Determination of the surface area of Pd and nanometric Au aggregates supported on a micrometric solid support by thiol adsorption and GC-MS.

A new sensitive and specific method to measure gold and palladium surface areas using alkanethiol adsorption coupled with analysis by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection has been developed. The effectiveness of the method was tested with metallic samples having a known surface area. The results have also been compared with BET specific surface area measurements.

Purification and identification of bovine cheese whey fatty acids exhibiting in vitro antifungal activity.

Milk lipids contain several bioactive factors exhibiting antimicrobial activity against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In the present study, we demonstrate that free fatty acids (FFA) derived from the saponification of bovine whey cream lipids are active in vitro at inhibiting the germination of Candida albicans, a morphological transition associated with pathogenicity. This activity was found to be significantly increased when bovine FFA were enriched in non-straight-chain FFA.

Resveratrol displays converse dose-related effects on 5-fluorouracil-evoked colon cancer cell apoptosis: the roles of caspase-6 and p53.

We have reported that resveratrol (RSV) evoked apoptosis through caspase-6 activation in HCT116 human colon cancer cells wild-type (p53+/+) or knockout (p53-/-) for p53. In this study, the role of caspase-6 activation in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-elicited apoptosis as well as the combination effects between RSV and 5-FU on their apoptosis induction was further investigated in the same colon cancer cell model. The combination effects were determined by calculation of combination indices (CI).

Profound inhibition of antigen-specific T-cell effector functions by dasatinib.

Purpose: The dual BCR-ABL/SRC kinase inhibitor dasatinib entered the clinic for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Because SRC kinases are known to play an important role in physiologic T-cell activation, we analyzed the immunobiological effects of dasatinib on T-cell function. The effect of dasatinib on multiple T-cell effector functions was examined at clinically relevant doses (1-100 nmol/L); the promiscuous tyrosine kinase inhibitor staurosporine was used as a comparator.

[Continuity of care: a solution? Perspective of people with dual disorders.].

The authors discuss the current limits of the concept of continuity of care and the difficulties set by its determination from the perspective of the consumer. Obvious facts around this concept are also questionned. This reflection is anchored in preliminary results of an ongoing study on continuity of care with people with a dual diagnosis of mental disorder and substance abuse.

[In the line of sight of court hearings reviewing involuntary confinement: mental state and dangerousness.].

This article presents results following the observation of six court hearings of the Tribunal administratif du Québec reviewing involuntary confinement. All 6 hearings concerned individuals considered dangerous. Through thematic analysis of testimonies and interrogations of various people involved (psychiatrist, prosecutor, defence attorney, expert psychiatrist), the author examines signs and points of reference used by those involved to decide on the dangerousness of a psychiatric patient.

Meriolins (3-(pyrimidin-4-yl)-7-azaindoles): synthesis, kinase inhibitory activity, cellular effects, and structure of a CDK2/cyclin A/meriolin complex.

We report the synthesis and biological characterization of 3-(pyrimidin-4-yl)-7-azaindoles (meriolins), a chemical hybrid between the natural products meridianins and variolins, derived from marine organisms. Meriolins display potent inhibitory activities toward cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and, to a lesser extent, other kinases (GSK-3, DYRK1A). The crystal structures of 1e (meriolin 5) and variolin B (Bettayeb, K.

The NF-kappaB subunit Rel A is associated with in vitro survival and clinical disease progression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and represents a promising therapeutic target.

In this study, we characterized nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) subunit DNA binding in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) samples and demonstrated heterogeneity in basal and inducible NF-kappaB. However, all cases showed higher basal NF-kappaB than normal B cells. Subunit analysis revealed DNA binding of p50, Rel A, and c-Rel in primary CLL cells, and Rel A DNA binding was associated with in vitro survival (P = .

Dioxin emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator and risk of invasive breast cancer: a population-based case-control study with GIS-derived exposure.

Background: To date, few epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between environmental PCDD/F exposure and breast cancer in human populations. Dioxin emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) are one of the major sources of environmental dioxins and are therefore an exposure source of public concern. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between dioxins emitted from a polluting MSWI and invasive breast cancer risk among women residing in the area under direct influence of the facility.

Occurrence and fate of antibiotics in the Seine River in various hydrological conditions.

Occurrence and fate of 17 antibiotics were investigated in the aqueous phase of river water under different hydrological conditions at 5 sampling locations in the Seine River inner estuary. The target analytes belonged to 4 groups: quinolones, sulfonamides, nitro-imidazoles and diaminopyrimidines. This six-month survey (from January to June 2006) showed that different compounds were occurring at individual concentrations reaching 544 ng L(-)(1) (sulfamethoxazole).

Parsimony accelerated maximum likelihood searches.

Phylogenetic search is a key tool used in a variety of biological research endeavours. However, this search problem is known to be computationally difficult, due to the astronomically large search space, making the use of heuristic methods necessary. The performance of heuristic methods for finding Maximum Likelihood (ML) trees can be improved by using parsimony as an initial estimator for ML.

Circuital model for the analysis of the piezoelectric response of A1N films using SAW filters.

In this paper we describe a method to assess the piezoelectric response of a piezoelectric thin film deposited on a conductive substrate. It is based on analyzing the frequency response of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter made on the piezoelectric thin film. For this analysis, we use a circuital model that takes into account the theoretical response of the ideal filter along with all the external and internal parasitic effects that deteriorate the response.

Phylogenies scores for exhaustive searches and parsimony scores searches.

Fundamental to Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) algorithms is modelling insertions and deletions (gaps). The most prevalent model is to use Gap Open Penalties (GOP) and Gap Extension Penalties (GEP). While GOP and GEP are well understood conceptually, their effects on MSA and consequently on phylogeny scores are not as well understood.

Pharmacogenomics: analysing SNPs in the CYP2D6 gene using amino acid properties.

The CYP2D6 gene is responsible for metabolising a large portion of the commonly prescribed drugs. Because of its importance, various approaches have been taken to analyse CYP2D6 and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout its sequence. This study introduces a novel method to analyse the effects of SNPs on encoded protein complexes by focusing on the biochemical properties of each non-synonymous substitution using the program TreeSAAP.

Jumpstarting phylogenetic analysis.

Phylogenetic analysis is a central tool in studies of comparative genomics. When a new region of DNA is isolated and sequenced, researchers are often forced to throw away months of computation on an existing phylogeny of homologous sequences in order to incorporate this new sequence. The previously constructed trees are often discarded, and the researcher begins the search again from scratch.

Dominant negative Rac1 attenuates paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in human melanoma cells through upregulation of heat shock protein 27: a functional proteomic analysis.

GTPase ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) plays a role in various cellular processes pertinent to cancer development. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying apoptosis regulation by Rac1 through functional proteomic analysis of three human melanoma M14 cell lines stably transfected with constitutively active Rac1V12, dominant negative Rac1N17, and empty vector (pIRES), respectively. We found that paclitaxel evoked apoptosis in the melanoma cell lines through the intrinsic (mitochondria) pathway in a caspsae-3-dependent manner.

Physical violence and psychological aggression towards children: five-year trends in practices and attitudes from two population surveys.

Objective: To present prevalence rates of child psychological aggression and physical violence from a population survey conducted in 2004 and to compare the rates with the rates obtained in the 1999 edition of the survey.

Methods: The survey used a randomly generated telephone number methodology. Interviews were conducted using a computer-assisted telephone interview system with a representative sample of 3,148 mothers living in Quebec province, Canada.

DNA reference alignment benchmarks based on tertiary structure of encoded proteins.

Motivation: Multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) are at the heart of bioinformatics analysis. Recently, a number of multiple protein sequence alignment benchmarks (i.e.

Evidence of recycling of lead battery waste into highly leaded jewelry.

Inexpensive highly leaded jewelry, much of it imported from China, remains widely available in the United States. The source materials for these items are unknown. Due to the low cost of much of this trinket jewelry, it seems likely that scrap materials may be used in their manufacture.

Terrorism threats and preparedness in Canada: the perspective of the Canadian public.

Although Canada has not experienced a major terrorist attack, an increased global pending threat has put preparedness at the top of the Canadian government's agenda. Given its strong multicultural community and close proximity to the recently targeted United States, the Canadian experience is unique. However, minimal research exists on the public's reactions to terrorism threats and related preparedness strategies.

Temperature-dependent variations of ligand-receptor contact points in hAT(1).

Photoaffinity labelling is regularly used to investigate proteins, including peptidergic G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). To this purpose benzophenone photolabels have been widely used to identify many contact residues in ligand-binding pockets. The three-dimensional binding environment of the human angiotensin II type 1 receptor hAT(1) has been determined using an iterative methionine mutagenesis strategy based on the photochemical properties and preferential incorporation of benzophenone onto methionine.

Caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK enhances the freeze-thaw survival rate of human embryonic stem cells.

Previous study demonstrated that the low survival of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) under conventional slow-cooling cryopreservation protocols is predominantly due to apoptosis rather than cellular necrosis. Hence, this study investigated whether a synthetic broad-spectrum irreversible inhibitor of caspase enzymes, Z-VAD-FMK can be used to enhance the post-thaw survival rate of hESC. About 100 mM Z-VAD-FMK was supplemented into either the freezing solution, the post-thaw culture media or both.