A comprehensive elucidation of the unexpected adverse events that occur in skeletal myoblast transplantation is fundamental for the optimization of myocardial therapeutic effects. However, a well-defined method to study the interactions between skeletal myoblasts and cardiomyocytes during the healing process is out of reach. Here, we describe a microfluidic method for monitoring the interaction...

Microbial processes have been extensively used in engineered systems, esp. wastewater treatment, in situ bioremediation and most recently for biofuel production. While excess biomass may be desirable in some processes, it is detrimental to other systems including Activated Sludge Process (ASP), biofilters and subsurface bioremediation schemes, where uncontrolled microbial growth leads to increa...

1. The maximal H+: 0 ratios of proton transport in highly resolved submitochondrial particles prepared by sonication of bovine heart mitochondria in the presence of ammonia and exposed sequentially to Sephadex and urea (ASU particles) in the presence of oligomycin were found to be 6,4, and 2 during the oxidation of NADH, succinate, or N-methylphenazonium methosulfate, respectively. A pH depende...

We have investigated the effects of the light-induced thylakoid transmembrane potential on the turnover of the b(6)f complex in cells of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The reduction of the potential by either decreasing the light intensity or by adding increasing concentrations of the ionophore carbonylcyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP) revealed a marked i...

In an effort to further understand the processes underlying hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, we examined the mechanism by which sodium hydrosulfite (Na2S2O4), a potent reducing agent and oxygen scavenger, induces smooth muscle contraction. In rat pulmonary arterial strips, sodium hydrosulfite (10 mM) induced contractions that were 65.9 ± 12.8% of the response to 60 mM KCl ( n = 9 segments). ...

Little is known about the temporal relationship between mitochondrial and plasma membrane potential changes and outer mitochondrial membrane permeabilization during apoptosis. Confocal imaging of breast carcinoma and HeLa cells stably transfected with cytochrome-C-GFP demonstrated that mitochondria rapidly depolarized after the release of the fusion protein into the cytosol. Of note, mitochondr...

E. S. H . E l A shry*, L. F. A w ad, H. A bdel H am id , and Y. E l K ilany Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria. Egypt * Reprint request to Prof. E. S. H. El Ashry. Fax: +20-3-4201360 Z. Naturforsch. 54b, 1061-1067 (1999); received April 12, 1999 D-Isoascorbic Acid, 6-Bromo-6-deoxyD-isoascorbic Acid, Pyridazine, Furo[3,2-c]pyridazine, Hepatitis B Virus Re...

Measurement of mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle is a vital tool for understanding regulation of cellular bioenergetics. Currently, a number of different experimental approaches are employed to quantify mitochondrial function, with each involving either mechanically or chemically induced disruption of cellular membranes. Here, we describe a novel approach that allows for the quantificat...

The turnip (Brassica rapa L.) microsome fraction contains both a Mg(2+)-inhibited acid phosphatase and a salt-stimulated Mg(2+)-activated ATPase. However, as the pH optimum of the ATPase was 8.0 to 8.5, the acid phosphatase activity could be eliminated by assaying at or above pH 7.8. The ATPase was concentrated in a fraction equivalent to the smooth microsomal membranes and was not due to fragm...