Approximation of diffuse attenuation,Kd, for MODIS high-resolution bands

A high resolution depth attenuation product (K_d^hires) was developed using MODIS 500 m and 250 m spectral bands. The K_d^hires was compared with Wang’s operational K_d for the Chesapeake Bay. Minimal differences were observed between the two methods, with greatest deviation occurring in areas of high turbidity in the tributaries. After tuning the new K_d^hires, the mean absolute error and bias between the two algorithms was 0.22 m^?1 and 0.026 m^?1, indicating good agreement. Higher spatial resolution provides for improved retrievals along the coast and into the narrow sections of the tributaries, coinciding with areas of concern to estuarine health and coastal management applications.     

Physical Activity Participation by Parental Language Use in 4th, 8th,and 11th Grade Students in Texas,USA

Research on physical activity (PA) by level of acculturation in Hispanic children is limited and findings have been mixed. We examined PA participation by primary language used with parents in a representative sample of 4th, 8th, and 11th grade Texas public school students. Mixed-effects regression models were conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2004–2005 School Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (n = 22,049). Self-reported PA was compared among three language-ethnic groups: Spanish-Hispanic (SH) (referent); English-Hispanic (EH); and English-Other (EO). EH and/or EO girls were generally between 1.25 and 2.58 [OR] times more likely to participate in PA across grade levels, with the largest differences found for school sports in 8th grade girls. EH and EO 8th grade boys were 1.71 (CI: 1.40, 2.10) and 2.06 (CI: 1.68, 2.51) times, respectively, more likely to participate in school sports. Findings indicate important disparities in Spanish-speaking Hispanic children’s PA participation.     

The proliferative T-lymphocyte response to streptokinase

Purified streptokinase was found to initiate a proliferative T-lymphocyte response. The response was characterized by dose-response and kinetics investigations. Streptokinase did not initiate any response when tested on T lymphocytes from newborns, thus indicating that the proliferative T-lymphocyte response to streptokinase in vitro is an antigen stimulated activation of T lymphocytes from individuals previously sensitized in vivo. Of healthy individuals, 40% (16 out of 40 tested) showed a significant proliferative response to streptokinase. Methylprednisolone, cyclosporin A, theophyllamine and verapamil all inhibited the streptokinase-stimulated proliferative T-lymphocyte responses in a dose-dependent manner.     

Cationic Lipid-Based Gene Delivery Systems: Pharmaceutical Perspectives

Gene delivery systems are designed to control the location of administered therapeutic genes within a patient's body. Successful in vivo gene transfer may require (i) the condensation of plasmid and its protection from nuclease degradation, (ii) cellular interaction and internalization of condensed plasmid, (iii) escape of plasmid from endosomes (if endocytosis is involved), and (iv) plasmid entry into cell nuclei. Expression plasmids encoding a therapeutic protein can be, for instance, complexed with cationic liposomes or micelles in order to achieve effective in vivo gene transfer. A thorough knowledge of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, bio-engineering, as well as cell and molecular biology is required to design optimal systems for gene therapy. This mini-review provides a critical discussion on cationic lipid-based gene delivery systems and their possible uses as pharmaceuticals.     

Lactate transport in insulin-secreting beta-cells: contrast between rat islets and HIT-T15 insulinoma cells.

The transport of L- and D-lactate into rat pancreatic islets and HIT-T15 insulinoma cells was studied by measuring uptake of 14C-labelled substrate at room temperature and by following changes in intracellular pH (pHi) in islets and HIT-T15 cells loaded with 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5'(6')-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF). Uptake of L-lactate into HIT-T15 cells was rapid, reaching equilibrium after 5 min with an apparent Km value of 4.8 mM. Transport was markedly inhibited by alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate, alpha-fluorocinnamate, quercetin and p-chloromercuribenzenesulphonate (pCMBS), and was enhanced in citrate medium. Uptake of D-lactate was less rapid, apparent equilibrium not being reached within 10 min. In contrast to HIT-T15 cells, rat pancreatic islets showed greatly reduced rates of transport of L- and D-lactate together with a correspondingly lower degree of inhibition by alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate. The addition of L- or D-lactate to HIT-T15 cells, but not dispersed islet cells, resulted in a marked and rapid intracellular acidification followed by a gradual recovery. In both HIT-T15 cells and isolated islets, the rates of transport of both L- and D-lactate in the presence of alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate were significantly greater in a depolarising K+ medium compared to the normal Na+ medium. These observations suggest that native rat islet cells have considerably reduced activity of the lactate-/H+ transport system compared to HIT-T15 insulinoma cells. There is evidence in both cell types of an additional electrogenic pathway for lactate which might play a role in coupling lactate efflux to beta-cell depolarisation.