A decade of vibrational micro-spectroscopy of human cells and tissue (1994-2004).

Instrumentation used in infrared microspectroscopy (IR-MSP) permits the acquisition of spectra from samples as small as 100 pg (10(-10) g), and as small as 1 pg for Raman microspectroscopy (RA-MSP). This, in turn, allows the acquisition of spectral data from objects as small as fractions of human cells, and of small regions of microtome tissue sections. Since vibrational spectroscopy is exquisitely sensitive to the biochemical composition of the sample, and variations therein, it is possible to monitor metabolic processes in tissue and cells, and to construct spectral maps based on thousands of IR spectra collected from pixels of tissue.

Evaluation of biomarkers in oyster larvae in natural and polluted conditions.

Crassostrea gigas D-shaped larvae were subjected to different conditions of temperature and salinity for 24 h and four biomarkers (acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activities) were measured. AChE activity decreased when salinity increased from 25 to 30 and 35 psu at 20 and 25 degrees C. Temperature did not seem to have an influence on AChE activity.

[Alcohol and women: clinical aspects].

Alcohol-related pathologies lead to most serious expressions, both at clinical and social level. The diffused social acceptance of consumption and abuse behavior and the lack of alcohol education for professionals (physicians, psychologists, social workers etc.) make difficult to put in the right frame this issue.

Yeast Ras regulates the complex that catalyzes the first step in GPI-anchor biosynthesis at the ER.

The yeast ERI1 gene encodes a small ER-localized protein that associates in vivo with GTP bound Ras2 in an effector loop-dependent manner. We showed previously that loss of Eri1 function results in hyperactive Ras phenotypes. Here, we demonstrate that Eri1 is a component of the GPI-GlcNAc transferase (GPI-GnT) complex in the ER, which catalyzes transfer of GlcNAc from UDP-GlcNAc to an acceptor phosphatidylinositol, the first step in the production of GPI-anchors for cell surface proteins.

Infrared microspectroscopy of individual human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells suspended in growth medium.

We report for the first time the infrared spectra of individual human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells suspended in buffer or cell culture medium. Although we did not establish whether these cells were viable at the time of spectral data acquisition, we believe that the methodology used is applicable to the study of live cells. Data were collected either from entire cells, using 25- to 40-microm apertures, or via an imaging approach, where pixels measuring 6.

Infrared microspectroscopy of individual human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells.

We report infrared (IR) spectra observed for individual, cultured human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells. Spectra were collected microscopically, in reflection/absorption modes, from cells deposited and dried on microscope slides or from cells grown directly on slides. Within the spectra of the dried cells, significant spectral heterogeneity exists that was previously attributed to different stages of the cell cycle [Boydston-White.

Effect of three xenobiotic compounds on Glutathione S-Transferase in the clam Ruditapes decussatus.

The effects of 4,4'DDE, methoxychlor and imidazole were studied on glutathione S-transferase activities in the gills and hepatopancreas of the clam Ruditapes decussatus. The contamination doses were 0.14 microM for 4,4'DDE, 0.

Evaluation of biomarkers in caged fishes and mussels to assess the quality of waters in a bay of the NW Mediterranean Sea.

Specimens of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were placed in cages for 1 month in spring and autumn at different locations in the Bay of Cannes (NW Mediterranean). Biochemical markers evaluated were: ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities in fish livers and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in fish muscle. EROD and GST activities were higher in front of the outlet for the wastewater plant of Cannes and in the harbour than outside the marina.

Distribution of mercury in the organs and tissues of five toothed-whale species of the Mediterranean.

Mercury levels were determined in the tissues and organs (lung, liver, kidney, skin, muscle, bone) of five toothed-whales stranded along the Corsican coast between November 1993 and February 1996. The species taken into consideration were the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis, the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba, the pilot whale Globicephala melas and the Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus. The variation in mercury levels between the different tissues and organs (lung, liver, kidney, skin, muscle, bone) of the cetacean species are discussed as regards storage, biotransformation and elimination.

Condition for alternans and its control in a two-dimensional mapping model of paced cardiac dynamics.

We investigate a two-dimensional mapping model of a paced, isolated cardiac cell that relates the duration of the action potential to the two preceding diastolic intervals as well as the preceding action potential duration. The model displays rate-dependent restitution and hence memory. We derive a criterion for the stability of the 1:1 response pattern displayed by the model.

Procalcitonin serum levels in perinatal bacterial and fungal infection of preterm infants.

Aim: To determine reference values for procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for gestational age and to use these parameters as diagnostic markers of perinatal bacterial and fungal infection.

Methods: PCT and CRP serum levels were measured in a case-control study in a group of 35 low birthweight infants (< 34 wk of gestation). 27 babies (77%) had clinical signs of infection confirmed by positive blood cultures and were compared to 8 (23%) uninfected matched patients.

Multimarker approach in transplanted mussels for evaluating water quality in Charentes, France, coast areas exposed to different anthropogenic conditions.

An active biomonitoring experiment was performed using mussels collected at a clean site, Fier d'Ars, and transplanted to two locations, outside the harbor of La Rochelle and in the Baie de L'Aiguillon along the coast of Charentes (French Atlantic coast) beginning in April for several months. Mussels were collected in June and October. The cadmium, copper, and zinc concentrations of all resident and transplanted mussel samples and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in some mussel samples and in the sediment samples were determined.

Assessment of the use of biomarkers in aquatic plants for the evaluation of environmental quality: application to seagrasses.

The use of aquatic plants as bio-indicators constitutes an irreplaceable tool for investigation in ecological research, applied to the conservation of littoral ecosystems. Today, studies in both the laboratory and the field have provided encouraging insights into the capacity of aquatic plants to act as biomonitors of environmental quality, through the use of biomarkers, and these are reviewed here. Photosynthetic activity, secondary metabolites, heat shock proteins, enzymes of detoxication, and oxidative stress biomarkers were measured in the case of various stressors, (e.

A novel Ras inhibitor, Eri1, engages yeast Ras at the endoplasmic reticulum.

Ras oncoproteins are monomeric GTPases that link signals from the cell surface to pathways that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Constitutively active mutant forms of Ras are found in ca. 30% of human tumors.

Chromosomal abnormalities in non-small cell lung carcinomas and in bronchial epithelia of high-risk smokers detected by multi-target interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Human lung carcinogenesis is accompanied by complex chromosomal changes that may be detected in interphase cells by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay using recently developed multitarget DNA probes. Touch preparations of 20 non-small cell lung carcinomas, sputum specimens from 3 patients with lung cancer and from 11 ex-smokers without lung cancer, and cultured benign bronchial epithelium of 42 high-risk smokers, 9 of whom had concurrent invasive carcinoma, were tested using a four-color FISH probe (LAVysion) targeting centromere 6, 5p15.2, 7p12 (EGFR), and 8q24 (MYC).

Antibodies against ox-LDL serum levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with high incidence worldwide. The related cachexia is induced by proinflammatory cytokines, responsible for a wide number of metabolic disorders, essentially including lipidic and oxidative metabolism. Oxidized LDL (ox-LDL), produced by LDL-cholesterol oxidation, are one of the risk factors for atheromatosis.

Mussel transplantation and biomarkers as useful tools for assessing water quality in the NW Mediterranean.

Mussels, coming from an aquaculture farm located in a clean open bay, were transplanted to several stations of the bays of Nice and Cannes (NW Mediterranean) including a reference site for one month at three periods. Several biomarkers: activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST; exposure to organics), of catalase (exposure to oxidative stress) and of acetylcholinesterase (inhibited by some pesticides) and the lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances: TBARS) were measured in transplanted mussels. Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations were also measured as well as their condition index.

Mercury and non-protein thiol compounds in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica.

Mercury concentrations, non-protein thiol levels and the enzyme activities of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were measured in the blades and sheaths of the marine phanerogam Posidonia oceanica. The seagrass was collected in January and June and at three sites: the Bay of Rosignano (Italy) known for its mercury contamination, the north of the Lérins islands (Bay of Cannes, France), the Bay of Tonnara (Corsica, France). The two latter sites are considered as free of any known industrial inputs.

HTL1 encodes a novel factor that interacts with the RSC chromatin remodeling complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

RSC is an essential chromatin remodeling complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that performs central roles in transcriptional regulation and cell cycle progression. Here we identify Htl1 as a novel factor that associates with the RSC complex both physically and functionally. We isolated HTL1 through a genetic screen for mutants that displayed additive growth defects with a conditional mutation in the protein kinase C gene (PKC1), which has been suggested through genetic connections to interact functionally with RSC.

Regulation of the yeast Rlm1 transcription factor by the Mpk1 cell wall integrity MAP kinase.

The Mpk1 MAP kinase of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall integrity signalling pathway phosphorylates and activates the Rlm1 transcription factor in response to cell wall stress. Rlm1 is related to mammalian MEF2 isoforms, and shares a similar DNA-binding specificity. Signalling through Rlm1 regulates the expression of at least 25 genes, most of which have been implicated in cell wall biogenesis.

Removal of blood components from cervical smears: implications for cancer diagnosis using FTIR spectroscopy.

Red and white cell lysis buffers were investigated to determine their ability to remove blood components from cervical smears prior to IR microspectroscopy. A white cell lysis buffer was effective in increasing the spectral reproducibility and sample homogeneity and in reducing the presence of inflammatory exudate, particularly leukocytes, from cervical smears. The reduction of leukocytes appeared to cause abnormal samples to be grouped with normal samples, resulting in poor discrimination.

Mercury uptake and enzymatic response of Posidonia oceanica after an experimental exposure to organic and inorganic forms.

The aim of this study was to examine the experimental uptake of mercury and the enzymatic response, i.e., glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity, to this metal introduced into the medium under organic (methylmercury chloride) and nonorganic (mercury chloride) forms.

Comparison of cytogenetics with FISH in 40 myelodysplastic syndrome patients.

Karyotyping is important for diagnosis and prognosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) either mitotic or interphase cells can be analyzed and a higher number of cells can be screened. This study evaluated the effectiveness of FISH in detecting the most common chromosomal abnormalities [-5/del 5q/-7/+8/del 11q23 and -Y] in 40 patients with MDS.

Serial protein S-100 serum levels in preterm babies with perinatal asphyxia and periventricular white matter lesions.

In the last years new diagnostic technologies were developed to assess brain development and to identify early brain injury. Some of them are very attractive methods but invasive, expensive, and time-consuming. The availability of clinically useful serum markers of risk for perinatal brain damage will easily permit the development of rational strategies for prevention of cerebral insults in neonates and more accurate prognostic counseling.