Effect of silica on a culture of rat peritoneal macrophages.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
M Jalkanen
Publications and source records attributed to M Jalkanen.
Isoelectric focusing of macrophage culture media and the effect of the fractions on the synthesis of DNA and collagen by fibroblasts.
Macromolecules from rat peritoneal macrophage culture media were separated into 30 fractions by flat bed isoelectric focusing (IEF). The fractions were tested for their influence on thymidine and proline incorporation into cultured rat granuloma fibroblasts. Three fractions, stable after freezing and lyophilization, were of interest: one inhibiting thymidine incorporation (focusing at pH 7.3-7.6), another stimulating thymidine incorporation (focusing at pH 4.4-5.3), and the third stimulating proline incorporation into cells and medium collagen (focusing at pH 10.2-10.7). The last also exhibited a ribonuclease (RNase) activity with a pH-optimum of 7.0-7.5.
Animals↗
Psychological performance of subjects with low exposure to lead.
In a study of the effects of low lead exposure on psychological performance, 49 exposed workers and 24 controls were given a psychological test battery. All the lead workers had been under regular monitoring during their entire exposure time, and only workers whose maximal blood lead concentration had never exceeded 70 microgram/100 ml were included in the study. At the time of the examination, the mean blood lead level of the exposed group was 32 +/- 11 microgram/100 ml. Comparisons were made both between exposed and nonexposed workers and within the exposed group. In the latter case, the maximal, the average and the actual blood lead concentrations were used as measures of uptake. The most important finding was a significant relationship between impaired psychological performance and lead uptake within the exposed group. The performances that were most affected by lead depended on visual intelligence and visual-motor functions. Age and neuroticism did not explain these relationships. The impairment of psychological performance correlated better with the average than with the maximal or actual blood lead concentration. Considering that no single blood lead concentration had ever exceeded 70 microgram/100 ml, these findings indicate that the threshold for impaired performance lies below that level.
Adult↗
Defect in the generation of light-chain diversity in bursectomized chickens.
The avian bursa of Fabricius has been regarded as a central organ for B-cell development, but there is controversy about the existence of other sites for differentiation of B cells. We have recently shown that chickens surgically bursectomized as early embryos, before the bursal primordium appears, can produce cytoplasmic, surface and serum immunoglobulins of IgM, IgG and IgA classes but are unable to generate specific antibodies in response to antigen. We have therefore examined the structure and diversity of immunoglobulins of bursectomized chickens. Analysis of serum IgG revealed normal gamma-heavy chains but altered light chains with more basic and less diverse isoelectric points than normal. These light chains may represent germ-line specificities not diversified by somatic mutations. Thus the bursa of Fabricius appears not to be necessary for the production of immunoglobulin molecules as such but to function in the creation and expansion of the antibody repertoire, possibly by providing a microenvironment for somatic mutations.
Animals↗
Syndecan-1 expression is upregulated in degenerating articular cartilage in a transgenic mouse model for osteoarthritis.
OBJECTIVE: Mice heterozygous for the Del1 transgene locus with a short deletion mutation in the type II collagen gene develop early-onset degenerative changes in the knee joints that progress to end-stage osteoarthritis by the age of 12-15 months. This study focuses on the expression and distribution of syndecan-1, a cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan, during the development of osteoarthritic cartilage degeneration, to better understand its role in this disease. METHODS: Northern analyses of total RNA extracted from knee joints of transgenic Del1 mice and their nontransgenic controls were used to monitor changes in syndecan-1 mRNA levels during development, growth, ageing, and cartilage degeneration. Immunohistochemistry was used to study the distribution of syndecan-1 in the knee joints at different stages of cartilage degeneration. RESULTS: Syndecan-1 mRNA was present in knee joints throughout life, with the highest mRNA levels in ageing knee joints. In Del1 mice, a transient upregulation of syndecan-1 mRNA synthesis was observed at the age of 6 months coinciding with early stages of cartilage degeneration and a period of attempted repair. Immunostaining for syndecan-1 was most intense in chondrocytes of superficial and intermediate zones of articular cartilage adjacent to defect areas. Chondrocyte clusters also stained strongly for syndecan-1. CONCLUSION: The present temporospatial expression data on upregulation of syndecan-1 in articular cartilage during early stages of cartilage degeneration suggest that this molecule is involved in the attempted repair of cartilage fibrillations. Combined with the known role of syndecan-1 during skeletal development and wound healing, this interesting finding warrants further validation.
Animals↗