Comparison of seasonal variations of ozone exposure and fluxes in a Mediterranean Holm oak forest between the exceptionally dry 2003 and the following year.

Ozone and energy fluxes have been measured using the eddy covariance technique, from June to December 2004 in Castelporziano near Rome (Italy), and compared to similar measurements made in the previous year. The studied ecosystem consisted in a typical Mediterranean Holm oak forest. Stomatal fluxes have been calculated using the resistance analogy and by inverting the Penmann-Monteith equation.

Effect of polydeoxyribonucleotides on human fibroblasts in primary culture.

The effects of a mixture of oligo- and polydeoxyribonucleotides (PDRN) on the growth and protein secretion of cultured human skin fibroblasts were investigated. Both intact and DNAase-digested PDRN stimulated cell proliferation to a similar extent. When cultured fibroblasts were incubated with radioactive amino acids in the presence of intact or digested PDRN the incorporation of the tracer into secreted proteins increased significantly.

Role of decorin on in vitro fibrillogenesis of type I collagen.

Tendon and corneal decorins are differently iduronated dermatan sulphate/proteoglycan (DS/PG) and the biochemical parameter that differentiates type I collagens is the hydroxylysine glycoside content. We have examined the effect of tendon and corneal decorins on the individual phases (tlag, dA/dt) of differently glycosylated type I collagens fibril formation, at molar ratios PG:collagen monomer ranging from 0.15:1 to 0.

Structural heterogeneity of dermatan sulfate chains: correlation with heparin cofactor II activating properties.

To obtain dermatan sulfate (DS) with different structural characteristics and biological properties we isolated three groups of chains from a bovine mucosal DS preparation, differently iduronated and sulfated. The selected DS chains were characterized by their total charge values, electrophoretic mobility, susceptibility to Chondroitinase AC II treatment and disaccharide composition of Chondroitinase ABC digests. Besides the major IdoUA-->GalNac-4-SO4 sequences, two DS fractions (s-DS 1.