Stéphanie Beq¹, Jean-François Delfraissy², Jacques Theze¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.4, pp. 279-289, 2004

Abstract Interleukin 7 (IL-7), which is constitutively produced particularly by stromal cells from the bone marrow and thymus, plays a crucial role in T cell homeostasis. This cytokine is implicated in thymopoiesis since it sustains thymocyte proliferation and survival. It regulates peripheral naive T cell survival by modulating the expression of the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2, and sustains peripheral T cell expansion in response to antigenic stimulation. Infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) leads to severe T lymphopenia and general immune dysfunction. Increased IL-7 plasma levels are generally observed in HIV-infected patients. The existence of an… More >

Shabbir M. H. Alibhai¹, Laurence H. Klotz²

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.11, No.1, pp. 2110-2117, 2004

Abstract Introduction: Most treatment studies of localized prostate cancer are observational in nature. The recent publication of a large randomized trial of radical prostatectomy (RP) versus watchful waiting (WW) has focused increased attention on the treatment of localized prostate cancer. We reviewed all published randomized trials that compared different primary treatment modalities for localized prostate cancer.
Materials and methods: We performed a comprehensive Medline search from 1966 to March 2003 to identify all English-language randomized trials of RP, external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT), brachytherapy, watchful waiting, and primary androgen-deprivation therapy in localized prostate cancer.
Results: Nine publications dealing with four separate… More >

MARÍA ESTHER DIUPOTEX-CHONG¹, NÉSTOR J. CAZZANIGA², ALEJANDRA HERNÁNDEZ-SANTOYO³, JOSÉ MIGUEL BETANCOURT-RULE⁴

BIOCELL, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 279-285, 2004, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2004.28.279

Abstract Mitotic chromosomes of the freshwater snail Pomacea patula catemacensis (Baker 1922) were analyzed on gill tissue of specimens from the type locality (Lake Catemaco, Mexico). The diploid number of chromosomes is 2n = 26, including nine metacentric and four submetacentric pairs; therefore, the fundamental number is FN = 52. No sex chromosomes could be identified. The same chromosome number and morphology were already reported for P. flagellata, i.e., the other species of the genus living in Mexico. The basic haploid number for family Ampullariidae was reported to be n° =°14 in the literature; so, its reduction to More >

GRACIELA CRISTINA CALABRESE*, ROSA WAINSTOK**

BIOCELL, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 251-258, 2004, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2004.28.251

Abstract Endothelial cells, at the cell-cell borders, express PECAM-1, and have been implicated in vascular functions. The monoclonal antibody MEC 13.3 recognizes PECAM-1 molecule from mouse vessels and allows to analyze the ontogeny of mouse endothelium. At the present, little is known about the molecular basis of differentiation pathways of endothelial cells, that enables its morphological heterogeneity. The purpose of this study was to analyze the pattern of PECAM-1 expression, employing monoclonal antibody MEC 13.3, in cellular suspensions obtained from different mouse organs at pre and postnatal stages.
Fluorescence activated cell sorter analysis showed a different… More >

MOUYU YANG¹, V.BENNO MEYER-ROCHOW^1,2

BIOCELL, Vol.28, No.2, pp. 151-154, 2004, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2004.28.151

Abstract Only one insect (the scale insect Eriococcus sp.) is known, in which photoreceptive lamellae appear to have replaced the usual arthropod rhabdom microvilli. We are now reporting the presence of photoreceptive membranes, which also appear to resemble lamellae rather than microvilli, but they are in the ocellus of the tiny wasp Centrodora sp., which parasitizes scale insect eggs. The apparently optically homogenous lens of the Centrodora ocellus measures approximately 10 µm in diameter and, thus, operates at the limits of diffraction. We calculated that the lens is capable of focusing a parallel bundle of rays on the More >

RENATO SIMÕES CORDEIRO*, WELLERSON RODRIGO SCARANO*, REJANE MAIRA GÓES**, SEBASTIÃO ROBERTO TABOGA**

BIOCELL, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 21-30, 2004, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2004.28.021

Abstract The flutamide antiandrogenic effects on the Guinea pig male prostate morphology in puberal, post-puberal and adult ages were evaluated in the present study. Daily-treated group animals received flutamide subcutaneous injection at a dose of 10 mg/Kg body weight for 10 days. The control group animals received a pharmacological vehicle under the same conditions. The lateral prostate was removed, fixed and processed for light and transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed an increase of the acinus diameter in the treated puberal animals and straitness in the stromal compartment around the acini. The epithelial cells exhibited cubic More >

M. ISOLDE RUDOLPH¹, I. GINA ROJAS², ALICIA B. PENISSI³

BIOCELL, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 1-11, 2004, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2004.28.001

Abstract Birth is the result of complex, well-defined, and coordinated events, that are tightly regulated by endocrine, nervous, and immune responses, and take place primarily in the female reproductive tract. Various mechanisms and mediators involved in pregnancy, labor, and delivery, are highly conserved among different mammalian species and mast cells emerge as potential and crucial participants in these processes, as it is discussed in this review. More >

A. Shukla^1,1, A.R. Dunn^2,2, M.A. Moses^3,3, K.J. Van Vliet^4,4

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 279-290, 2004, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2004.001.279

Abstract Although it is established that endothelial cells can respond to external mechanical cues (e.g., alignment in the direction of fluid shear stress), the extent to which mechanical stress and strain applied via the endothelial cell substrate impact biomolecular and cellular processes is not well-understood. This issue is particularly important in the context of inflammation, vascular remodeling, and cancer progression, as each of these processes occurs concurrently with localized increases in strain and marked changes in molecules secreted by adjacent cells. Here, we systematically vary the level and duration of cyclic tensile strain applied to human… More >

Alvaro Valencia¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 221-232, 2004, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2004.001.221

Abstract Flow dynamics play an important role in the pathogenesis and treatment of intracranial aneurysms. The evaluation of the velocity field in the aneurysm dome and neck is important for the correct placement of endovascular coils, and the temporal and spatial variations of wall shear stress in the aneurysm are correlated with its growth and rupture. This numerical investigation describes the hemodynamic in two models of terminal aneurysm of the basilar artery. Aneurysm models with a aspect ratio of 1.0 and 1.67 were studied. Each model was subject to physiological representative waveform of inflow for a More >

Tanmay Lele^1,1, Philmo Oh^1,1, Jeffrey A. Nickerson^1,1,2,2, Donald E. Ingber^1,1,3,3

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 181-190, 2004, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2004.001.181

Abstract The estimation of binding constants and diffusion coefficients of molecules that associate with insoluble molecular scaffolds inside living cells and nuclei has been facilitated by the use of Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching (FRAP) in conjunction with mathematical modeling. A critical feature unique to FRAP experiments that has been overlooked by past mathematical treatments is the existence of an `equilibrium constraint': local dynamic equilibrium is not disturbed because photobleaching does not functionally destroy molecules, and hence binding-unbinding proceeds at equilibrium rates. Here we describe an improved mathematical formulation under the equilibrium constraint which provides a more… More >