University of Pittsburgh

About: University of Pittsburgh is a education organization based out in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 87042 authors who have published 201012 publications receiving 9656783 citations. The organization is also known as: Pitt & Western University of Pennsylvania.

Comparison of the mechanism of toxicity of zinc oxide and cerium oxide nanoparticles based on dissolution and oxidative stress properties.

Abstract: Nanomaterials (NM) exhibit novel physicochemical properties that determine their interaction with biological substrates and processes. Three metal oxide nanoparticles that are currently being produced in high tonnage, TiO2, ZnO, and CeO2, were synthesized by flame spray pyrolysis process and compared in a mechanistic study to elucidate the physicochemical characteristics that determine cellular uptake, subcellular localization, and toxic effects based on a test paradigm that was originally developed for oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 and BEAS-2B cell lines. ZnO induced toxicity in both cells, leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidant injury, excitation of inflammation, and cell death. Using ICP-MS and fluorescent-labeled ZnO, it is found that ZnO dissolution could happen in culture medium and endosomes. Nondissolved ZnO nanoparticles enter caveolae in BEAS-2B but enter lysosomes in RAW 264.7 cells in which smaller particle remnants dissolve. In contrast, fluoresce...

Introduction to the high-temperature oxidation of metals

Abstract: Acknowledgments Preface Introduction 1. Methods of investigation 2. Thermodynamic fundamentals 3. Mechanisms of oxidation 4. Oxidation of pure metals 5. Oxidation of alloys 6. Oxidation by oxidants other than oxygen 7. Reactions of metals in mixed environments 8. Hot corrosion 9. Erosion-corrosion of metals in oxidizing atmospheres 10. Protective coatings 11. Atmosphere control for the protection of metals during production processes Appendix A. Solution to Fick's second law for a semi-infinite solid Appendix B. Rigorous derivation of the kinetics of internal oxidation Appendix C. Effects of impurities on oxide defect structure Index.

Heart-lung transplantation.

Abstract: The survival rate (average, 50%) of patients undergoing cardiopulmonary transplantation falls well below that expected for cardiac transplantation alone. We give a broad overview of the various grounds upon which this difference is likely based and discuss recent advances in each area: 1) criteria for the selection of candidates and donors, 2) methods for ex-vivo preservation of donor organs, 3) technical execution of the operative procedure, and 4) prevention of postoperative infection. In connection with the prevention of postoperative infection, we discuss the potential for the development of a chronic obliterative disease that, once established, has proved inexorable. Current efforts are focused on detection when the process is in an early, reversible stage, and on research into causation. (Texas Heart Institute Journal 1987; 14:364-368)

Dysfunction of Mitochondria in Human Skeletal Muscle in Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract: Skeletal muscle is strongly dependent on oxidative phosphorylation for energy production. Because the insulin resistance of skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes and obesity entails dysregulation of the oxidation of both carbohydrate and lipid fuels, the current study was undertaken to examine the potential contribution of perturbation of mitochondrial function. Vastus lateralis muscle was obtained by percutaneous biopsy during fasting conditions from lean (n = 10) and obese (n = 10) nondiabetic volunteers and from volunteers with type 2 diabetes (n = 10). The activity of rotenone-sensitive NADH:O(2) oxidoreductase, reflecting the overall activity of the respiratory chain, was measured in a mitochondrial fraction by a novel method based on providing access for NADH to intact mitochondria via alamethicin, a channel-forming antibiotic. Creatine kinase and citrate synthase activities were measured as markers of myocyte and mitochondria content, respectively. Activity of rotenone-sensitive NADH:O(2) oxidoreductase was normalized to creatine kinase activity, as was citrate synthase activity. NADH:O(2) oxidoreductase activity was lowest in type 2 diabetic subjects and highest in the lean volunteers (lean 0.95 +/- 0.17, obese 0.76 +/- 0.30, type 2 diabetes 0.56 +/- 0.14 units/mU creatine kinase; P < 0.005). Also, citrate synthase activity was reduced in type 2 diabetic patients (lean 3.10 +/- 0.74, obese 3.24 +/- 0.82, type 2 diabetes 2.48 +/- 0.47 units/mU creatine kinase; P < 0.005). As measured by electron microscopy, skeletal muscle mitochondria were smaller in type 2 diabetic and obese subjects than in muscle from lean volunteers (P < 0.01). We conclude that there is an impaired bioenergetic capacity of skeletal muscle mitochondria in type 2 diabetes, with some impairment also present in obesity.

Two-Sided Matching: A Study in Game-Theoretic Modeling and Analysis

Abstract: Foreword Robert Auman Acknowledgment 1. Introduction Part I. One-To-One Matching: the Marriage Model: 2. Stable matchings 3. The structure of the set of stable matchings 4. Strategic questions Part II. Many-To-One Matching: Models in which Firms May Employ Many Workers: 5. The college admissions model and the labor market for medical interns 6. Discrete models with money, and more complex preferences Part III. Models of One-To-One Matching with Money as a Continuous Variable: 7. A simple model of one seller and many buyers 8. The assignment game 9. The generalization of the assignment model Part IV. Epilogue: 10. Open questions and research directions Bibliography Indexes.