physical, linearized fluid and particle-in-cell computational models and the effects of spherical and longitudinal aberrations, emittance, plasma boundaries, and non-linear-plasma dynamics on the final spot size are discussed.
Abstract: The focusing of particles by a thin plasma lens is analyzed with physical, linearized fluid and particle-in-cell computational models. For parameters similar to next-generation linear colliders, the plasma lens strength can exceed 100 MG/cm, and the luminosity can be enhanced by an order of magnitude by passing each beam through an appropriate plasma slab. The plasma electrons affect the focusing by shifting so as to (partially or completely) charge neutralize the beam. Both overdense and underdense plasma lenses are described (plasma density ${\mathit{n}}_{0}$ greater or less than beam density ${\mathit{n}}_{\mathit{b}}$). The former case applies equally well to ${\mathit{e}}^{+}$ and ${\mathit{e}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ beams, while the latter has distinct advantages for ${\mathit{e}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ beams (including smaller aberrations and background). The effects of spherical and longitudinal aberrations, emittance, plasma boundaries, and non-linear-plasma dynamics on the final spot size are discussed.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: P. magnus strain 312, which synthesizes a protein capable of binding to kappa L chains of human Ig (protein L), stimulated the release of histamine from human basophils in vitro, and IgE purified from myeloma patients PS and PP blocked anti-IgE-induced histamine release but failed to block the histamine releasing activity of protein L.
Abstract: Peptostreptococcus magnus strain 312 (10(6) to 10(8)/ml), which synthesizes a protein capable of binding to kappa L chains of human Ig (protein L), stimulated the release of histamine from human basophils in vitro. P. magnus strain 644, which does not synthesize protein L, did not induce histamine secretion. Soluble protein L (3 x 10(-2) to 3 micrograms/ml) induced histamine release from human basophils. The characteristics of the release reaction were similar to those of rabbit IgG anti-Fc fragment of human IgE (anti-IgE): it was Ca2(+)- and temperature-dependent, optimal release occurring at 37 degrees C in the presence of 1.0 mM extracellular Ca2+. There was an excellent correlation (r = 0.82; p less than 0.001) between the maximal percent histamine release induced by protein L and that induced by anti-IgE, as well as between protein L and protein A from Staphylococcus aureus (r = 0.52; p less than 0.01). Preincubation of basophils with either protein L or anti-IgE resulted in complete cross-desensitization to a subsequent challenge with the heterologous stimulus. IgE purified from myeloma patients PS and PP (lambda-chains) blocked anti-IgE-induced histamine release but failed to block the histamine releasing activity of protein L. In contrast, IgE purified from myeloma patient ADZ (kappa-chains) blocked both anti-IgE- and protein L-induced releases, whereas human polyclonal IgG selectively blocked protein L-induced secretion. Protein L acted as a complete secretagogue, i.e., it activated basophils to release sulfidopeptide leukotriene C4 as well as histamine. Protein L (10(-1) to 3 micrograms/ml) also induced the release of preformed (histamine) and de novo synthesized mediators (leukotriene C4 and/or PGD2) from mast cells isolated from lung parenchyma and skin tissues. Intradermal injections of protein L (0.01 to 10 micrograms/ml) in nonallergic subjects caused a dose-dependent wheal-and-flare reaction. Protein L activates human basophils and mast cells in vitro and in vivo presumably by interacting with kappa L chains of the IgE isotype.
TL;DR: Three novel polyhydroxylated triterpenes have been isolated from Uncaria tomentosa by detailed spectral studies including 1H-13C correlations via long range couplings using the INAPT pulse sequence, nOeds, and HETCOR nmr techniques.
Abstract: Three novel polyhydroxylated triterpenes have been isolated from Uncaria tomentosa. Their structures were established as 1, 2, and 3 by detailed spectral studies including 1H-13C correlations via long range couplings using the INAPT pulse sequence, nOeds, and 2D 1H-13C direct chemical shift correlation (HETCOR) nmr techniques.
TL;DR: It is concluded that rapid growth rates inO.
Abstract: Rates of protein synthesis in the whole body and tissues ofOctopus vulgaris collected in September 1985 and 1986 from the Bay of Naples were measured following a flooding dose injection of3H phenylalanine. There were stable phenylalanine free pool-specific radioactivities and linear incorporation of radiolabel into arm-tip protein from 10 to 30 min after the injection. In starved individuals there were no significant differences between the fractional rates of protein synthesis of the following tissues: ventricle, brain, branchial heart, arm tip, gill, stomach, arm, renal appendage and mantle. The mean value (± SE) for all the tissues was 3.02 ± 0.17% d−1. In individuals fed varying amounts of crab, resulting in differing growth rates, there was a linear increase in fractional rates of whole-body protein synthesis with growth rate. A standard 148 g octopus growing at 3.0% d−1 synthesised 0.54 g of protein, with 0.43 g of this protein retained as growth. The proportion of the total protein synthesis which was retained as growth increased with increasing growth rate; at a maximum growth rate of 6% d−1, over 90% of the protein synthesised was retained as growth. The ventricle, arm tip, gill, arm and mantle also showed similar patterns of a linear increase in fractional rates of protein synthesis with increased growth rates. The RNA concentrations in the whole body and tissues increased with increasing growth rates, but the major change was an increase in the efficiency of translation. It is concluded that rapid growth rates inO. vulgaris are brought about by high rates of protein synthesis and high efficiencies of retention of synthesised protein and, therefore, little protein degradation.
TL;DR: Resting arterial blood flows in the forearm and leg were slightly increased and peak blood flow in the leg significantly increased after repeat LDL apheresis, and blood and plasma viscosities were determined before and 7 days after the last Apheresis.
Abstract: Repeat low density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis and blood flow determinations in the forearm and leg were performed in 10 patients (age range, 13-49 years; four male, six female) with familial hypercholesterolemia (eight homozygous, two heterozygous). To perform LDL apheresis, plasma was first separated by a polysulphone hollow fiber filter; then, LDL was selectively removed from plasma by dextran sulphate cellulose beads packed in columns. Blood flows in the forearm and leg were determined at rest and during a reactive hyperemia test (peak flow). This test was performed noninvasively by a strain-gauge plethysmograph with semicontinuous registration of arterial blood flow variables before the first apheresis and 3 weeks after the last of six procedures for apheresis. Resting arterial blood flows in the forearm and leg were slightly increased after repeat LDL apheresis (p less than 0.05). Peak blood flow in the leg significantly increased (+34%, p less than 0.01). No change in peak blood flow in the forearm was observed. Systolic blood pressures were slightly but significantly reduced (p less than 0.05); forearm peripheral resistances were also reduced (p less than 0.05). Flow response was not related to LDL receptor status. Blood and plasma viscosities were determined before and 7 days after the last apheresis. Blood viscosity was significantly reduced after LDL apheresis at shear rates of 11.25-450 sec-1. Plasma viscosity did not change.
TL;DR: The protein concentration of LDL was significantly reduced in patients with active SLE as compared to patients with inactive SLE, RA and NS and to healthy subjects, thereby suggesting that the reduction of PAF acetylhydrolase activity inactive SLE might be due at least in part to a carrier defect related to the activity of the disease.
Abstract: The biologically active 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine (platelet-activating factor; PAF) is inactivated in plasma mainly by a specific PAF acetylhydrolase (1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine acetylhydrolase; EC 3.1.1.48). In the present study, PAF was released in detectable amounts (5.4 ± 2.9 ng/ml; mean ± 1 SD) in the plasma of 8 out of 10 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during the most active phases of the disease. PAF was never detectable in the plasma of patients with inactive SLE or of healthy subjects. PAF acetylhydrolase activity was markedly reduced in sera of 10 patients with active SLE as compared to 7 patients with inactive SLE, 16 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 5 patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) and 15 healthy subjects. A kinetic study of the enzyme in patients with active SLE suggested an overall reduced activity rather than an intrinsic defect of the enzyme. PAF acetylhydrolase in sera of patients with active SLE shared with that of healthy subjects the same substrate specificity, sensitivity to enzymatic and chemicophysical treatments and association to low-density lipoprotein (LDL), acting as carrier of PAF acetylhydrolase in plasma. However, the protein concentration of LDL was significantly reduced in patients with active SLE as compared to patients with inactive SLE, RA and NS and to healthy subjects, thereby suggesting that the reduction of PAF acetylhydrolase activity in active SLE might be due at least in part to a carrier defect related to the activity of the disease. In addition, experiments in which serum of patients with active SLE and serum of healthy subjects were mixed in different combinations indicated the absence of factors inhibiting PAF acetylhydrolase activity in SLE patients.