Effect of acute lung injury on structure and function of pulmonary surfactant films.

The structural and functional alterations in pulmonary surfactant that occur during acute lung injury were studied using rat lung surfactant large aggregates (LA) isolated from normal nonventilated lungs (N), and from standard ventilated (V) and injuriously ventilated (IV) excised lungs. N lungs inflated significantly better than IV lungs, with V lungs intermediate. Although IV LA phosphatidylcholine levels were unchanged, cholesterol and protein were elevated.

Oxalate-degrading enzymes from Oxalobacter formigenes: a novel device coating to reduce urinary tract biomaterial-related encrustation.

Background And Purpose: The long-term placement of biomaterials within the urinary tract is limited by the development of encrustation. In a noninfected urinary environment, encrustation often results from the deposition of calcium oxalate on the biomaterial surface. There is an association between the absence of Oxalobacter formigenes, a commensal colonic bacterium capable of degrading oxalate, and calcium oxalate stone formation.

Principal component analysis of TOF-SIMS images of organic monolayers.

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a statistical method used to find combinations of variables or factors that describe the most important trends in the data. PCA has been combined with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) data to extract new information and find relations between species contained in complex systems. Monolayers of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine alone and mixed with palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylglycerol prepared using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique are discussed.

Segregation of saturated chain lipids in pulmonary surfactant films and bilayers.

The physical properties of organized system (bilayers and monolayers at the air water interface) composed of bovine lipid extract surfactant (BLES) were studied using correlated experimental techniques. 6-Dodecanoyl-2-dimethylamino-naphthalene (LAURDAN)-labeled giant unilamelar vesicles (mean diameter approximately 30 microm) composed of BLES were observed at different temperatures using two-photon fluorescence microscopy. As the temperature was decreased, dark domains (gel-like) appeared at physiological temperature (37 degrees C) on the surface of BLES giant unilamelar vesicles.