Genomic diversity among 14 isolates of Blastocystis hominis from 4 different geographic locations... more Genomic diversity among 14 isolates of Blastocystis hominis from 4 different geographic locations was examined by small-subunit rRNA (ssu rRNA) restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms (RFLP) using 5 different restriction endonucleases. On the basis of the observed RFLP patterns among the isolates, a total of 12 genotypes were identified, with 7 isolates exhibiting mixed RFLP genotypes. There was no correlation between B. hominis geographic origin and RFLP banding pattern or genotype.
The Happo-O’ne peridotite complex is situated in the northeastern part of the Hida Marginal Tecto... more The Happo-O’ne peridotite complex is situated in the northeastern part of the Hida Marginal Tectonic Zone, central Japan, characterized by the high-P/T Renge metamorphism, and is considered as a serpentinite mélange of Paleozoic age. Peridotitic rocks, being massive or foliated, have been subjected to hydration and metamorphism. Their protoliths are mostly lherzolites to harzburgites with subordinate dunites. We found a characteristic mineral assemblage, olivine + orthopyroxene + tremolite + chlorite + chromian spinel, being stable at low-T, from 650 to 750°C, and high-P, from 16 to 20 kbar, tremolite–chlorite peridotites of the tremolite zone. Olivines are Fo88–Fo91, and orthopyroxenes (Mg# = 0.91) show low and homogenous distributions of Al2O3 (up to 0.25 wt%), Cr2O3 (up to 0.25 wt%), CaO (up to 0.36 wt%) and TiO2 (up to 0.06 wt%) due to the low equilibration temperature. Chromian spinels, which are euhedral and enclosed mainly in the orthopyroxenes, have high TiO2, 3.1 wt% (up to 5.7 wt%) on average, and high Cr# [=Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio], 0.95 on average but low Fe3+ [=Fe3+/(Cr + Al + Fe3+) atomic ratio, <0.3]. The bulk-rock chemistry shows that the Happo-O’ne metaperidotites with this peculiar spinel are low in TiO2 (0.01–0.02 wt%), indicating no addition of TiO2 from the outside source during the metamorphism; the high TiO2 of the peculiar spinel has been accomplished by Ti release from Ti-bearing high-T pyroxenes during the formation of low-T, low-Ti silicates (<0.1 wt% TiO2) during cooling. Some dunites are intact from hydration: their olivine is Fo92 and spinel shows high Cr#, 0.72. The Happo-O’ne metaperidotites (tremolite–chlorite peridotites), being in the corner of the mantle wedge, are representative of a hydrous low-T, high-P mantle peridotite facies transitional from a higher T anhydrous peridotite facies (spinel peridotites) formed by in situ retrograde metamorphism influenced by fluids from the subducting slab. They have suffered from low-T (<600°C) retrogressive metamorphism to form antigorite and diopside during exhumation of the Renge metamorphic belt.
The thermoelectric power and electrical conductivity measurements of Zn-substituted Mg-ferrites h... more The thermoelectric power and electrical conductivity measurements of Zn-substituted Mg-ferrites having the general formula Mg 1-xZn xFe 2O 4 (where x=0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6) were carried out from room temperature to 773 K. The Seebeck coefficient is positive for all the compositions showing that these ferrites behave as p-type semiconductors and the majority charge carriers are holes. The temperature variation of the Seebeck coefficient is also discussed. The Fermi energy ( EF); the density of charge carriers ( n) and the carriers mobility ( μ) were determined for the studied system. The variation of log σ with reciprocal of temperature shows a discontinuity at Curie temperature. The DC electrical conductivity increases with increasing temperature ensuring the semiconducting nature of the samples. The Curie temperature determined from DC electrical conductivity was found in satisfactory agreement with that determined from initial magnetic permeability measurements. This transition temperature is found to decrease with increasing Zn concentration. The activation energy in the paramagnetic region is found to be lower than that in ferrimagnetic region. The variation of room temperature conductivity with composition indicates that conductivity increases with increasing Zn content. The dependence of the electrical conductivity of Mg-Zn ferrite on Zn content is explained on the basis of the cation distribution.
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are susceptible to hyperglycemia. To study the prevale... more Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are susceptible to hyperglycemia. To study the prevalence of pre-diabetes in CKD patients and determine the contribution of insulin resistance (IR) versus beta-cell dysfunction in patients with CKD. 45 consecutive nondiabetic CKD patients and 40 healthy subjects were included. Patients were divided into a normoglycemic (NG) and a pre-diabetic (PDM) group. IR was assessed by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function was assessed by proinsulin/insulin ratio and beta-cell%. The prevalence of PDM was 40%. The prevalence of high HOMA-IR was 22.2 and 77.8% in the NG and PDM groups. Compared to NG patients, the PDM group showed higher fasting plasma glucose, HOMA-IR, insulin, and proinsulin, while the prevalence of beta-cell dysfunction of 22.2% was lower than the 37% present in the NG group. Increased IR, rather than beta-cell dysfunction, is the primary mechanism of PDM in CKD patients.
In previous works it has been shown that fine powders (particle size 7 μm $$\lesssim d_{p}$ $\les... more In previous works it has been shown that fine powders (particle size 7 μm $$\lesssim d_{p}$ $\lesssim 20 \mu$$ m) exhibit two well differentiated behaviors in the compaction regime at low consolidation stresses σc . At very low stresses $(\sigma_{c} \lesssim10 Pa)$ the compaction process is governed by a critical-like dynamics of fractal agglomerates previously formed in the fluid-like regime, undergoing a transition from a random loose packed configuration at the jamming transition to a random close packed state. Then agglomerates are disrupted as further pressure is imposed and there is a cross over to a behavior which is ruled by the initial distribution of local voids within the jammed agglomerates that are filled during compaction. In this work we have extended the range of consolidation stresses up to $\sigma_{c} \simeq 0.1$ MPa and we have observed a new transition of behavior at $\sigma_{c} \simeq 10$ kPa. Our measurements indicate that at this level of consolidation agglomerates are fully disrupted. The compaction process is then determined by the rearrangement of primary particles that have lost memory of their initially agglomerated state in fluidization and behave similarly to noncohesive grains.
The genetic structure of eight Mus musculus L. populations in Primorskii krai was studied with th... more The genetic structure of eight Mus musculus L. populations in Primorskii krai was studied with the use of taxon-specific markers of different inheritance systems: nDNA (RAPD), mtDNA (D-loop), and chromosomes. The results obtained demonstrate that although the compared nuclear marker characteristics (nDNA and chromosomes) have the same basis they are not linke with each other and, moreover, are often mutually inconsistent. Discordance in the inheritance of the marker characteristics in most of the animals studied is a result of extensive hybridization involving two to four house mouse subspecies. To identify taxonspecific nuclear markers revealed by RAPD, some RAPD PCR products were cloned, and their localization on chromosomes was determined. It was found that some fragments similar in size consist of two different comigrating sequences that are localized on different chromosomes and belong to different subspecies. All sequenced anonymous markers are localized in protein-coding genes. The functions of genes containing the marker sequences have been established. Differences in the taxon-specific RAPD fragments are associated with changes in the structure of important functional genes, and this can be considered as a significant genetic marker.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1999
An imbalance between the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) (proteolytic enzymes that d... more An imbalance between the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) (proteolytic enzymes that degrade protein components of the extracellular matrix) and their inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), may be one of the mechanisms responsible for tumor cell invasion. We have investigated the regulation of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 gene expression in benign and malignant (follicular, anaplastic, and papillary) human thyroid cells. As expected of cells with invasive potential, detectable MMP-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were observed in malignant cells under basal conditions, in contrast to undetectable levels in benign cells. Exposure of these cells, for 1 h, to the active phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA, 100 nmol/L), acting via protein kinase C (PKC), elicited an increase in MMP-1 mRNA, with a peak stimulation after a 3- to 4-h culture period. Epidermal growth factor (EGF, 25 ng/mL), however, acting via protein tyrosine kinase (PTK), stimulated such gene expression in malignant cells but failed to do so in benign cells. TIMP-1 mRNA was not significantly altered by the TPA-PKC, EGF-PTK, or TSH-protein kinase A (PKA) pathways in malignant cells. In benign cells, however, TPA induced a small, though significant, increase in TIMP-1. The MMP-1 stimulation by EGF and lack of TPA-induced rise in TIMP-1 in malignant cells, in sharp contrast to the effects obtained in benign thyrocytes, seems to indicate that the MMP: TIMP balance favors a more extensive extracellular matrix protein breakdown by malignant thyrocytes, as expected of cells exhibiting invasive capacity. TSH (10-500 microU/mL) failed to significantly influence basal MMP-1 or TIMP-1 mRNA levels, but it caused a dose-dependent inhibition in TPA- and EGF-induced MMP-1 mRNA in malignant cells, and TPA-stimulated MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in benign cells. The repressive action of TSH on MMP-1 mRNA was mimicked by forskolin and 8-bromo-cAMP and was abrogated by the PKA inhibitor, H-89, suggesting that the TSH inhibitory action is PKA-mediated. In conclusion, the present study provides novel data on MMP-1 and TIMP-1 gene expression and their modulation by the major signal transduction pathways operating in human thyroid cells. Similar and divergent patterns have emerged in the regulation of such gene expression in benign and malignant human thyrocytes, in many instances in accord with the concept of MMP playing the role of stimulating, and TIMP inhibiting, cell invasion. Although MMP-1 may be just one of the many factors responsible for tumor cell invasion, the present findings demonstrating the possibility, at least in vitro, of repressing MMP gene expression may have important clinical ramifications.
... Vincent Shin-Mu Tseng Chao-Hui Lee Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering... more ... Vincent Shin-Mu Tseng Chao-Hui Lee Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering National Cheng Kung University Tainan, Taiwan, ROC Email: tsengsm@mail.ncku. edu.tw ... 1022-1027, Morgan Kaufmann, 1993. [7] N. Lesh, MJ Zaki, M. Ogihara, Mining ...
Both the DC conductivity and the thermoelectric power of Cu 1+ xGe xFe 2-2 xO 4 and Cu 1+ xTi xFe... more Both the DC conductivity and the thermoelectric power of Cu 1+ xGe xFe 2-2 xO 4 and Cu 1+ xTi xFe 2-2 xO 4 ferrites, for 0⩽ x⩽0.4, were measured in a wide range of temperature from RT up to 773 K. The measurements showed that the substitution of both tetravalent ions (Ge 4+ and Ti 4+) tend to convert Cu-ferrite from n- to p-type semiconductor. The results were analyzed on the basis of the small polaron model. The cation distribution for each system was proposed. The activation energy Δ E, Fermi energy EF, the density of charge carriers n or p and the carriers mobility μ were determined for both systems. In addition, an energy band schemes of Cu-Ge and Cu-Ti ferrites were schematically represented.
Genomic diversity among 14 isolates of Blastocystis hominis from 4 different geographic locations... more Genomic diversity among 14 isolates of Blastocystis hominis from 4 different geographic locations was examined by small-subunit rRNA (ssu rRNA) restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms (RFLP) using 5 different restriction endonucleases. On the basis of the observed RFLP patterns among the isolates, a total of 12 genotypes were identified, with 7 isolates exhibiting mixed RFLP genotypes. There was no correlation between B. hominis geographic origin and RFLP banding pattern or genotype.
The Happo-O’ne peridotite complex is situated in the northeastern part of the Hida Marginal Tecto... more The Happo-O’ne peridotite complex is situated in the northeastern part of the Hida Marginal Tectonic Zone, central Japan, characterized by the high-P/T Renge metamorphism, and is considered as a serpentinite mélange of Paleozoic age. Peridotitic rocks, being massive or foliated, have been subjected to hydration and metamorphism. Their protoliths are mostly lherzolites to harzburgites with subordinate dunites. We found a characteristic mineral assemblage, olivine + orthopyroxene + tremolite + chlorite + chromian spinel, being stable at low-T, from 650 to 750°C, and high-P, from 16 to 20 kbar, tremolite–chlorite peridotites of the tremolite zone. Olivines are Fo88–Fo91, and orthopyroxenes (Mg# = 0.91) show low and homogenous distributions of Al2O3 (up to 0.25 wt%), Cr2O3 (up to 0.25 wt%), CaO (up to 0.36 wt%) and TiO2 (up to 0.06 wt%) due to the low equilibration temperature. Chromian spinels, which are euhedral and enclosed mainly in the orthopyroxenes, have high TiO2, 3.1 wt% (up to 5.7 wt%) on average, and high Cr# [=Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio], 0.95 on average but low Fe3+ [=Fe3+/(Cr + Al + Fe3+) atomic ratio, <0.3]. The bulk-rock chemistry shows that the Happo-O’ne metaperidotites with this peculiar spinel are low in TiO2 (0.01–0.02 wt%), indicating no addition of TiO2 from the outside source during the metamorphism; the high TiO2 of the peculiar spinel has been accomplished by Ti release from Ti-bearing high-T pyroxenes during the formation of low-T, low-Ti silicates (<0.1 wt% TiO2) during cooling. Some dunites are intact from hydration: their olivine is Fo92 and spinel shows high Cr#, 0.72. The Happo-O’ne metaperidotites (tremolite–chlorite peridotites), being in the corner of the mantle wedge, are representative of a hydrous low-T, high-P mantle peridotite facies transitional from a higher T anhydrous peridotite facies (spinel peridotites) formed by in situ retrograde metamorphism influenced by fluids from the subducting slab. They have suffered from low-T (<600°C) retrogressive metamorphism to form antigorite and diopside during exhumation of the Renge metamorphic belt.
The thermoelectric power and electrical conductivity measurements of Zn-substituted Mg-ferrites h... more The thermoelectric power and electrical conductivity measurements of Zn-substituted Mg-ferrites having the general formula Mg 1-xZn xFe 2O 4 (where x=0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6) were carried out from room temperature to 773 K. The Seebeck coefficient is positive for all the compositions showing that these ferrites behave as p-type semiconductors and the majority charge carriers are holes. The temperature variation of the Seebeck coefficient is also discussed. The Fermi energy ( EF); the density of charge carriers ( n) and the carriers mobility ( μ) were determined for the studied system. The variation of log σ with reciprocal of temperature shows a discontinuity at Curie temperature. The DC electrical conductivity increases with increasing temperature ensuring the semiconducting nature of the samples. The Curie temperature determined from DC electrical conductivity was found in satisfactory agreement with that determined from initial magnetic permeability measurements. This transition temperature is found to decrease with increasing Zn concentration. The activation energy in the paramagnetic region is found to be lower than that in ferrimagnetic region. The variation of room temperature conductivity with composition indicates that conductivity increases with increasing Zn content. The dependence of the electrical conductivity of Mg-Zn ferrite on Zn content is explained on the basis of the cation distribution.
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are susceptible to hyperglycemia. To study the prevale... more Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are susceptible to hyperglycemia. To study the prevalence of pre-diabetes in CKD patients and determine the contribution of insulin resistance (IR) versus beta-cell dysfunction in patients with CKD. 45 consecutive nondiabetic CKD patients and 40 healthy subjects were included. Patients were divided into a normoglycemic (NG) and a pre-diabetic (PDM) group. IR was assessed by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function was assessed by proinsulin/insulin ratio and beta-cell%. The prevalence of PDM was 40%. The prevalence of high HOMA-IR was 22.2 and 77.8% in the NG and PDM groups. Compared to NG patients, the PDM group showed higher fasting plasma glucose, HOMA-IR, insulin, and proinsulin, while the prevalence of beta-cell dysfunction of 22.2% was lower than the 37% present in the NG group. Increased IR, rather than beta-cell dysfunction, is the primary mechanism of PDM in CKD patients.
In previous works it has been shown that fine powders (particle size 7 μm $$\lesssim d_{p}$ $\les... more In previous works it has been shown that fine powders (particle size 7 μm $$\lesssim d_{p}$ $\lesssim 20 \mu$$ m) exhibit two well differentiated behaviors in the compaction regime at low consolidation stresses σc . At very low stresses $(\sigma_{c} \lesssim10 Pa)$ the compaction process is governed by a critical-like dynamics of fractal agglomerates previously formed in the fluid-like regime, undergoing a transition from a random loose packed configuration at the jamming transition to a random close packed state. Then agglomerates are disrupted as further pressure is imposed and there is a cross over to a behavior which is ruled by the initial distribution of local voids within the jammed agglomerates that are filled during compaction. In this work we have extended the range of consolidation stresses up to $\sigma_{c} \simeq 0.1$ MPa and we have observed a new transition of behavior at $\sigma_{c} \simeq 10$ kPa. Our measurements indicate that at this level of consolidation agglomerates are fully disrupted. The compaction process is then determined by the rearrangement of primary particles that have lost memory of their initially agglomerated state in fluidization and behave similarly to noncohesive grains.
The genetic structure of eight Mus musculus L. populations in Primorskii krai was studied with th... more The genetic structure of eight Mus musculus L. populations in Primorskii krai was studied with the use of taxon-specific markers of different inheritance systems: nDNA (RAPD), mtDNA (D-loop), and chromosomes. The results obtained demonstrate that although the compared nuclear marker characteristics (nDNA and chromosomes) have the same basis they are not linke with each other and, moreover, are often mutually inconsistent. Discordance in the inheritance of the marker characteristics in most of the animals studied is a result of extensive hybridization involving two to four house mouse subspecies. To identify taxonspecific nuclear markers revealed by RAPD, some RAPD PCR products were cloned, and their localization on chromosomes was determined. It was found that some fragments similar in size consist of two different comigrating sequences that are localized on different chromosomes and belong to different subspecies. All sequenced anonymous markers are localized in protein-coding genes. The functions of genes containing the marker sequences have been established. Differences in the taxon-specific RAPD fragments are associated with changes in the structure of important functional genes, and this can be considered as a significant genetic marker.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1999
An imbalance between the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) (proteolytic enzymes that d... more An imbalance between the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) (proteolytic enzymes that degrade protein components of the extracellular matrix) and their inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), may be one of the mechanisms responsible for tumor cell invasion. We have investigated the regulation of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 gene expression in benign and malignant (follicular, anaplastic, and papillary) human thyroid cells. As expected of cells with invasive potential, detectable MMP-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were observed in malignant cells under basal conditions, in contrast to undetectable levels in benign cells. Exposure of these cells, for 1 h, to the active phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA, 100 nmol/L), acting via protein kinase C (PKC), elicited an increase in MMP-1 mRNA, with a peak stimulation after a 3- to 4-h culture period. Epidermal growth factor (EGF, 25 ng/mL), however, acting via protein tyrosine kinase (PTK), stimulated such gene expression in malignant cells but failed to do so in benign cells. TIMP-1 mRNA was not significantly altered by the TPA-PKC, EGF-PTK, or TSH-protein kinase A (PKA) pathways in malignant cells. In benign cells, however, TPA induced a small, though significant, increase in TIMP-1. The MMP-1 stimulation by EGF and lack of TPA-induced rise in TIMP-1 in malignant cells, in sharp contrast to the effects obtained in benign thyrocytes, seems to indicate that the MMP: TIMP balance favors a more extensive extracellular matrix protein breakdown by malignant thyrocytes, as expected of cells exhibiting invasive capacity. TSH (10-500 microU/mL) failed to significantly influence basal MMP-1 or TIMP-1 mRNA levels, but it caused a dose-dependent inhibition in TPA- and EGF-induced MMP-1 mRNA in malignant cells, and TPA-stimulated MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in benign cells. The repressive action of TSH on MMP-1 mRNA was mimicked by forskolin and 8-bromo-cAMP and was abrogated by the PKA inhibitor, H-89, suggesting that the TSH inhibitory action is PKA-mediated. In conclusion, the present study provides novel data on MMP-1 and TIMP-1 gene expression and their modulation by the major signal transduction pathways operating in human thyroid cells. Similar and divergent patterns have emerged in the regulation of such gene expression in benign and malignant human thyrocytes, in many instances in accord with the concept of MMP playing the role of stimulating, and TIMP inhibiting, cell invasion. Although MMP-1 may be just one of the many factors responsible for tumor cell invasion, the present findings demonstrating the possibility, at least in vitro, of repressing MMP gene expression may have important clinical ramifications.
... Vincent Shin-Mu Tseng Chao-Hui Lee Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering... more ... Vincent Shin-Mu Tseng Chao-Hui Lee Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering National Cheng Kung University Tainan, Taiwan, ROC Email: tsengsm@mail.ncku. edu.tw ... 1022-1027, Morgan Kaufmann, 1993. [7] N. Lesh, MJ Zaki, M. Ogihara, Mining ...
Both the DC conductivity and the thermoelectric power of Cu 1+ xGe xFe 2-2 xO 4 and Cu 1+ xTi xFe... more Both the DC conductivity and the thermoelectric power of Cu 1+ xGe xFe 2-2 xO 4 and Cu 1+ xTi xFe 2-2 xO 4 ferrites, for 0⩽ x⩽0.4, were measured in a wide range of temperature from RT up to 773 K. The measurements showed that the substitution of both tetravalent ions (Ge 4+ and Ti 4+) tend to convert Cu-ferrite from n- to p-type semiconductor. The results were analyzed on the basis of the small polaron model. The cation distribution for each system was proposed. The activation energy Δ E, Fermi energy EF, the density of charge carriers n or p and the carriers mobility μ were determined for both systems. In addition, an energy band schemes of Cu-Ge and Cu-Ti ferrites were schematically represented.
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