Antioxidant Properties of Glial Cell-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF)

Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine - We propose an in vitro model of chronic oxidative stress based on the use of glucose oxidase. Oxidative stress modeling leads to a significant...     

Assembly of large-area,highly ordered,crack-free inverse opal films

Whereas considerable interest exists in self-assembly of well-ordered, porous “inverse opal” structures for optical, electronic, and (bio)chemical applications, uncontrolled defect formation has limited the scale-up and practicality of such approaches. Here we demonstrate a new method for assembling highly ordered, crack-free inverse opal films over a centimeter scale. Multilayered composite colloidal crystal films have been generated via evaporative deposition of polymeric colloidal spheres suspended within a hydrolyzed silicate sol-gel precursor solution. The coassembly of a sacrificial colloidal template with a matrix material avoids the need for liquid infiltration into the preassembled colloidal crystal and minimizes the associated cracking and inhomogeneities of the resulting inverse opal films. We discuss the underlying mechanisms that may account for the formation of large-area defect-free films, their unique preferential growth along the 〈110〉 direction and unusual fracture behavior. We demonstrate that this coassembly approach allows the fabrication of hierarchical structures not achievable by conventional methods, such as multilayered films and deposition onto patterned or curved surfaces. These robust SiO₂ inverse opals can be transformed into various materials that retain the morphology and order of the original films, as exemplified by the reactive conversion into Si or TiO₂ replicas. We show that colloidal coassembly is available for a range of organometallic sol-gel and polymer matrix precursors, and represents a simple, low-cost, scalable method for generating high-quality, chemically tailorable inverse opal films for a variety of applications.     

Role of specific adrenergic and cholinergic receptors of the blood vessel wall in the regulation of blood clotting during stimulation of the vagus nerve

Experiments on dogs showed that if the specific adrenergic receptors of the blood vessel wall (- and -receptors) were blocked by phentolamine or inderal it still continued to produce tissue blood clotting factors after stimulation of the vagus nerve. No response of this type was observed to stimulation of the nerve after the cholinergic receptors had been blocked by atropine. It is concluded that hyperfibrinolysis and hypercoagulation developing after vagus nerve stimulation are due to excitation of cholinergic structures.Department of Normal Physiology, Chita Medical Institute. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. N. Filatov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 78, No. 8, pp. 19–22, August, 1974.     

Glucophot BP-"M" analyzer for blood analysis

Miniature analyzer Glucophot BP-"M", intended for express measurements of glucose concentrations in capillary blood, was tested under clinical conditions. The reference method was the hexokinase method for glucose measurements on a Spectrum 11 biochemical analyzer (Abbott); in addition, glucose measurements were carried out on a One Touch-11 glucometer (Johnson-Johnson). The results evidence that the reproducibility and correctness of glucose analysis by the Glucophot BP-"M" analyzer both in health and disease met the requirements to laboratory measurements performed by "dry" chemical methods and demonstrated its high analytical reliability.     

Accumulation of exogenous histone in rat brain parenchyma

In vivo histoautoradiographic study of cerebral accumulation of exogenous histone after its intracarotid infusion to anesthetized rats with intact liver and animals with experimental cirrhosis showed that histone penetrates brain capillary endotheliocyte membranes and gets into the nervous tissue. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 130, No. 7, pp. 63–66, July, 2000     

Treatment options for hydroxyurea‐refractory disease complications in myeloproliferative neoplasms: JAK2 inhibitors,radiotherapy, splenectomy and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt

Clinical care of patients with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and myelofibrosis (MF) requires not only a broad understanding of general treatment principles but also familiarity with the management of hydroxyurea‐refractory disease complications. The latter include progressive splenomegaly, symptomatic portal hypertension (e.g. ascites, variceal bleeding), pulmonary hypertension, bone pain, intractable pruritus, constitutional symptoms (e.g. fatigue, night sweats) and cachexia (i.e. loss of lean body mass, general ill health, poor appetite). Some of these symptoms are directly or indirectly related to extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) and others to proinflammatory cytokine excess. Results from recent clinical trials of JAK inhibitors suggest remarkable activity in MF‐associated constitutional symptoms, cachexia, pruritus and hydroxyurea‐refractory splenomegaly. Involved‐field radiotherapy is best utilized in the setting of EMH‐associated symptoms, including ascites, bone (extremity) pain and pulmonary hypertension. Splenectomy is indicated in the presence of drug‐refractory splenomegaly and frequent red cell transfusion requirement. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt is used to alleviate symptoms of portal hypertension.     

Chemical stabilization method for bionics series heart valve prostheses

Conclusions 1. Chemical treatment of heart valve bioprostheses utilizing sodium dodecylsulfate is, according to experimental findings, the optimum at the present time since this treatment inhibits the development of calcification, increases hemocompatibility, and reduces immunogenicity of the biotissue as compared with the standard method (treatment with 0.625% glutaric aldehyde). 2. Treatment of bioprostheses with sodium dodecylsulfate does not solve the root problem of biotissue calcification. A. N. Bakulev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery, Academy of Medical Science of the USSR. Scientific Research Institute of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, Ministry of Health of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Meditsinskaya Tekhnika, No. 4, pp. 30–33, July–August, 1990.