TGF-β1 induction of the adenine nucleotide translocator 1 in astrocytes occurs through Smads and Sp1 transcription factors

Background  

The adenine nucleotide translocator 1 (Ant1) is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein involved with energy mobilization during oxidative phosphorylation. We recently showed that rodent Ant1 is upregulated by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in reactive astrocytes following CNS injury. In the present study, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which TGF-β1 regulates Ant1 gene expression in cultured primary rodent astrocytes.     

Optical excitation of adsorbed nitrogen and its reactions with adsorbed hydrogen

Nitrogen is adsorbed on iron films under uhv conditions and irradiated with wavelengths between 1200 Å and 2400 Å. A “reactive absorption spectrum” is obtained by measuring the change in surface potential after irradiation by means of an electron-beam scanning technique in the retarding field region. Co-adsorption of nitrogen and hydrogen on iron shows a remarkably different spectrum which is interpreted as the result of producing positively charged activated surface complexes with a considerable lifetime.     

Detection and characterization of breast tumours by time-domain scanning optical mammography

The paper gives a short overview of various methods of optical mammography, emphasizing scanning time-domain mammography. The results of a clinical study on time-domain optical mammography are reviewed, comprising 154 patients carrying a total of 102 carcinomas validated by histology. A visibility score attributed to each carcinoma as qualitative measure of tumour detectability indicates acceptable sensitivity but poor specificity for discrimination between malignant and benign lesions. Likewise, a multi-variate statistical analysis yields sensitivity and specificity between 80% and 85% for tumour detection and discrimination with respect to normal (healthy) breast tissue, but values less than 70% for discrimination between malignant and benign breast lesions, being too low to be of clinical relevance. For 87 of the 88 tumours detected retrospectively in both projection optical mammograms, optical properties and tissue parameters were derived based on the diffraction of photon density waves by a spherical inhomogeneity as forward model. Following injection of a bolus of indocyanine green as non-targeted absorbing contrast agent, dynamic contrast-enhanced time-domain optical mammography was carried out on a small number of patients, but no differences in wash-out kinetics of indocyanine green between tumours and healthy breast tissue were observed.     

Comparison of Two Tricarbocyanine-Based Dyes for Fluorescence Optical Imaging

Optical technologies are evolving in many biomedical areas including the biomedical imaging disciplines. Regarding the absorption properties of physiological molecules in living tissue, the optical window ranging from 700 to 900 nm allows to use fluorescent dyes for novel diagnostic solutions. Here we investigate the potential of two different carbocyanine-based dyes fluorescent in the near infrared as contrast agents for in vivo imaging of subcutaneously grown tumours in laboratory animals. The primary aim was to modify the physicochemical properties of the previously synthesized dye SIDAG to investigate the effect on the in vivo imaging properties.     

Vervielfachungsreaktionen mit Ionenaustauschern

Zusammenfassung Die Frage der chemischen Vervielfachungsreaktionen wird zunächst kurz diskutiert und eine Definition für den Begriff Vervielfachung gegeben. An den Beispielen der Bestimmung von Ca, Mg, Ca + Mg und Al, sowie der Anionen Cl^– und F^– wird die Anwendbarkeit von Kationen- und Anionenaustauschern zur multiplikativen Vervielfachung im Mol-Bereich gezeigt.Herrn Prof. Dr. E. Blasius zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet