The need to investigate mineral precipitation in heterogeneous sedimentary rock with complex pore network and composition arises problems like clogging by barite during sulfate-rich water injection geological reservoirs, the durability of long term storage nuclear waste or damage induced crystallisation. At LFCR (Laboratoire des Fluides Complexes et leurs Réservoirs, Anglet, France), we aim rep...

Recent studies suggest a role for the arachidonic acid-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) in attenuating epileptic seizures. However, their effect on neurotransmission has never been investigated in detail. Here, we studied how 11,12- and 14,15 EET affect excitability and excitatory neurotransmission in mouse hippocampus. 11,12 EET (2 μM), but not 14,15 EET (2 μM), induced the opening of ...

The blocking actions of Fe2+, Co2+, and Ni2+ on unitary currents carried by Ba2+ through single dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels were recorded from cell-attached patches on myotubes from the mouse C2 cell line. Adding millimolar concentrations of blocker to patch electrodes containing 110 mM BaCl2 produced discrete excursions to the closed channel level. The kinetics of blocking and unbl...

Invertase was purified from rose (Fructus cynosbati) hips by ammonium sulfate fractionation and hydroxyapatite column chromatography. The enzyme was obtained with a yield of 4.25% and about 10.48-fold purification and had a specific activity of 8.59 U/mg protein. The molecular mass of invertase was estimated to be 66.51 kDa by PAGE and 34 kDa by SDS-PAGE, indicating that the native enzyme was a...

Using various envelope mutants of Escherichia coli, the relationship between cell surface struc­ ture and the Ca2*or Ba2+-dependent competence for transfection was investigated. In contrast with rough strains, smooth bacteria treated with Ca2+ or Ba2+ were incompetent for the trans­ fection by 0 A RF. In E. coli K12 D21 derivatives, Ca2+-dependent competence remarkably in­ creased by IpsA l mut...

1. Wu C-Y, Young L, Young D, Martel J, Young JD (2013) Bions: A Family of Biomimetic Mineralo-Organic Complexes Derived from Biological Fluids. PLoS ONE 8(9): e75501. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075501 Figure 10: Increase in size and number, and sub-culture of bions. (A) Bions increase in size during incubation. Bions were prepared by adding 1 mM CaCl2, 10 mM MgCl2, 1 mM MnCl2, 5 mM SrCl2 or 3 mM...

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is found co-localized with the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in interneurons of the hippocampus. Also, CCK receptors are found in abundance in this brain region. The possibility that CCK alters interneuron activity was examined using whole-cell current- and voltage-clamp recordings from visualized interneurons in the stratum radiatum of area CA1 in rat hippocampal slice...

The vasodilatory effect of cinnamaldehyde was investigated for its mechanism of action using isolated rings of rat aorta. Cinnamaldehyde relaxed aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine in a dose-dependent manner, was not affected by either the presence or removal of the endothelium. Pretreatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester and 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazole-[4,3-a]-quinoxalin-1-one could...

The binding of [H]-8-OH-DPAT to rat hippocampal and cortical membranes was specific and saturable with Kd = 0.87 ± 0.18 nM and Kd = 2.4 ± 0.9 nM, respectively. Guanine nucleotides decreased the [H]-8-OH-DPAT binding affinity without significant influence on the number of binding sites. The radioligand binding affinity was only slightly affected by the pH in the interval from 6 to 9. The 5-HT1A ...

Currents flowing through single dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels were recorded from cell-attached patches on C2 myotubes. In the presence of dihydropyridine agonist to prolong the duration of single-channel openings, adding micromolar concentrations of lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), neodymium (Nd), gadolinium (Gd), dysprosium (Dy), or ytterbium (Yb) to patch electrodes containing 110 mM Ba...