-Clay/electrolyte systems are best characterized using a new variable, notional interfacial content (NIC). The NIC approach emphasizes that any division of the total amount of a species present in a clay/ electrolyte system into that part which 'belongs' to the clay and that part which 'belongs' to solution is necessarily arbitrary. It carries out this division by choosing one of the species as...

The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the mechanism by which nicotine (NIC) alters spermatozoa and to evaluate the expression of nicotinic receptors (nAChR) subunits in human spermatozoa. We analyzed 30 healthy normozoospermic men. Spermatozoa were incubated with NIC 100 ng/ml and the nAChR antagonist, hexamethonium (HEX) (0, 100, 1,000, 10,000 ng/ml) for 3 and 24 h. The followi...

Transgenic Brassica napus harboring the synthetic chitinase (NiC) gene exhibits broad-spectrum antifungal resistance. As the rhizosphere microorganisms play an important role in element cycling and nutrient transformation, therefore, biosafety assessment of NiC containing transgenic plants on soil ecosystem is a regulatory requirement. The current study is designed to evaluate the impact of NiC...

Current evidence suggests that maternal smoking is associated with decreased respiratory drive and blunted hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) in the newborn. The effect of prenatal nicotine exposure on overall changes in HVR has been studied; however, there is limited data on the effect of nicotine exposure on each component of biphasic HVR. To examine this issue, 5day timed pregnant Sprague-Da...

Nongenomic mechanisms of corticosterone (B) inhibition of nicotine (Nic)-induced calcium influx were investigated in PC12 cells. Corticosterone could rapidly inhibit the Ca2+ influx induced by Nic, and BSA-conjugated B had a similar inhibitory effect. The inhibition of Nic-induced Ca2+ influx by B could be mimicked by protein kinase C (PKC) activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) and revers...

Survival of differentiated cells is one of several processes regulated by Notch activity, although the general principles underlying this function remain to be characterized. Here, we probe the mechanism underlying Notch-mediated survival, building on emerging evidence that apoptotic responses coordinated by specialized intermediates converge on mitochondria, identifying a core event in death p...

Independent component analysis (ICA) has been successfully utilized for analysis of functional MRI (fMRI) data for task related as well as resting state studies. Although it holds the promise of becoming an unbiased data-driven analysis technique, a few choices have to be made prior to performing ICA, selection of a method for determining the number of independent components (nIC) being one of ...

N-isobutyrylcysteine (NIC), a new thiol compound that is not rapidly hydrolysed to give higher levels of free thiols in the body than N-acetylcysteine (NAC), was used to test if the effect of NAC on exacerbations in chronic bronchitis was an effect of the unhydrolysed thiol compound. Smokers or exsmokers with chronic bronchitis forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) >40% and reversibilit...

From the pharmacological interest of fat-soluble riboflavin derivatives such as B2 But (1) and B2-Nic (2), it is important to show whether these compounds are, when ad ministered orally, incorporated through gastro intestinal tract into blood stream of mammals without losing their intactness of the ester bonds at 2•L, 3•L, 4•L and 5•L position. To test this, B2-Nic may be suitable because it is...

The tumor suppressor kinase LKB1 is mutated in a broad range of cancers however, the role of LKB1 mammary gland tumorigenesis is not fully understood. Evaluation of human breast cancer tissue microarrays, indicate that 31% of HER2 positive samples lacked LKB1 expression. To expand on these observations, we crossed STK11 (fl/fl) mice with mice genetically engineered to express activated Neu/HER2...