alpha1-Microglobulin (alpha1m) is a 26-kDa plasma and tissue glycoprotein. The protein has a heterogeneous yellow-brown chromophore consisting of small unidentified prosthetic groups localized to a free thiol group (C34) and three lysyl residues (K92, K118, and K130) around the entrance to a hydrophobic pocket. It was recently reported that alpha1m can bind heme and that a C-terminally processe...

During metastatic spread, locomotion mediated by extracellular matrix components of basement membranes and connective tissues has been invoked as a prerequisite to invasion. We studied the interactions of the rat bladder carcinoma cell line NBT-II with fibronectin, laminin, and collagens (types I, III, IV, and V). They all promoted cell attachment and spreading. To analyze their scatter potenti...

Leukocytes isolated from patients with polycythemia vera (PCV), a panmyelopathy, have increased metabolic activity during the resting and phagocytizing states. Phagocytes from patients with PCV were studied by counting particle ingestion, measuring hexose monophosphate shunt (HMP) activity by the conversion of glucose1-’4C tr, ‘4CO2, and determining 02 consumption and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT...

The effect of acute heat stress on certain immunological parameters were studied in male albino rats. The test rats were exposed to an ambient temperature of 40 degrees celsius for 30 minutes and sacrificed immediately. Total WBC count, Differential count, Phagocytic index, NBT reduction, organ weight body weight ratio of spleen, thymus, and popliteal lymph nodes, and soluble immune complex lev...

The contribution of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and one of its unstable intermediates, superoxide anion (O2), to the oxidative reactions that occur in phagocytizing leukocytes was explored by depleting these cells of O2. This was accomplished by allowing them to phagocytize latex particles coated with superoxide dismutase (SOD), which catalyzes the generation of H2O2 from O2. Although the rate and...

Previous investigations have demonstrated that phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), the active principle of croton oil, stimulates alterations in normal polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) that resemble closely the changes that develop in the cells after phagocytosis of bacteria. The present study has compared the effects of PMA and heat-killed bacteria on the oxygen uptake, glucose oxidation, nitro...

Following previous reports of the isolation of aerobic sporing bacilli from intravenous catheters and infusion sets, it was decided to analyse a series of catheter tip cultures to ascertain the significance of these isolations. Those catheters from which aerobic sporing bacilli were isolated behaved statistically differently from other catheters from which organisms were isolated, but were stat...

An in vitro cultivation method for spleen and head kidney organ section were used to investigate the eff ects of levamisole on the immune response. After 10 days of culture with 10 μg/ml, 50 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml or no levamisole in the culture media, the non specific defense reaction were measured by glass-adherent NBT (nitroblue tetrazolium) positive cells activation and phagocytic activity. El...

Quenching relaxor ferroelectric 0.94(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3–0.06BaTiO3 (NBT-6BT) enhances the depolarization temperature (Td), linked to stabilization of order. The thermal evolution domain structure and phase assemblage provides insights about onset order in quenched materials. Unpoled furnace cooled NBT-6BT ceramics were studied using situ temperature-dependent transmission electron microscopy. rhom...

A new acetylenic alkaloid was isolated from the sponge Leucetta sp. The structure was established by analyzing spectroscopic data. The alkaloid showed cytotoxicity IC₅₀ 2.5 μg/mL against NBT-T2 cells.