Photocarrier dynamics in compensated hydrogenated amorphous silicon.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Zhou.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In preliminary experiments aimed at investigating the effect of covalently cross-linked human myeloma subclass proteins on histamine release from human leukocytes, we observed one preparation (designated here IgG-HR) made from pooled, purified immunoglobulin G, which consistently released histamine from these cells. Dimers and trimers, but not monomers isolated from columns of Sephadex G-200 and Ultrogel AcA22 following incubation of immunoglobulin G (Nordic Laboratories) with dimethyl suberimidate, released histamine from cells of all donors tested. In contrast, cells from the same donors showed variable responsiveness to dimers of IgE (prepared by similar techniques) or to anti-IgE. IgG-HR failed to release histamine from a "basophil-rich" mononuclear cell preparation depleted of most of the erythrocytes, platelets, neutrophils and eosinophils by centrifugation through a Ficoll-Hypaque cushion. The data suggest that IgG-HR was releasing histamine indirectly from basophils by first interacting with another cell. IgG oligomers prepared from different sources of pooled, purified IgG failed to release histamine. Although we did not have sufficient IgG-HR to adequately define this releasing activity, we feel that the data represent a potentially novel, if rare, mechanism of mediator release involving basophils and another cell.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We have examined the ability of IgG subclass antibodies to release histamine from human leukocytes using covalently cross-linked oligomers of human myeloma proteins. Purified IgG1, G2, G3, G4, (or IgE) was incubated with dimethyl suberimidate to induce cross-linking. The resulting dimers, trimers, and higher molecular weight oligomers were isolated using gel filtration columns (Sephadex G200 and Ultrogel AcA 22) connected in tandem. None of the oligomers of IgG1, G2, G3, or G4 released histamine from leukocytes of donors whose basophils released histamine when challenged with IgE dimer. Furthermore, preincubation with subclass specific oligomers did not desensitize cells to challenge with IgE dimer or to anti-IgE. We conclude that, under our experimental conditions, oligomers of human IgG myeloma subclass antibodies do not trigger histamine release nor modulate IgE-mediated reactions.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) from Piles Creeks (PC), New Jersey (a polluted site), are sluggish and show poorer prey capture and predator avoidance than reference fish from Tuckerton (TK). The behavioral dysfunction of the PC fish may be associated with thyroid impairment due to endocrine disruption. In this study, we compared thyroid histology and thyroid hormones in the two populations and determined experimentally whether the polluted environment could alter thyroid hormone levels. PC fish had larger thyroid follicles, greater follicle cell heights, and contained higher plasma thyroxine (T4) levels than TK fish. However, there were no significant differences in either plasma or tissue triiodothyronine (T3). TK fish held in simulated PC environments had higher plasma T4 and lower plasma T3 than field-sampled fish. PC fish held in clean water had lower plasma T4 and T3 than field-sampled fish. In either case, there was no significant difference in tissue T3 content. The contaminants in PC alter thyroid structure and function, which may relate to the behavioral differences between fish from the polluted and reference sites.
The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was used to monitor endothelial cell (EC) adhesion on the gold surface of an oscillating quartz crystal contained in a QCM device. A number of parameters were investigated. First, we observed differential QCM O-ring toxicities for ECs. Second, appropriate conditions for cell culture and QCM cell environment were identified that can eliminate large-scale frequency oscillations in the measurements. These artifacts are not due to added cells but originate in the time-dependent evaporation of water. Having eliminated these artifacts, we then demonstrated that the measured steady-state crystal frequency shift, Delta f, and motional resistance shift, DeltaR, were determined by the number of firmly attached ECs requiring trypsinization from the crystal surface. Last, following steady-state attachment of ECs, the EC growth stimulation by fibroblast growth factor was monitored in a continuous fashion by measuring f and R values over a 72 h. period. We observed the Delta f values to increase in a way that reflected the increase in EC number bound to the QCM surface. Following addition of ECs to the QCM, the time-dependent increase in DeltaR can be interpreted in terms of increase by the ECs of the energy dissipation properties of the solution at the solution-gold surface interface. This effect is due to their rapid surface attachment and the elaboration of their cytoskeletal properties. These results indicate that the QCM technique can be used for the study of EC attachment and growth and suggest its potential for the real time study of per unit surface area cell mass distribution dynamics and viscoelastic properties and the cells' responses to stresses or perturbations brought about using biologically active molecules.
Amphiphilic decyl derivatives of D-tyrosine self-assemble into long rodlike or tubular aggregate structures in aqueous buffered solution. In this report we demonstrate the novel use of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to measure the presence in solution, and subequent enzymatic polymerization, of long rodlike monomer aggregates of the decyl ester of D-tyrosine (DEDT) as a function of their formation and increasing surface binding level as pH values increase from 3 to 7. From these data, using the Sauerbray equation to calculate the effective elastic mass surface binding of deprotonated DEDT aggregates, a pKapp of 8.3 is obtained for the DEDT alpha-NH2 group protonation-deprotonation and subsequent aggregation equilibrium. Furthermore, once aggregates are bound to the QCM surface, we initiate and subsequently monitor enzymatic polymerization of the DEDT monomers by horseradish peroxidase through the measurement of significant changes in the quartz crystal frequency and motional resistance. Following the onset of polymerization, the viscoelastic properties of the bound monomer aggregates change. A final polymerized state is achieved in which the altered physical properties of the polymerized rodlike aggregates make the solution immediately above the QCM surface-solution interface behave as a Newtonian fluid, producing a nearly pure viscosity-density energy dissipative effect on the measured crystal frequency and motional resistance values.
An initial effort to study the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of interacting transition-metal-oxo complexes is presented and studied by effective core potential approaches. Osmium tetroxide is used for this study. Favorable intermolecular interaction effects, even within this weak interaction regime, that yield enhancements in NLO properties have been found. Interaction effects increase alpha (polarizability) up to 6% and gamma (second hyperpolarizability) up to 100% relative to the isolated monomer result for OsO4. The magnitude of the interaction (hyper)polarizabilities, and indeed even the sign, is found to be quite sensitive to the relative orientation of the osmium tetroxide monomers.