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Biomedical subjects

L Swanson

Publications and source records attributed to L Swanson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Luminescence techniques and characterization of the morphology of polymer latices 2. Fluorescence lifetime, phosphorescence and fluorescence anisotropy studies.

Five poly(n-butyl methacrylate), PBMA, latex dispersions have been prepared, each incorporating a different fluorescent label, via a two-stage seeded emulsion polymerization. The resultant latices contain ca. 35% by weight total solids and are of 80 (+/-10) nm diameter as determined by photon correlation spectrometry. Luminescence spectroscopic techniques, namely fluorescence (and phosphorescence) excited state lifetime measurements in addition to time-resolved anisotropy experiments have provided useful information regarding the morphology, microviscosity and water permeability of the resultant particles. A picture of the PBMA colloid emerges of an interior which is highly viscous and water impermeable in nature. Indeed, the environment is protective enough to sustain room temperature stabilized phosphorescence from both an acenaphthylene and 9-phenanthrylmethyl methacrylate labeled dispersion through simple nitrogen purging of the solutions. However, the current spectroscopic measurements should be viewed with the knowledge that each luminescent label may fashion its own distinctive microenvironment within the latex during polymerization.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Luminescence techniques and characterization of the morphology of polymer latices. 3. An investigation of the microenvironments within stabilized aqueous latex dispersions of poly(n-butyl methacrylate) and polyurethane.

Fluorescence techniques (including time-resolved anisotropy measurements, TRAMS) have been used to probe differences in morphology between two stabilized aqueous latex dispersions (poly(n-butyl methacrylate), PBMA, and polyurethane, PU). Use of the emission characteristics of probes such as pyrene and phenanthrene dispersed within particles reveals that the PU latices are more heterogeneous in nature: evidence exists, particularly from quenching measurements and TRAMS, that voids and channels of water permeate the PU structure, resulting in a relatively soft, open particle, swollen by ingress of the bulk aqueous phase. Fluorescence measurements indicate that PBMA colloids, however, are composed of relatively hard, hydrophobic particles. In addition, TRAMS are considered to be a valuable tool both for probing the morphological characteristics of such dispersions and in estimating the average particle size.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Fluorescence anisotropy: a method for early detection of Alzheimer beta-peptide (Abeta) aggregation.

Time-resolved anisotropy measurements (TRAMS) have been used to study the aggregation of the beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide which is suspected of playing a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The experiments, which employ small quantities of fluorescently-labelled Abeta, in addition to the untagged peptide, have shown that the sensitive TRAMS technique detects the presence of preformed "seed" particles in freshly prepared solutions of Abeta. More importantly, as 100 microM solutions of Abeta containing tagged Abeta at a concentration level of either 0.5 or 1 microM are incubated, the TRAMS prove capable of detection of the peptide aggregation process through the appearance of a continuously increasing "residual anisotropy" within the time-resolved fluorescence data. The method detects Abeta aggregation in its earliest stages, well before complexation becomes apparent in more conventional methods such as the thioflavin T fluorescence assay. The TRAMS approach promises to provide a most attractive route for establishment of a high-throughput procedure for the early detection of the presence of amyloid aggregates in the screening of biological samples.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2001

On the fine structure of the pes Hippocampi major (with plates XIII-XXIII). 1886.

We have provided a translation of Golgi's original paper on the mammalian hippocampus (first published in 1883 and reprinted numerous times), along with a preface on its historical context. Golgi believed that this part of the cerebral hemisphere showed best the exact relationship between nerve cells and nerve fibers, the most important problem in 19th century neuroscience.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Modulation of beta-amyloid production and fibrillization.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in old age and presently affects an estimated 4 million people in the U.S.A. and 0.75 million people in the U.K. It is a relentless, degenerative brain disease, characterized by progressive cognitive impairment. In the final stages of the disease, patients are often bedridden, doubly incontinent and unable to speak or to recognize close relatives. Pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease include extensive neuronal loss and the presence of numerous neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques in the brain. The senile plaques contain amyloid fibrils derived from a 39-43-amino-acid peptide referred to as beta-amyloid or A beta. The basic theory of the so-called 'amyloid hypothesis' is that the deposition of aggregated forms of A beta in the brain parenchyma triggers a pathological cascade of events that leads to neurofibrillary tangle formation, neuronal loss and the associated dementia [1]. Here we discuss progress towards the identification of inhibitors of A beta production and fibrillization.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1999

Serum prolactin concentrations in the captive female African elephant (Loxodonta africana): potential effects of season and steroid hormone interactions.

Research was conducted to determine whether seasonal changes in prolactin secretion occur in nonpregnant female African elephants and to examine potential functional interrelationships between secretion of prolactin, cortisol, and progesterone. Weekly blood samples were taken for 18 months from four female African elephants and the sera were analyzed by RIA for progesterone, cortisol, and prolactin concentrations. There was no significant effect of season on serum concentrations of prolactin. Estrous cycles averaged 14 weeks in length and were composed of a 9-week luteal phase and a 5-week follicular phase (based on progesterone concentrations consistently >200 and <200 pg/ml, respectively). Estrous cycle synchronicity was evident between pairs of elephants. Serum concentrations of prolactin (3.91 +/- 0.69 ng/ml; range: 0.84-15.8 ng/ml) were significantly lower during the luteal, compared with the follicular, phase (P < 0.0001; t test) and were positively correlated with serum concentrations of cortisol (r = 0.14; P < 0.05). Mean (+/-SE) serum concentration of cortisol was 5.7 +/- 1.3 ng/ml (range: 1.4-19.3 ng/ml), and concentrations of this adrenal steroid were negatively correlated with progesterone concentrations (r = -0.15; P < 0.01). Increased serum concentrations of prolactin detected during the follicular phase suggest that this hormone may be regulated by ovarian estrogens and may play a role in modulating ovarian function in the elephant.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Some differences between English plural noun inflections and third singular verb inflections in the input: the contributions of frequency, sentence position, and duration.

Grammatical inflections such as the English plural noun -s and third person singular verb -s are acquired at different points in time by young children. This finding is typically attributed to factors such as relative semantic salience or the distinction between lexical and functional categories. In this study input frequency, sentence position, and duration were examined as possible contributing factors. In both conversations with and stories aimed at young children, noun plural inflections were found to be more frequent than third singular verb inflections, especially in sentence-final position. Analysis of the speech of four mothers reading stories to their two-year-old children confirmed that duration differences also exist in the input. Because fricatives were lengthened in sentence-final position and plural nouns were much more likely to appear in these positions than were third singular verb forms, plural nouns were significantly longer than third singular inflections on average. The possible implications of these findings for language learnability theories and accounts of grammatical deficits in specific language impairment are discussed.

Child Language↗
PubMed1999

Reliability of taurine concentrations measured in single urine samples obtained from dogs eight hours after eating.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability of taurine concentrations measured in a single urine sample obtained from dogs 8 hours after eating, compared with taurine concentrations measured in 24-hour urine samples. ANIMALS: 18 healthy Beagles. PROCEDURE: After emptying the urinary bladder by transurethral catheterization, dogs were fed a canned maintenance diet. Approximately 8 hours later, urine, plasma, and serum samples were obtained for determination of fractional urinary excretion of taurine and urine taurine-to-creatinine concentration ratios (Utaur:Ucr). Results were compared with 24-hour urinary taurine excretion rate. RESULTS: Unbound and total fractional urinary taurine excretion correlated well with unbound and total 24-hour urinary taurine excretion. However, bound fractional urinary taurine excretion correlated poorly with bound 24-hour urinary taurine excretion. Unbound and total Utaur:Ucr correlated well with unbound and total 24-hour urinary taurine excretion. However, bound Utaur:Ucr correlated poorly with bound 24-hour urinary taurine excretion. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Fractional urinary excretion of unbound and total taurine, and unbound and total Utaur:Ucr are reliable indicators of 24-hour urinary unbound and total taurine excretion in healthy dogs. However, determination of 24-hour urinary taurine excretion is recommended for evaluating urinary bound taurine concentrations of dogs.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1998

Photophysics of Carbazole-Containing Systems. 3 Fluorescence of Carbazole-Containing Oligoethers in Dilute Solution.

Fluorescence techniques, including quenching and anisotropy measurements, have been used to study the photophysical behavior of the carbazole-based oligoethers poly{9-(2,3-epoxypropyl)carbazole}, PEPCz, and poly{1,2-epoxy-6-(9-carbazolyl)-4-oxahexane}, PECzOH, and their model compounds, in dilute fluid solutions in THF. These compounds show no evidence of excimer formation under these conditions and their fluorescences exhibit first-order decay behavior regardless of the degree of polymerization of the oligomer. Both steady-state and time-resolved anisotropy measurements upon dilute, glassy solutions show that intramolecular energy migration occurs in the oligomers. Fluorescence quenching experiments, using both dimethylterephthalate and oxygen as quenchers, produced evidence which supports the supposition that in the absence of excimer trapping sites, intramolecular energy migration will be encouraged in dilute fluid solutions of the oligoethers. Unfortunately, the fluorescence quenching data did not permit evaluation of the extents of energy migration in the various polymers or the relative efficiencies with which migration occurs in the two different types of oligoether. This limitation would appear to be a general feature of fluorescence quenching measurements, despite their frequent adoption, in the past, in studies of energy migration in polymers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Radiation-induced apoptosis is not enhanced by expression of either p53 or BAX in SW626 ovarian cancer cells.

The p53 protein is known to play a central role in mediating G1 arrest or apoptosis in response to ionizing radiation in some cell types. It has been proposed that the link between p53 and induction of apoptosis is provided in part by p53-mediated upregulation of BAX. In this study, we used the human SW626 ovarian cancer cell line, which lacks functional p53, to further investigate the relationship between wildtype p53, BAX, and apoptosis. SW626 cells expressing a temperature sensitive (ts) p53 mutant did not undergo G1 arrest or apoptosis and did not exhibit enhanced sensitivity to radiation at the permissive temperature of 32 degrees C. The tsp53 protein was functional in these cells as evidenced by rapid induction of p21 at 32 degrees C, but not at 37 degrees C. Interestingly, restoration of wildtype p53 function at 32 degrees C was not associated with BAX upregulation. In addition, stable overexpression of BAX in SW626 cells was not capable of enhancing apoptotic cell death in response to radiation. Thus, failure of p53 to upregulate BAX is not the sole reason for its inability to promote radiation-induced apoptosis in SW626 cells. Taken together, our data suggest that neither p53 nor BAX upregulation is sufficient for the induction of apoptosis in response to genotoxic damage in some cell types.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1997

In vivo inhibition of CD44 limits intra-abdominal spread of a human ovarian cancer xenograft in nude mice: a novel role for CD44 in the process of peritoneal implantation.

Ovarian cancer cells frequently metastasize by implanting onto the peritoneal mesothelial lining of the abdominal cavity. Data obtained from in vitro adhesion studies have suggested a possible role for the CD44 molecule in this process. The purpose of the present study was to determine the in vivo role of CD44 in ovarian cancer metastasis by using a nude mouse xenograft model of peritoneal implantation. Three groups of 10 athymic female nude mice each received an i.p. inoculum of 10 x 10(6) cells from a CD44-positive human ovarian cancer cell line (36M2) in the presence of either anti-D144 antibody (Ab; nonreactive IgG1), anti-DF3 Ab (reactive IgG1 Ab that does not inhibit in vitro binding), or neutralizing anti-CD44 Ab (IgG1). The number of peritoneal and diaphragmatic implants at 5 weeks for anti-D144 and anti-DF3-treated groups was 103 +/- 17 and 120 +/- 20, respectively (mean +/- SE; P > 0.2). In contrast, animals treated with anti-CD44 Ab experienced a significant reduction in the number of tumor implants (35 +/- 4; P < 0.002). Anti-CD44 Ab was not inhibitory to the growth of 36M2 cells in vitro and did not inhibit s.c. tumor growth in vivo, suggesting that the observed effect was related to inhibition of peritoneal implantation. These data suggest that the CD44 molecule plays an important in vivo role in ovarian cancer cell implantation and that strategies to inhibit CD44 function may represent a novel approach to limiting the intra-abdominal spread of this highly lethal tumor.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

BAX enhances paclitaxel-induced apoptosis through a p53-independent pathway.

To investigate the role of BAX in chemotherapy-induced apoptosis, we transfected the SW626 human ovarian cancer cell line, which lacks functional p53, with a cDNA encoding for murine BAX. Immunoblotting revealed that BAX transfectants expressed a mean of 10-fold increased levels of BAX compared with neo-transfected control clones, with similar levels of BCL-2 and BCL-xL. The cytotoxicity of paclitaxel, vincristine, and doxorubicin was significantly enhanced in BAX transfectants compared with control clones, whereas the cytotoxicity profile of carboplatin, etoposide, and hydroxyurea was unchanged. Increased paclitaxel-induced cytotoxicity of BAX clones was associated with enhanced apoptosis, as assessed by morphologic and flow cytometric criteria. These data suggest that sufficient levels of BAX may bypass the need for upstream molecules such as p53 in the process of chemotherapy-induced apoptosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Urolith analysis. Submission, methods, and interpretation.

The detection, treatment, and prevention of the causes underlying urolithiasis depend on knowledge of the composition and structure of the entire stone. Therefore, proper and complete analysis of uroliths is an important part of proper patient care. This article discusses methods of urolith retrieval, proper sample submission, methods of urolith analysis, and interpretation of results.

Animals↗