"Schreiner M."

We review the current knowledge on alterations of the major basement membrane (BM) components and their cellular integrin receptors in benign and malignant tumors of epithelial and mesenchymal origin. While benign tumors usually exhibit a continous BM, recent analyses provide evidence that invasive growth of carcinomas coincides with (a) a loss in a proper BM, (b) changes in the type of integrin receptor expression and (c) the retained ability of certain tumor cells to synthesize matrix components. This latter aspect has been regarded as a potentially beneficial 'host' mechanism against invasive growth...

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of modern imaging procedures are being applied for the diagnosis of appendicitis. We compared one hundred consecutive appendectomies of the years 1988, 1998 and 2008 concerning reliability of preoperative diagnosis and resulting costs. METHODS: We analysed the first one hundred consecutive patients undergoing appendectomy during the years 1988, 1998 and 2008, 59 % were female and 41 % male. The average age was 26 years, the average BMI 21...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A high concentration of large size polymers in intravenous immunoglobulin preparations was always correlated with high anticomplementary activity (ACA). In former days, high ACA was also linked to adverse reactions in patients. The goal of this study was to scrutinize critical parameters of the ACA assay and the influence of different polymer variants of IgG on the complement consumption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Critical reagents as the complement and the preparation of erythrocytes were investigated...

The knowledge available regarding the influence of ultraviolet (UV) light on the atmospheric corrosion of materials is very rudimentary. Therefore, a new experimental setup consisting of a cell for studying in situ reactions occurring at the metal/atmosphere interface by simultaneously applying infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements was designed and built. The cell presented consists of an acrylic glass body with a UV-light-transparent window mounted in such a way that the sample can be irradiated and weathered under controlled atmospheric conditions under a grazing angle of incidence of the IR beam...

Silver-coated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) disks were treated under different environmental conditions (including changes in parameters such as relative humidity (%RH) and SO(2)/H(2)S content) in atmospheres of synthetic air and pure N(2) for 24 h in a weathering chamber. The corroded surfaces were subjected to depth profiling by a time of flight (TOF) secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) instrument, equipped with a Bi(+) analysis gun and Cs(+) sputter gun. The evaluation of the in-depth distribution of several elements and species provides evidence for the formation of a corrosion layer containing Ag(2)SO(3), even in the absence of oxidizing agents, such as H(2)O(2) or NO(2)...

Glucosinolates of broccoli and cauliflower florets were assessed to determine the effect of modified-atmosphere packaging on postharvest glucosinolate dynamics in mixed florets of Brassica vegetables. Mixed-packaged broccoli and cauliflower florets stored in food trays sealed with 2 different microperforated biaxial-oriented polypropylene films for up to 7 d at 8 degrees C were analyzed. Both applied modified atmospheres (1% O(2)+ 21% CO(2); 8% O(2)+ 14% CO(2)) maintained aliphatic glucosinolates in cauliflower florets, whereas in broccoli florets, the aliphatic glucosinolate concentration decreased slightly in each modified atmosphere...

Protection against contact allergy begins with the collection of reliable data about the sensitizing potential of chemicals. Today, the local lymph node assay (LLNA) in mice is widely used to identify sensitizing substances. For several reasons, an in vitro assay could be preferable to animal experiments. We propose an in vitro test for the detection of a sensitizing potential of a chemical composed of a single layer of human nondifferentiating keratinocytes and of allogenic floating monocytes which are cocultured in serum-free medium in the presence of a cytokine cocktail...

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Total and individual glucosinolate contents of broccoli cv Marathon were assessed at ambient CO2 (430-480 ppm) and elevated atmospheric CO2 (685-820 ppm) to determine the ecological relationship between changing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and phytochemicals. Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration had a differing effect on individual glucosinolates and glucosinolate groups. Total glucosinolate content increased at elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration as a result of a strong increase in both methylsulfinylalkyl glucosinolates glucoraphanin and glucoiberin...

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is associated with reduced insulin sensitivity and extensive reorganization of adipose tissue. As polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) appear to inhibit diabetes development, we investigated PUFA effects on markers of matrix remodeling in white adipose tissue. METHODS AND PROCEDURE: Male obese diabetic (db/db) mice were treated with either a low-fat standard diet (LF), or high-fat diets rich in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (HF/S), n-6 PUFA (HF/6) or the latter including marine n-3 PUFA (HF/3)...

The aim of this study was to assess the quantitative differences of acid exposure at 1 cm and 6 cm above the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) using two radiotelemetry pH capsules affixed to the esophageal mucosa. Ten normal subjects and 10 endoscopy-negative gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients without hiatus hernia (ages 20-54, 12 male) were studied for a 24-h period using the Bravo pH monitoring system. pH capsules were placed 1 cm and 6 cm above the SCJ. Interpretable data for at least 14 h was obtained in 18 of the 20 subjects (9 normal, 9 GERD)...

OBJECTIVE: This study analysed the relative accuracy of the Bravo wireless and the Slimline catheter-Mark III Digitrapper pH systems in the detection of acid reflux events. METHODS: Twenty five asymptomatic subjects were studied. A Bravo capsule was placed 6 cm above the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ), marked by an endoclip, and a Slimline pH catheter was placed 5 cm above the manometrically localised lower oesophageal sphincter. The distance between the SCJ and each pH electrode was measured fluoroscopically...

Two potash-lime-silica model glasses with compositions similar to those of medieval stained glass were exposed at 26 test sites all over Europe and in North America for 3-6 years. The objectives of this large-scale field exposure programme were: (a) a qualitative analysis of the weathering products formed on the surface of the samples in the (environmental) scanning electron microscope in combination with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (ESEM/EDX or SEM/EDX, respectively); (b) a statistical evaluation of the weathering phenomena by applying a multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis to find correlations between the degree of weathering, which was measured in terms of surface coverage with reaction products, and environmental parameters such as the concentration (c) of the acidifying gases SO(2), NO(2) and O(3), the temperature (T) and the relative humidity (RH); and (c) the calculation of a time-dependence function of the weathering process of these glasses...

Seventy-two 26-wk-old Single Comb White Leghorn laying hens were randomly assigned to 36 cages (2 per cage) in a 3-orthogonal 4 x 4 latin square, with the fourth row suppressed, to assess the effect of feeding refined seal blubber oil (SBO, containing 22.2% omega-3 fatty acids) on the fatty acid composition and position in the egg yolk lipids. The experiment was conducted over a period of 9 wk. Eggs were collected and numbered, and the weights were recorded for each week and cage. Eggs collected at wk 5 and 9 were used for total lipid, lipid class, fatty acid, and positional analyses...

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A new experimental setup for studying reactions occurring in the metal-atmosphere interface by applying in situ infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) is presented. It consists of a gas-mixing unit, where the moist air is generated with or without corrosive gases, the reaction cell for the in situ investigations, and an optical system coupled with a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer. For testing the unit, a specimen of pure copper was used, where the growth of Cu2O on the polished surface could be observed during time-resolved measurements in synthetic air containing 80% RH (relative humidity)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Two different manifestations of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (histiocytosis X) are presented, the first occurring as a solitary rib eosinophil granuloma in an 11-year-old girl, and the second as an eosinophil granuloma of the lung of her mother, a 41-year-old heavy smoker, appearing 8 years after the onset of her daughter's disease. Familial clustering of two different manifestations of histiocytosis X disease is very rare and raises the possibility of inherited mutations that promote emergence of clonal Langerhans cells...

Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from different thermoplastic polymers used in electrotechnical applications were investigated using a purge and trap procedure that involved adsorption on Tenax GR. Results were compared to those for an operating TV set monitored in a test chamber. The analyses were in both cases carried out using thermodesorption gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (TDS-GC/MS). Substances identified were monomers, volatile additives, or related compounds. Special attention was given to the detection of halogenated compounds...